Choking

[mstar1]

Sh!t that was scary,

I just posted a few small post on Greasespot, got up and downed a vitamin pill that got lodged in my throat....bing,,,.....hey I cant breathe....whoa this aint good ....relax.....gasp.....gasp...no breeath...no breath...this is not good at all..... maybe a minute goes by

nobodies in my house. so I start trying to pound myself on the back, on the chest....nothing...nothing..I cant phone anyone because I cant talk gasping...gasping...gasping....Im starting to panic.....gasping...is this it?? another 45 seonds or a minute ....and Im not thinking but reacting.....Im really thinking that this could be it...

Im not dressed but i run to my neighbors place,..run through the door,, he's not awake, I go into his bedroom..he screams as I wake him up and doesnt know what to do I collapse on the floor sure this is it....then slowly i finally finally get alittle breath and although alittle shaky Im Ok again except with ahuge rasp in my voice ......

Whole thing lasted maybe three minutes or so but thats a helluva long time when you are not breathing and panicking to get your breath.... scareeeee

what a way to start the day....

Thats the second time this has happened to me...It happened about 5 or 6 years ago at lunch....what is the right thing to do when all of a sudden you unexpectedly cant breathe.....

given this strikes with no warning and you have just a minute or so to figure out what to do this could be important for someone to know someday

Edited May 15, 2007 by mstar1

[SafariVista]

Mstar,

Sure glad you're okay! That does sound scary!!!! :o

Not sure what to do about the choking while alone, and it does seem to be a good thing for everyone to know.

Possibly liquid vitamins would be safer.... ;)

[mstar1]

yea probably

things do go down wrong from time to time though

I didnt even have a chance to start my goodbye thread

[Watered Garden]

I would strongly suggest you check with your local urgent care center, emergency room, or family doctor for instructions on how to save yourself when choking, since this has happened to you before. maybe you need to see a doctor anyway since this happened once before. There may be a self-Heimlich maneuver, but I don't know.

Also, 9-1-1 locks into your address in most cities and can send help even if you can't speak.

So thankful you are still with us.

WG

[Greek2me]

I've had a similar experience (with a piece of apple) The sense of panic is unreal. Time stands still and races at the same time.

There is the Heimlich Maneuver. You can also do it to yourself using a one handed fist using the other hand over the top to thrust upwards. Even leaning over the back of a chair might do the job.

[coolchef]

man i am glad you are ok

gotta be scarry

if you can drink when choking always have ginger ale handy

don't know what it does

but i hear it helps

like with a tighting of the throat because of msg

nasty stuff

[mstar1]

Thanks everyone--

I'll check with the doc, the more I think about it, the pill itself didnt get lodged but for some reason or other the airway closed up and got phlegmy as it was going down.. like some sort of malfunction in the throat gears then everything closed off .

I dont know why, the last time it happened was right around this time of year too, I gotta wonder if its some combination of heavy pollen allergies, plus something going down wrong..

...or something...

either way Im fine ---but Im gonna talk with the doc, I dont want that to happen again

[Listener]

I've had those large capsules...you know the clear ones that get sticky if they get wet?...get stuck on the way down. What's bad is when they dissolve right there! Major YUCK!!

Glad you're OK, mstar1.

[excathedra]

oh thank god you are okay, mstar

talk to the doc in case it's something that can be prevented

[rhino]

I hear it is good to take a swallow of water (or whatever) before taking the pills ...

it sort of lubricates the pathway I guess ...

did you see Elvis?

[polar bear]

Watchout, those vitamins will kill ya. LOL

I have had this problem too. They usually disolve with water.

But you should ask your doctor about that problem, if it's happened before. It could be allergy related.

Aside from that, when you take those pills if they aren't capsules try cutting them in half, or get smaller ones and yes water with them.

The chair thing sounds good too.

[doojable]

I concur about learning how to give yourself the Heimlich yourself.

Glad you're ok!

[dmiller]

Good to hear you're OK there Mstar.

Doing a cursory search -- the chair maneuver seems to work the best when you're alone.

I'll get in contact with one of the nurses that work with our company tomorrow,

and see if they can add any insight to this.

I was at a med training today. Wish I had read this thread ahead of time,

I could've asked them there and answered tonight.

Choking Rescue Procedure (Heimlich Maneuver

Provided by: Healthwise

Last Updated: October 4, 2005

Choking While Alone

If you choke while you are alone, do abdominal thrusts on yourself,

or lean over the back of a chair and press forcefully to pop out the object.

And yea -- a glass of water, juice, or something, does help lubricate.

One of our clients at the group home takes multiple pills/ meds at a time ---

and refuses to drink any water with them. Scary situation.

[dmiller]

THIS SITE HERE,

might help a little bit. :)

[Siouxzahn]

mstar, how terrifying! I'm so glad it ended all right.

How big are those pills? I'm just curious.

[krys]

I'm glad you're ok!

Take a few sips of water before you try that big capsule. One of my nurses once told me I'd never get in trouble if my chin was always down when I swallowed...not down on my chest, just not pointed up in the air. Once I got it started I drain the glass of water.

[Shellon]

Kelly's pediatrician told us that milk sory of 'grabs' the pill and it goes down easier.

We don't drink milk much but might be worth trying.

[mstar1]

Y'know it wasnt really the vitamin itself that got lodged, it just aggravated something the wrong way,Its allergy season, everything just bloomed, and whether I like to admit it or not i was more congested than usual. I also had just awakened a few minutes before, hadnt thoroughly cleared my throat before I started hurriedly tossing things down getting ready for the day and something in the airway constricted.I talked to my chiropractor yesterday, who is also a holistic type practitioner and he said the best thing to do in that circumstance is to stay very calm and take tiny tiny breaths until it resolves, which is way easier said than done, but makes sense since that was exactly when it started to get bad, when i started to panic, force myself to breathe and uncontrollably went gasping and hyperventilating for a few minutes.So next time ( well I hope there is no next time..) I'll try that one if I can-- Since this is the second time this happened he also suggested that I might want to get an adrenaline shot (the thing they used in Pulp Fiction)from my regular doctor doctor to keep around.Thanks for your concern everyone, if it ever happenes to you STAY CALMand Rhino, No Elvis sightings, no Jesus sightings, not even Buddha or Joe Dimaggio, no white lights, no tunnels, no nothing..strangely enough just strains of this song dancing around the panic in my head

Edited May 16, 2007 by mstar1

[Belle]

Dang, MStar1. Soooooo glad you're okay!

Yeah, that breathing in and breathing out is much easier said than done when you're in that situation.

That scene from Pulp Fiction was pretty graphic. I hope you never have to use it, but glad that you will have one on hand if necessary. j