Every once in a while, perhaps once a week, I’ll feel like a grain of something is in my throat. After a few gag reflexes, I’ll usually cough up something about half the size of a grain of rice, white in color, and extremely foul-smelling. Does anyone else have this sort of thing happen, and does anyone know what it is and what (if anything) I can do to prevent it?
Sounds like a tonsillolith. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith
You’ll have to see a doctor for a reliable diagnosis, of course.
Yes, and mine usually fly out while I am breathing heavily during a jog 
SuperGross!
[These stones, called tonsilloliths, are found within little pockets (crypts) in the tonsils that typically form in chronic recurrent tonsillitis and harbor bacteria.
The stones are foul-smelling. They tend to contain high quantities of sulfa. When crushed, they give off the characteristic rotten egg smell which is well known to cause bad breath.
Tonsilloliths may also give the sense of something being caught in the back of the throat.
Also referred to as a tonsillith.](http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7469)
This can also ruin sex.
I get them really bad too. They also go by the name Tonsil Stones. We’ve had many threads here about these.
And there are many, many more like this. Just do a search on tonsil stones.
My wife and I jokingly refer to the crypts in our tonsils as “food pouches”, although the ear-nose-throat specialist I spoke to said that it’s not actually food that gets trapped in there, but some kind of by-product exuded by the tonsils themselves.
Occasionally, the gunk you find trapped in your food pouches can tickle your throat in a most unpleasant way. I am anosmic, so I can’t smell mine, but my wife assures me that the gunk also smells pretty bad.
It’s not a good idea to let someone else help you – touching the wrong part of your throat back there is likely to trigger a gag reflex or even induce vomiting - so if you want to remove the gunk, you really need to do it yourself. Here’s how:
[ul][]Stand in front of a mirror. The closer you can get to the mirror, the more effective this will be. In our home, we have a full-length mirror in the walk-in closet that you can touch with your nose if you had to.[]Shine a small flashlight into the mirror such that the reflection illuminates the back of your throat. This is difficult to do at first, but comes with practice. I find that making a hissing sound as you examine your throat causes your tonsils to move into the optimal position.[]Avail yourself of the proper tool for pressing gently on your tonsils. My wife uses a dental pick, but there is actually a soft plastic tool made specifically for this task that looks like a slender toothbrush handle with a tiny basket on the end.[]Use the tool to press gently against your tonsils to force the gunk out. Usually it will end up on your tongue, but if you have the right tool and are skillful, you can actually scoop it up in the basket and remove it without having to spit.[/ul]… and Bob’s yer uncle. I hope I have fought some ignorance and not grossed out too many.