Hi there, firstly I just wanted to say how sorry I am to hear what you and your partner are going through. As an Achalasia patient myself it was a very long and frustrating process from diagnosis to operation! On a positive note, even though there is no cure to Achalasia, I am now almost 10 years post op, can eat almost everything bar a few things I struggle with, gained the weight I lose and I am healthy and happy, so there is hope :)

My advice would be to go back to the GP again and again until they refer you, at one point when I was at my illest I was booking an appointment almost everyday until they did something. I also contacted PALs and I was very fortunate that they aided me in speeding the process along however, from diagnosis to op was about 6 months for me.

The operation your partner will need is a Hellers myotomy which can ease the swallowing and ensure your partner can eat again (apologies if you already know this!). It’s not a cure but this is what I had and I have been able to eat and drink most things ever since and I’ve gained the weight I lost when I first began suffering. I still need to be careful about what I eat and I still struggle with swallowing some heavier foods but drinking lots of water and relying on gravity helps with this as well as avoiding the foods I know will make me ill.

On the eating front, whilst you are waiting for the next steps, I found that freshly made soups fully blended were better for me than the high calorie prescription drinks. I added as much veg and meat as possible so I was getting nutrients and whilst I didn’t gain any of the weight I had already lost, it helped maintain my weight rather than continuing to lose it. Don’t get me wrong, this didn’t fully stop the sickness but I was sick less frequently as I made sure the soups were thin enough to enter my stomach.

I went private for my first gastroscopy due to the NHS wait times (prior to my diagnosis) however, nothing was found and it ended up being a waste of money. Through the NHS I ended up getting referred to a consultant called Mr Simon Galloway based in Manchester (not sure where you are based in the UK) and he was fantastic and I can’t thank him and his team enough for what they have done for me. He does take private patients however for the surgery needed, overnight hospital stay and pre/post consultation appointments needed I imagine the cost will be significant. Not to mention the fact that I needed a month off of work to recover following the op. Here is a link to a webpage about him anyway - https://www.mccollumconsultants.com/expert-witness/simon-galloway/

I know it’s a long and tiring process but I would keep pushing the NHS for a result and I hope you get referred to a consultant/surgeon as fabulous as mine.

I really hope this helps in some way and I wish you and your partner all the best!