When Eating Hurts: AJ Finds Answers at Arkansas Children's

Описание: AJ started experiencing discomfort when eating, weight loss, and symptoms that were first thought to be simple acid reflux. As his symptoms continued, his family and care team at Arkansas Children’s Hospital worked together to uncover the real cause: achalasia, a rare disorder affecting how the esophagus moves food into the stomach.

AJ and his family share their journey and specialists at Arkansas Children’s explain what achalasia is, how it’s diagnosed, and the surgical procedure that helped A.J. regain his health, weight, and energy.

Pediatric gastroenterologists specialize in problems of the stomach, esophagus, intestines, liver, colon and pancreas, which often translates into symptoms like belly pain, vomiting or constipation. In babies too young to describe their pain, it can look like difficulty gaining weight or problems with feeding. Our pediatric team uses techniques suited to children to help diagnose whether the issue is caused by a common stomach virus or conditions like celiac disease, a food allergy, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.

Arkansas Children’s has a neurogastroenterology and motility program, which allows for more accurate diagnoses of intestinal motility disorders using functional luminal impedance planimetry (EndoFLIP) and manometry. Providers in the region caring for pediatric patients with dysphagia or refractory constipation, history of tracheoesophageal fistula or anorectal malformation, or suspected achalasia or Hirschsprung disease can receive consultations on the latest diagnostic tests, therapies and research.

We offer sedation-free transnasal endoscopies to qualifying patients with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE).

During your child’s first visit, expect to talk about symptoms, eating habits and bowel movements. Height and weight are measured as starting points for comparison with later visits. Some patients may also have lab work, such as blood, stool or urine tests.

Our full-time gastroenterology teams at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH), Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), and Arkansas Children’s Jonesboro Clinic support regional pediatricians, so together, we can make Arkansas the safest and healthiest place to be a child.

Learn more about our pediatric gastroenterology program: Gastroenterology Clinic | Arkansas Children's (archildrens.org)

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