Anxiety and throat cancer - Cancer: Throat Message Board

j2cunningham · 11-12-2008, 09:06 AM

Like many of you, I suffer from health anxiety. I can't turn my brain off when I start worrying. I would greatly appreciate any responses.

For several months (at least 5) I have been experiencing recurring (daily) but not constant pain in my neck, ear and base of skull on the right side. It sometimes hurts when I swallow and it hurts at the base of my skull when I press on the front of my neck in a certain spot. I also have frequent, nearly constant post nasal drip. I don't know if one is causing the other. I have noticied that when I do a nasal flush before I go to bed it appears that the pain is less frequent. I also have GERD and have had some but not much trouble swallowing for years. I have also had hoarseness for years too.

My great concern and fear is that I have cancer of the throat. I am a 37 yr old male, non-smoker and non-drinker but I used chewing tobacco for several years but I have quit. I have gone to my Dr twice and he thinks this is a sinus problem. He did a CT of my sinuses and nothing was found. I swear I can feel a lump on that side but he has felt that area twice and does not agree.

When I do a web search of these symptoms( I know, bad idea), I find so much about cancer that I am very worried. I hang my hope on the fact that this has been non-constant and going on long enough that I would have thought it would have gotten much worse by now if this was cancer. Does anyone have any idea what this could be? Does anyone know if this long timeline is common for cancer or is cancer much faster? Thanks and please let me know what you think.

violet312s · 11-12-2008, 10:55 PM

I think you need to see an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist...and then you need to stop searching on symptoms.

If you were to ask anyone on this board if they checked their pulse rate when they were at their worst it would probably be 100%. I would raise my hand too.

You sound just like my BF. He's 37. I'm 41. Getting older is not pleasant. Now we get to enter the aches-and-pains-starting era of our lives. BF currently with a back strain. He's not allowed to go to health sites because he is a cyber-chondriac.

So get a second opinion and for your own anxiety health, stop hitting medical web sites. Also talk to your doctor if you think the anxiety is a problem you need to deal with. Therapy does help.

Best wishes to you!