Hello @pshack76,

I am glad that Colleen, @colleenyoung, invited me to this discussion. While I've never been diagnosed with Achalasia, I have had difficulty swallowing due to a paralyzed vocal cord as well as neurological difficulties. Therefore, I can certainly understand the physical as well as emotional struggle that comes with swallowing difficulties. While I'm sure you have done a lot of personal research on this disorder, I found some information on Mayo Clinic's website which might be helpful to you. Here is the link:
--Achalasia
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/achalasia/symptoms-causes/syc-20352850
If you've been dealing with swallowing problems for a while, I'm sure you have found ways to deal with this, but I'll share one of the strategies that I've used. When drinking liquids, I'll often hold my breath when swallowing. While this seems to be a rather unusual strategy, I've mentioned it to otolaryngologists and speech therapists who have all agreed that this is a sound way to deal with the problem of swallowing liquids.

If you have not had speech therapy, I highly recommend that you seek a referral to a good speech therapist. Speech therapists are great resources in dealing with swallowing issues, however, not all doctors think to offer this referral.

Have you seen a speech therapist for evaluation or treatment, @pshack76?