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Burping can be lethal!

Bilious-Bob
Offline

Hi Everyone 

I'm a newly diagnosed esophageal cancer patient. It's been a whirlwind of medical tests and sleepless nights so far. I decided to visit the doctor after having a few bouts of intermittent dysphagia fully expecting to be sent home with some indigestion tablets and be done with it. His reaction was to refer me for an endoscopy as soon as possible (possibly because I'd lost some weight too which I thought I'd done through a new healthy lifestyle regime).

On collecting my paperwork the very next morning I was chilled to the core to see it headlined.....URGENT REFERRAL - POSSIBLE CANCER.....I mean really??

Fast forward just four days and I'm lying on a hospital bed with what feels like a 10ft python being inserted into my windpipe. The consultant takes a few nice pics and then slowly removes the camera while I'm burping and apologising!

Without any bedside manners he sits me up tells me that he'd found a couple of strictures on the way down. I'm just about to say well that's okay when he hits me with the words "but we've also found a worrying "mass" at the bottom end. My world immediately fell apart before my eyes and I swear which I immediately apologise for!

What followed was a feeling of being cheated as I'd literally spent the last year intermittent fasting, doing regular HiiT sessions in the gym, and eating a restricted low carb diet.

Since then I've had a CT scan which apparently didn't show any spread of the little bas**Rd and most recently a PET scan which I'm wondering why I need if the CT scan showed nothing?

I'm booked for an Echocardiogram and Lung Function Test next week which I'm assuming is to assess my fitness levels for any possible surgery needed.

If anyone has any advice on what to expect or want to tell me more about this new world I'm suddenly a resident of I'd be very happy to hear from you

  • Offline

    Hi Bob,
    Welcome to this strange World.
    Your GP is to be congratulated for setting you down the right referral pathway. I wasn’t quite so lucky and had to wait over six months before I had a gastroscopy. To be fair, my GP and I both thought I had a peptic ulcer (the symptoms are very similar) and NICE guidance has changed significantly since then making. Cancer referral the default if the GP thinks there’s a higher than 5% likelihood of a cancer diagnosis.
    You should ask your care team any questions you have as they know your case better than anyone else. Why a PET scan? My guess would be because PET scans have better definition than CT scans and can pick up smaller sized changes, they are also used to check out the lymphatic system. 
    Once you’ve completed your diagnostic tests and scans, you should receive a proposed care plan.


    Good luck!
    Dave

  • Offline in reply to davek

    Thanks for that Dave, what was your diagnosis and treatment?

  • Offline in reply to Bilious-Bob

    Sorry Dave I've just read through your posts and know all about you now!! Lol  

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