
Hi There I Can Ask Specialist About My Problems, But

I can ask specialist about my problems, but I think everything I have problems with is connected somehow.
First let me tell I have severe health anxiety for 20 years, I fear cancer and other deadly diseases like ALS.
Last 2 years were terrible for me, I got divorced, I have severe fear of getting coronavirus, I lost my social life. This are the worst times in my life.
I have had many problems in the past, I've had severe stomach and bowel problems in 2005, I had severe twitching of muscles with pain in 2013 and I had severe 6-month cough in 2013. The found functional dyspepsia, IBS and twitching of unknown reason. The cough they said was from LFR (larengofarengal reflux) and post nasal drip as my nose is broken since birth. I had many times neck and shoulder pain which got better in a few days or a week. I've had many wierd symptoms like I couldn't feel a part of my thumb for half year, I had irritable bladder... The story could go on... but I think you get the feeling.
I am 52 for a few days now, I never smoked, I did drink more than would be healthy for a few years (not like a drunk, but more than 2 glasses a day), I completely stopped 2 years ago.
Now fast forward to end of October 2020. I allready had right shoulder pain when lifting arm above the shoulder level for 6 months, but I developed neck pain and left shoulder pain. Like something is wrong between shoulder and neck. Since then I have hard times sleeping because of pain. It is always there, but can be limited to this spot, or the whole neck hurts radiating to left shoulder and I also develop headache. It is not sharp pain, it is pain that is throbbing, the more I turn my head to the right and down, the more it hurts. The more severe version comes and goes, it had no hours, but in the morning I am so stiff in the neck I can hardly turn it. I need some 10 minutes to be better. This happened in october. Because it wasn't better I got scared of spine cancer. I got to X-ray of the neck and shoulder, the doctor did find some wear but didn't explain the severity of the pain.
At the same time I had the neck/shoulder problem I had some nauseatic days and pain in my stomach, later that was better but I got colon problems like in 2005. Mucus in stool, frequently going to the bathroom, no red flag signs. This went better for a month.
At the same time I developed severe twitching like in 2011 all over my body. One fasciculation stayed on my back for 14 days same spot.
All of this just added to my divorce and corona stress. When I was cleared that spine is OK, I started having this esophageal burning pain, upper stomach pain again. I did make a mistake reading about esophageal cancer and its deadlines and around december I had some wierd symptoms with swallowing. Before this year it did happen to me to eat some peanuts and one piece would get stuck in my throat so I needed to swallow a few more times, but now this happens more often than food gets stuck in my throat or at least that I feel globus sensation and the swallow is just wrong. Even more with water than with bread, I felt like the muscles in the esophagus contract wrongly, after a glass of water I had to belch some, sometimes I felt like the food is stuck near the XXXXXXX (lower esophageal sphincter) and then the upper part of my stomach hurt me. I got scared to death that this is the stage IV esophageal cancer. Wierd is that I have less problems with big pieces like bread than with water and salvia and small pieces like bread crumbs that some just feel not to go down at once. Maybe even this is normal, but I am so focused on how I swallow I feel my reflex is controlled by my scare and if I think how I swallow it is worse, it is easier my food get stuck or at least touches somewhere and then it feels like it is still there.
Neck and shoulder is the same. But if the tumor is in esophagus, it would start with swallowing issues not with neck first, wouldn't it?
My symptoms about eating have changed a little. I have less burning in my stomach now (I am taking omniprazole for 1 month+) and most of the time food and muscles in esophagues don't seem to be contracting wrong, but I have more symptoms in the throat like globus and "stuck food", last days I had some pain in the right side when swallowing and I think food is more stuck on the right but I am not 100%. Now I fear throat cancer. I know I need to go to ENT for throat and gastroscopy for esophagus, but now is corona time and most of the doctors don't work in my country. I have to wait and I am all scared, I don't even know is the cancer in the throat, esophagus (more deadly) or stomach or in the neck somewhere.
I can not find any data that would connect the twitching, neck/shoulder pain and swallowing/reflux like issues. Even google doesn't find the connection.
I know stomach issues and burning can be from anxiety, I've been there in 2005, my colon problems which I now have (not severe) can also be from stress. Twitching is in some somatoform disorder also linked to anxiety for me (twitches are not ALS in me, at least up to now they were not)...
But trouble swallowing? Isn't that a reflex and if breadcrunbs stay in my throat many times and I feel like I have a lump, is there anything else possible than a big tumor that blocks parts of peanuts, breadcrumbs, and makes pain when swallowing (at the moment I have no pain, I had it 3 days ago my food got stuck and I felt sharp pain in my throat somewhere and then I had some swallow pain for 2 days, I am not sure how it will develop.
Can thinking and focusing on swallowing makes normal sensations lost? Or is it possible I can "only" have GERD and LFR issues, I do have quite red throat most of the time, when I looked at it, there is red near tonsiles, but I don't know where is this feeling of globus located seems like food is stuck or feels stuck near Adam's apple. A little lower and sometimes I feel it is just below my tongue like some sticky food sticks to the back of my tongue and I need some drink or have to swallow a few times... I did a stupid think and went with finger inside my throat as much as I could. There I felt some lump on the front side... I panicked immediately. Later I read this could be epigllotis that I felt and that one shouldn't tough it (infection possibility).
Is all this possible that it is now cancer? Neck/shoulders are now 3 months, stomach 2 months, throat 1 month, symptoms are a little changing but I just focus on swallowing now and I fear to swallow. 3 times in the last month I sipped hot tea and soup and got them aspired a little so I coughed, this never happened before but now 3 times in a month... I am so scared of cancer.
I have lost 1 kg last month when I had some nausea, now I don't have it any more and I got it back (even more), so I have my 75,5 kg (180cm height) back, have some too much around my stomach (corona got as too much at home) so I am not loosing weight, if this can be any good news for me, I don't know....
Now this health problem is like combining orthopedics, muscle therapist, ENT and gastro specialists, but I wonder, can 1 cancer or anything else make such symptoms for so long? It is not getting worse in neck/shoulder it is the same. It is somehow worse in throat but at the same time it is better in the lower esophagus/stomach... Twitching is also on and off...
Any thought or possible idea would be helpful for me, because I have to wait to get to the doctors here in live.
Thank you a lot for your time.
XXXXXXX

I can ask specialist about my problems, but I think everything I have problems with is connected somehow.
First let me tell I have severe health anxiety for 20 years, I fear cancer and other deadly diseases like ALS.
Last 2 years were terrible for me, I got divorced, I have severe fear of getting coronavirus, I lost my social life. This are the worst times in my life.
I have had many problems in the past, I've had severe stomach and bowel problems in 2005, I had severe twitching of muscles with pain in 2013 and I had severe 6-month cough in 2013. The found functional dyspepsia, IBS and twitching of unknown reason. The cough they said was from LFR (larengofarengal reflux) and post nasal drip as my nose is broken since birth. I had many times neck and shoulder pain which got better in a few days or a week. I've had many wierd symptoms like I couldn't feel a part of my thumb for half year, I had irritable bladder... The story could go on... but I think you get the feeling.
I am 52 for a few days now, I never smoked, I did drink more than would be healthy for a few years (not like a drunk, but more than 2 glasses a day), I completely stopped 2 years ago.
Now fast forward to end of October 2020. I allready had right shoulder pain when lifting arm above the shoulder level for 6 months, but I developed neck pain and left shoulder pain. Like something is wrong between shoulder and neck. Since then I have hard times sleeping because of pain. It is always there, but can be limited to this spot, or the whole neck hurts radiating to left shoulder and I also develop headache. It is not sharp pain, it is pain that is throbbing, the more I turn my head to the right and down, the more it hurts. The more severe version comes and goes, it had no hours, but in the morning I am so stiff in the neck I can hardly turn it. I need some 10 minutes to be better. This happened in october. Because it wasn't better I got scared of spine cancer. I got to X-ray of the neck and shoulder, the doctor did find some wear but didn't explain the severity of the pain.
At the same time I had the neck/shoulder problem I had some nauseatic days and pain in my stomach, later that was better but I got colon problems like in 2005. Mucus in stool, frequently going to the bathroom, no red flag signs. This went better for a month.
At the same time I developed severe twitching like in 2011 all over my body. One fasciculation stayed on my back for 14 days same spot.
All of this just added to my divorce and corona stress. When I was cleared that spine is OK, I started having this esophageal burning pain, upper stomach pain again. I did make a mistake reading about esophageal cancer and its deadlines and around december I had some wierd symptoms with swallowing. Before this year it did happen to me to eat some peanuts and one piece would get stuck in my throat so I needed to swallow a few more times, but now this happens more often than food gets stuck in my throat or at least that I feel globus sensation and the swallow is just wrong. Even more with water than with bread, I felt like the muscles in the esophagus contract wrongly, after a glass of water I had to belch some, sometimes I felt like the food is stuck near the XXXXXXX (lower esophageal sphincter) and then the upper part of my stomach hurt me. I got scared to death that this is the stage IV esophageal cancer. Wierd is that I have less problems with big pieces like bread than with water and salvia and small pieces like bread crumbs that some just feel not to go down at once. Maybe even this is normal, but I am so focused on how I swallow I feel my reflex is controlled by my scare and if I think how I swallow it is worse, it is easier my food get stuck or at least touches somewhere and then it feels like it is still there.
Neck and shoulder is the same. But if the tumor is in esophagus, it would start with swallowing issues not with neck first, wouldn't it?
My symptoms about eating have changed a little. I have less burning in my stomach now (I am taking omniprazole for 1 month+) and most of the time food and muscles in esophagues don't seem to be contracting wrong, but I have more symptoms in the throat like globus and "stuck food", last days I had some pain in the right side when swallowing and I think food is more stuck on the right but I am not 100%. Now I fear throat cancer. I know I need to go to ENT for throat and gastroscopy for esophagus, but now is corona time and most of the doctors don't work in my country. I have to wait and I am all scared, I don't even know is the cancer in the throat, esophagus (more deadly) or stomach or in the neck somewhere.
I can not find any data that would connect the twitching, neck/shoulder pain and swallowing/reflux like issues. Even google doesn't find the connection.
I know stomach issues and burning can be from anxiety, I've been there in 2005, my colon problems which I now have (not severe) can also be from stress. Twitching is in some somatoform disorder also linked to anxiety for me (twitches are not ALS in me, at least up to now they were not)...
But trouble swallowing? Isn't that a reflex and if breadcrunbs stay in my throat many times and I feel like I have a lump, is there anything else possible than a big tumor that blocks parts of peanuts, breadcrumbs, and makes pain when swallowing (at the moment I have no pain, I had it 3 days ago my food got stuck and I felt sharp pain in my throat somewhere and then I had some swallow pain for 2 days, I am not sure how it will develop.
Can thinking and focusing on swallowing makes normal sensations lost? Or is it possible I can "only" have GERD and LFR issues, I do have quite red throat most of the time, when I looked at it, there is red near tonsiles, but I don't know where is this feeling of globus located seems like food is stuck or feels stuck near Adam's apple. A little lower and sometimes I feel it is just below my tongue like some sticky food sticks to the back of my tongue and I need some drink or have to swallow a few times... I did a stupid think and went with finger inside my throat as much as I could. There I felt some lump on the front side... I panicked immediately. Later I read this could be epigllotis that I felt and that one shouldn't tough it (infection possibility).
Is all this possible that it is now cancer? Neck/shoulders are now 3 months, stomach 2 months, throat 1 month, symptoms are a little changing but I just focus on swallowing now and I fear to swallow. 3 times in the last month I sipped hot tea and soup and got them aspired a little so I coughed, this never happened before but now 3 times in a month... I am so scared of cancer.
I have lost 1 kg last month when I had some nausea, now I don't have it any more and I got it back (even more), so I have my 75,5 kg (180cm height) back, have some too much around my stomach (corona got as too much at home) so I am not loosing weight, if this can be any good news for me, I don't know....
Now this health problem is like combining orthopedics, muscle therapist, ENT and gastro specialists, but I wonder, can 1 cancer or anything else make such symptoms for so long? It is not getting worse in neck/shoulder it is the same. It is somehow worse in throat but at the same time it is better in the lower esophagus/stomach... Twitching is also on and off...
Any thought or possible idea would be helpful for me, because I have to wait to get to the doctors here in live.
Thank you a lot for your time.
XXXXXXX
Unlikely to be cancer
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, I have gone through your question and I understand your concerns but X-ray done on your shoulder and neck is not informative enough to detect the cause of the pain and I would recommend that you get a ct scan whenever possible..
As for the swallowing problems, no cancer can develop in that short period of time to the extent that it blocks the oesophagus and cause such symptoms.. I would recommend that you get a stool or breath analysis for h.pylori infection as it might be the cause of such symptoms. I hope you find this helpful. If you don’t have any other clarifications then please close the discussion..

Unlikely to be cancer
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, I have gone through your question and I understand your concerns but X-ray done on your shoulder and neck is not informative enough to detect the cause of the pain and I would recommend that you get a ct scan whenever possible..
As for the swallowing problems, no cancer can develop in that short period of time to the extent that it blocks the oesophagus and cause such symptoms.. I would recommend that you get a stool or breath analysis for h.pylori infection as it might be the cause of such symptoms. I hope you find this helpful. If you don’t have any other clarifications then please close the discussion..


Would ultrasound of neck and shoulder help, I can get there fast? Is such 3 month neck/shoulder pain indicative of cancer?
Swallowing problems are a month old problem, that is too fast for cancer also? I mean, I had problem with lower esophagus/stomach first then it was better and now I have globus sensation and swallow problems, small food particles getting stuck, but not severe stuck, no coughing needed, just some more swallow and it would go down. Doesn't happen always and mostly on small things, not bread or meat. I feel like the esophagus or throat is partly blocked, not blocked.
I didn't have Helliobacter 15 years ago, can I have it now?
Can neck pain cause problems with swallow reflex? Can my thinking of swallow worsen the problem?
Thank you

Would ultrasound of neck and shoulder help, I can get there fast? Is such 3 month neck/shoulder pain indicative of cancer?
Swallowing problems are a month old problem, that is too fast for cancer also? I mean, I had problem with lower esophagus/stomach first then it was better and now I have globus sensation and swallow problems, small food particles getting stuck, but not severe stuck, no coughing needed, just some more swallow and it would go down. Doesn't happen always and mostly on small things, not bread or meat. I feel like the esophagus or throat is partly blocked, not blocked.
I didn't have Helliobacter 15 years ago, can I have it now?
Can neck pain cause problems with swallow reflex? Can my thinking of swallow worsen the problem?
Thank you
Yes
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. an ultrasound won’t be as informative as a ct scan..
yes, 3 months period and 1 month period is not enough for a tumor to grow that big to cause your symptoms.
yes, you can have helicopacter pylori infection now even though you tested negative 15 years ago.
Neck pain is probably not related to swallowing problems and yes, you thinking about it can cause a condition called psychological dysphagia..
I would recommend that you schedule for an endoscopy to clear your mind about having cancer if that is possible in the time being. I hope you find this helpful.

Yes
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. an ultrasound won’t be as informative as a ct scan..
yes, 3 months period and 1 month period is not enough for a tumor to grow that big to cause your symptoms.
yes, you can have helicopacter pylori infection now even though you tested negative 15 years ago.
Neck pain is probably not related to swallowing problems and yes, you thinking about it can cause a condition called psychological dysphagia..
I would recommend that you schedule for an endoscopy to clear your mind about having cancer if that is possible in the time being. I hope you find this helpful.


Could LFR reflux, post nasal drip cause the small food sometimes sticking to the upper throat and globus sensation? Becuase I have LFR and post nasal drip, that was diagnosed 7 years ago.
Thank you for your answer.

Could LFR reflux, post nasal drip cause the small food sometimes sticking to the upper throat and globus sensation? Becuase I have LFR and post nasal drip, that was diagnosed 7 years ago.
Thank you for your answer.
Yes
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. an ultrasound will be informative of soft tissues structures and to a lesser extent on bony structures..
lymph node enlargement is not necessarily due to cancer and could be reactive enlargement due to inflammatory process.
yes, post nasal drip and LFR reflux could cause this sensation. I hope you find this helpful

Yes
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. an ultrasound will be informative of soft tissues structures and to a lesser extent on bony structures..
lymph node enlargement is not necessarily due to cancer and could be reactive enlargement due to inflammatory process.
yes, post nasal drip and LFR reflux could cause this sensation. I hope you find this helpful


I did ultrasound of the thyroid gland, lymph nodes and shoulders. Shoulders found some problems with calcification and inflammation of the muscle.
Lymph nodes were ok.
In Thyroid they found 5,7mm cystic formation, I have to go to endocrine doctor for that. They said it isn't connected to my neck problem, stomach problem or swallowing problem.
Yesterday was better with swallowing whole day, but at the end of the day I got, first time in my life, aspiration from saliva. When I swallowed saliva it got into my lungs and I had cough. Since they it didn't happen again, but I again got scared to death that this is either terminal esophagus cancer phase where I can not even swallow my own saliva or the beginning of bulbar ALS, which has this symptom. Is it possible it can be something else? At night I had no problems with swallowing saliva. I do however have a lot of mucus from my post nasal drip in throat, especially in the morning and very dry mought in the evening (it is winter and we have central heating if that can be a factor).
This month I got aspiration when sipping hot tea but I guess sipping get's a lot of air and can happen to get it into lungs. But saliva going to the wrong tube, that scared me and I think I am dying of cancer or ALS. Can it be anything else, or is it a red flag symptom?

I did ultrasound of the thyroid gland, lymph nodes and shoulders. Shoulders found some problems with calcification and inflammation of the muscle.
Lymph nodes were ok.
In Thyroid they found 5,7mm cystic formation, I have to go to endocrine doctor for that. They said it isn't connected to my neck problem, stomach problem or swallowing problem.
Yesterday was better with swallowing whole day, but at the end of the day I got, first time in my life, aspiration from saliva. When I swallowed saliva it got into my lungs and I had cough. Since they it didn't happen again, but I again got scared to death that this is either terminal esophagus cancer phase where I can not even swallow my own saliva or the beginning of bulbar ALS, which has this symptom. Is it possible it can be something else? At night I had no problems with swallowing saliva. I do however have a lot of mucus from my post nasal drip in throat, especially in the morning and very dry mought in the evening (it is winter and we have central heating if that can be a factor).
This month I got aspiration when sipping hot tea but I guess sipping get's a lot of air and can happen to get it into lungs. But saliva going to the wrong tube, that scared me and I think I am dying of cancer or ALS. Can it be anything else, or is it a red flag symptom?
No
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. The thyroid cyst is unlikely to cause difficulty swallowing.
The aspiration of saliva in my opinion ia an accidental incident due to anxiety and is not an indicator of any underlying illness since it didn’t recur again..
I would still recommend a ct scan on neck and cervix to detect cause of the pain. I hope you find this helpful

No
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. The thyroid cyst is unlikely to cause difficulty swallowing.
The aspiration of saliva in my opinion ia an accidental incident due to anxiety and is not an indicator of any underlying illness since it didn’t recur again..
I would still recommend a ct scan on neck and cervix to detect cause of the pain. I hope you find this helpful


So you think the thyroid lump is not anaplastic caner of the thyroid?

So you think the thyroid lump is not anaplastic caner of the thyroid?
Yes
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. yes, this is probably due to anxiety and doesn’t indicate any underlying illness.. Thyroid nodule is unlikely to be cancer but ct scan will confirm..
I hope you find this helpful

Yes
Detailed Answer:
Dear sir, hello again.. yes, this is probably due to anxiety and doesn’t indicate any underlying illness.. Thyroid nodule is unlikely to be cancer but ct scan will confirm..
I hope you find this helpful

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