Elise Baynard today (Image: Elise Baynard / SWNS)
Elise Baynard, 25, was diagnosed with achalasia – a rare swallowing condition that affects the oesophagus. The condition has made it “nearly impossible” for her to eat or drink normally, and she often finds herself regurgitating food or being sick up to 60 times a day.
The issue began in January 2020 when she suddenly found it difficult to swallow and experienced a tight pressure in her chest. Initially, her GP suggested it was acid reflux and prescribed medication, but her throat problems persisted.
She struggled to swallow foods like bread and pasta, and even liquids started “coming back up”. In 2021, Elise was referred to a gastroenterologist for further testing.
After feeling dismissed for years as her condition worsened, she was finally diagnosed by a London doctor in November 2024. Currently surviving on a limited diet of cereal soaked in milk and crisps, Elise has dropped to seven stone.
She is hopeful that a specialist surgery called peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), which widens the lower oesophagus, will enable her to eat normally again. However, she faces a long wait for a referral from her specialist.
Elise Baynard before her illness. (Image: Elise Baynard / SWNS)
Elise, a healthcare worker from Dover, Kent, shared her harrowing experience: “The condition struck me completely out of the blue.
“I never had any problems with swallowing before.
“I have good and bad days, but I never know which it will be.
“I can’t sit down when I eat, I have to stand up, so the food actually goes down.
“One side effect is an oesophageal spasm – pain in my jaw, neck and back.
“It literally feels like having a heart attack.
“Some days I’m sobbing on the floor in pain.
“It’s not a death sentence, but it’s no way to live.”
After moving into her new flat in Dover, Kent, in January 2020, Elise’s health rapidly deteriorated. Initially experiencing chest tightness and difficulty swallowing or burping, she was thought to have acid reflux, but treatments failed to help.
Despite undergoing an endoscopy, which returned normal results, her condition worsened.
Elise Baynard’s dramatic weight loss (Image: Elise Baynard / SWNS)
Feeling abandoned by the healthcare system, Elise recounted: “I never met the specialist in person, it was all over the phone.”
As her condition deteriorated, her diet became increasingly restricted: “There were less foods I could eat – I was vomiting food daily.
“I can’t eat things like bread or pasta because it gets stuck, and I end up regurgitating it.”
She described a particularly distressing episode: “One day, I was sick about 63 times.
“Then it was liquids I couldn’t swallow.
“I’d wake up in the night for water and it come straight back up.”
The physical toll was accompanied by rapid weight loss and a growing fear of eating.
Following a prolonged back-and-forth with her doctor, Elise was eventually referred to a specialist in London in November 2024, who swiftly identified her symptoms as achalasia. The diagnosis was confirmed by a manometry test, which examines the muscle movement in the throat.
In individuals with achalasia, the oesophagus muscles fail to contract properly, hindering the passage of food into the stomach. Elise explained: “There is no activity in my throat – it’s basically broken.
“They don’t know why it developed.
“It could have been genetic or stress, or a dormant virus.
“There’s no way of really knowing.
“It was good to finally have a diagnosis.”
After conducting extensive research, Elise believes that undergoing a procedure called peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is her best chance at regaining the ability to eat normally.
The procedure involves cutting away muscle along the lining of the lower oesophagus, thereby widening the space for food to pass into the stomach. Without the procedure, Elise fears she will be unable to live a normal life again, stating: “I have to wait for my specialist to refer me for the procedure.
“But it took years to get a diagnosis – I don’t know how long this will take.
“I’m desperate for the procedure.
“It’s always on my mind and I’m developing a fear eating.
“It affects every part of my life.
“I can’t go out for food and drinks with friends in case I’m sick, or I have to make sure I’m always near a bathroom.
“There is very little I can eat, and I stick to very soft snacky foods, like milky cereal or crisps.
“I really want to shine a light on this condition because it’s hard to diagnose.
“Also, hopefully it’ll push the doctors to act more quickly.”