Choking hazard: Food stuck in my throat

Look, this isn't about neuralgia. Last night I was greedily inhaling some burger and a piece of meat got stuck somewhere in my throat. I can still feel it there. I’ve tried coughing it up, gargling, all that nonsense, but nothing has worked. It’s starting to drive me a little crazy. I need some actual medical advice on how to deal with this.

Not at all, it should pass in just a few days.

That’s just how it goes sometimes after a gastroscopy. It gets irritated, and you need a couple of days for things to settle down.

So, I ate some boiled chicken without any broth, and now a piece is stuck in my esophagus.
It’s been sitting there for hours and I seriously can’t swallow it down.
I tried washing it down with some liquid a few times, but no luck—every time I try, I just end up throwing up the liquid instead.
It’s like this chicken hunk has formed an "impenetrable plug" in my throat...

I even tried drinking something and then forcing myself to throw everything up at once, but only the liquid comes out.

Does anyone know a way to force my esophagus to either swallow this leftover chicken or just let it go? —putting two fingers in my mouth didn't do the trick...

Going to the ER is my absolute last resort, which is why I’m asking you guys here first.

Btw, I totally get it—I’m greedy, I don't chew enough, I take massive bites, blah blah blah—so yeah, I’m looking for some solid advice on how to get this chicken out of my throat 🐔

Gregory Ramirez2 said:So, I ate some boiled chicken without any broth, and now a piece is stuck in my esophagus.
It’s been sitting there for hours and I seriously can’t swallow it down.
I tried washing it down with some liquid a few times, but no luck—every time I try, I just end up throwing up the liquid instead.
It’s like this chicken hunk has formed an "impenetrable plug" in my throat...

I even tried drinking something and then forcing myself to throw everything up at once, but only the liquid comes out.

Does anyone know a way to force my esophagus to either swallow this leftover chicken or just let it go? —putting two fingers in my mouth didn't do the trick...

Going to the ER is my absolute last resort, which is why I’m asking you guys here first.

Btw, I totally get it—I’m greedy, I don't chew enough, I take massive bites, blah blah blah—so yeah, I’m looking for some solid advice on how to get this chicken out of my throat 🐔

Try gargling warm water and see if you can trigger a sneeze; maybe take a thin strip of paper, roll it into a little stick, and gently slide it up your nose. That might force a sneeze, and maybe a combination of gargling, sneezing, and coughing will dislodge it.
After that, try taking a really deep breath and making heavy, guttural sounds from deep in your throat—like a low "uggggrrrrmmmhhh"—maybe that pressure will shift it enough so you can cough it up, or maybe a gulp of warm water will finally send it down to your stomach.

It’s just not working—I gave it my best shot...

I even tried sipping olive oil in tiny little sips, and then I tried taking bigger gulps, thinking maybe it would "grease the wheels" for that dry-as-a-bone roasted chicken—but nope, still no luck 🤷

Gregory Ramirez2 said:It’s just not working—I gave it my best shot...

I even tried sipping olive oil in tiny little sips, and then I tried taking bigger gulps, thinking maybe it would "grease the wheels" for that dry-as-a-bone roasted chicken—but nope, still no luck 🤷

man, just go to the ER

It’s still going...

Seriously though—does anyone know if there's any way I can just swallow this down or, like, throw it back up? 🙂

I really don't want to have to hit up the ER right now—I'll explain why in a bit—but I've gotta run somewhere urgently!

Get to the ER right now. Don't mess around with this.

Go to the ER.

I’m definitely heading to the ER if things don't start looking up by tomorrow morning.

I just swung by the pharmacy and picked up some Papaverine and Metoclopramide capsules—they usually give them via IV, but these are pills—to help relax my esophageal muscles so maybe the food can actually pass through.

The ER is really my absolute last resort here, mostly because I went through something almost identical about eight years ago when a chunk of meat got stuck in my esophagus.
Back then at the hospital, they gave me something to drink to try and relax those muscles too, but when that didn't work, they were getting ready to pull the meat out using some kind of medical device (honestly, I can't remember the name). I even had to sign a waiver because the doctor warned me it wasn't exactly a walk in the park—he said if they accidentally punctured or damaged the esophageal wall during the procedure, it could be fatal.

Luckily, right before they could perform the procedure, that piece of meat somehow managed to slide down into my stomach—after being stuck in there for three whole days.

How'd it go, Ben?

I assumed you had already headed to the ER, but I see you haven't yet.
I would suggest sipping some Coca-Cola slowly. I am not usually one for that kind of poison, but in certain instances, it acts like medicine. When you eat something that sits heavy in the stomach, the acid helps digestion. It breaks down the meat. Like pepsin in the gut.
It might help you too, helping to break down that meat... though it will take some time.
Some smart aleck might think, "Oh no, this will last three days." That isn't how it works. A little bit of acid hitting that piece of meat is enough; you don't need to drink the whole thing.
It also helps if someone hits you in the back, though not always.
I experienced something similar once while home alone. I ended up hitting myself against a wall, and it helped slightly. Your situation seems more severe.
I am also the type of person who doesn't rush straight to the emergency room, but realize that meat rots and smells. At least sip half a glass of Coca-Cola slowly.

Good luck. LP

I’m skeptical about using Coke here. Just like it eats through leftover food, it’s going to irritate your esophagus too. Plus, trying to force food down or dig it out is risky business—doctors have warned me before that you can seriously damage your esophagus doing that. As for this idea of an esophageal relaxant pill 😕 how exactly are medical professionals expecting a pill to reach the stomach if things are blocked? An injection might work, but an oral medication won't get past the obstruction. Unless we're talking about some kind of topical liquid, my honest advice is to head to the ER. Getting food removed in a controlled outpatient setting isn't nearly as dangerous.
It might be worth getting some tests done just to have a specialist look at your esophagus 🤷

Thanks so much for the advice and for looking out for me! 🙂
So, I spent yesterday hanging out in the ER (from about 6:30 PM until after midnight...).
They ran some scans and tests—though I haven't agreed to a gastroscopy yet, since I'm still weighing my options—and after I drank this white liquid for an X-ray, they found that the food is basically "stuck" right at the bottom of my esophagus, just before the stomach.

The doctor prescribed the exact same meds I already picked up from the pharmacy, so I'm supposed to keep taking them.

I actually took those "meds" twice yesterday (before heading to the ER) and both times the food moved down—toward the stomach.
Unfortunately, once I got back from the hospital and again around 11 AM today, I took those "meds" twice, but they didn't help move the food any further down into the stomach, since it’s stuck right at that esophageal exit point.

Yesterday at the ER, they gave me a referral for a gastroscopy (you know, the kind that can be risky because of potential damage to the esophageal wall), and I've decided that if that food doesn't drop into my stomach by 6 PM tonight, I'm going in for the procedure—whatever happens, happens! 🤷

Back when I had a similar situation about 8 years ago, the doctor told me that nothing should stay stuck in the esophagus for more than three days; otherwise, inflammation starts and the wall could get damaged, etc., etc. Basically, he advised that any leftover food would have to be cleared out via gastroscopy.

Luckily, we didn't need the scope back then, but today I'll see what happens and decide from there.

If everything turns out fine, I'll catch you guys here—but if I head up to meet God (assuming it isn't way too expensive up there 😬), I'll see you "above"! 🙂

Btw, these "meds" are liquid, which some of you might have noticed, because they're actually meant to be used for injections, so they come in liquid form.

Look, a gastroscopy isn't some monster; it’s just a bit uncomfortable for certain people. Once it hits the entrance to the stomach, it might just ease its way through 🤷—kind of like how you sometimes have to give a car a little push to get it rolling. Don't sweat it too much. We'll catch up here soon; it's way too early to be checking out 😁

I really don't want to kick the bucket too early just to make some folks happy—whether that's people I know in real life or you guys here on the forum! 😬

Unfortunately, every single time they try to pull a foreign object out of someone's intestines, things can go south fast. Apparently, while they're working on it, there's a risk of puncturing the intestinal wall, which lets oxygen leak into the cavity somewhere—I can't quite remember the specifics—and then for the patient, it's The end 🙂 —at least, that's what my doctors told me.

I would have just taken some medication to calm things down.
Now it seems nothing works, whether you're trying to go down or up.
Before, I’d sip some Coca-Cola or even chug it—those big gulps help create enough muscle rhythm to push it down.
Or maybe swallow something soft in one big gulp to force it through, though naturally, I'd wait long enough to build up some stamina first.
Nowadays, apparently, you need a gastroenterologist to manually push it through for you.
Technically, it shouldn't be an issue, but it still isn't ideal.
And then there's the thought of people forcing things inside.
What is your stomach telling you? Is it hungry? Growling? I suppose... at this point, nothing else seems to help after all the pain, time, and nerves already wasted.

Best,

Look, what I’m drinking isn't actually meant to soothe my esophagus—it's more about getting those muscles to finally relax.
It's so they stop clamping down on the food, so when I wash it down with water, it can actually push everything along toward my stomach.
It worked twice yesterday—managed to get things moving down!

I’m gonna give it one more shot, and if that fails, I'm heading in for the procedure.

The real issue isn't just that stuck piece of food sitting in my esophagus; it's the fact that I am absolutely parched. I haven't been able to keep anything down for over 48 hours—not even a sip of water (and obviously no food, though you can last way longer without eating than without drinking). That’s a huge reason why I’ve decided if I can't swallow this myself by midnight, I'm going in for the surgery.
I'm even throwing up the smallest sips of water, and honestly, even my own saliva is coming right back up...

I’ve gotta vent to the mods for a sec—they moved my thread from the alternative medicine section over here to classic medicine...

I put it there on purpose! I was hoping someone might know a natural or home remedy to help me get this thing back down or just swallow it easier.

Look, you shouldn't be "playing" moderator when someone's health is on the line—or even their life...

Honestly, it feels only fair if the thread gets moved back to the alternative section (and then I'll just delete this post). Even if it doesn't work for me—though maybe it will!—it could still help someone else down the road. Plus, since the search tool is being glitchy right now, anyone looking for similar help in the alternative section won't even realize this info exists over here.

Gregory Ramirez2 said:Look, what I’m drinking isn't actually meant to soothe my esophagus—it's more about getting those muscles to finally relax.
It's so they stop clamping down on the food, so when I wash it down with water, it can actually push everything along toward my stomach.
It worked twice yesterday—managed to get things moving down!

I’m gonna give it one more shot, and if that fails, I'm heading in for the procedure.

The real issue isn't just that stuck piece of food sitting in my esophagus; it's the fact that I am absolutely parched. I haven't been able to keep anything down for over 48 hours—not even a sip of water (and obviously no food, though you can last way longer without eating than without drinking). That’s a huge reason why I’ve decided if I can't swallow this myself by midnight, I'm going in for the surgery.
I'm even throwing up the smallest sips of water, and honestly, even my own saliva is coming right back up...

Yeah, dehydration. Honestly, don't wait until midnight. Just go now. I don't have any other advice for you; you're just making yourself suffer for no reason.