When I went to bed last night, I suddenly started to have difficulty breathing, and had the constant urge to swallow over and over again. I have had sinus drainage for the last several weeks as I continue to get over a bad cold and sinus infection, but this was a very different feeling. It felt as though there was a constant flow of nasal drainage in my throat. So I got out of bed, got a flashlight and went to the bathroom.
Sure enough…my palatine uvula was erect.
Swollen Uvula
At times, the mucous membrane around the uvula may swell, causing the uvula to expand 3-5 times its normal size. When the uvula touches the throat or tongue, it can cause sensations like gagging or choking, even though there is no foreign matter present. This can cause problems breathing, talking, and eating.
There are many theories about what causes the uvula to swell, including: 1) dehydration; 2) excessive smoking or other inhaled irritants; 3) snoring; 4) allergic reaction; or 5) a viral or bacterial infection. [Courtesy of wikipedia]
I’ve had this issue before when I am having an allergic reaction to something. I’m not sure what it could have been - we had the Super Bowl yesterday, which included a lot of crap food (which tasted really good)…perhaps it was avocado, sesame seeds, malibu rum, raspberries, corn, or some other bit of yummy that I consumed.
Anyway, I downed a couple benadryl’s, just for good measure, and I took a cough drop also just for good measure. Finally around 2am I was able to get to sleep, but kept waking up. I also, apparently, snored loud enough to wake the neighbors…
Thankfully, my uvula is slowly becoming more flaccid as the day progresses. Since I have no idea what could have caused it, I’m just going to have to be very careful about what I eat today.
And that is the story of the erect palatine uvula.
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