Small Food particles stuck in back of Throat

[DennisO]

I have had a problem for years.. I get mall particles of food that gets stuck in the back of my throat somewhere around the nasal passage area.  These are small particle of hard food like a part of a peanut shards after being chewed up.. or really small pills like 10mg lipitor (I don't know how many of the liptors have literally dissolved back there instead of my stomach)  Almost every night I have something stuck there it causes my sinus to swell in the during sleep and can sometimes get painful if it does not get dislodge.

Sometimes I can dislodge it by rattle my sinus on that side. (“snuffing in” which  drive my wife crazy)

I have seen a ENT and they find nothing. They did a Barium Swallow and gave be a "horse" pill.  It showed nothing…. But the problem is the small stuff.

This seems to be out of the ordinary and the Doctors don't have a clue. I even asked a pharmacist and he said he had never heard of people having problems with little pills only big pills..

Help.. if you have a similar problem and found someone that could help you I would appreciate the details..

[foodupnoseRESOLVED]

I HAVE FIGURED IT OUT.
I've had this happen for a year. I've had tension headaches, dizziness, increased heart rate, etc etc. because of it. I went to the ENT doctor. She offered surgery to expand my nose and all that stuff, saying it couldn't be food going up my nose that was causing the problem. I had a modified barium swallow and they couldn't replicate the food going up. My soft palate was shutting off my nasal passage when I swallowed. So what was it??? I had no medical problems that caused it. When my doctor couldn't figure out a solution, I knew I had to find some way to fix my swallowing by myself somehow. That's when I found out the solution. I needed to dip my chin lower a little bit when I swallow. Before, as I was chewing (mostly on rice), small particles would "fall" back into my throat area and slide into my nose since my chin was raised high. Why was it raised high? Several months ago I thought it would be a good idea not to look at the ground, because I thought others would interpret it as weakness/anxiety (silly, I know). So for all that time I lifted my chin up when I ate. Now to stop food going up my nose when chewing, I keep it level or lower my chin down.

That's pretty much it. For those who are going crazy and seem to not have any medical problems yet still have food going up, try lowering your chin a bit. That will stop any new food from going in. As for the old food already in your nose, take some boiled water, add salt, then quickly snort it down. You have to do rapid short bursts. You can't snort down the food like you blow your nose. It has to be a short, quick burst. If you have ever eaten snail, you know what to do. Sucking it hard and for a long time won't do anything. The key is short bursts, while limiting the air flow (pinch one nose close and the other partially shut) so that the pressure can increase. Similar to how when you put your finger in a hose it shoots out faster. I wish everyone luck!

[docALI]

Hello everyone

I am a medical doctor myself and have been facing this problem for the past 3-4 years. The food particles getting lodged behind the anterior pillar of my right tonsil and I have to manually remove it myself to get rid of the irritation &  halitosis ( bad breath) associated with it.

I have visited the ENT and likewise he could not diagnose it.

I have looked into the medical literature & could not find anything significant.

What I could find out on self examination is that the anterior pillar of the tonsil on my right side was kind of collapsed and sticking to the tonsillar bed compared to the opposite side, and this served as a facilitated the lodgement of food particles in the tonsillar crypts.

All this started, from what I can remember after my wisdom tooth extraction on the same side.( minor surgical procedure as it had not erupted)

Damage to the nerves in this area and also maybe a small change in the anatomical architecture after the tooth extraction could have predisposed to this condition.

Tonsillectomy could be one option. I cannot think of any other permanent solution at present.

Gargling, Mouth washes and saline irrigation all provide temporary relief.

I haven't tested those breathing exercises yet.

Will update if I come across anything.

Regards to all.

[slee02]

I have tried the water pik...but it doesn't have enough pressure in the stream and the little water tank doesn't hold enough water...i usually have to swallow the water every few seconds in order not to gag...

[Triplesauce32]

Roy7376 how is the waterpik useful in this

[tomzion]

Can anyone suggest a Name for this. So we can make it more public.

[Beatrice67]

If it's food particles, then ACV should work. This happened to me one time that it just freaked me out. I almost took an anxiety pill as I have GERD and they prescribed it to me because I freak out bc I can't swallow or speak, it's like raw at my throat and I have to hold my chin down and breath through my nose. I wish I was dead sometimes because of how uncomfortable it can be to just breath (while having something stuck in the back of my throat). But my instinct was that if it was food, and since I have GERD I learned that ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar (Braggs with "the mother" in it) is a food enzyme and to take it because it will help break up the food that is sitting in the belly-this is called digesting I beleive. Meaning it will digest the food in the belly right? So I thought I'd try taking slow swallows to digest the food in my throat or wherever it's lodged. It works better than having to stay like that all day or night (If I'm not home to take some-but now I make sure and have some with me at ALL TIMES-and honey as well, for if my throat acts up). It is strong, so rather than take it full strength, I have found that 1 tablespoon to half a cup of water (non-fluoridated) works to swallow and let it "coat" my throat and "pick up" the food particles or vitamins and swoosh it down. But If ANYONE HAS SEEN a doctor, please reply here as well. Please please. It is uncomfortable. I too have large tonsils, and I'm 48yrs old.