Can you do this? Do you know what this is?!
Question: Can you do this.? Do you know what this is.?
I have a really long tongue, so long that when I was a child and I was bored, I took my tongue and went all the way back into my mouth and up past the ball at the back of the mouth into the area above the roof of my mouth. I feel tons of little ridges, and usually there's a thin line of mucus. When I'm sick, it's dry, when I'm not sick, it's usually wet. So, what is this.? Can anyone else do this.?
Sorry if I gross you out, and please, do not try this! You could hurt yourself!Health Question & Answer
Sorry if I gross you out, and please, do not try this! You could hurt yourself!Health Question & Answer
Answers:
Hi, I'm a medical student who took gross anatomy just 1 year ago so this is still slightly fresh. The area that you are sticking your tongue into (which is pretty cool by the way) is called your nasopharynx. That's just a fancy word for where the area behind your nose turns into your pharynx ("throat"). There's a few different ridges you feel. The depression is called the pharyngeal recess and the raised area is the torus tubarius. There's a hole between those ridges (don't know if you can reach that high) that actually connects to your ear canal. It's where excess fluid from your ears drains down the back of your throat (and also the reason people get ear infections after sore throats). When their throats are inflamed, the hole gets closed up and fluid can't drain from the ear - so it sits in there and it's nice and warm and lots of bacteria grow. That causes the infection and pressure.
A bit long-winded, but I hope this helps.Health Question & Answer
A bit long-winded, but I hope this helps.Health Question & Answer