First I've already went to a doctor and I am having a follow up Tuesday but I want some other opinions. I am 21 years old and a college student and I've been having some worrying symptoms. First I lost a little weight over the course of the spring semester at college. I was depressed and skipped a lot of meals but I'm not sure if that was enough to cause the loss. I went from 135 to around 124.

In March I had chest pains and shortness of breath so I went to the ER. They took a chest x-ray and blood test and said it was nothing and sent me home and said to take some Tylenol. I felt fine afterwards but sometimes I'll have chest pain when I stretch. A month ago I had a similar attack of shortness of breath and chest pain so I went to a clinic that said the same thing. This sensation persisted for a little while but seem to be gone now. I can still feel some chest discomfort when stretching.

A little over a week ago I started to feel like I was having some sensations when swallowing. Not pain just kind of like I could feel food settle and sometimes it will just feel like I need to burp. I also felt like my throat was thick a kind of lump on my throat feeling. I also found a small lump on the side of my neck last week it also feels like there could be a second lump next to it but it's kind of hard to tell. I'm not sure if this is a swollen lymph node or something else. I also had more frequent urination last week but it seems like it went away away now.

For a little over a week now I've also been having a slight sore throat. It is much worse in the mornings but sometimes I feel it during the day. I looked in the mirror a few days ago and saw that the back of my throat was somewhat red and I could see two small spots on the wall of my throat. This really scared me since I'm not having a full blown sore throat.

It's hard for me to tell if these are all real symptoms or are a result of anxiety and me googling symptoms. Especially since I didn't really notice my swallowing symptoms until I read about esophageal and throat cancer. I got extra afraid so I went to a doctor who took more blood tests. I went to the doctor before I started noticing the sore throat and the blood tests she took were clear. I'm seeing her again Tuesday. I've just felt very afraid and can't stop googling and reading about cancer and I can't stand the fact that I feel like I could have it.

Go see an ENT who specializes in oral cancer. They will be able to check you out and if necessary take a biopsy of anything questionable they see. A blood test will not tell you if you have oral cancer, only a biopsy will. Even an ENT can suspect but not be certain until the biopsy results come back.

Do yourself a big favor and lay off Dr Google! It wont help you to feel better so stop getting yourself more upset. Next try not to think too far into things, "what if" just causes unneeded anxiety. It will likely be a few weeks until you know whats wrong so try to do positive things to help pass the time. Waiting stinks but it is all part of the process.

Hopefully your have nothing seriously wrong. But, if you do then you are in the right place and we will help you every step of the way.

My appointment Tuesday is to see a Nurse Practitioner. Will she be able to rule out anything or will I have to go to an ENT for any answers?

I also would like to know, if the two bumps on in my throat were something to worry about wouldn't my dentist and orthodontic appointments I had last month have noticed it? I had both appointments a month ago and my Orthodontist took x-rays because I had just got my braces off.

Find an ENT who specializes in oral cancer. The bumps could be any number of things. Many dentists have never treated an oral cancer patient or know what to look for, they only focus on teeth, not gums or any other abnormalities. Save yourself time and frustration by going to the right type of doctor... an ENT.

Ditto on what Christine said.

Do get the lumps and bumps checked out. If they are negative, then go to a psychiatrist. Your symptoms sound a lot like anxiety to me, especially since you are a college student. This is very stressful for some and the weight loss and chest pains and shortness of breath as well as throat pain are all symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Good luck

Ditto on what ChristineB said. Do this first!!! Don't mess around with a life and death disease. If you find out from a biopsy that you do not have cancer; then follow donfoo's advice about seeing a psychiatrist. There's no shame in that, and it will make your life manageable again.

Good luck!

Bart

I agree with the advice above to get checked by an ENT who specializes in oral cancer. If they find that all is well then you may want to get checked for acid reflux. Your symptoms sound very similar to what I experience from reflux. I am not a doctor, so please do get yourself to a professional soon.

As everyone else says, see an ENT. If you google symptoms you will always worry yourself. Not every headache is a brain tumour! Medical diagnosis is done based on a wide range of factors that you will miss when you google specific symptoms. There's a reason the doctors get the big bucks.

What the internet can be useful for is helping you understand what the doctor tells you. The doctor only has a short time to explain what could be a quite involved medical condition. He also doesn't have time to explain the whole range of reasons he excluded a particular diagnosis, so again, don't second guess him with the internet.

I hope its a just a virus and gone soon.

Any update?