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Coughing up tiny little chunks of stuff from the throat

post #1 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:42pm
Thread Starter 
Anyone ever had this? It's like a pasty little whitish ball or chunk that is lodged into the tonsils or somewhere near there. I cough one up now and then. If I happen to catch one I notice that it smells absolutely awful. Like the worst thing you can imagine. You can mash it up with your fingers and then the smell gets even worse.

I spoke to a couple friends and they've seen these little things too. And they concur with the foul odor.

So what's the cause of this? I notice it more when I eat a lot of subway so I'm thinking it's bread maybe?
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post #2 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:44pm
Happens to me from time to time. foul, foul stuff. No idea what the cause is. Google says: http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...ing_curds.html "the tonsils shed oral mucosa, which lines the crypts of the tonsils. Normally, the dead cells are shed and swallowed. But, in some people, the dead cells stick around and accumulate, causing the little white balls to form in the crypts. This is what the odor-causing bacteria in the mouth like to feed on, hence the foul smell associated with it."
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post #3 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:45pm
I know what you're talking about, and I know there is an official name for it. I'll do a little research and post any updates. EDIT: Here is it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith By the way, I don't think I've ever had this.
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post #4 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:47pm
i always thought it was feta cheese
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post #5 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:48pm
inserting a ghey joke here would be too easy. but I believe they're just collected dirt, saliva, mucus, food particles stuck there the same way snot/booger is.
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post #6 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:50pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inficius View Post
I know what you're talking about, and I know there is an official name for it. I'll do a little research and post any updates.

EDIT: Here is it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith

By the way, I don't think I've ever had this.

Yeah that's got to be it. I'm betting the Subway has something to do with this. For a month or so I had them pretty frequently.

By the way, this is truly nasty:

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post #7 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:50pm
That's ya brain, cuddy.
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post #8 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:53pm
I forgot to add that this topic is even more disgusting than the "blowing your nose" thread.
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post #9 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:56pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inficius View Post
I forgot to add that this topic is even more disgusting than the "blowing your nose" thread.

Yeah but at least I know that I'm not the only one with this freakish crap coming out of the throat

I tried to see if I have any back there but the gag reflex is too powerful
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post #10 of 50
2/9/10 at 10:58pm
It's the third stage of syphilis.
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post #11 of 50
2/10/10 at 1:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Inficius View Post
I forgot to add that this topic is even more disgusting than the "blowing your nose" thread.

hmmm... ok fine i did contribute to that thread...about blowing your nose.

ok here's my share: back in med school in my otolaryngology rotation (ENT) I was doing an exam on this kid and he had the tonsoliths going..... it was nice to actually visualize some for experience sake until the kid coughed one out into my facemask. the tonsolith got caught in my facemask and kinda broke up so the full putrid bouquet blossomed into my nose and mouth (yup i tasted the aspiration).

that wasn't the worst part... the kid ended up having the mumps and I contracted it... its ok through.. the asshole chief resident who laughed at me the whole time caught the mumps from the kid too...
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post #12 of 50
2/10/10 at 1:23am
Gargle mouthwash if you notice you've got one (it should be obvious) and you can usually choke it out. They're gross, they seem to go in cycles for me. I used to have them fairly often, haven't dealt with it for a few months though. My gag reflex isn't too bad, I usually just press my tonsil and it will fall out.
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post #13 of 50
2/10/10 at 1:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Listi View Post
Gargle mouthwash if you notice you've got one (it should be obvious) and you can usually choke it out. They're gross, they seem to go in cycles for me. I used to have them fairly often, haven't dealt with it for a few months though.

My gag reflex isn't too bad, I usually just press my tonsil and it will fall out.

Wow. Have you found out what is causing the cycles? I really think for me it was the Subway bread. Although I can't be positive. I had them pretty bad for a month or so.
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post #14 of 50
2/10/10 at 3:32pm
i had a few of these. You can pop them out like a zit. Havent had one in a while though. good to know im not alone.
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post #15 of 50
2/10/10 at 5:50pm
ENT Doc says it is acid reflux. That certainly explains why Subway would cause it.
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