# Could Really Use Someone with Experience to Tell Me It Will Be Ok



## davisjj (Dec 11, 2014)

Hi All -

I just joined today, because frankly, my anxiety is getting the better of me. I have had GERD for years (I am currently 38). In the past five years, I had some other issues, which initially they chalked up to anxiety, but in reality my gallbladder was going bad. I had apparently had a couple of attacks (again, they called it anxiety, but I was burning/flushed all over, waves of nausea, etc). I had that removed in 2012, and by one year later, most of my nausea and other symptoms had subsided. I did still have this nagging tightness that I would get in my lower right abdomen. Everyone seemed to think that was potentially IBS, which I was willing to accept. I had been tested for just about everything prior to my gallbladder coming out, so I felt like it was something that I could live with.

That same year, I had both an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, both of which came back as "normal." I still had GERD of course, but as I had been treating it with omeprazole, I guess there had been no damage evident. Fast forward to this year, 2 years later. Earlier this year, I had some various pain in my chest. They did a stress test on me and that was ok. They wanted to do another endoscopy, but I put that off and focused on some weight loss. I managed to lose about 20 pounds (I am 5' 8" as was about 215 at the time), and I did feel much better. Since sometime in the summer, I got some of that back (hovering at 210). I'm getting back on that, but I've been having some symptoms that concern me in the meantime.

My GERD, although not really burning, is definitely kicking back up. I'm having the feeling like food is still in the back of my throat sometimes, some chest and back pain (on the right side though), and it might all be in my head, but seems like swallowing is taking awhile for things to go down (although I can get through a meal ok). Then I start feeling like I've got some pain in my neck/throat, and well, one thing leads to another and my health anxiety gets the better of me. I get to a point where I've convinced myself it must be a tumor, cancer, etc. So here's the thing, like I said, I had my endoscopy about 2 1/2 to 3 years ago. It was normal, no Barrett's, nothing. Obviously I know there are outliers, but can someone please tell me / remind me that the chances are that it is some other complication of GERD???

I am scheduled for another endoscopy next Thursday, so I AM getting checked out, seeing the doc, and all that. In the meantime though, my health anxiety is just getting the better of me, and I could really use some reassurance that a clear endoscopy less than three years ago means that the chances are really low that I would have the big C now. I don't usually reach out to strangers, but these IBS groups always seem to be full of compassionate, understanding, and intelligent people.

Oh, and I do have great support around me. I just wanted to maybe hear it from someone who has been through it before.

Thanks.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Generally if you have had heartburn for awhile and you had a normal screening endoscopy you will have a normal endoscopy when they repeat it a few years later. So usually Barrett's either tends to start up early on with GERD or never does (with there always being a few people out a million who will do something unusual so if you really need to scare yourself I'm sure you can find some story somewhere on the interwebs).

If you don't have Barrett's (the endoscopy was normal) your risk of esophageal cancer is really low.

However some people do develop a Schatzki ring which is not cancer, won't become cancer, but can sometimes make swallowing meat or other hard to swallow things more difficult. If you have one and it is causing symptoms they just stick a balloon in there and stretch it out a bit. Something like 5-10% of people tested for GERD have these rings. I have one, they said if you ever start having swallowing problems come in and we'll stretch it out, but they can stay asymptomatic for life.


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## davisjj (Dec 11, 2014)

Thank you! That's very interesting. I had not heard that before. I appreciate the words of support!


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