GERD or something worse?

[ExtremelyAnxious]

Doctor: Several months ago, I began belching very loudly and for at least two or three seconds during and after some of my meals. For approximately 8 weeks now, I have also been experiencing a pain/tenderness/raw sensation on the right side of my throat exclusively. In addition, I have started experiencing a dry cough and I recently developed one or two canker sores at the back of my throat which have healed but I continue to have pain in my throat (painful swallowing and an itchy/scratchiness). My diet has been very poor over the past several months, including consumption of fatty foods such as sodas, pizzas, french fries, burgers, teas, coffees, and foods high in sugar and bad carbohydrates (donuts, bagels, pastries, cookies, etc.). In addition, my physical activity has been at or near zero. My paternal family has a history of heart disease and diabetes and my father has severe acid reflux disease and he and his three siblings all have diabetes (his father also had diabetes and had three heart attacks; the third one was responsible for his death). However, no one in their nuclear families (i.e. my father and mother's immediate families) has ever been diagnosed with cancer. In addition, they are all non-smokers and (at least in my maternal family), no one drinks alcohol. Neither my mother nor my father smokes or drinks alcohol (although, two of my father's brothers continue to drink alcohol). My father is 68 years old.

I am 26 years old. I drink alcohol occassionally (much less than any of my friends) and smoke very infrequently (only in social settings, I am not, otherwise, a smoker).

My doctor looked at the back of my throat and found nothing unusual other than aforementioned canker sores, which as I noted above, have since healed.

I have never experienced anything like this before in my life.

Could I be experiencing any form of throat cancer or do you think this is (or could be) entirely a symptom of GERD?

[ExtremelyAnxious]

Doctor: I visited my ENT last Friday and it was his opinion that my symptoms are consistent with a diagnosis of acid reflux disease. He has put me on Prilosec twice daily and given me a list of foods and beverages to avoid. He says I should take Prilosec for a period of 4-8 weeks and then come back and see him. The pain in my throat is very uncomfortable and it hurts swallowing sometimes and there is a general burning sensation. I have taken Prilosec for three days now but there is no real difference. I hope to implement lifestyle changes as well. Do you think this could be related to bad wisdom teeth?

[Ratnakar Kini]

Hi,
Almost all the symptoms and the lifestyle all point towards GERD.
You may take a course of PPI and look for improvement. If it is due to GERD, there will be improvement. But however the confirmatory test is 24 hours pH Monitoring test.
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The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.

- Ratnakar Kini M.D.