I realize that I will need to see a doctor as well, but I would like to know if any moms have experienced something like this. About a month ago, our three year old son started clearing his throat - often. I thought he might be coming down with something, but never did get a cold. I asked him if he has a tickle, and his reply was " I feel like I have a bunch of nails in my throat" (he DOES have a reputation of being rather dramatic with words...) I am wondering if he possibly has allergies or asthma? His description makes it sound painful rather than itchy. I'd like to know if anyone has experienced this and what the diagnosis was. Should I go to a general doctor or what kind of ENT specialist?
Thank you in advance,
S.
Thank you dear Mamas so much for sharing.... Our son had severe GERD (reflux)milk protein intolerance when he was born and I had to eat a very limited diet while I breastfed him. We had thought he had outgrown his issues, but he likely still has one or both issue. We'll get a referral to a specialist and see what they have to say. Thank you so much!
Hi! My son did that for a while. He told me that it felt like pencil shavings were in his throat. I finally took him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with bronchitis. They gave him antibiotics and he was fine afterward.. They also prescribed asthma meds but I didn't give it to him because I know fro
experience, once you start taking those, you become dependent..
When my son was a baby, he was diagnosed with acid reflux. No matter what he ate or drank, it would come back up and you could see the discomfort the poor little guy was going through. When it was bad, he would have to take a prescription form of Prevacid. He would clear his throat when he was a toddler as well. He's now 4 and still clears his throat on occasion and we're unable to pinpoint what foods cause this..there isn't a clear connection. But, when he's coming down with a cold, he makes the exact same clearing of his throat sound...
My older son suffers from asthma and allergies. He's never made any throat clearing sounds..for him, it's a cough that signals something's up.
I'd take your little guy to his pediatrician and they can refer you to an allergist..that's how we found out what our older son was allergic to and what would bring on asthma...it's a connect-the-dots thing we parents have to play. Good luck...
Shine a light into his open mouth and take a look at the back. If it's red with white pustules, he has strep. The sensation of swallowing glass or nails is class strep throat. I've had it more times than I can count! Get him into the doc ASAP as strep can be very harmful if left unchecked.
Based on what I have personally experienced with my own son, who has a long history of allergies and asthma, I would say that the description of his sensation sounds very allergy based. There is something called "cobblestoning" of the throat that you might want to look into, and I would definitely get a referral to an ENT and a pediatric gastro. In the meantime, you could begin an elimination diet (and keep a food journal) to try to rule out or pinpoint foods that might make his symptom(s) worse--the biggies for look for are wheat, corn, dairy, soy, egg, artificial colors/dyes, nuts....
Also, any environmental exposures that might be irritating him--molds, pets, etc.
Best of luck.
K.
Similar thing happened to a relative decades ago. Her little guy also had a really gruff sounding voice and they thought it was just the way he spoke. Then when he was 3 they discovered he had little nodules covering his larynx. Lasered them off and - presto - normal sounding voice and no more throat clearing.
Check for food intolerances. IgE testing is for food allergies and IgG is for food sensitivities. Milk is the most common allergen. Gluten may be second. Your Ped can do IgE testing and you can get a kit from Alletess for IgG testing. Both are blood tests.
Strep is a possibility, as are allergies and tonsillitis. An Otolarygologist (Ear Nose Throat (or ENT) doctor) should be able to figure out what is going on.
My sister and I are both "throat clearers". We both have seasonal/environmental allergies. For me, I don't have the classic runny nose, itchy eyes symptoms. It's the darn throat thing. I just feel kind of itchy and like a tiny bit of phlegm is just stuck back there. I can tell when something in the air is high because I clear more. A gal I work with is exactly like that. We kind of laugh because we notice each other doing it, but not ourselves and then it's a lightbulb effect of "hmmm, what pollen is high today?".
Both of my boys do this all summer long from allergies bc of bad post nasal drip which can make your throat hurt. My oldest has asthma and he had a dry cough mostly at night from the time he was born no one caught it until he was 8 months old and got pneumonia and the wheezing didn't clear because up until then it was only at night. You need to start w/ your regular pediatrician they should be able to check him over and tell you what is going on and then if its needed refer you to an allergist. Both of my boys have gone to the allergist because their allergies were so bad that otc and prescription were not controlling them.
my husband was constantly clearing his throat and it turned out to be acid reflux, from the acid coming up all the time.
My son and I both get this as a reaction to allergies. Sometimes it is environmental allergies and other times food related. We don't, however, take any conventional allergy medication. We use natural remedies and get great results without medication.
Yes, my friend cleared her throat very often...it was annoying! However, she got it checked out and she had nodules growing on her thyroid which had to be removed. Fortunately, no cancer. But guess what....no more clearing of the throat all the time. There is a reason more than habit for your son to be clearing his throat all the time and you need to get it checked out soon. Good luck.
Take him the your Pediatrician.
Then, if need be, the Pediatrician will refer you to a Specialist.
ENT is a specialist but your first stop should be a pediatrician. It sounds like he has simple strep. It can also be a latent nasal/sinus infection, because fluid from the nose drains into the back of the throat and cause irritation.
It can also be seasonal allergies, but it would be better to go with antibiotics first then allergy medication second, then to a specialist last.
Nodules in the throat can be from an untreated strep throat infection, or from viral infections of the throat also. (Note: I am _not_ a doctor)
