Angela Matthews

On Monday, April 18th, 2022, I went in for an upper endoscopy expecting to be told that I had esophageal reflux and a stricture. My primary doctor ordered the test a few days before because I suddenly started having painful reflux and difficulty swallowing some foods.  The gastroenterologist brought me into a small room where my husband was already in there waiting for me. He was just supposed to pick me up in the driveway so I was unsure why he was brought in here.  The doctor gently sat us down and instead of telling us he found a structure, he looked me in the eyes and told us that he found a large mass in the lowest part of my esophagus (where the esophagus and stomach meet) and extending into the upper part of my stomach. He said that he was about 99% sure that it was cancer so he put a rush on the final pathology results, so we could know for sure by tomorrow. 
On Tuesday morning, April 19th, he called and told me the words I was dreading to hear…. “You have adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction.”