Saving Your Own Life (the Heimlich Maneuver)

After almost biting the bullet myself last Monday night - after swallowing too big of a piece of beef brisket while alone in my office building  - I figured this might be a good time to possibly help save others' lives by showing /reminding how it is possible to perform the HM on one's self if the need should ever arise:

  http://www.mdconsult.com/das/patient/body/145827082-2/0/1004 1/36872.html

  
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	Sign in to Recommend Choking is fairly common. Choking deaths occur most commonly in children less than 3 years and in senior citizens, but can occur at any age. The Heimlich maneuver has been valuable in saving lives and can be administered by anyone who has learned the technique. When no one else is around, the Heimlich maneuver can be performed as shown.

 Fortunately, I was finally able to dislodge my lodged piece of food on my own, despite having totally forgotten the above self-service technique in the heat of hte moment!  

From my own personal experience, after RNY if you swallow something large enough to choke on, you are, almost, best off choking to death thus sparing yourself the incredible pain of it getting stuck in the bottom of your pouch. First rule of WLS "Chew, Chew, Chew. OK, Nuff preaching. Thank God you are ok! Great post. Thank you for passing the info on. This post can and may save a life someday.
Nick

Thanks, Nick ..

  Yeah, talk about "life flashing right in front of your eyes" ..   

  I remember thinking, "dang, here I had the WLS and lost all this weight, and I'm about to be done in by a single bite of food (and one that is O.K. for us to eat, no less)!" ..       I could just see the staff finding me the next a.m. laying there on the floor in my office, wondering "WTF???"   

  What was really scary is the building was empty and I knew if I tried to call 911 I don't know if they could understand me as to what was going on, much less get here and into the (locked) building in time to revive me if they did ..  B/c I was not completely unable to speak, I knew my voiceflap was not completely closed off by the piece of meat, and I was still able to get some air in.  I just kept bending over and forcing myself to vomit, hoping that would dislodge it ..  Eventually I guess my stomach acid reached it and dissolved it enough (thank God I wasn't on Prilosec then!)  it then SLOWLY slid the rest of the way very tightly into my sleeve ..  

   if worse came to worse and it still didn't come lose, I was prepared to use the old "medic" trick my high school biology teacher taught our class one day.   IIRC, he was a medic in Vietnam.   He told us that when you have a blocked airway, either b/c of an obstruction or crushed neck bones or whatever, one way to open the passageway in a pinch is to take a small, sharp-pointed knife and stick it carefully into the hollow at the base of the throat (that way you avoid the major blood vessels in the neck).  You then take something handy like the bottom 1/2 of an ink pen and slide it into that hole to keep it open and so air can pass through it.   Presto - a "field tracheostomy" ..  It hurts like hell and may be a bit bloody, but it will save your life ...    

  I have never expected or wanted to go out like Mama Cass (supposedly) did ..    

about 12 years ago i choked on roast beef. Was eating and driving, hit a huge pot hole and swallow what i was chewing...OMG I was gagging and trying to cough it up.. There was roast beef all over the windshield.. I stuck my fingers in my mouth and pulled a piece of the meat out that didnt go down and that saved me..

I have not eaten roast beast since, haha..