What is this my daughter is suffering with?

[Anyadvice86]

She’s 8 and for over a year now she’s suffered with a horrible feeling in her throat/chest after eating, like something is stuck. Had to wait ages to see a consultant who referred for chest xray which was clear and we’re currently on the waiting list for ENT and I’ve been told we will be lucky to get an appointment this year.

Bloods are normal. Suffers from bad skin which doctor is classing as dermatitis and not linking to throat/chest.

She used to get this feeling only after meals but now she gets it even if she hasn’t eaten for a couple of hours. In the last month it’s made her actually vomit twice.

I’m so sad for her she dreads eating, it’s horrible to watch

https://www.aaaai.org/tools-for-the-public/conditions-library/allergies/igg-food-test

Globus?

@Cobwebbingly i didn’t cut out the foods because of the IGG tests, I cut it out after a discussion with the doctor. We tried 6 weeks dairy and egg free and 6 weeks gluten free, both unsuccessful so she’s back to a normal diet

When I started on Omeprazole for my reflux (caused by hiatus hernia) it also cleared up my dermatitis. I would get reflux after eating and also when my stomach had been empty for too long.

You might like to look up Achalsia. I have it and the symptoms are what you describe. Pain and feeling like food is stuck after eating. Also relieved by being sick. Ah I see somebody else has suggested this too

@DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy how was your hiatus hernia disgnosed? With a chest X-ray? I wonder if the doctor would prescribe my daughter with omeprazole to see if that makes any difference

@Dodie66 someone else has mentioned achalsia, I had never heard of it. Sorry to hear you have it 👎🏻 sounds horrible

I would do a bit of research on it if I were you. Mine is better than it was after treatment

My daughter has Achalasia. Happy for you to PM me. She was diagnosed via a barium swallow rather than a regular x-ray. Achalasia is unusual in children but does occur. My daughter has had it since she was 7

It was done by nasal endoscopy - pretty awful experience so I’d take sedation next time.

@Dodie66 and @LemonChiffon thank you

@DoAsYouWouldBeMumBy it does sound awful, I’ll be bringing up hiatus hernia at her next appointment so will see what they say

Eosinophils oesophigitis diagnosed by endoscopy
It is an allergic reaction in the oesophapgus that can cause ridges and food to get stuck.
food exclusion diets can work but not for all. If not there is a medicine that can help.

@PammieDooveOrangeJoof thank you. I’ve tried all the food exclusion diets I can think of and nothing helping.

Does anyone know if eosinophillic oesophigitis relates to the eosinophil blood count at all? This was showing as abnormally low on my daughter’s blood test last October but the doctor brushed it off as nothing to worry about.

My daughter has a follow up with the consultant at hospital at the start of May and I’ve just requested a copy of the blood results taken in December at the hospital to compare to the ones taken in October at the GP surgery but they are refusing to give me these results until the actual appointment

I suffered really badly with this as an anxious child/teen. It was anxiety related. Globus sensation.

Im not trying to minimise your DDs symptoms, but the feeling can absolutely be related to anxiety in some cases.

@northerneast thanks for the advice. I think it’s because she’s having symptoms such as being physically sick because of the feeling that’s making me think there’s an actual problem and not anxiety related

Sorry I don’t recall anything about blood test levels.
The ridges can cause food to get stuck and then it has to be regurgitated to clear it.
A steroid medicine called budesonide can help. It’s taken with simple linctus to coat the oesophagus as it goes down the throat.

They take samples during a endoscopy that are tested for eosinophil levels.

Also histamine intolerance syndrome rather than a specific intolerance or allergy can cause hives and sickness.

I would assume because it's effectively an immune response that yes, any kind of allergy in the digestive system like EO would cause raised eosinophil levels as they are granular white blood cells ie causing inflammation in response to allergens, parasites etc.

Fwiw my daughter has reflux so severe it makes her sick at times and it absolutely is anxiety - she's autistic and has very high stress from school