I had the same experience after my surgery. About a month after surgery my esophagus closed up at the junction where it was attached to my redesigned stomach. Balloon dilation solved it but didn't last long. I started to require balloon dilations every two weeks, and this went on for a close to two years. The GI doc then put a stent in, which at first was very uncomfortable, and painful. I got used to it, and over the next year and a half I had several stents placed, as they tend to migrate into the stomach when the sutures break. I talked to a fellow EC patient who was doing self dilation of the esophagus. Sounded interesting so I discussed my GI Doc, who was very familiar with the procedure, but could not provide the dilator, or the training required at the hospital he was associated with. He put me in touch with a doctor at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix. I then set up an appointment at Mayo, and the doctor removed my stent one day, and trained me on self dilation the next. That was in November of 2023, and I have been performing self dilation every day since. It has been a life changer for me, and is not as "bad" as it sounds. It takes approx. a minute a day to do. I will be doing it for the rest of my life, but it is much better than the alternative. If you want additional information, please let me know. Good Luck!!!