Food feeling stuck in chest-possible thryoid cancer - something else?

85>Hello, I don't even know where to begin. I have a thyroid nodule that has been biopsed and I am waiting for the results. I can feel the nodule when I swallow. I am so nervous that I have thryoid cancer that I took anti anxiety pills, but now stopped. Took some trazadone to sleep but now stopped. I was getting sharp chest pains and felt food sticking in my throat halfway down in esophoges. So, I started prilosec thinking I might have GERD. Could stress cause GERD? Well, the chest pains are gone, but the food stuck in my throat feeling is still there. So, then I thought that was from the possible thyroid cancer. So I asked my endicrinologist and he said they are not related. So, I am at a loss what this is from. I am so freaked out I have cancer and it has spread down my esophages from my thyroid. Anyone know what this is from? Also, other symptom since this all started is morning congestion every morning. Never had that before either. (2 months now) Please help me?
Reply:Hi hun,


I'm sure what your going through right now is very worrying, but what you need to do right now is calm down. You would be surprised what stress and anxiety can do to you. If you convince yourself you have an illness you can experience a whole new range of symptoms. Might sound a bit strange but i speak from experience! These chest pains could be panic attacks and many people experience a feeling of a lump in the throat which seems to go down and come back up after swallowing. Hope this helps and good luck i'm sure you'll be fine :)
Reply:Calm down. The more you freak out and worry, the worse you are going to think your symptoms are. Nodules on the thyroid are very common and are usually NOT cancerous. Yes, stress can cause terrible reflux and indigestion. If you keep thinking that there is something terribly wrong with you, you will imagine all kinds of things.
Reply:Call your Dr., you need reassurance. First of all, 90% of all thyroid cancers have a survival rate on the 95% + range. Your stress is causing you to have pyschosomatic symptoms.
Reply:You can have benign growths My sister had a golf ball sized lump on her throat and they thought for sure it was lymphoma. I prayed to God for her to be alright and it gradually went away in a couple of weeks. Hiatal hernias can press against the heart if they are big enough. Do you smoke? If so please consider giving that up to prevent mouth/throat/lung cancer.


Have you tried the St. Jude novena? You pray it for nine days. Danny Thomas prayed it when he was a struggling comedian and he later succeeded at his profession and then went on to build St. Jude's Reseach hospital for children with cancer.St. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless causes....see link below.
Reply:If food is getting stuck in your esophagus, you either have a web, adhesions, or a motility disorder.


The morning congestion can be a result of nocturnal reflux, especially if it is foul-tasting. See a gastroenterologist.


You can sleep propped up at a 30 degree angle to prevent the reflux from reaching your throat. Take a good antacid before bed, avoid fatty foods and caffiene, as well as alcoholic beverages.
Reply:I can really sympathize with you, but the best thing you could do right now is relax, even if it's with the help of medication. The more anxious you are, the worse your stress is and the worse your reflux will be. Thyroid nodules are very rarely cancerous. Most are due to benign conditions, so I wouldn't worry about your thyroid. Reflux can also cause congestion. It sounds like a lot of your symptoms are stress-related, so talk to your doctor about relieving your stress.