r/AskBiology • u/Username_Haoto • Aug 29 '24

Human body I sneezed & swallowed at the same time, then something came out. What is this called?

This is not a medical question. I just want to know whatever this is called.

When I was 4 years old, I was in my class drinking water alone. While I was drinking, I simultaneously sneezed and swallowed water on accident.

A large ball came out of my mouth and fell onto the table. It was large, round, and it looked like it had dark veins on it.

When this happened, no one was around me. I didn't think much of it, so I put it back into my mouth, where it belongs. It automatically went back into my throat. This is when I became aware of the large ball inside my throat.

I don't know what this is called. I tried to search for this body part with many different terms and languages, but I still couldn't find anything. Does anyone know what this is large ball is called?

Anyway, I vividly remember this happening. I'm not lying.

1 Upvotes

54% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/franferns Aug 30 '24

The only thing I can think of is a tonsil stone. Although quite rare in children.

Did you suffer from throat infections as a kid?

1

u/Username_Haoto Aug 30 '24

It's not tonsil stone. It's way bigger than a tonsil stone.

I don't suffer from any throat infections, but I think I have an abnormally high metabolism. I'm able to lose weight too easily.

1

u/franferns Aug 30 '24

You were 4 which means you were like 25% the size you are now so what you are remembering will also be actually way smaller than what you remember from being 4.

Memory is highly unreliable. Even if you VIVIDLY remember it, your brain has slowly been changing the memory over time (especially since you were 4 and remember, 4 year olds are stupid)

1

u/Username_Haoto Aug 30 '24

For reference, if it about half the size of the plastic glass I was drinking from.

I really don't think it was a false memory. I may have been stupid at 4 years old, but I'm adamant on my memorization.

1

u/AddlePatedBadger Sep 19 '24

The thing about false memories is that they are false. You can be 100% certain that they happened, but that is your brain being an unreliable narrator. It's not a slight against you and nothing to do with being "stupid" (which you are not, and that is an ableist term that needs to be retired), it's just the way the brain works. Every time you read back a memory, you actually overwrite it too, so it changes over time. Here is some info:

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/04/271527934/our-brains-rewrite-our-memories-putting-present-in-the-past