Hi,

Im a 27 yr old white male. Recently (last 3 weeks) I've been having difficulty swallowing, the area where my esophagus meets my stomach feels narrow and tender - on the inside that is, no palpable pain or mass. Strange thing is its worse in the morning. My gp has prescribed me losec to deal with it and scheduled an Upper Endoscopy.

I haven't lost any weight, my appetite is there but eating is a struggle or at least Im worried with every bite I take. Could this be an ulcer? I get a dull pain in my stomach frequently at nights, like a gnawing almost. Drinking citrus fruit juice is painful too. Hiatial hernia maybe?

Im a little scared to be honest, not being able to eat properly is scary and Im sure my anxiety is making it worse - I am constantly thinking about my stomach area. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've convinced myself its oesophageal cancer so am driving myself insane with worry.

Any advice would be much appreciated
M

Hi,

Im a 27 yr old white male. Recently (last 3 weeks) I've been having difficulty swallowing, the area where my esophagus meets my stomach feels narrow and tender - on the inside that is, no palpable pain or mass. Strange thing is its worse in the morning. My gp has prescribed me losec to deal with it and scheduled an Upper Endoscopy.

I haven't lost any weight, my appetite is there but eating is a struggle or at least Im worried with every bite I take. Could this be an ulcer? I get a dull pain in my stomach frequently at nights, like a gnawing almost. Drinking citrus fruit juice is painful too. Hiatial hernia maybe?

Im a little scared to be honest, not being able to eat properly is scary and Im sure my anxiety is making it worse - I am constantly thinking about my stomach area. Does anyone have any suggestions? I've convinced myself its oesophageal cancer so am driving myself insane with worry.

Any advice would be much appreciated
M

Sounds like you have GERD. Have you been diagnosed with that or have reflux issues before? Its good that you have an endoscopy coming up. That will show a lot. It is highly unlikely that you have cancer but untreated reflux can lead to Barretts Esophagus which can increase your chances. In the meantime, if you havent' already, you have to do all the GERD type of things. Lose weight, exerecise, avoid tobacco, alchohol, coffee, chocolate, other cafeine foods, all the acid foods, don't eat 3 hours before bed, take Prilosec or like drug if needed, etc.

I have never been diagnosed with GERD but my father suffers from it and I have had a reflux style symptoms for years but treated it myself with indigestions tablets (over the counter). I don't feel as though I have any reflux anymore and am taking losec so that should help the problem. I've had gastric problems as far as I can remember, most men in my family (fathers side) have similar issues, over production of stomach acid leading to GERD or kidney stone - ouch!

I know oesophageal cancer is very rare in young people but I can't help but think the worst. Would I be in extreme pain or vomit blood if it was cancer?

Could it be a hiatus hernia or esophogeal stricture? These don't explain the ulcer type symptoms I've been having though, dull gnawing pain just below my rib cage in the dead centre. Eating seems to aggravate it somewhat. I used to get a sharp pain on swallowing (strangely liquids only) but that seems to have receded.

I agree with the GERD Thing, but also hiatal hernia could be a strong possibility. My first husband died with esophageal cancer at 33 years old. He couldn't eat anything or drink anything without it coming right back up. It never did completely go down because the tumor was so big. I don't remember him having a whole lot of pain, but he lost a tremendous amount of weight due to it. The idea of an endoscope is the best idea. That will show you exactly what you need to know. Chances are it's something that can be treated with meds. That kind of cancer is rare, but it's becoming more prevalent than it used to be, but mostly in older men. It's very unlikely that you have it, but not unheard of. I wish you the best, and hope you find relief soon.

I agree with the GERD Thing, but also hiatal hernia could be a strong possibility. My first husband died with esophageal cancer at 33 years old. He couldn't eat anything or drink anything without it coming right back up. It never did completely go down because the tumor was so big. I don't remember him having a whole lot of pain, but he lost a tremendous amount of weight due to it. The idea of an endoscope is the best idea. That will show you exactly what you need to know. Chances are it's something that can be treated with meds. That kind of cancer is rare, but it's becoming more prevalent than it used to be, but mostly in older men. It's very unlikely that you have it, but not unheard of. I wish you the best, and hope you find relief soon.

Thankyou both for your quick responses, sorry to hear about your loss wmje
sease. My mind is a little more eased as my symptoms aren't always the same. I suffer from swallowing problems if my stomach is empty (mornings etc). I'll just have to see what the endoscopy shows up, I just want an answer. Fingers crossed and thanks again.

Hi -

Another possibility is a narrowing of your esophagus so you feel like your swallowing is restricted. This happens to some folks and can be fixed during the Upper Endoscopy by the doctor using a dilator-type instrument while you're sedated (at least that's how it's done in the US).

Hope whatever it is, that the treatment and cure are easy and quick!

Wishing you well - Barbara

hi,
I have the same problems with food feeling like it is stuck. My doctor believes I have esophagitis with a stricture (narrowing in the esophagus). This can cause weight loss due to regurgition (not vomiting since food does not actually reach the stomach) after a while. Thats where I am, I have lost about 15-20 in 3 1/2 months. The doctor RXed me Prevacid to help but it doesnt get rid of the nausea or vomiting. I also have an endoscopy scheduled to make sure there is nothing there (no blockage) but the doctor said its most likely due to my anxiety and acid reflux. let us know how it goes and take care.
mel
oh and while they are doing the endoscopy, they are also going to take a tool and re-open my esophagus.