New here- do I have Oesophageal Cancer?

Hi James

I am sorry that you find yourself worrying about OC, it really is a scary time and I think the only people who can give you the answers are the Doctors, so firstly, yes, I think that my husband was possibly misdiagnosed with a hernia some years ago which has later become the OC that he now has. 

For you, ask your GP to refer you for an endoscopy, if he refuses ask your GP practice to refer you to a specialist

You can make a complaint if you do not get referred on, but cross that bridge if you come to it, the main thing is to explain to your GP that you know how aggressive OC can be and that things need to be checked out quickly to ensure that your mind is put at rest, as this is causing you a great deal of mental anxiety.

Please contact them ASAP and be kind but firm with your request for a specialist to see you.

Good Luck, I truly hope your fears are unfounded.

Lowe'

Hi James,

My dad had a really sore throat for many months, back in 2005.

He went to the GP who asked if he drinks alcohol. My dad said truthfully that he sometimes had a glass of whiskey, only a small one.

The GP said this was the cause of his soreness.

Fast forward a year & my dad's having a routine dental examination. And guess what? The dentist actually saw a lump when my dad really opened his mouth. She immediately told him to get an endoscopy with tiny skin biopsies, she knew! 

Luckily, my dad was given the go ahead from his GP based on what the dentist saw.

They found a stage 3 tumour in the oesophagus. Now if the dentist hadn't seen something strange, my dad would have just stopped his glass of whiskey & carried on with his normal life. 

Stage 3 is quite big, if it had then got to a stage 4, the tumour would have grown through the oesophageal wall & it would have spread.

I would get another GP to get you the endoscopy done asap. If they still refuse, get hold of your local hospice, tell them the issue & they will almost certainly get that examination pencilled in. I also think one of their nurses will visit you at home & check you over, looking at gland sizes & checking your ability to swallow etc.

You don't want to wait until you have even worse symptoms, the sooner you get definitive results, the quicker they can start a course of treatment. And to state the obvious, the quicker they find anything suspicious, the smaller & more treatable it will be.

I really hope it is the hernia, but you need to know just in case it's O.C. So don't wait, try to get that endoscopy for peace of mind.

Best wishes to you James,

regards,

Gray.

Dear James, I went to my doctors after Christmas with heartburn which I have never before suffered with and they gave me Omeprazole but I knew after taking that a few days that it made no difference whatsoever.  I started to feel something wasn't right and it became harder to swallow.  Eventually I spoke to a different doctor by telephone and she felt it would be wise to order an endoscopy as I'd had breast cancer twice and I was so worried about it.  It was indeed what I feared, oesophageal cancer, at an advanced stage.  I am waiting for my treatment to start but because of all the tests I've had to have it will be two months since the first diagnosis.  I know there are lots of people waiting and I am getting so much help from people at the hospital so I'm not complaining.  I just want to say you MUST ask for an endoscopy even if it means seeing a different doctor.

Hi James 

my symptoms were being full up really quickly and a pain to the left side of my chest when food was passing through, otherwise healthy. Endoscopy picked up a tumour last Monday, awaiting results from ydays ct scan.