For Jules, in response to your comment above about xray swallows:
Typically, this is performed by a speech therapist or an ENT doctor. Unless your doctor wants to take a look at your esophagus when you’re swallowing, you shouldn’t have to lay down during the test- especially to eat or drink! They usually only do this if there’s a concern that you might have reflux (where things come back up from the stomach).
During a typical xray swallow evaluation (called by many names, Modified Barium Swallow Study, MBSS, Videofluoroscopic Swallow Study, VFSS…), the speech therapist or ENT will ask you to take a sips of liquid (it’s usually white and tastes chalky), a bite of pudding, and a bite of a cracker or cookie. Sometimes they’ll ask you to try different ways to swallow, for example, tucking your chin down to your chest before you start swallowing. While you’re eating and drinking, they take a video x-ray to watch how it goes down.
I recommend asking to watch the recording of your swallow eval with whoever performs it (if they’re not busy, you can probably watch it right afterwards). Sometimes it can be really helpful to see what it looks like from the inside when you’re swallowing.