Unknown Cause

[charles92]

I have a 17 year old son for 10 months has been feeling sharp and burning chest pain. In the last 3 months he's been feeling like food is getting stuck in his throat and acid coming up.He recently underwent an endoscopy an was told he has minor damages to the esophagus. Is this common? He has been taking lanasaprazole for 3 and 1/2 months.  
Any suggestions would be appreciated,
Marvin

[charles92]

Also as mentioned previously my son already had an endoscopy and I heard from a friend of mine H pylori can be detected through an endoscopy.
Thanks,
Marvin

[charles92]

Do you think my son should get an esophageal manomentry test and go see an allergist?
Thank You,
Marvin

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hey Marvin!

Though not particularly common, the symptoms are likely to be related to GI inflammation due to increased acid production with or without associated mucosal damage. These may be triggered by periods of fasting, stress etc. I would suggest continuing with the management plan suggested by the treating doctor to help with the healing process. With acute symptoms OTC antacids may also be helpful in providing symptomatic relief.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
Treatment is a combination of drugs to reduce the acid and lifestyle changes. Your son will need to take a combination of medications (under medical supervision) like a proton pump inhibitor such as omeprazole, lansoprazole or pantoprazole empty stomach in the morning and an antacid gel after meals or H-2 blocker such as ranitidine for complete relief. Possibility of H pylori infection too should be looked into by a carbon urea breath test and a combination antibiotic tried. Many a times a persisting H pylori infection can be the cause behind acidity not responding to treatment.
Life style changes that will help include: Drink cold milk. Avoid heavy meals and eat frequent small meals. Avoid too much of caffeine, tea, smoking, fried food and drinks both alcoholic and non alcoholic fuzzy ones. Avoid heavy exercises within 4 hours of a heavy meal. Raise the head end of the bed by pillows to 30 degrees. Avoid lying down for least 2 hours after food. Take a late night snack. Maybe these tips will help you.
If these tips do not help, then liver function test, pancreatic enzymes, and HIDA scan for gall bladder should be done. Food intolerance and inflammatory bowel conditions such as IBS, Crohn’s, celiac etc should be considered. Log in what your son eats and see if there is a correlation between a certain food type and the symptoms.  Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.