Question: My 15 yr old had an endoscopy due to painful swallowing. She has a large "inlet patch" that is irritated. Mild indications of acid reflux in stomach and eaophagus. She has a normal result from swallowing test, normal throat scope , normal skull/sinus X-ray. She is on dexilant 60mg. No help.
She doesn't want to eat or drink because everything hurts. Not her stomach. The GI dr said the cause of the inlet patch being irritated is probably due to a virus or allergy or acid reflux. Dexilant after 2 weeks, no improvement. She is not sick, was tested for multiple viruses by primary dr. All clear. What the heck do I do now? GI dr said maybe ablation surgery which he doesn't do. Your input? Going on 4 months of my daughter in pain!

She is fit, a competitive cheerleader that works out regularly, straight A student and very social. Are you saying that anxiety is causing this? Does any dr know the Cause of why an inlet patch hurts while others have an inlet patch and don't even know it? I really don't want to put her on anti anxiety meds at 15. I would rather get to the cause of the pain. If your answer is anxiety, then Respectfully I hope I can get other Drs opinions. I am really beginning to think an inlet patch in the esophagus that hurts is a mystery to Drs.

Ok i understand that and im not hurt or angry but frustrated. And also disappointed that any dr would recommend anti-anxiety meds for a 15 yr old vs counseling if you truly feel she has an aNxiety disorder. Yes she has stress as most teens do. But the GI dr said its the largest inlet patch he has seen and it was very irritated, swollen, rawish looking. I know that 90% if not more people do not even know when they have an inlet patch because as you stated they are asymptomatic but hers does not fit that category. This is not my diagnosis, its a GI dr with results from an endoscopy as well as examination, bloodwork etc. I am sure stress makes its worse but it sounds to me as if you are suggesting its impossible for the inlet patch to be the issue causing the pain. If you are correct, then the irritation/redness, inflammation on the inlet patch area is causing the pain(not the inlet patch itself) I have attached pics. Are you 100% sure there is absolutely no way, the inflammation in her esophagus shown in the ictures (see pics) could cause her pain when swallowing?

Just curious of your opinion of the pictures of her esophagus / inlet patch- did it look larger than you typically have seen and or irritated/ Inflamed?
I can't tell what is bad Tissue and what is good tissue from the endoscopy pictures. Just wondered if your conclusion of what I told you our GI dr described is the same as what you see? One last question. Recently my daughter said that the Zantac OTC 150 twice per day seem to give her a little relief. Dexilant was stopped because to expensive and didn't help. But Zantac seems to. If it safe for her to take 2 Zantac per day long term?