Mentos???

Poor Gabe is sick again!  Just since the new year began, he has had a nasty stomach virus, followed by RSV and now another virus that is causing an inflamed, sore throat and low grade fever.  I would have never known he was sick with this most recent illness if not for some new odd behaviors he has been exhibiting.  He has been making new sounds, almost like gagging noises and has also been clearing his throat so often that I thought it was possibly becoming a new "stim."  (I am breathing a huge sigh of relief that I do not think this is the case!)  Several times in the past few days he cried out in pain while eating.  The most recent time he did this, I thought he was choking or had something stuck in his throat since he kept grabbing his throat and sobbing.  I hate not being able to just ask him what the heck is going on!  All I could get out of him was the word, "Mentos."  (It's OK to laugh, I did after the fact.)  He would open his mouth wide and push his finger back into his throat and then say, "Mentos!"  He was frantic and visibly upset as he did this.  My heart was breaking watching him carry on while I felt completely clueless and helpless.  His mention of the word "Mentos" brought to mind a time several months ago when he swallowed a piece of Mentos gum on accident and was very upset over this.  The only conclusion I could draw is that swallowing hurt and his way of conveying that to us was to refer back to the "Mentos" incident in which he swallowed something he didn't mean to???   We have asked him many times over the past few days if his throat hurts and his reply has always been, "no," but since he says "no" to almost everything, I didn't know whether to believe his answer.  I wish daily for the gift of mind reading as it would make my life so much more simple (in regards to understanding both my son AND my husband)!  ;)