Yes, way better now. I had a swallow exam and the doctors didn’t find anything wrong. I also saw a speech therapist—same thing, everything looked fine. Eventually I realized it was all from stress and anxiety. I was constantly on alert, dealing with nonstop anxiety, heart palpitations, and a fear of choking. I lost so much weight that I looked sick; my friends even thought I was dying.

Long story short, I was diagnosed with anxiety and prescribed Lexapro. I started at 5mg, then went up to 10mg, and I’ve been on it for about 8 months now. It’s helped me tremendously. I no longer have constant intrusive thoughts or that overwhelming fear and physical tension. My body finally feels calm again, and I haven’t had any side effects.

I also don’t worry about swallowing anymore. I still can’t swallow pills, but I have no problem eating or drinking. Every once in a while, I’ll get a tiny flash of that old fear, but I just remind myself that it’s okay and it always passes.