PLEASE HELP -worried about the possibility of cancer

[TimP911]

44 year old white male, 6' tall, 220lbs, fairly athletic, non-tobacco user, generally good health.
Have have acid reflux on and off.  10 months ago I got a tiny piece of food stuck where it would not go down or up.  I have had this problem from time to time.  I went to the ER and they did an upper endoscopy and said there was a lot of irritation in my esophogus but said nothing about cancer ( assume it was clear) .  10 months later, my symptoms would get worse, sometimes I would have a spasm like I was going to throw up but it would stop half way up and I would get strong pain from it in my esophogus. 5 days ago, pain reached its peak with back pain in shoulders and occasional sharp shooting pain in the chest.  I could also move in a particular position i.e. bent from the side and it would trigger some fairly uncomfortable pain.

5 days ago I started over the counter Prevacid.  It IMMEDIATELY helped with the swallowing. I now do NOT get choked at all on food or at least it hasn't happened yet.  The pain is not nearly as severe as it was but I still get an occasional "twinge".  I bent to pick something up today and folded my back a bit in a funny direction and I had a strong esophogus pain.  the pain comes and goes through out the day but it is MUCH less than it was.  

Can someone develop bad cancer in 10 months from not having it?  Does this "sound" like something awful.

I don't have health insurance or anyway to get health insurance also so anything I do has to be through the E.R.

P.S.  in the past most of my pain was localized to my chest and shoulder area.   When I started taking the prevacid I started getting some sensations (wouldn't exactly call it pain) on my stomach side below the ribs and localized to the stomach.  So as the chest pains and back pains seemingly are subsiding or at least getting better, this "tight" feeling like my stomach is squeezing or something is present.   I didn't have this before.  Does this sound like it could be a prevacid side effect?  

What else should I be doing.  

PLEASE HELP.  I am very scared.  

[TimP911]

I have been taking prevacid for a week and now the pain is almost totally out of my chest and shoulder blade BUT now has moved to my middle back and also primarily located under the left side ribs (location of the stomach).

It varies anything from a tight "crampy" (light) feeling to mild pain that shoots through to my back.  Occasionally I get a pain in my chest but it passes quickly  

I have no insurance and obviously if I did I wouldn't be here asking opinions but at the doctor's office checking it out.  I don't mean to sound like an a$$, just it's frustrating when people tell me not to go to the E.R. since that is the ONLY healthcare a POOR white male can get in middle tn.

[selmaS]

  Hi and welcome to the GERD forum.

It is normal to be scared of what we do not know...and easier to face once we have all the facts...so go to a GI Dr and have more testing as it may be a hiatal hernia....and could be u need to do more then take meds...u may want to modify ur diet and lifestyle as well....

The ER is a patch and go place suggesting u go to ur reg Dr....only if it is life threatening is it a place to go....as they do not DX.

  Ur place of employment does not offer Medical INS?

There are clinics that u may have a better chance at getting the care u need,...check ur area for one....