if you accidently breathe in water, does it get into and stay in your lungs?

Question

Is it possible for this to happen and would it cause you to cough for months?

Ya, you know how if you accidently choke on water, well Ive been coughing since then and I dont know if it has to do with that and I feel like a big dummy askin the doc, I wanted to see what other people thought about it

Answer 1

Small qtys of water that gets into your lungs is absorbed into the blood stream. Lrg qtys of water on the other hand cause death from asphyxiation because your body can no longer get the qtys of oxygen that it needs. This is often called drowning to death.

But if you have already inhaled the water, and are able to type questions, then you should be just fine. Asphyxiation happens quickly (withing a few minutes), and if you are above water 99 out of 100 times you will cough up enough to not asphyxiate.

Answer 2

I accidently inhaled ocean water on vacation once and I probably was coughing for a day or so but I was in warm climate. In the cold weather now, I have been coughing lately since accidently choking on water while drinking but have never had long-term effects.

Answer 3

Have yourself checked out by a doctor.
When you breathe water in, it is aspirated into your lungs. You could have a little bit of infection lingering or pneumonia, which would explain your coughing.

This is common with older people when simply drinking water. They accidentally choke on a little & end up with a lung infection.

Answer 4

breathing in water is just like drinkin it, although i wouldn't suggest drinking water with chlorine, if thats what happened. Lol, were u swimmin?

Answer 5

IT DO INTER THE LUNGS , BUT IT CAN BE COUGH UP OR DRAIN OUT