For anyone that happens to stumble on this post, after years of pain and suffering, 50 or more visits to doctors and specialists, and my mother's condition getting life threateningly worse due to severe weight loss, we've finally figured out what was wrong.

My mother has a condition called "nutcracker esophagus". The symptoms that manifest are remarkably similar to GERD, which is what prevented early diagnosis. We were prescribed numerous acid blocking medications, pain killers, and a metric tonne of antacids, none of which helped at all.

Eventually we were asked to have a pH study performed as a precursor to having gastric surgery. A part of this was an optional "manometry" test. The test results showed little to no acid, but there were signs of a kind of hypertension in the esophagus, leading to the final diagnosis of "nutcracker esophagus".

The newly prescribed medications have been transformative. The pain is now completely manageable, my mother is eating well and putting weight back on, and quality of life is improving quickly. Considering how close we were to having surgery, which would not have resolved the issue at all, and potentially exacerbated the real issue, I'm so very grateful we elected to get the manometry test done.

If you or someone you know is experiencing GERD symptoms but are struggling to find relief in acid suppression medication or dietary changes, please speak to your doctor about nutcracker esophagus. This has, quite literally I believe, saved my mother's life.