Coughing when eating. 4-year-old girl.

[sun283]

My daughter has always coughed a great deal when eating and seems to cough until she brings up a plug of mucus.  She also has the same fits of coughing when crying.  Occasionally she'll throw up because of it.  We're at our wits end because we've done so many tests and haven't yet found the problem.  She's had 2 swallow studies, had her adenoids removed and her esophagus and throat scoped, had allergy testing (all came back negative), has tried Zantac syrup for reflux, has tried nasal steroid sprays, Claritin, has worked with an occupational therapist to be sure she's chewing properly.  Does anyone have a clue?  It's hard to eat out in restaurants because the coughing and occasional gasping is so alarming.  I should also note that she hasn't choked because of it, and has never had pneumonia.

[Keelylou]

I know this question was posted 4 years ago, but I'm wondering if you ever found a solution. Our 4 year old son deals with what sounds like an identical problem. We've had swallow tests done and tried allergy medicine and nothing has been helpful so far. We are now considering therapy to make sure he's chewing properly. I would love to hear about your journey with your daughter and what was helpful and not helpful. Thank you!

[CalGal]

Try keeping a food diary and noting what she eats and whether the symptoms increase or decrease. A lot of what you're saying may suggest that she may actually be exhibiting symptoms of a food intolerance issue.

The outcome may not be clear-cut, but the common food groups can include dairy (of any kind), gluten (wheat, rye, barley and in some cases oats), some fruits, corn, and in some persons, meat. But it could be almost anything IF it is due to food, so you're going to have to track things for awhile. If you think you've found a 'culprit' take all forms of that food out of her diet and see what happens.