1. < Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT)

Something stuck in throat

Posted by tylerk @tylerk, Jan 23, 2022

I do have an ent appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning, but for about a day and a half I’ve had what’s likely a popcorn shell stuck in my throat. It’s mostly just annoying, and there’s no real pain or anything, I can breath fine, etc.

Is it more urgent than waiting another day?

It’s also possible it’s a very small piece of a plastic fork. I was using a cheap fork and accidentally bit the tip of one of the prongs off. It didn’t seem like it got stuck. It’s maybe 1/16” big, so definitely pretty small But I also had popcorn that night, and woke up the next morning feeling like something was stuck in my throat, and it’s still there.

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imallears | @imallears | Jan 23, 2022

@tylerk

If you can breath fine and are able to swallow and have no pain you are most likely okay for another day. The ENT will probably do a laryngoscopy (I had one done for another reason). He or she will insert a scope through your nose and down the back of your throat to see if there is any blockage and hopefully remove what is there. They can also tell if there is irritation or inflammation. You may have passed the popcorn shell or piece of plastic and just caused an irritation or scratch which feels like a piece of something.

I would eat some soft food, like soup, until you see the Doctor. Any solid food should not be too hard (like pretzels or crackers….or popcorn!) Drink water and avoid anything acidic or alcohol that would cause further irritation. Hard to do today if you are a football fan celebrating with friend

Any change that involves breathing before the visit is an emergency. If a laryngoscope is done you might have a sore throat for a day or two…I did. I also remember my ENT numbing the nose before he put the scope in. It’s just a weird feeling going in and then coming out.

Good luck…would like to know what they found. I hate plastic utensils.

FL Mary

REPLY
1 reply
tylerk | @tylerk | Jan 23, 2022
In reply to @imallears "@tylerk If you can breath fine and are able to swallow and have no pain you..." + (show)
@imallears

@tylerk

If you can breath fine and are able to swallow and have no pain you are most likely okay for another day. The ENT will probably do a laryngoscopy (I had one done for another reason). He or she will insert a scope through your nose and down the back of your throat to see if there is any blockage and hopefully remove what is there. They can also tell if there is irritation or inflammation. You may have passed the popcorn shell or piece of plastic and just caused an irritation or scratch which feels like a piece of something.

I would eat some soft food, like soup, until you see the Doctor. Any solid food should not be too hard (like pretzels or crackers….or popcorn!) Drink water and avoid anything acidic or alcohol that would cause further irritation. Hard to do today if you are a football fan celebrating with friend

Any change that involves breathing before the visit is an emergency. If a laryngoscope is done you might have a sore throat for a day or two…I did. I also remember my ENT numbing the nose before he put the scope in. It’s just a weird feeling going in and then coming out.

Good luck…would like to know what they found. I hate plastic utensils.

FL Mary

Jump to this post

Thank you for the information. I basically figured that. It causes a bit of anxiety, but I haven’t noticed anything getting worse. I’ve tried eating a banana and break to try to get it loose. Luckily the plastic piece is quite small, but still something.

REPLY
1 reply
JK | @contentandwell | Jan 24, 2022
In reply to @tylerk "Thank you for the information. I basically figured that. It causes a bit of anxiety, but..." + (show)
@tylerk

Thank you for the information. I basically figured that. It causes a bit of anxiety, but I haven’t noticed anything getting worse. I’ve tried eating a banana and break to try to get it loose. Luckily the plastic piece is quite small, but still something.

Jump to this post

@tylerk I think @imallears has a good point there, it could just be that something irritated your throat and that's what you're feeling now. Of course, get that confirmed by a doctor though.

When my daughter was quite young she had a similar problem when eating dinner so I brought her to the ER. I don't remember for sure, but I think they did an x-ray and saw nothing but the doctor said a very small bone might not show up. He told me anything further would require an invasive procedure and if it was his daughter he would bring her home and not worry about it! I told him if it was his daughter there would be a doctor in the house. Regardless, it did just go away so apparently it was irritation from something, possibly a tiny piece of bone that passed through.
JK

REPLY
1 reply
tylerk | @tylerk | Jan 24, 2022
In reply to @contentandwell "@tylerk I think @imallears has a good point there, it could just be that something irritated..." + (show)
@contentandwell

@tylerk I think @imallears has a good point there, it could just be that something irritated your throat and that's what you're feeling now. Of course, get that confirmed by a doctor though.

When my daughter was quite young she had a similar problem when eating dinner so I brought her to the ER. I don't remember for sure, but I think they did an x-ray and saw nothing but the doctor said a very small bone might not show up. He told me anything further would require an invasive procedure and if it was his daughter he would bring her home and not worry about it! I told him if it was his daughter there would be a doctor in the house. Regardless, it did just go away so apparently it was irritation from something, possibly a tiny piece of bone that passed through.
JK

Jump to this post

The doctor scoped it this morning, and there was nothing there. He saw a small scratch. He said it’s pretty rare there is anything stuck.
The scope wasn’t too bad, uncomfortable for sure though. It’d probably be a lot for a child though. They go in through your nose and down your throat.

REPLY
2 replies
imallears | @imallears | Jan 24, 2022
In reply to @tylerk "The doctor scoped it this morning, and there was nothing there. He saw a small scratch...." + (show)
@tylerk

The doctor scoped it this morning, and there was nothing there. He saw a small scratch. He said it’s pretty rare there is anything stuck.
The scope wasn’t too bad, uncomfortable for sure though. It’d probably be a lot for a child though. They go in through your nose and down your throat.

Jump to this post

@tylerk

Good to know and probably the scratch is what you are feeling. Thanks for responding and happy you got a fast appointment.

FL Mary

REPLY
JK | @contentandwell | Jan 24, 2022
In reply to @tylerk "The doctor scoped it this morning, and there was nothing there. He saw a small scratch...." + (show)
@tylerk

The doctor scoped it this morning, and there was nothing there. He saw a small scratch. He said it’s pretty rare there is anything stuck.
The scope wasn’t too bad, uncomfortable for sure though. It’d probably be a lot for a child though. They go in through your nose and down your throat.

Jump to this post

@tylerk I'm glad to hear it was nothing. As with my daughter, it was probably the after effect of something that caused a scratch.

My daughter used to amaze doctors, she was very stoic from a young age. She never even flinched when getting a shot! I remember one doctor telling her that she should at least say OUCH!
JK

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