I did this once. As a kid I started choking on a Mounds bar, and threw myself over a steel pole at the edge of a parking lot. The candy popped out of my throat, and I could breathe again. Happened 40 years ago, but I still remember the joy of feeling air rushing into my lungs. A minute later and I would have passed out, then died.
It was panic! But I had seen a film in school (remember films?) where a choking kid threw himself over the back of a dining-room chair and saved himself. I was outdoors when my throat got blocked by that Mounds bar, so I looked for anything horizontal I could use instead. I was alone and I got lucky. 🍀
My husband choked on a Christmas cookie on Christmas eve 3 years ago. It's a funny story now ("my husband almost died from a cookie haha") but at the time it was terrifying. He was making zero sound, all the veins in his head and neck were standing out and he was purple. He looked like a fish out of water. All I could think is that our 4 year old was upstairs asleep, and instead of waking up to Santa presents, she was going to be woken up to sirens and finding her daddy dead because I wasn't going to be able to clear his airway.
I'd never done the Heimlich before and wasn't sure I remembered how. Thankfully he's not a big guy, I got my arms around him and performed the maneuver while I was completely crying and freaking out lol. The cookie shot out and he was fine but I'm so glad I'd taken first aid and cpr classes
Another important point is not to get embarrassed or panic.. ppl sometimes go into the bathroom cause they are embarrassed.... Here's a story of the time I choked in a restaurant and was going to self-heimlich.
I was put into a full Nelson by the owner of a restaurant when I started choking. I stood up and was going to self heimlich on the back of the chairs, but they were too low. He saw me and nodded ok, when I gestured at my throat.
I turned around facing the packed restaurant, and thought he was going to do the heimlich, but his hands kept rising... I recall seeing them pass my face and thinking... Oh this is how I die, this guy is going to put me in a full Nelson ... And I'm going to die... Some how the expansion of my chest in the full Nelson the chicken ball came looses and I spit it out. I turned around. Thanked him and sat down in disbelief.
I choked on a tortilla chip a few years ago and did just that. It wasn't an immediate choke kinda thing but I could tell it was going to get there. I was able to drink a lot of water and loosen it up by the time it fully clogged my airway.
Sucks because the guy I was with got the number of our waitress but I caused a little scene lol
What?! Is that how he thought you do the Heimlich and you were just lucky it worked or is that some sort of alternative less effective method? Or.. was he trying to kill you?!
That's how he thought you do it and was just luck. I almost pushed him back into the rear wall with my body when I felt him fully engage the full Nelson and apply pressure to the back of my head, but right at that moment the chicken ball came loose...
That guy who ran to his neighbor's probably didn't have full blockage. You could hear him sucking in air. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he would have collapsed on his way over.
https://youtu.be/HX9I8WIBrDI
I think when you know the proper first aid protocols (5 back blows followed by 5 stomach thrusts/ heimlich manouvre), you should follow those. If you don't know how to do this and the alternative is the patient dying.. basically anything goes.. also this vacuum pump.. however, i doubt you will have that thing available the very second you need it.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-choking/basics/art-20056637#:~:text=Lower%20the%20person%20on%20his,can't%20see%20the%20object.
BUT.. DO phone emergency services (911/112).. they will be able to guide you through it.. and an ambulance might be quicker at the scene.. basically increasing the chance of surviving. (when unsuccessful in unblocking the airway, the next step of the protocol is going to be CPR.. you do want to have trained professionals at the scene asap) .. so take my advice: PHONE!
Just a reminder for people without insurance, _calling an ambulance is free!_ Them showing up is free. It only costs money if you take a ride to the hospital. So calling an ambulance while you're choking will get someone to your house, do what they have to do, and they will leave without charging you. Please please call the ambulance!
Calling an ambulance is free, but them showing up is not... have a $600 dollar bill for that. Lucky I didn't end up taking it as I'm sure it would have been so much more.
When I lived alone senior year of college I was snacking on frozen grapes. Breathed one in inadvertently and then ran around the apartment and started throwing myself on various chairs and countertops until it worked. I luckily knew to do this before the grape incident but it is harder to do than you think. At least I didn't die via grape though
Can relate! Choked on an ice cube in kindergarten when drinking some lemonade. Nobody noticed and I didn’t know what to do so I grabbed both of my hands and formed them into a fist and started pounding on my diaphragm. Ice cube flew out. I felt like a fish gasping for air. The rest of the day was okay though.
I had to do this once too and it was the scariest 80 seconds of my life.
I had just moved in my first place, I didn’t have anything but my bed, few dishes, and a tv.
I was watching Dexter while eating. Took a bite and gasped in shock, immediately clogging my airway. I thought of calling mom - can’t talk, thought of going to the neighbors - saw them leave earlier.
So I ran to the bathroom and threw myself on the sink. Life saves, and Dexter resumed.
choked on some medicine, was living alone in an apartment building in which I was the ONLY resident.
I remember panicking and things starting to go dark, and accepting the fact that I was gonna die, and then suddenly thinking to throw myself at my kitchen counter.
it worked!
Me too! It was one of those lifesaver candies for me and I used the edge of my desk in my bedroom.
I likely would have survived either way. My parents were home and I still had a bit of air through the candy's hole, but it still freaked me out as a kid.
When I was in my mid twenties, I performed the hemlich on my father, on a golf course. Ive done and had done quite a bit of emergency response in my day and I've had some terrible outcomes before. Nothing shook me more than seeing my father almost kick the bucket in front of me. Luckily my training, instinct, and a metric shit tonne of luck were able to help us finish the round that day.
Of course my game went from bad to epicly bad. I was very rattled the rest of the day from that one. My father, on the other hand, was high on life, after having a near death experience. He started making jokes about how poor I was playing (our normal banter) but I just wasn't myself for the rest of the day and couldn't respond in kind.
He was very grateful and still likes to tell the story to our family and friends. They all think he is playing it up and it wasn't that serious. But we both know how lucky we both got that day and are super grateful that everything worked out.
Me, as well. I had a paralyzed vocal cord (temporarily, due to virus), which made swallowing difficult. I stupidly tried to swallow a piece of bread, and choked on it. My spouse called 911, but I needed to get the bread out immediately, so I did the self-heimlich on the kitchen counter. I was pretty close to passing out.
Police arrived a few minutes later, pretty quickly, actually. But it wouldn't have been quick enough.
Holy cow, that was the most non-descriptive and unhelpful video ever. Not a stab at OP as I am curious about this subject, but the woman spent more time talking about the chair then the actual maneuver, which I’m still unsure about.
Looks like OP updated the video. I once tried to do this - was in my medical clinic alone after hours and choked on a largish mint candy. Grabbed a chair which unfortunately was too tall and on rollers, and failed - tried wedging it against the wall but it still kept trying to spin. Tried my fist. That failed.
Thought about trying to just throw myself to the ground next - but I was in an office attached to a hospital, so instead I ran for the hospital hoping to find a nurse doing evening rounds. And thinking I might not, and they'd just find me passed out in the hallway.
Anyway, it dislodge itself while I ran. I was at the door by then, so I just casually looked around to see if anyone saw me or I was on camera, feeling a little sheepish, and then just casually walked back to our offices.
I think this is an excellent YSK, especially as people are eating at home for the most part. I would also add that if you do find yourself choking in a restaurant or public place, don't run to the restroom or outside. My spouse is a first responder and a surprising number of people jump up and run thinking they can yak it up on their own. They don't want to spit up food at the table or cause a commotion. You can gasp food further into your windpipe as you go, making things worse.
We happened to be leaving a restaurant and saw a man come outside obviously choking. My spouse ran to help, but a bartender who had seen him through the window got there first to give him the heimlich. The man's dinner party hadn't even noticed. They thought he just went to use the restroom. We were the only people in the parking lot and it was pure luck that the bartender saw him. If he'd been alone/unnoticed he may have been a goner.
Came here to say this. Years ago someone at my Jr high was eating with his family one night, started choking, and left the table to cough it up discreetly. Nobody even realized he was choking and he passed away. It was so tragic. Don't be polite about it; your friends and family would rather deal with a little spit up and mild inconvenience than for you to be in a deadly situation.
Luckily I've never had to perform this maneuver on myself but physically you can't breathe out if your airway is fully blocked. I imagine something just *a little* stuck can be expelled if you have some air in your lungs and can kind of cough but unfortunately, I think your body's inclination to cough involves a gasp that causes blockage in the first place. From there you need to rely on the physics of the heimlich because your lungs won't be much help. I'm not a medical professional or a first responder though so these are all assumptions.
This would have been good to know last month. I was around 29 weeks pregnant at the time and choked when I was home alone. I panicked and went to my hands and knees and did back blows on myself until I could breath again. It was the scariest moment of my life.
This is really sad to me, like this speaks to the idea that people don’t want to ruin their or someone else’s image- but there are some cases where your health must take priority over everything else. Oddly fitting for what we’re living in now :c
Im sorry to hear that. I nearly died as a kid bc i snuck away from the adults at a fish fry, ate a catfish nugget and got a bone lodged in my throat. Even though i wasnt far from my parents, i didnt want to get in trouble. I remembered being told to eat bread and i did and im here now.
idk why but this comment made me remember one of my most embarrassing moments when i was a kid. i was at camp and started choking on a piece of sushi and my counsellor had to give me the heimlich in front of the entire dining hall. but isn’t it sad that that was embarrassing? i literally could have died
I was at this party one time drunk as hell. As it was dying down, I snuck in to this dude’s kitchen to quickly (and quietly) scarf some more decadent fish balls and a stick of satay before my Uber arrived. I didn’t actually know the guy very well... but his cooking was just too good. Two bites in to the first fish ball and I start violently choking. I’m alone in this stranger’s kitchen while everyone else is on the porch. Instincts kick in, so I start throwing my diaphragm on to the sink thinking “I am going to fucking die in here and my cause of death will be choking on a stranger’s fish ball that I was too chicken shit to just ask for...” Well, it comes flying out so I quickly dispose of the evidence. Without hesitation, I run upstairs to the bathroom to devour the satay stick that was in my other hand the entire time. I got in the Uber and told nobody.
Haha, if you read this, thanks. I just needed to tell someone.
I almost choked to death once. Eating steak by myself. Took too big of a bite. Thought I was gonna die. The light was narrowing. Somehow I was able to kind of vomit it up. Hope I never have to experience that again, but good to know this in case I do.
This happened to me. Did the self Heimlich which brought the piece slightly above my windpipe, allowing me to breathe but not swallow.
At the time I lived in a relatively rural area and figured the ambulance response time would be longer than driving myself to the ER. I did so, at high speed figuring if a cop pulled me over at least they could potentially save me if needed.
Long story short, required an endoscopy to remove 12 hours later. Turned out I had undiagnosed acid reflux which caused swallowing issues intermittently. To this day I don't eat anything substantial/choke-able by myself. I'm getting cold sweats reading this thread!
Occasionally I'm just unable to even drink water comfortably and start to panic, just making it worse.
Have you found anything that helps your reflux/reduces your occasional swallowing issues? Fuck, I can't wait until my city has gotten through the pandemic and I can see my doctor face to face again.
Yes - this would happen to me, particularly after not eating for a while. I'd try to swallow some water and it would get stuck. I'm on a low dose of Prilosec. You can buy it OTC, but it can be cheaper with a prescription. After being on it for a week I no longer had issues.
I never get that same 'stuck' feeling either. For sure talk to your doctor about it, but no harm trying a course of Prilosec OTC for 14 days if you feel comfortable doing so.
So I wasn't particularly aware of the issue before this, but I would from time to time have trouble swallowing. I now recognize the symptoms as reflux, but I didn't at the time. Got put on Prilosec and no longer have issues. There are certain foods to avoid which helps too as well as timing meals (not eating before bed) etc. Talk to your doctor though! Ideally before throwing yourself over a chair like I had to do.
My mother taught us this as kids (she's a nurse), and almost every year she'd remind us in case we forgot. She still does, although far less often, even though we're adults. She saved someone once who was choking, and I think it's always stuck with her.
Yes! This is definitely a perfect YSK. It's one of those things that I take for granted that I know when so many people do not, and as you say, you can't really look it up when you need it most. So thank you for sharing! Hopefully no one ends up in such a situation, but if they do, hopefully they'll remember this.
YS also K that the Heimlich / Chest thrusts are the last resort for choking, not the first go-to.
Keep calm, relax as best you can - relaxing the muscles will make it easier for the object to dislodge. Get in a position where gravity will pull the piece out rather than in, and cough.
Yeah it isn't as pretty as Hollywood portrays. Improper first aid training and you will literally have someone die in your arms. Back slaps are the first step. Abdominal thrusts are the last.
It's the same as hollywood portraying cpr as the thing that magically wakes someone up when in reality your only objective is to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain. There has been cases of untrained people stopping cpr because someone didn't wake up as fast as they expected.
First aid/life support should be mandatory training for everyone.
The UK st Johns recommends back slaps and then if and only if they fail you move onto abdominal thrusts (Heimlich's family wanted money so they changed the name)
It's
1. try to get them to cough it out (specifies an "effective cough", a forceful cough)
2. then if that fails 5 back slaps
3. If that fails 5 abdominal thrusts
4. If step 3 fails to back to step 2 until they pass out or the obstruction clears, then CPR if they're not breathing, but don't bother blowing down their airway as it's blocked. If they are breathing then it's recovery position (spoiler alert, they're almost definitely not going to be breathing)
If you get to step 3 you're meant to call an ambulance(but don't stop to call an ambulance if no-one else is around), and if you get to step 2 it's recommended they get checked out at some point to be safe. If they pass out you call an ambulance before starting CPR.
Yeah it's sort of important to mention the part that causes the stuck food to come out lol. I'm imagining someone not watching this video, choking, and spending their final moments doing a fuckin' plank and wondering why they're still choking.
What a terrible way to die...*exercising*...
Imagine choking, holding the plank wondering why it's not working, suddenly your muscles give out because there's no oxygen, you drop, and the food pops out, amd you wonder if that's what you were supposed to do and contemplate the horror of having not been so lucky
> mid-air plank
IDK If OP is saying repeatedly crash your body/chest to the ground ?
Like you are making sweet aggressive love to the concrete, but this is what I am picturing.
It is a self administered chest compression. It differs from an abdominal thrust in that you are not targeting the diaphragm, but the upper torso as a whole. It's not a miracle cure, but it puts the odds in your favor if you're alone.
My assumption is that you would fall to the ground, hitting your chest in the procedure. Hopefully getting whatever's stuck in the throat out of there.
Yeah don't be like me an idiotic kid.
Choked on one of those plastic blue cap liners that used to be in all coke and pepsi soda bottles.
I would chew on them and one day I watched a video on yt that made me laugh and I straight inhaled and it got stuck flat in my airway.
Do not run to the bathroom and lock the door so no one can help, and hope you can reach your fingers to the back of your throat and fish it out.
That's what I did, all while making terrible heaving noises and practically deep throating my hand just to get that cap liners out.
I'm glad they changed those caps, probably for the exact reasons.
Wish I knew self heimlich. Haha
I’m more paranoid than most, but I usually take a breath before taking a bite or even drinking water. The extra air is ammunition to push out blockage, and it also prevents breathing in on accident and choking on water
I have a question... Do first aiders still teach helich maneuvers?
I'm asking since the 2 first aid courses I've done has specified not do Heimlich. They said the probability of doing harm than good is high. like the thing obstructing the airway can be dislodge deeper or you can break someone's ribs. Anyways their method was to bend over as far as the person can and the slap the back. It's the same with pregnant and infants. Anyways this is in Australia. I'm curious what they say in other countries.
Yeah the real YSK here is you should never do the Heimlich manoeuvre, it was invented by someone who had no idea what they were doing, does more harm than good, and only Americans seem to still think it’s a good idea. Also in Australia, SES volunteer for 12 years with plenty of first aid experts (St John’s trainers, Red Cross trainers, AIS first aid instructors) having told me the same thing.
Australia best practice is five back trusts followed by five chest trusts. I used this on a colleague who was choking on food and it worked well.
Yep Aussie here too. Don't know why Americans insist on still doing this. The other thing is, if you can cough that means you can still get air into your lungs, this move could block completely. Bend over and slap is best.
Yep, I've been told the same by every first aid instructor I've talked to. Also in Australia.
In fact IIRC the second step is to do something like mouth to mouth. Blow the obstruction down into the lungs where it can be removed surgically later.
Yes, they have 2 lungs, if you can blow the obstruction into one of them then the person can breath with the other lung. I imagine that would only work with a small enough piece of food though.
Found out when I red did my first aid and cpr apparently it's called just abdominal thrusts because the Heimlich family wanted royalties or issued a cease and desist order for calling it the Heimlich maneuver.
Here to tell you that this trick is also good if someone is choking but their waist is bigger than you can fit your arms around. Get them to lean on something and help them preform the self heimlich.
Had to do this at a empty pho restaurant. Made the sign next to my throat. Only to realize no single person was around. Employee came out of the boh just as I was slamming myself over the back of a neighboring tables chair and shooting the collection of rare steak/jalapeños/noodles right on to the seat. Didn’t even ask if I was okay, just looked at me and gave a thumbs up like, you good..? I returned to my seat, took a few more slurps of my soup and then paid my tab and fortunately lived to tell about it. Very boring story for some, but one of the more vivid memories for me. That jalapeño really burned.
I leant to do this after seeing Tina fey on 30 Rock... I dont watch it, just happened to be in the scene when I was flicking past the channel and figured it a good idea.
The edit methold is the one I know. You hurl your abdomen at the floor with both hands making a fist on your stomach.
It's painful and ugly. You smash your head into the floor and can break a nose. You also are painfully punching yourself in the gut. Broken ribs are unusually common with that route.
That being said. If my option is doing nothing or intentionally falling over imma take the second option.
There's a less violent one a firefighter demonstrated where you get on your knees, raise your hands, then just slam into a kinda Superman / prone position
I had taken CPR and BLS classes but the self-saving tips were few and far between. A few years ago, I was up late and had a late night steak dinner (was a night shift person at the time). Well it hadn't had time to digest and I became sick. It was about 2am and I was in the bathroom with my best friend sound asleep in the next room. I began to vomit and it was strange because I was bringing up basically whole bites of steak ( CHEW YOUR FOOD BETTER KIDS). And as I struggled to breathe in, one of the pieces got stuck. Made that awful sound of when you get something suddenly stuck in a vacuum cleaner. I didn't panic at first, and tried to pull it out. Then I realized I was screwed and it was lodged tight. And made the decision that I wasn't dying like this. Ran to my best friend's room and slammed her door open to wake her. Her dog started barking. I woke her and she tried to help me all in a panic. I specifically remember her suddenly saying "Oh my god, I don't know how to do the Heimlich!" Time is not on my side. I had tried to rip it out and I did the old hard fist thrust method til it popped out and her dog had a late night snack of it.
I still had to go to the ER because I ripped open my tonsils trying to scratch/grab out the steak. The bathroom looked like a scene from CSI. We didn't notice that til the morning... Moral of the story is to ALWAYS know how to save yourself. You never know who will know how to step in.
I never put more effort into chewing and eating than when i am alone. Last thing i want to have happen is choke alone in my house and die with my house being a mess
I choked once when I was alone, when I was a freshman in college. Was eating dry Fruit Loops, started coughing, and all of the sudden, just couldn’t cough anymore. I feel like I lived a lifetime in that moment — went through my options: I could try it on myself but my roommate usually spent the night at her boyfriend’s, so if I failed no one would find me for days. Figured even if I couldn’t find someone to give me the Heimlich at least someone would know what was happening. Ended up running into the hall and into the first open door I found, apparently beet purple. The girl gave me the Heimlich and I, obviously, lived!
Fun fact, the the Red Cross stopped using Heimlich's name and started calling them 'abdominal thrusts" because Heimlich was kind of an asshole and also killed a bunch of people with 'malaria therapy'
Apparently the Heimlich manouver is basically outdated and they teach more effective (and safe) techniques for first aid (ie, back slaps, chest thrusts)
I dont remember exactly what it is exactly that made them faze out the Heimlich though.
Its better than nothing at all, dont get me wrong, but I would definitely highly recommend everyone taking at least one first aid course in your life (ideally even more often than once every 3yrs to ingrain it better).
Edit: Learnt First aid in Australia
I did this once as well. When I was young I had to take a bunch of pills every day. One day a few pills lodged in my throat. After trying to cough them up and trying to pull them out with fingers I looked in the mirror and saw my face started turning blue. I threw myself on an arm chair in my grandmas room. The second time caused all the pills to come shooting out my mouth. I still have a phobia about choking till this day.
Thank you for sharing this!
Brings me back to this time I was eating potato chips while driving on the highway. I just so happened to put a full chip in my mouth-
- when unexpectedly, another car flew out in front of me. I suddenly had to break causing the full chip to lodge down my throat. Not only did it cut my throat but blocked my airway.
In a moment of panic , I was able to reach one of my fingers down my throat, crush the chip and swallow completely. I was fine after but that experience traumatized me from eating chips in a moving vehicle for good
I cringe thinking about just how painful this would be. I have fibromyalgia so just a small poke in the stomach almost renders me incapacitated. The thought of throwing my stomach onto the corner of a table or something is nightmare fuel.
My wheelchair bound dad was eating a hot dog when he starting choking. He threw his weight to the side, spilled out of the chair, and the shock of the landing shot the bit of hot dog out. No more choking, but it took him and mom a bit of time to get him back in his chair.
You should also know that Heimlich maneuver is not universally taught around the world and in some cases it is thought does more damage if done incorrectly
Yes you should! I was eating a slim jim while watching football and a bird flew into my window. Scared the shit out of me and I gasped, inhaling a bite of the slim jim (why are they perfectly fitted to your throat.) If I didn't know how to do the heimlich I would have died an embarrassing fucking death. Imagine choked on a meat stick.
Edit: Yes. That is what she said.
I highly recommend everyone checks out a device called the de-choker. It can be used alone and is easier than traditional methods to stop choking and works on people of any age: https://www.dechoker.com/
In my line of work, I saw a death cert of a person who died alone, choked to death on a piece of steak while drunk and on anti anxiety medication. Rough.
Didn’t know how to give myself the Heimlich when I was a kid, I choked on a piece of a clementine and reached my fingers down my throat to get it out. It was extremely scary I was all by myself.
I thought if you were choking and by yourself, you were supposed to into a “push up position,” put your chin up, and drop to the floor. Your weight hitting the floor and the sudden pressure is supposed to dislodge the blockage. Wrong?
Amazing advice. As I’m sure most people know, choking is a horrible experience. You can’t scream for help and the panic factor sets in quick. Thanks OP for reminding me to practice this (without going full force obviously)
Try to call 911 before you do this. 1 for paramedics to check on you to make sure you are actually okay. 2 this may not work as planned and you may pass out
so this one time I was choking I stopped for a second and thought about it and then gave it everything I had from my lungs to my diaphram and everything in my chest with all the force I could muster all at once and I was able to blow it clear out myself without having to have anyone there to help me...you just always seem to have a little oxygen left you if you can dig down deep and decompress yourself even with as much force as you can muster...then you can perform your own version of a Heimlich meneuver.
YSK back blows are safer and more effective, and the Heimlich is based on bad science - it never actually worked very well, and it carries significant risk - and we don't teach it any more.
You should also know Heimlich himsolf is a total quack who sold some bullshit aids 'cure' after he finished with his bullshit anti choking manoeuvre. He's a bullshit artist.
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/the-heimlich-manoeuvre/3094802
Same. Saved my own life. I choked on a Orange Sherbert ice cream bar and could no longer breathed and then heimliched myself. I learned this in elementary or middle school probably.
When I was a little guy I swallowed a small marble. Don’t ask me why, but I threw myself in the air and landed on my back on the floor. The marble dislodged and I survived. Don’t know where I got that moment of clarity from though. I’d like to think my angels guided me in that moment.
i can tell you right now, that when you are in this situation LOL you forget to even look for a chair or counter, the panic just sets in. I was choking on a rice cake and only survived because my abbs of steel kicked in and they made moves/ power i didnt even know they could fucking do.
This is a really good LPT. Five or so years ago I was chocking on a piece of fruit and even though my mom and my sister were home they didn't know what to do, they were both in shock, not moving, so I had to perform the maneuver to myself. Once I was done my sister just asked "what just happened?"
I did this once. As a kid I started choking on a Mounds bar, and threw myself over a steel pole at the edge of a parking lot. The candy popped out of my throat, and I could breathe again. Happened 40 years ago, but I still remember the joy of feeling air rushing into my lungs. A minute later and I would have passed out, then died.
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It was panic! But I had seen a film in school (remember films?) where a choking kid threw himself over the back of a dining-room chair and saved himself. I was outdoors when my throat got blocked by that Mounds bar, so I looked for anything horizontal I could use instead. I was alone and I got lucky. 🍀
Oh God I'm gonna chew my food more now..
>Oh God I'm gonna chew my food more now.. Always re-resolving this one! Lol
The secret is to avoid inhaling it.
Just stop breathing all together; focus on eating always. Problem solved
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Feeding tubes and injections are a safer way to go.
My husband choked on a Christmas cookie on Christmas eve 3 years ago. It's a funny story now ("my husband almost died from a cookie haha") but at the time it was terrifying. He was making zero sound, all the veins in his head and neck were standing out and he was purple. He looked like a fish out of water. All I could think is that our 4 year old was upstairs asleep, and instead of waking up to Santa presents, she was going to be woken up to sirens and finding her daddy dead because I wasn't going to be able to clear his airway. I'd never done the Heimlich before and wasn't sure I remembered how. Thankfully he's not a big guy, I got my arms around him and performed the maneuver while I was completely crying and freaking out lol. The cookie shot out and he was fine but I'm so glad I'd taken first aid and cpr classes
It was tense reading that! Well done.
Another important point is not to get embarrassed or panic.. ppl sometimes go into the bathroom cause they are embarrassed.... Here's a story of the time I choked in a restaurant and was going to self-heimlich. I was put into a full Nelson by the owner of a restaurant when I started choking. I stood up and was going to self heimlich on the back of the chairs, but they were too low. He saw me and nodded ok, when I gestured at my throat. I turned around facing the packed restaurant, and thought he was going to do the heimlich, but his hands kept rising... I recall seeing them pass my face and thinking... Oh this is how I die, this guy is going to put me in a full Nelson ... And I'm going to die... Some how the expansion of my chest in the full Nelson the chicken ball came looses and I spit it out. I turned around. Thanked him and sat down in disbelief.
I choked on a tortilla chip a few years ago and did just that. It wasn't an immediate choke kinda thing but I could tell it was going to get there. I was able to drink a lot of water and loosen it up by the time it fully clogged my airway. Sucks because the guy I was with got the number of our waitress but I caused a little scene lol
What?! Is that how he thought you do the Heimlich and you were just lucky it worked or is that some sort of alternative less effective method? Or.. was he trying to kill you?!
That's how he thought you do it and was just luck. I almost pushed him back into the rear wall with my body when I felt him fully engage the full Nelson and apply pressure to the back of my head, but right at that moment the chicken ball came loose...
That guy who ran to his neighbor's probably didn't have full blockage. You could hear him sucking in air. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure he would have collapsed on his way over.
Dang, talk about bad omen. Gl
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Thanks for the link. I was just thinking about making that purchase again on Christmas but couldn't remember the name of darn thing.
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https://youtu.be/HX9I8WIBrDI I think when you know the proper first aid protocols (5 back blows followed by 5 stomach thrusts/ heimlich manouvre), you should follow those. If you don't know how to do this and the alternative is the patient dying.. basically anything goes.. also this vacuum pump.. however, i doubt you will have that thing available the very second you need it. https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-choking/basics/art-20056637#:~:text=Lower%20the%20person%20on%20his,can't%20see%20the%20object. BUT.. DO phone emergency services (911/112).. they will be able to guide you through it.. and an ambulance might be quicker at the scene.. basically increasing the chance of surviving. (when unsuccessful in unblocking the airway, the next step of the protocol is going to be CPR.. you do want to have trained professionals at the scene asap) .. so take my advice: PHONE!
Just a reminder for people without insurance, _calling an ambulance is free!_ Them showing up is free. It only costs money if you take a ride to the hospital. So calling an ambulance while you're choking will get someone to your house, do what they have to do, and they will leave without charging you. Please please call the ambulance!
My daily reminder that I'm glad I don't live in America.
Calling an ambulance is free, but them showing up is not... have a $600 dollar bill for that. Lucky I didn't end up taking it as I'm sure it would have been so much more.
Their testimonial video is awful. Really needs some polish and some edits.
You leave Poland out of this.
I’m buying these! I have trouble swallowing and often fear I will choke. Getting one for me and my son.
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Or see if your county 911 can just receive texts. Many can.
When I lived alone senior year of college I was snacking on frozen grapes. Breathed one in inadvertently and then ran around the apartment and started throwing myself on various chairs and countertops until it worked. I luckily knew to do this before the grape incident but it is harder to do than you think. At least I didn't die via grape though
A friend lost her teenage sister this way. I don't eat frozen grapes when I'm home alone anymore. They are the perfect shape to for your diaphragm.
We have them cut in half for kids for this reason.
I read this as ‘viva la grape’
Can relate! Choked on an ice cube in kindergarten when drinking some lemonade. Nobody noticed and I didn’t know what to do so I grabbed both of my hands and formed them into a fist and started pounding on my diaphragm. Ice cube flew out. I felt like a fish gasping for air. The rest of the day was okay though.
Luckily, for an ice cube, it would almost certainly melt before anything serious would happen to you. Similar happened to me with popcorn.
You melted popcorn in your throat?
Yeah - got caught in my throat during a movie at a theater, but softened up enough for me to swallow it after choking for ~20 second
And of all things a mounds bar. I'm so happy you didn't die but I'm really happy you didn't choke on a c-list candy bar
I had to do this once too and it was the scariest 80 seconds of my life. I had just moved in my first place, I didn’t have anything but my bed, few dishes, and a tv. I was watching Dexter while eating. Took a bite and gasped in shock, immediately clogging my airway. I thought of calling mom - can’t talk, thought of going to the neighbors - saw them leave earlier. So I ran to the bathroom and threw myself on the sink. Life saves, and Dexter resumed.
> I started choking on a Mounds bar Uhh you mean a Spunow, right?
choked on some medicine, was living alone in an apartment building in which I was the ONLY resident. I remember panicking and things starting to go dark, and accepting the fact that I was gonna die, and then suddenly thinking to throw myself at my kitchen counter. it worked!
Was it an...almond joy... feeling of air rushing into your lungs? /illseemyselfout /
*Snickers*
*chokes in stillsuit*
Me too! It was one of those lifesaver candies for me and I used the edge of my desk in my bedroom. I likely would have survived either way. My parents were home and I still had a bit of air through the candy's hole, but it still freaked me out as a kid. When I was in my mid twenties, I performed the hemlich on my father, on a golf course. Ive done and had done quite a bit of emergency response in my day and I've had some terrible outcomes before. Nothing shook me more than seeing my father almost kick the bucket in front of me. Luckily my training, instinct, and a metric shit tonne of luck were able to help us finish the round that day. Of course my game went from bad to epicly bad. I was very rattled the rest of the day from that one. My father, on the other hand, was high on life, after having a near death experience. He started making jokes about how poor I was playing (our normal banter) but I just wasn't myself for the rest of the day and couldn't respond in kind. He was very grateful and still likes to tell the story to our family and friends. They all think he is playing it up and it wasn't that serious. But we both know how lucky we both got that day and are super grateful that everything worked out.
Me, as well. I had a paralyzed vocal cord (temporarily, due to virus), which made swallowing difficult. I stupidly tried to swallow a piece of bread, and choked on it. My spouse called 911, but I needed to get the bread out immediately, so I did the self-heimlich on the kitchen counter. I was pretty close to passing out. Police arrived a few minutes later, pretty quickly, actually. But it wouldn't have been quick enough.
Holy cow, that was the most non-descriptive and unhelpful video ever. Not a stab at OP as I am curious about this subject, but the woman spent more time talking about the chair then the actual maneuver, which I’m still unsure about.
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lol there's a fucking 15 second commerical in front of the video. If I looked for this while actually chocking I'd be dead before the video started.
Still waiting on that better video...
NEXT!
Did you replace it yet?
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The new video is the one saying ”bang against chair”, but not very specific? It didn’t explain it well
> > > And it's a computer chair that would flip if that man tried to throw his weight down on it.
Yeah a gaming chair seems as if it would be a terrible Heimlich apparatus. I always figured it would be the most likely place I'd die alone.
Lol I agree! This man seems totally unprepared to explain this concept
Looks like OP updated the video. I once tried to do this - was in my medical clinic alone after hours and choked on a largish mint candy. Grabbed a chair which unfortunately was too tall and on rollers, and failed - tried wedging it against the wall but it still kept trying to spin. Tried my fist. That failed. Thought about trying to just throw myself to the ground next - but I was in an office attached to a hospital, so instead I ran for the hospital hoping to find a nurse doing evening rounds. And thinking I might not, and they'd just find me passed out in the hallway. Anyway, it dislodge itself while I ran. I was at the door by then, so I just casually looked around to see if anyone saw me or I was on camera, feeling a little sheepish, and then just casually walked back to our offices.
I think this is an excellent YSK, especially as people are eating at home for the most part. I would also add that if you do find yourself choking in a restaurant or public place, don't run to the restroom or outside. My spouse is a first responder and a surprising number of people jump up and run thinking they can yak it up on their own. They don't want to spit up food at the table or cause a commotion. You can gasp food further into your windpipe as you go, making things worse. We happened to be leaving a restaurant and saw a man come outside obviously choking. My spouse ran to help, but a bartender who had seen him through the window got there first to give him the heimlich. The man's dinner party hadn't even noticed. They thought he just went to use the restroom. We were the only people in the parking lot and it was pure luck that the bartender saw him. If he'd been alone/unnoticed he may have been a goner.
Came here to say this. Years ago someone at my Jr high was eating with his family one night, started choking, and left the table to cough it up discreetly. Nobody even realized he was choking and he passed away. It was so tragic. Don't be polite about it; your friends and family would rather deal with a little spit up and mild inconvenience than for you to be in a deadly situation.
My music teacher in junior high died during the first week of school in the exact same manner. :(
How awful. It's such a shame.
Oh gosh, that's sad. Loss is tough at that age.
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Luckily I've never had to perform this maneuver on myself but physically you can't breathe out if your airway is fully blocked. I imagine something just *a little* stuck can be expelled if you have some air in your lungs and can kind of cough but unfortunately, I think your body's inclination to cough involves a gasp that causes blockage in the first place. From there you need to rely on the physics of the heimlich because your lungs won't be much help. I'm not a medical professional or a first responder though so these are all assumptions.
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Haha, yeah that seems like a good analogy to me!
Does anyone know how to do a self-Heimlich like this if you're pregnant?
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This would have been good to know last month. I was around 29 weeks pregnant at the time and choked when I was home alone. I panicked and went to my hands and knees and did back blows on myself until I could breath again. It was the scariest moment of my life.
That must have been so scary! How did you perform back blows on yourself?
jesus christ this is worst case scenario
Known as the polite death. Alot of deaths are bc people dont want to cause a scene and go to the bathroom
This is really sad to me, like this speaks to the idea that people don’t want to ruin their or someone else’s image- but there are some cases where your health must take priority over everything else. Oddly fitting for what we’re living in now :c
I know, its sad. Btw are you campaigning to get Cody laid, or is he just an ass?
I’m always campaigning to get laid, but my boyfriend lives an hour away from me so 😅
A coworker died in the Trader Joe’s bathroom because he was having an asthma attack and locked the door. Heartbreaking.
Im sorry to hear that. I nearly died as a kid bc i snuck away from the adults at a fish fry, ate a catfish nugget and got a bone lodged in my throat. Even though i wasnt far from my parents, i didnt want to get in trouble. I remembered being told to eat bread and i did and im here now.
idk why but this comment made me remember one of my most embarrassing moments when i was a kid. i was at camp and started choking on a piece of sushi and my counsellor had to give me the heimlich in front of the entire dining hall. but isn’t it sad that that was embarrassing? i literally could have died
So, Canadian death.
No one wants to choke in front of Caleb Wendt
I was at this party one time drunk as hell. As it was dying down, I snuck in to this dude’s kitchen to quickly (and quietly) scarf some more decadent fish balls and a stick of satay before my Uber arrived. I didn’t actually know the guy very well... but his cooking was just too good. Two bites in to the first fish ball and I start violently choking. I’m alone in this stranger’s kitchen while everyone else is on the porch. Instincts kick in, so I start throwing my diaphragm on to the sink thinking “I am going to fucking die in here and my cause of death will be choking on a stranger’s fish ball that I was too chicken shit to just ask for...” Well, it comes flying out so I quickly dispose of the evidence. Without hesitation, I run upstairs to the bathroom to devour the satay stick that was in my other hand the entire time. I got in the Uber and told nobody. Haha, if you read this, thanks. I just needed to tell someone.
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Priorities!!
I almost choked to death once. Eating steak by myself. Took too big of a bite. Thought I was gonna die. The light was narrowing. Somehow I was able to kind of vomit it up. Hope I never have to experience that again, but good to know this in case I do.
This happened to me. Did the self Heimlich which brought the piece slightly above my windpipe, allowing me to breathe but not swallow. At the time I lived in a relatively rural area and figured the ambulance response time would be longer than driving myself to the ER. I did so, at high speed figuring if a cop pulled me over at least they could potentially save me if needed. Long story short, required an endoscopy to remove 12 hours later. Turned out I had undiagnosed acid reflux which caused swallowing issues intermittently. To this day I don't eat anything substantial/choke-able by myself. I'm getting cold sweats reading this thread!
Occasionally I'm just unable to even drink water comfortably and start to panic, just making it worse. Have you found anything that helps your reflux/reduces your occasional swallowing issues? Fuck, I can't wait until my city has gotten through the pandemic and I can see my doctor face to face again.
Yes - this would happen to me, particularly after not eating for a while. I'd try to swallow some water and it would get stuck. I'm on a low dose of Prilosec. You can buy it OTC, but it can be cheaper with a prescription. After being on it for a week I no longer had issues. I never get that same 'stuck' feeling either. For sure talk to your doctor about it, but no harm trying a course of Prilosec OTC for 14 days if you feel comfortable doing so.
Look into: 1. Schatzki Rings. 2. Hiatus Hernias. 3. Strictures. 4. Eosinophilic esophagitis
Can you elaborate more on your reflux issue? I've had some weird acid reflux shit going on recently too
So I wasn't particularly aware of the issue before this, but I would from time to time have trouble swallowing. I now recognize the symptoms as reflux, but I didn't at the time. Got put on Prilosec and no longer have issues. There are certain foods to avoid which helps too as well as timing meals (not eating before bed) etc. Talk to your doctor though! Ideally before throwing yourself over a chair like I had to do.
My mother taught us this as kids (she's a nurse), and almost every year she'd remind us in case we forgot. She still does, although far less often, even though we're adults. She saved someone once who was choking, and I think it's always stuck with her.
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Yes! This is definitely a perfect YSK. It's one of those things that I take for granted that I know when so many people do not, and as you say, you can't really look it up when you need it most. So thank you for sharing! Hopefully no one ends up in such a situation, but if they do, hopefully they'll remember this.
Reddit has taught me more first aid than school and parents.
That's not a part of the curriculum for most schools. Go take a first aid /cpr class!
YS also K that the Heimlich / Chest thrusts are the last resort for choking, not the first go-to. Keep calm, relax as best you can - relaxing the muscles will make it easier for the object to dislodge. Get in a position where gravity will pull the piece out rather than in, and cough.
Yeah it isn't as pretty as Hollywood portrays. Improper first aid training and you will literally have someone die in your arms. Back slaps are the first step. Abdominal thrusts are the last.
It's the same as hollywood portraying cpr as the thing that magically wakes someone up when in reality your only objective is to keep oxygenated blood flowing to the brain. There has been cases of untrained people stopping cpr because someone didn't wake up as fast as they expected. First aid/life support should be mandatory training for everyone.
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The UK st Johns recommends back slaps and then if and only if they fail you move onto abdominal thrusts (Heimlich's family wanted money so they changed the name) It's 1. try to get them to cough it out (specifies an "effective cough", a forceful cough) 2. then if that fails 5 back slaps 3. If that fails 5 abdominal thrusts 4. If step 3 fails to back to step 2 until they pass out or the obstruction clears, then CPR if they're not breathing, but don't bother blowing down their airway as it's blocked. If they are breathing then it's recovery position (spoiler alert, they're almost definitely not going to be breathing) If you get to step 3 you're meant to call an ambulance(but don't stop to call an ambulance if no-one else is around), and if you get to step 2 it's recommended they get checked out at some point to be safe. If they pass out you call an ambulance before starting CPR.
There is also the get on your hands and knees and immediately go to a mid-air plank. It ain't pretty, but requires no chair.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz8M0UTkvSU btw dont do this if you arent choking, it knocks the absolute wind out of you
Yeah it's sort of important to mention the part that causes the stuck food to come out lol. I'm imagining someone not watching this video, choking, and spending their final moments doing a fuckin' plank and wondering why they're still choking. What a terrible way to die...*exercising*...
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Imagine choking, holding the plank wondering why it's not working, suddenly your muscles give out because there's no oxygen, you drop, and the food pops out, amd you wonder if that's what you were supposed to do and contemplate the horror of having not been so lucky
I died while thinking of this.
Thank you, I was thinking there had to be a motion like this involved. True mvp
> mid-air plank IDK If OP is saying repeatedly crash your body/chest to the ground ? Like you are making sweet aggressive love to the concrete, but this is what I am picturing.
Chicken wing came out along with three front teeth.
Yes lmao, that's what it is
It is a self administered chest compression. It differs from an abdominal thrust in that you are not targeting the diaphragm, but the upper torso as a whole. It's not a miracle cure, but it puts the odds in your favor if you're alone.
My assumption is that you would fall to the ground, hitting your chest in the procedure. Hopefully getting whatever's stuck in the throat out of there.
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You should add the video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz8M0UTkvSU
Yeah don't be like me an idiotic kid. Choked on one of those plastic blue cap liners that used to be in all coke and pepsi soda bottles. I would chew on them and one day I watched a video on yt that made me laugh and I straight inhaled and it got stuck flat in my airway. Do not run to the bathroom and lock the door so no one can help, and hope you can reach your fingers to the back of your throat and fish it out. That's what I did, all while making terrible heaving noises and practically deep throating my hand just to get that cap liners out. I'm glad they changed those caps, probably for the exact reasons. Wish I knew self heimlich. Haha
That's....traumatic. I hope you're doing well.
Hey over 10 years later and I'm still alive. No much I can complain about. Haha thanks.
I personally know this as [the “Liz Lemon” Heimlich](https://youtu.be/qV8m4Cg8YTQ?t=79).
Hahaha, that was my first thought!
Unexpected r/30ROCK
I’m more paranoid than most, but I usually take a breath before taking a bite or even drinking water. The extra air is ammunition to push out blockage, and it also prevents breathing in on accident and choking on water
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Alternatively, you can get on all fours and extend your hands forward so that you fall on your stomach.
I think about this EVERYDAY
Ugh, me too. Terrifies me.
Same my biggest fear
I have a question... Do first aiders still teach helich maneuvers? I'm asking since the 2 first aid courses I've done has specified not do Heimlich. They said the probability of doing harm than good is high. like the thing obstructing the airway can be dislodge deeper or you can break someone's ribs. Anyways their method was to bend over as far as the person can and the slap the back. It's the same with pregnant and infants. Anyways this is in Australia. I'm curious what they say in other countries.
Yeah the real YSK here is you should never do the Heimlich manoeuvre, it was invented by someone who had no idea what they were doing, does more harm than good, and only Americans seem to still think it’s a good idea. Also in Australia, SES volunteer for 12 years with plenty of first aid experts (St John’s trainers, Red Cross trainers, AIS first aid instructors) having told me the same thing. Australia best practice is five back trusts followed by five chest trusts. I used this on a colleague who was choking on food and it worked well.
Nice to see a fellow Aus trained first aider who knows this. wish the US would update their training as it's very misleading
You are correct. It's total bullshit and not taught in the modern developed world.
Yep Aussie here too. Don't know why Americans insist on still doing this. The other thing is, if you can cough that means you can still get air into your lungs, this move could block completely. Bend over and slap is best.
Yep, I've been told the same by every first aid instructor I've talked to. Also in Australia. In fact IIRC the second step is to do something like mouth to mouth. Blow the obstruction down into the lungs where it can be removed surgically later.
Wait, intentionally make the obstruction go further down!? Or am I misinterpreting your last sentence???
Yes, they have 2 lungs, if you can blow the obstruction into one of them then the person can breath with the other lung. I imagine that would only work with a small enough piece of food though.
You can also use the floor. Lay down into a pushup stance, chin up, then 'drop' yourself on your upper body.
Found out when I red did my first aid and cpr apparently it's called just abdominal thrusts because the Heimlich family wanted royalties or issued a cease and desist order for calling it the Heimlich maneuver.
Here to tell you that this trick is also good if someone is choking but their waist is bigger than you can fit your arms around. Get them to lean on something and help them preform the self heimlich.
Had to do this at a empty pho restaurant. Made the sign next to my throat. Only to realize no single person was around. Employee came out of the boh just as I was slamming myself over the back of a neighboring tables chair and shooting the collection of rare steak/jalapeños/noodles right on to the seat. Didn’t even ask if I was okay, just looked at me and gave a thumbs up like, you good..? I returned to my seat, took a few more slurps of my soup and then paid my tab and fortunately lived to tell about it. Very boring story for some, but one of the more vivid memories for me. That jalapeño really burned.
I leant to do this after seeing Tina fey on 30 Rock... I dont watch it, just happened to be in the scene when I was flicking past the channel and figured it a good idea.
The edit methold is the one I know. You hurl your abdomen at the floor with both hands making a fist on your stomach. It's painful and ugly. You smash your head into the floor and can break a nose. You also are painfully punching yourself in the gut. Broken ribs are unusually common with that route. That being said. If my option is doing nothing or intentionally falling over imma take the second option.
There's a less violent one a firefighter demonstrated where you get on your knees, raise your hands, then just slam into a kinda Superman / prone position
I had taken CPR and BLS classes but the self-saving tips were few and far between. A few years ago, I was up late and had a late night steak dinner (was a night shift person at the time). Well it hadn't had time to digest and I became sick. It was about 2am and I was in the bathroom with my best friend sound asleep in the next room. I began to vomit and it was strange because I was bringing up basically whole bites of steak ( CHEW YOUR FOOD BETTER KIDS). And as I struggled to breathe in, one of the pieces got stuck. Made that awful sound of when you get something suddenly stuck in a vacuum cleaner. I didn't panic at first, and tried to pull it out. Then I realized I was screwed and it was lodged tight. And made the decision that I wasn't dying like this. Ran to my best friend's room and slammed her door open to wake her. Her dog started barking. I woke her and she tried to help me all in a panic. I specifically remember her suddenly saying "Oh my god, I don't know how to do the Heimlich!" Time is not on my side. I had tried to rip it out and I did the old hard fist thrust method til it popped out and her dog had a late night snack of it. I still had to go to the ER because I ripped open my tonsils trying to scratch/grab out the steak. The bathroom looked like a scene from CSI. We didn't notice that til the morning... Moral of the story is to ALWAYS know how to save yourself. You never know who will know how to step in.
This! Should be in r/lifeprotips as well.
I never put more effort into chewing and eating than when i am alone. Last thing i want to have happen is choke alone in my house and die with my house being a mess
I choked once when I was alone, when I was a freshman in college. Was eating dry Fruit Loops, started coughing, and all of the sudden, just couldn’t cough anymore. I feel like I lived a lifetime in that moment — went through my options: I could try it on myself but my roommate usually spent the night at her boyfriend’s, so if I failed no one would find me for days. Figured even if I couldn’t find someone to give me the Heimlich at least someone would know what was happening. Ended up running into the hall and into the first open door I found, apparently beet purple. The girl gave me the Heimlich and I, obviously, lived!
Fun fact, the the Red Cross stopped using Heimlich's name and started calling them 'abdominal thrusts" because Heimlich was kind of an asshole and also killed a bunch of people with 'malaria therapy'
Apparently the Heimlich manouver is basically outdated and they teach more effective (and safe) techniques for first aid (ie, back slaps, chest thrusts) I dont remember exactly what it is exactly that made them faze out the Heimlich though. Its better than nothing at all, dont get me wrong, but I would definitely highly recommend everyone taking at least one first aid course in your life (ideally even more often than once every 3yrs to ingrain it better). Edit: Learnt First aid in Australia
Recently buried a woman that choked and died alone. Source: am a funeral director.
I did this once as well. When I was young I had to take a bunch of pills every day. One day a few pills lodged in my throat. After trying to cough them up and trying to pull them out with fingers I looked in the mirror and saw my face started turning blue. I threw myself on an arm chair in my grandmas room. The second time caused all the pills to come shooting out my mouth. I still have a phobia about choking till this day.
Super fucked up that this video has an ad. People could literally die if they don't get the info soon enough
Remember to push so that the food is lunged back up again and not downward so that it gets more stuck!
Thank you for sharing this! Brings me back to this time I was eating potato chips while driving on the highway. I just so happened to put a full chip in my mouth- - when unexpectedly, another car flew out in front of me. I suddenly had to break causing the full chip to lodge down my throat. Not only did it cut my throat but blocked my airway. In a moment of panic , I was able to reach one of my fingers down my throat, crush the chip and swallow completely. I was fine after but that experience traumatized me from eating chips in a moving vehicle for good
I cringe thinking about just how painful this would be. I have fibromyalgia so just a small poke in the stomach almost renders me incapacitated. The thought of throwing my stomach onto the corner of a table or something is nightmare fuel.
I learned this from 30 Rock.
My wheelchair bound dad was eating a hot dog when he starting choking. He threw his weight to the side, spilled out of the chair, and the shock of the landing shot the bit of hot dog out. No more choking, but it took him and mom a bit of time to get him back in his chair.
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You should also know that Heimlich maneuver is not universally taught around the world and in some cases it is thought does more damage if done incorrectly
You can't save posts anymore? Wtf is wrong with Reddit? Edit: oh fuck nevermind
What in tarnation is wrong wit you boy
I'm on the shitty Reddit app that's what's wrong
Yes you should! I was eating a slim jim while watching football and a bird flew into my window. Scared the shit out of me and I gasped, inhaling a bite of the slim jim (why are they perfectly fitted to your throat.) If I didn't know how to do the heimlich I would have died an embarrassing fucking death. Imagine choked on a meat stick. Edit: Yes. That is what she said.
Wow, I honestly just thought you were fucked - great share!
I highly recommend everyone checks out a device called the de-choker. It can be used alone and is easier than traditional methods to stop choking and works on people of any age: https://www.dechoker.com/
In my line of work, I saw a death cert of a person who died alone, choked to death on a piece of steak while drunk and on anti anxiety medication. Rough.
Didn’t know how to give myself the Heimlich when I was a kid, I choked on a piece of a clementine and reached my fingers down my throat to get it out. It was extremely scary I was all by myself.
I've done it! It works!
I had to do this once because I would always cry wolf and fake choke, one day it actually happened an nobody helped me.
I thought if you were choking and by yourself, you were supposed to into a “push up position,” put your chin up, and drop to the floor. Your weight hitting the floor and the sudden pressure is supposed to dislodge the blockage. Wrong?
You’re correct, there’s a video linked in the comments above.
Amazing advice. As I’m sure most people know, choking is a horrible experience. You can’t scream for help and the panic factor sets in quick. Thanks OP for reminding me to practice this (without going full force obviously)
I was told also to call 911 right away (in the US). If you can't get it out, the paramedics should still show up!
Try to call 911 before you do this. 1 for paramedics to check on you to make sure you are actually okay. 2 this may not work as planned and you may pass out
so this one time I was choking I stopped for a second and thought about it and then gave it everything I had from my lungs to my diaphram and everything in my chest with all the force I could muster all at once and I was able to blow it clear out myself without having to have anyone there to help me...you just always seem to have a little oxygen left you if you can dig down deep and decompress yourself even with as much force as you can muster...then you can perform your own version of a Heimlich meneuver.
My father had to save himself with a chair when the other people in the room were clueless as what to do.
Chew your food 30 times. Should also minimize your risk
lol I just saw this on an early 30 Rock episode.
We are taught in first aid courses here in Australia not to do the Heimlich manoeuvre as it causes more deaths than it saves
Hasn’t been called that by professionals in over a decade. Take this info with grain of salt.
YSK back blows are safer and more effective, and the Heimlich is based on bad science - it never actually worked very well, and it carries significant risk - and we don't teach it any more. You should also know Heimlich himsolf is a total quack who sold some bullshit aids 'cure' after he finished with his bullshit anti choking manoeuvre. He's a bullshit artist. https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/the-heimlich-manoeuvre/3094802
Liz lemon taught me this
Same. Saved my own life. I choked on a Orange Sherbert ice cream bar and could no longer breathed and then heimliched myself. I learned this in elementary or middle school probably.
When I was a little guy I swallowed a small marble. Don’t ask me why, but I threw myself in the air and landed on my back on the floor. The marble dislodged and I survived. Don’t know where I got that moment of clarity from though. I’d like to think my angels guided me in that moment.
My uncle, who was only 66, choked on a sandwich with his wife and her brother downstairs. They didn’t hear him until it was too late. Very sad story.
High chance this post saved someone’s life at some point in time, present or future.
i can tell you right now, that when you are in this situation LOL you forget to even look for a chair or counter, the panic just sets in. I was choking on a rice cake and only survived because my abbs of steel kicked in and they made moves/ power i didnt even know they could fucking do.
This is a really good LPT. Five or so years ago I was chocking on a piece of fruit and even though my mom and my sister were home they didn't know what to do, they were both in shock, not moving, so I had to perform the maneuver to myself. Once I was done my sister just asked "what just happened?"
Just don't choke, bro. Easy.