the problem at the top of my throat

I've got a bifid epiglottis. It's like an upside down heart that lives at the back of my mouth, doing the clever job of stopping food going into my lungs. A bifid epiglottis is very similar to a normal epiglottis, except that it's got a split in it, hence the upside down heart shape. But I can live with it. Like Freddy Nietzsche said, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."*

However, there are rare occasions when the bifid chap is a pain. Usually happens when I get a throat infection. One half of the epiglottis swells up so much that it just sits on the back of your tongue, constantly making you gag, and making it really difficult to eat or drink.

Annoyingly, it is happening again right now. The epiglottis is engorged and I haven't eaten properly for three days. And I've got a fever to go with it, so I can't concentrate on anything - reading is tricky, telly has to be in bite-sized chunks, and I can't play with Ruby because I don't want her to catch the lurgy.

I went to see the doctor, who gave me some pills and told me to lie down for a bit, and it was he who revealed the proper name for my epiglottal condition.

Does anyone else have a hereditary condition that they'd like to share with the group?

* I had to look that up. I don't know Nietzsche quotes off by heart.

Comments

[David Airey :: Graphic Designer]

Woah, sorry to read that, Dan.

For what it's worth, I suffer from naggius girlfriendus - a terrible condition that rears its ugly head on an almost weekly basis.

[davidthedesigner]

Hope you'll feeling better soon Dan. Afraid I don't have any hereditary conditions (or at least not any that I'd want to share with your group), though.

[davidthedesigner]

Correction:

Hope you'll be feeling better soon Dan.

or:

Hope you're felling better soon Dan.

There, I've said it three times now - one of them's bound to work.

[TomLR]

I have three knees.

[Alex]

Felling trees, David?

[davidthedesigner]

Alex - Yep, it's what men do when they move to the country (see http://dangermain.typepad.com/dan_germain/2007/03/stuff_you_dont_.html ).

[Alex]

Beautifully handled. Consider the hat tipped.

[Seb]

Sorry to hear that Dan, hope you are well soon. Apart from the fact that I am waiting and afraif of my dad's loss of hair to be hereditary one day, there is nothing to share sounding as interesting as bifid epiglottis. So hope you're getting better and hopefully we see in September.

[César Casquero]

Hi Dan,
I have a 4 years old child with biffid Epiglottis. I have many Questions. Could you please contact me.
cesar_casquero_faure@yahoo.com . Thanks from Spain

[dan]

Hello Cesar

Good to hear from you. If you have any questions, I am happy to try to answer them. I should let you know – this condition never really bothers me – only maybe when I get a bad throat infection, which doesn’t happen often. I hope it doesn’t affect your son too much either.

[s]

Did you have polydactyly?

[dan]

I don't know what a polydactyly is.

[ear nose throat]

I never encounter this kind of problem throat.

-Kaylee