I think I may have inhaled a piece of food... pretty scared.

[Taylor516]

Yesterday, my fiance and couple of our friends went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant, I was eating a tortilla chip and one of my friends said something that made me laugh, while I was laughing, I could swear I felt a piece of the chip being inhaled, I coughed and coughed and had my fiance pat me on the back while I coughed to see if I could get it to come up, I took a sip of my drink and felt fine. I thought I had coughed it up. But that night, while driving home, I started to get a pain in my chest that felt like a combination of heartburn and an asthma attack ( I have both). I was able to sleep fine last night, but this morning I'm still having mild chest discomfort and shortness of breath. I also suffer from generalized anxiety disorder so when I told my fiance this, he said I'm more than likely panicking for no reason and making the symptoms up myself in my head. I do this often and am the biggest hypochondriac I swear. So, with it being almost a full day ago, am I okay? Am I panicking for no reason or should I seek medical help?

[tammiet227]

i have told myself that i have copd and i totally believe thata i do i am going for a pft test this week to ease my mind my family doctor does not believe  that i have it  ,i do smoke about a pack a day i am 34 and scared my self so bad thats is all i think about .

[tammiet227]

i have told myself that i have copd and i totally believe thata i do i am going for a pft test this week to ease my mind my family doctor does not believe  that i have it  ,i do smoke about a pack a day i'm 34 and scared my self so bad thats is all i think abourt

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi!
If you had coughed a lot both consciously and unconsciously due to choking on food while laughing, then yes, you can feel discomfort for 2-3 days, especially since you have asthma. You can take your inhaler as usual. Also, blow into a balloon or take up brisk walking (short spurts) to just increase the air exchange. If symptoms persist, please consult your doctor. Take care!

The medical advice given should not be considered a substitute for medical care provided by a doctor who can examine you. The advice may not be completely correct for you as the doctor cannot examine you and does not know your complete medical history. Hence this reply to your post should only be considered as a guiding line and you must consult your doctor at the earliest for your medical problem.