@jmmjml, if I’m understanding correctly, your upper endoscopy, looking for structural or visible causes of your swallowing symptoms, was normal, and next your doctor will look at function with esophageal manometry. This will show how the muscles of your esophagus contract and coordinate to move food down, and how the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes when you swallow.

In other words, the endoscopy looked at what your esophagus looks like, while the manometry looks at how it works.

You mentioned having pain with both eating and exercise. It may be helpful to notice and describe more specifically what happens and when—for example, whether pain occurs while swallowing or after eating, whether food feels stuck, and what happens when you exercise. Those details may be useful to your doctor as you work through the testing and may also help members here recognize experiences similar to yours and share what has helped them.

You also asked for doctor recommendations in the Los Angeles area. Since you’re already going through testing, are you looking for an esophageal motility specialist for ongoing care, a second opinion, or someone to help you after the testing is complete?