I just left the hospital this evening after having an endoscopy. I had a barium swallow also last week. The doctor that did the endoscopy really thinks I have achalasia and the bill fits because I have had this serious swallowing condition for 11 years now. I find it horribly difficult to swallow both liquids and solids. I feel an acute pain in my chest and back and I only get relief after I have taken a few sips of water. When I eat, (every single time I do) I feel the food is stuck in my throat and sometimes it feels like I can't breathe. I need mouthfuls of water to forcefully push the food down and it takes over 20 seconds of me pushing hard, swallowing repeatedly before the food now feel likes its gone down and most times I actually hear the food drop with a thud into my stomach. Its harrowing, it feel like I am abnormal and I wonder if I can go on like this but I am glad now that a diagnosis has been made and we'd see what method of treatment and management they are willing to give me. I am sure I will get something done before January is over. Thank you for this opportunity to share my story

I was first diagnosed about 3 years ago. My symptoms were pain and a feeling of 'blockage' in my throat when swallowing and regurgitation of food and liquids, especially at night when asleep. I had a Botox injection treatment which worked wonderfully for about a year. It was painless, an outpatient procedure and I was home in 2 hours. When my symptoms reappeared I called the doctor and was scheduled for a second treatment, which also was problem-free. That was 2 years ago and unfortunately I am experiencing symptoms again. I have difficulty swallowing, pain and discomfort and occasional throwing up. The most scary is the regurgitation at night when I wake up choking, even when I haven't eaten or had anything for a few hours before bed. I have scheduled a treatment for next week. The only symptom I don't share with other correspondents is weight loss. I am overweight and really need to lose, but obviously I must be getting through enough high calorie stuff to maintain my bulk! It doesn't seem to matter what food I eat, sometimes I can eat anything, other times a lettuce leaf or even a sip of water will set it off for hours.

I suffered from achalasia for the last 25 years. It took me a year to find a surgeon who could perform the surgery to treat it. It has been almost four years after my surgery, and I can now eat without pain, choking or vomiting. My only problem now is mild acid reflux that I did not have before my surgery.

I was about 14 or 15 years old when I was diagnosed with achalasia. I started having pains in my rib cage area when I was about 10 or so. The vomiting started when I got to high school. My treatments started with balloon dilations. Then, I had part of the esophageal sphincter cut and removed. That lasted for about two years. I got really sick when I was in college. A doctor told me that my esophagus had enlarged. He said it looked like I had two stomachs sitting on top of each other. I developed aspirating pneumonia because I was inhaling what was in my esophagus into my lungs. My next surgery (I don't know what it's called) removed the enlarged part of my esophagus, pushed my stomach up so it was more in my chest cavity, and stretched and reattached it to my throat. I'm doing much better now. I watch what I eat so that I don't get acid reflux or heart burn, but other than that all is right with me. I am a survivor.

I was diagnosed with achalasia when I was around 7 years old, but since I was born, my parents have been telling me I was always throwing up. When I was 4, I told them that I had these pains in my chest. After about three years of being tested to figure out what I had, they finally said it was achalasia. They held off doing surgery to me since I was only a kid, but by the time I was 13, I had not been able to even complete a full meal. I had surgery, and it worked for about a year. Then I started having problems again. It's not as bad as it used to be, but it keeps on getting worse over the months. I recently had a test performed about a month ago, and they told me the food was getting stuck on the uppermost part of my esophagus. They said they could do nothing for me at the moment with the technology and treatment options available.

I am a 52 year old male and had a myotomy procedure performed 24 years ago. It took 10 or more years of symptoms for my doctors to diagnose it correctly. The surgery has been very successful. Be careful of your weight gain; it's your biggest enemy. I have been following up with endoscopies every three to four years since the surgery. The surgery was very difficult to go through, even at a young age. It can be very frustrating.