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Suggest Treatment For Cough And Throat Irritation After Accidentally Inhaling Food
Posted on
Tue, 25 Aug 2015
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Tue, 25 Aug 2015
Answered on
Mon, 14 Sep 2015
Last reviewed on
Question : I was eating plain yogurt with oat squares. I started to speak with food in my mouth and may have inhaled some. I coughed a little, and felt an irritation in the back of my throat. I tried to make myself cough anything up. Now I just feel the irritation in my throat. I had a similar episode about 2 years ago and even had a chest X-Ray which was fine. Is there anything else I should do? What should I watch for?
Brief Answer:
an X-ray could be useful
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
clinical examination by your doctor and a chest X-ray would be useful to detect signs of obstruction, although in such a case you would feel like drowning, so I suppose this is not very likely. If you start feeling shortness of breath and/or feverish then you should visit the emergency room at once. Sometimes aspirated content may cause pneumonia.
So unless there are signs of obstruction, you can't do anything right now but watchful waiting. In case there is obstruction there are ways to remove the foreign body sometimes depending on its location and consistency.
Since you're able to write these lines, I believe that you'll probably be fine!
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
an X-ray could be useful
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
clinical examination by your doctor and a chest X-ray would be useful to detect signs of obstruction, although in such a case you would feel like drowning, so I suppose this is not very likely. If you start feeling shortness of breath and/or feverish then you should visit the emergency room at once. Sometimes aspirated content may cause pneumonia.
So unless there are signs of obstruction, you can't do anything right now but watchful waiting. In case there is obstruction there are ways to remove the foreign body sometimes depending on its location and consistency.
Since you're able to write these lines, I believe that you'll probably be fine!
I hope you find my comments helpful!
You can contact me again, if you'd like any clarification or further information.
Kind Regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I do not have airway issues, but feel sore from making myself cough. Would yogurt and cereal be a concern like peanut butter aspiration?
Brief Answer:
they would
Detailed Answer:
If you don't have any issues besides the soreness then you're probably fine, but you should be examined (at least clinically) just to be sure. Any kind of food may cause serious problems because food will obstruct some of the small airways (depending on the size of the chunk) and may predispose to infection and remember that the food is not sterile! It moves through the mouth (which harbors a lot of bacteria) and then continues to the rest of the gastrointestinal tract. So some bacteria are always on the food. And besides that chemical pneumonia (non-infectious but because of the irritation) is also a concern when foreign bodies are aspirated.
Since you're feeling fairly OK, I'm almost certain that your doctor will find nothing bad during the examination.
Kind Regards!
they would
Detailed Answer:
If you don't have any issues besides the soreness then you're probably fine, but you should be examined (at least clinically) just to be sure. Any kind of food may cause serious problems because food will obstruct some of the small airways (depending on the size of the chunk) and may predispose to infection and remember that the food is not sterile! It moves through the mouth (which harbors a lot of bacteria) and then continues to the rest of the gastrointestinal tract. So some bacteria are always on the food. And besides that chemical pneumonia (non-infectious but because of the irritation) is also a concern when foreign bodies are aspirated.
Since you're feeling fairly OK, I'm almost certain that your doctor will find nothing bad during the examination.
Kind Regards!
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Sonia Raina
Answered by
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