swollen epiglottis

[itchyface14]

Every now and then my epiglottis doenst relax like it should. I know the epiglottis works like a flap, so food and water doesnt get into the airway. It tenses up to cover the trachea and when its not working it relaxes and rest agianst the wall of the throat.
It starts with that feeling that there is something in my thoat and I need to clear it,  but I can't. I feel the need to swallow saliva every 5-10 seconds. It normally happens when I am tired due to lack of sleep and have a really dry mouth. I tonly happens late at night. Usually after midnight. I am a smoker and drink a decent amount of soft drinks, which causes my throat to be a little dryer.  I don't have any symptoms that lead me to believe this is serious such as, actual sore throat, fever, headach, or swelling anywhere else. I know any difficulty swallowing is concidered serious, but it only gets so bad, which doesn't impare my breathing, drinking, or eating. It is more annoying then anything. It is hard for me to go to sleep when it is swollen/tense. I end up staying up until I am so tired that nothing can keep me up.  I always wake up in the morning and it is back to normal. I have tired drinking thinker drinks that kind of coat my throat..like milk and thinker juices. I also take a pretty warm bath to breathe in moisture....which really helped while I was in the bath.
I'm just curious if this happens to other people and if anyone may know of any ways to soothe it?

[charlotte_esme]

did you find out what was wrong??? Ive noticed this over the last week and it was really starting to concern me

[greyhunter4]

Forgot to mention, along with #2

6.  Gargling water (maybe try salt water also) can help sooth the problem for immediate relief.

[greyhunter4]

I had this problem pretty bad and I can honestly say its all but gone now.  I made a number of different behavior changes to fix it, I'm not sure which one did but I'll list them here.  Also thank you to SweetSoulX.  Some of my remedies were from your post.

1.  I would stay up late watching TV on a lazy boy recliner tilted back.  I noticed this isn't great for your body, makes you super lazy, inhibits breathing a little.  I stopped doing this.  Watch TV / rest either sitting up, on your side, or on your stomach.

2.  Drink hot tea for immediate temporary relief.  I drank a lot of decaf tea.  Soup can be good too.

3.  Use a humidifier.  It's winter here, the air is dry, my throat is dry, a humidifier helps the air quality.

4.  Replace your home air filter.  This is supposed to be done every 3 months or so.  Mine was past due.  This is another thing that will help the air quality.  (Your car has an air filter also that should be pretty easy to change.)

5.  Get good sleep.  Linked with the staying up late my sleep habits were ****.  Try to get regular sleep.

After doing all the above that lump in my throat is gone.  Not five days ago I was googling "epiglottis feels like it's choking me" which led me to here.

[bettejo]

I am a self healer. Been healing myself for over forty years. Lost faith in orthodox medicine years ago. Came into the 'field' of self healing with the best of them, Linus Pauiing-Vitamin C, Adelle Davis Let's Get Well, Norman Cousins The Anatomy of an illness and the healingHeart.
I am at the moment recovering from a severe bout with strep throw-my own diagnose-and a really horrid eppiiglotis attack. EEEEKKK.
My approach: Vitamin A,, 10,000 Iu, Vitamin E, 1000 IU, Calcium/magnesium and zinc, Vitamin C-at least one hundred grams-wheat germ and Brewer's Yeast, the complete B complex.
The way it works, for me, I make a rich vegetable broth-actually I cheat and use V8 juice, add about a tablespoon of Brewer's Yeast and tbsp of Wheat Germ. With it I take the vitamins.
I can also make a juice, orange, banana, papaya plus honey Brewer'sYeast and Wheat Germ.
During 'flareups' I drink the fruit juice first thing in the morning. Soup for dinner. I stick to a liquid diet for the first few days. Try to live a 'normal' life. I keep a bottle of water and Vitamins A, B, and cal/mag/zinc by my bed at night.
Before bed sometime, I boil water and inhale the steam.
Often the results are immediate. But I'm always careful, relapses are dangerous.
Everything I take is natural. No drugs, surgeries or doctor's visit. I'm 83. It's worked for me for years. What I say is I'm 83 years young, suffer from glowing gd health, no chronic aches, pains of ailements, take no drugs
You can visit me in your search...look for Bettejo Dux, or just plain Bettejo. I live on Kauai-we are exposed to the nastiest GM tair borne oxins-I am a writer. You can find my web site is Bettejo Dux. I have  column. I', also at www.dakinetalk.blogspot.
I'm not selling anything, altho you might like to check out my novel The Scam. I know where you are all coming from. Empathize.
You can leave a message at my column---Bettejo--you call t a blog. Best of  
luck.
Bettejo Dux

[mac11438]

This may be Tonsil stones you are feeling, look it up it causes complications with breathing, your breath, eating etc. look it up on google many people suffer from this cottage cheese looking ball sticking to the throat which makes it feel like food or other debrea is stuck. Ive suffered with many cases of Tonsilitis and this is what I discovered in my mouth a couple months ago, Also one tonsil is larger than the other and my epiglottis is swollen.

[beannie1974]

i've been dealing with this same issue for a year. i had found out i had hpylori and had a round of antibiotics. i was still having symptoms, so i went on another round. long story short and after countless hours of research and studying the anatomy of the throat, i discovered i found the problem! i have a candida overgrowth in my throat and esophagus. went back to ent and he said yes thats why your linqual tonsils are swollen. the yeast lives in them. i had also had every test possible, even the barium swollowing test. i cut out all sugars, starches and carbs. feeling a little better. hope this helps.