Imagine living with throat pain for 35 years⊠No doctors can get to the bottom of it. Youâre misdiagnosed with everything from mumps to allergies⊠even anxiety and ADHD. Years of medical procedures, therapy, and surgery donât help. Eventually, youâre accused of attention seeking and told to âget over it.â
Thatâs the exact nightmare one man claims to have lived through since childhood. He says he gave up on getting an accurate diagnosis and decided to just suffer in silence. Then, one day, out of the blue, the medical mystery was magically solved. All thanks to a random dish of taco rice that his daughter made one evening.
He lived with severe throat pain for 35 years and not one doctor could figure out why
Man sitting on couch holding his throat in pain, depicting long-term throat pain and medical mystery.
Have you or your child swallowed a tooth? Hereâs when to worryâŠ
If this guyâs story has you panicking about swallowing teeth, fear not. Apparently, itâs quite common and generally, harmless. Most times, a tooth will digest without pain or complications.
âNearly all swallowed objects will pass through the digestive system without causing any harm, including those with sharp edges,â notes the U.K.âs National Health Service (NHS). According to the the European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, if an object can pass from the narrowest part of the digestive tract (where the esophagus joins the stomach), it will most likely pass with no problem.
Most swallowed foreign objects (like teeth) will go through your GI tract. âBut roughly 8% find their way into the tracheobronchial tree, or the airways that extend into your lungs,â the Hull University Teaching Hospitals reports. If this happens, itâs considered a medical emergency.
Other times, you should seek medical attention after swallowing a tooth include if you have trouble swallowing, experience neck, chest pain or abdominal pain, are vomiting a lot, if there is blood present in vomit or stool, or if you have a fever or are drooling.
Dentist in gloves showing a child how to brush teeth using a dental model, addressing throat pain concerns.
Itâs clear taco rice guy didnât swallow the tooth⊠so how did it stay in his throat for so long? One possibility is something known as Zenkerâs diverticulum. Itâs basically a pouch that develops in your throat, and it may have literally been holding the answer to his pain for all those years.
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âThe pouch forms when your cricopharyngeus muscle, which is the upper sphincter muscle of the esophagus, doesnât work like it should. Constant pressure from this muscle creates back pressure on the wall of your throat,â explains the Cleveland Clinic site. âOver time, that pressure may push tissue through the throat wall to make a pouch or outpouching. The pouch may cause issues like difficulty swallowing, regurgitating food or bad breath.â
And yes, food, pills and even teeth that have fallen out can get stuck in the pouch instead of going through the esophagus. Thatâs according to Mayo Clinic. This can lead to problems with eating and other complications.
Mayoâs experts add that if the pouch gets big enough, whateverâs in it may spill into the throat. Cue taco rice with a side of milk toothâŠ
People were invested in the medical drama but some developed a new fear after learning the outcome
Screenshot of an online comment about a manâs 35 years of throat pain linked to a cheese allergy causing mouth bleeding.
Reddit user shares personal story about manâs 35 years of throat pain and discovering a medical flap causing blockage.
Reddit user sharing relief after solving a 35-year throat pain mystery, highlighting chronic throat pain and medical breakthrough.
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Reddit comment discussing a manâs 35 years of throat pain and his journey to solve his own medical mystery.
Man suffering throat pain for decades finally solves medical mystery after 35 years of discomfort and difficulty eating.
Man sitting at table, holding throat in pain, illustrating years of struggle with chronic throat pain medical mystery.
Comment on Reddit discussing a manâs 35 years of throat pain and his journey to solve his medical mystery.
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Man experiencing throat pain for decades, finally solving his own medical mystery after 35 years.
Man reading a comment about throat pain, reflecting on a 35-year medical mystery finally solved.
Man shares experience of living with persistent throat pain for 35 years before solving his own medical mystery.
Comment discussing manâs 35 years of throat pain and finally solving his own medical mystery relieving his symptoms.
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Man describes 35 years of throat pain and his journey to solving his own medical mystery despite disbelief from others.
Screenshot of an online comment about a manâs 35 years of throat pain and his medical mystery finally solved.
Comment expressing empathy for chronic throat pain and difficulty getting diagnosed, praising the resolution of a medical mystery.
Man writing notes in a journal, reflecting on 35 years of throat pain and solving his own medical mystery.
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Screenshot of an online comment discussing a manâs long-term throat pain and the challenges of military health care.
Man sitting with hand on throat, symbolizing chronic throat pain and a long medical mystery solved after 35 years.
Screenshot of an online comment discussing medical gaslighting related to a manâs 35 years of throat pain mystery.
Comment text on a white background discussing apology to people who treated a man badly during his 35 years of throat pain.
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Man experiences throat pain for decades, discovers medical mystery, and finds relief after years of discomfort and diagnostics.
Screenshot of an online comment discussing years of therapy and misdiagnosis related to chronic throat pain mystery.
Screenshot of a Reddit comment discussing a man who spent 35 years with throat pain and solved his medical mystery.
Screenshot of a Reddit comment expressing how reading a post about throat pain and medical mystery unlocked a new fear.
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Screenshot of an online comment expressing amazement at a manâs 35-year throat pain and relief after solving the medical mystery.
Text post describing a man spending 35 years with throat pain before solving his own medical mystery about allergy symptoms.
Man with 35 years of throat pain finally solves his own medical mystery after long struggle with symptoms.
Man sitting on a bench holding his throat in pain, illustrating years of throat pain and medical mystery.
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