It’s tough to imagine your esophagus not working. But Paulette Beckford understands what it’s like when you can’t swallow and can’t move food or drink through your digestive system.

For years, the Windsor Locks resident wasn’t able to eat much of anything. It didn’t matter if it was spicy, or salty, or sweet, or bland – nothing went down. She tried everything.

“Every over-the-counter med, every prescription med, sleeping in the sitting up position,” she recalled.

Paulette’s diagnosis? Achalasia. That means her esophagus didn’t work properly, and that food wasn’t moving the way it was supposed to: through the esophagus and into the stomach.

“Like if something’s stuck in your throat, and you just kind of bang on your chest a little bit and it goes down. Imagining that never going down,” Paulette said.

She struggled with achalasia for years, finally finding someone who could help: Hartford HealthCare gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Karasik. He suggested a new leading-edge treatment for Paulette: Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy, or POEM.

“We make a small incision about a centimeter and a half in length in the esophagus,” said Dr. Krasik. “We cut the muscle along its length, and the muscles can no longer spasm so she doesn’t have the pain. And the muscle is no longer tight, so food can now drop into the stomach.”

It was just what the doctor ordered. Now, a year later, Paulette is eating without the pain and discomfort she had previously experienced.

Having trouble keeping food down due to a swallowing disorder? Learn more here about your treatment options.