Coughing When Swallowing, Painful Gums, Stye In Eye. What Could This Be?

Posted on Sun, 26 Aug 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 Answered on

Sat, 15 Sep 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : From time to time when I swallow I end up coughing, as if it went down the wrong "pipe". Now my gums are hurting as well. Especially the lower. I've had nagging stye in my left eye as well. The coughing problem has been for awhile. The stye since about March. What could this be ?

Answered by Dr. Mihail Iepure (5 hours later)

Welcome to XXXXXXX
Your “stye” is suggestive for chalazion ( as a nodule, lump that persist many weeks , months, ) it can be associated with signs of inflammation like ( redness, swelling, pain, local discomfort ) in such case is easy to treat with hot compresses and incision, curettage or injection locally of corticosteroids like triamcinolone. All these procedures can be done in any medical center .
Regarding your cough after each swallowing , in some cases polyps, nodules, of nasopharynx or larynx and spasm, infections can cause symptoms mentioned by you. I would recommend ENT specialist consultation ( ear nose throat) for full assessment to determine exactly cause and accordingly treatment.
I wish you good luck and speedy recovery,
Hope this helps and I have answered your query. If you have additional queries don’t hesitate to ask.

Best Regards,

Dr.Mihail

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar