Food going up nasal cavity

[mich018]

The other week I was eating some cake and somehow some of it went up my nose.  I eventually got it down after snorting and blowing my nose.  I didnt think too much of it until this week when the same thing happened again except I couldnt get the food down.   The problem is now whenever I eat all my food keeps getting caught in my nasal cavity.  My left nostril feels rather weird where it joins the bak of my throught, it feels like there is   some sort of gap which wont close.  Does anyone have any ideas why this is happening or what can be causing it?  It's quite distressing and making it very awkward to eat solids.

Thanks

[traace]

Hi mich,

I have the same thing, except it's been going on for over a year for me!  When I swallow (especially when I'm eating things like rice) I seem to force the food up the back of my nose as well as down my throat.  It can stay there for weeks, sometimes months at a time, and (this is gross) I can smell it, it smells like halitosis.  Yuck.  Every now and then I will manage to suck it out, it ends up popping back into my mouth (still gross), and viola!  I can spit it out and show the rotten piece of food to people such as my sceptical husband who didn't believe that I had something up my nose all that time.

I am in the UK at the moment, and just got a NHS number, so will visit the doctor next week and see what he says.

Let me know how you got on :)

Trace

[eveharlowephoto]

This has happened to me most of my life. However, it only happens when I eat rice or ground beef. A little snorting and blowing and its gone. Hope this helps. By the way I never had any problems from it. I guess its just because there are a lot of openings back there, and stuff just happens. I dont think its anything to be alarmed by.

[OtoHNS_MD]

Did you have any recent surgery?  Tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy?  If not, this could be a sign of an anatomic or neurological problem.  I would see an Otolaryngologist (you will need a fiberoptic nasal scope exam).  Nasal regurgitation can be seen after surgery or could be from a muscle or nerve weakness.  Does this happen when you drink liquids also?  You will also likely need some blood work and possibly an MRI depending on the other results.  

[OtoHNS_MD]

Also, does your voice sound different?  Does it seem like more air is flowing through your nose when you use your voice?

[rifrafiki]

I have had this since I was young. My dad and my sister also have it. It is worse for me for foods such most raw veges - carrots, capsicums, lettuce, and apple skin. It causes a minor infection, gets goopy and i go down with a cold until it decides to come out in a lump of goo. I have tried to improve my immune system so that it doesn't affect me as much when it happens.

I have also discovered that it is stopping me from fully playing the didgeridoo as the pressure going down the didg is reduced by a slip of air coming out my nose!!

I have a referral to an ear nose throat specialist so will see what can be done, but i hadn't heard of a otolaryngologist ! so thanks for that.. in the past most doctors just looked at my like i was weird when i explained it..

[rifrafiki]

heh guys,

as suggested by OTOHNS_MD i got it checked out by fibreoptic nasal scope exam and there is nothing physiologically wrong, it may be just a lazy palette, so i will try speech pathology for exercises and let you know how i go..

[rn4xray]

I have the exact same thing!! Food goes up my nasal cavity when I swallow.  Then I lost my sense of smell shortly after the first episode then recently I feel like I "smell" the same odor all the time when no one in my family can smell what I think I smell. I feel like I always have something in the back of my nasal cavity--and can actually "snort" thick mucus--sounds yucky but that's what it is).  I saw an ENT twice who scoped my nose twice but he didn't do anything except give me some antibiotics because the back of my throat was red (but didn't help the relux into my nose).  The suggestion by OTOHNS_MD is something I'm willing to try regarding the neurological problem as I have problems with my neck that affect the strength in my arms so maybe it affects my swallowing too.  I'll let you know.

[winsome435]

I have the same thing whenever I eat I get the feeling of food, I know its food sometimes its spicy and I can feel it and my eyes tear and I have to snort and try to pull it up from the back of my throat.  I sound so yucky as well.  I do not like how it feels. I always have something in the back of my throat of in my nasal cavity.  I am afraid to eat sometimes.

[winsome435]

What do I do regarding this episode that is happening to me. I get food in my nasal cavity.  It is very frustrating   to feel food there and can't get it down or up.  I even inhale warm water in my nostrils, and try to drain it back out but I have to wait for maybe some days before it comes back with mucus.  Yucky, I am not smelling it as yet like the others but I know maybe sooner or later I will be.  I am scared to eat food now.  

[vanillabean444]

I have this too but it comes out relativly fast for me (well I think most of it) I am scarred it is going to cause some kind of cancer or somthing, having food rotting in your nasal cavity.

[marcirlanda]

Guys, I go the same problem. I thought I was the only one on earth. It happens to me mostly when I eat rice. Later in the day a small piece of rice might appear in my mucos. It's tolerable in the summer, but in the winter it nearly always triggers a nasal infection, which really gets infected badly with brown thick mucos. I was thinking maybe I have an air pocket or polyp in that area. Even without the food going up the back of the throat, i sometimes get a similar feeling when I have hay fever, inhale chemicals or irritants. Maybe there is a connection with nasal rhinitis, which I also have.

[julez80]

Also having the same problem, it started about 2 weeks ago and now happens every single time i eat.....am going to see a doctor about it but would be good to know the outcome of anyone who has had this diagnosed.

[Jadxia]

I have a similar problem, also when I eat rice or other soft foods.  I'll swallow normally, but some will get stuck in my sinuses (I've even blown it out of my nose before).  Using a saline neti-pot or sinus rinse (I use Neilmed) has helped alot, but I'm wondering if this could be related to my neuralgia.

[sabatore]

hey I got the same problem, when I eat rice, ground beef, or anything small and soft it feels like it gets caught in my nasal cavity and thats all I can smell and it's very irritable. I think its caused by either lazy muscles or problems with the palate. I wish I had a way to solve it as a perminant solution however as a temporary fix getting food out, I find coughing, snorting, hawking a loogy and other common acts often ends up with either spitting the food out or blowing it out my nose.

Ian

[Betonaster]

You would think that one doctor in the entire world might address what looks like a problem for a substantial number of people.  Medhelp is really (not) something, is it, except to know you're not alone.  Are they even tracking these comments and turning common comments over to a medical authority so that maybe half of the people who write things won't have to write them anymore, and there will be an advancement in medicine?

[DrewsMommyUSMC]

I have this problem also, I've had it for a few years now. It comes and goes, it seems to be worse in the warmer months. I get pills stuck above my soft palate....it is an awful feeling as the start to dissolve. But it is causing gag reflex response, which is quite annoying. The worst part is, vomiting does not relieve the issue. I have tried nasal irrigation, hot liquids and hit spoons against the lower portion of my soft palate, and many other crazy things. As disgusting as it sounds I actually had a piece of a capsule some out when I blew my nose once. I am at my whits end with this. The ENT I have to see through the VA thinks I am nuts and doesn't believe me. Then again, I call when I am experiencing it but I don't get an appt for a month and by then it is gone.

[Grimmish]

Wow...I never thought I was the only one with this problem, but I alco never expected to see so many with unanswered questions about this.  I too have an issue where all types of food is passed into my post nasal cavity.  This is very uncomfortable and causes me to gag witch only delivers a small amount of regergitated food into the cavity, not helping the issue at all.  I also try the snorting, blowing and all else I can get the back of my throught to do, but only after hours of discomfort, does it remove its self.  Most previous post say this is caused by soft foods, but mine can be anything from rice (almost always) to chunks of peanuts.  If anyone has a hint on how to avoid this from happening, or to romove the food befor infection (which almost always occurs, even if food is removed emediatly) please e-mail me @   ***@****  Thank you and good luck with this issue.

[Grimmish]

Hmm...sorry about contact info,,,,,was not aware they do not let you post personal contact information.  :(   I guess I will check this page often till i get a resonable answer.

[george1998]

Hi,

I haven't had this recently but I believe my experience is related; I've laughed while eating and had (of all horrible food)  a bit of Pot Noodle come out of my nose. Also the same thing with melted cheese on toast (which really hurt!).

Recently however I've had probs with my nose / breathing. I'm now snoring to the point where it's actually woken me up, and I regularly wake up with a massive amount of horrible gunk in the back of my dry throat. When I've slept in a room with friends, recently they've said I've started snoring excessively, to where they can't sleep.

I broke my nose nearly 10 years ago, with no "apparent" repercussions, but recently developed these problems and the have come to a point where I can't sleep in a room with other people because I keep them awake!

[liam213]

hi there I've had this problem for the last 2 years and all my doctors just seemed more confused than me I thought I was just being stupid, but I figured something out this week it works for me, it seems that when I swallow I push the back part and middle part of my tongue up further than the tip, try when you swallow to relax your tongue and push the tip to the back of your top row of teeth, I sometimes forget but its happened less and less this whole week I am soooooooo happy was the most unattractive thing trying to eat with a girl and I kept snorting in chunks of food lol but hope this helps you all let me know if it did

[invent]

I am too having this problem now, it is for almost anything I eat, food goes up to nasal cavity. I will try to rinse it out with the small tea pot with saline water in it. Also will se my dr. It also giving me headache now, since I can't get the food out.

[Flipslats]

I recently had a bad vomiting episode and had a lot of food being pushed up into and out of my nose. I obviously cleared my nasal passages the best I could, but I have now developed problems with my sense of taste and smell. Most food tastes have been tarnished with a chemical-like taste which is absolutely horribe. I am at a loss of what to do.
Has this happened to anyone?? Does anyone know of a fixxit for this?? Any info will be greatly appreciated!

[marlenechata]

Whew I though I was the only one with this problems, where food gets lodged in the back of my throat and had to either swallow or blow it out my nose.  Just recently I was talking to a friend of mine and he told me he used the have this same problem due to Apnea but this all stopped when he starting to use the C-Pak.  Guess what I will get it with my next paycheck.  Hope this helps.

[kazkap]

I have had a similar problem to. I was eating peas and choked on one. When I coughed it up it seemed to go up into my nasal passage and I feel it is lodged in my palette.  For weeks afterwards my mouth was continuously drying out and I couldn't seem to produce any saliva.  It has been about 2 years since this happened and I still seem to have the reoccuring dry mouth problem and it feels like I have a hard object lodged in my nasal/palette area.  When I spoke to my doctor about it he said food objects like this eventually breakdown and go on there own although it could cause a sinus infection and if this happened I would need antibiotics.  As it has been 2 years and I still feel there is something lodged there I am not sure what to do to move it. Also sometimes it feels like it is moving down and I almost feel it is hard to breathe as if it is blocking my airway.  I have tried a netti pot and this did not help.  

[Romel1977]

I have the same problem which had just started for about a week now... This happens when i eat anything small and soft also like rice and all that, and also when i chew fruits such as apples and peaches they also get stuck up there when i swallow and this is making me not eat those anymore... i would feel like theres something stuck up on my nasal cavity and i couldnt get it out... this will last for the whole day and even if i sneeze it out or snort it out it still wouldnt come out... but the next day i would feel better again like i got it out somehow on my sleep... I told my co-worker about this and she said that her mom was having the same problem and went to see the dentist, the dentist referred her to an ent doctor then the ent doctor diagnosed her with arthritis,  told her that her nasal bone was a little enlarged due to arthritis inflamation.

[davo717]

Wow!  This forum started in 2007.  I was hoping someone already has an answer to this problem which I am also suffering from.  What to do?