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Original poster

To ask if you've ever choked on food?

173 replies

BillHadersNewWife · 07/12/2019 08:06

I did today...on a Dorito. It was the WORST thing ever. What surprised me was that I could feel it lodged in my breathing hole...whatever that's called...but there was a small gap which allowed me to suck in a TINY bit of air...about 30% of what was normal....and I knew that if I struggled to breathe too hard, that the crisp might move and further block my breathing.

I was in the shopping centre with DD aged 11...she took one look at me and WALKED OFF! She left me there dying on a Dorito beside a display of Christmas trees! 😂

I sat on the floor and carefully breathed again...assessing the situation...then I coughed and it came up...my eyes watered...it was horrible!

DD and I did laugh about her dumping me to die alone...she said she was too embarrassed! My God! That'll teach me to eat in public whilst walking won't it! ONE crisp it was!

OP posts:
Emeraldshamrock · 07/12/2019 17:36

@Celebelly Glad it is not just me who has visions of shouting scalpel. Grin

Celebelly · 07/12/2019 17:37

@Emeraldshamrock Just in case we are ever called upon!

www.google.com/amp/s/m.wikihow.com/Perform-a-Tracheotomy%3Famp%3D1

TheFairyCaravan · 07/12/2019 17:45

I've always been told that if you do adominal thrusts you must take the person to hospital afterwards!

I saw a doctor the next day.

I've lost half a stone since September because I'm so scared of choking when I'm at home alone. I, also, eat such tiny mouthfuls now, and chew it really well that my food is usually cold before I have chance to finish it.

CrocodilesCry · 07/12/2019 17:48

Not me but a woman choked violently at the table next to us in a restaurant a couple of years back.

We realised what was happening and DP did the heimlich manoeuvre several times on her, it took ages for the food to come back out. Poor woman wet herself and it ran all over the floor Sad

Not one staff member came over, not one, they just stood there and watched her choke, then watched as DP saved her life!

It was so weird. The woman was so embarrassed she was checked over by paramedics and left without a word.

It was surreal and horrible, she would have died without DP intervening and not another soul, not even the man she was with, did anything to help Sad or even thanked DP afterwards. It really shook him up.

Jetlagged33 · 07/12/2019 18:10

Just for clarity you should perform 5 firm back slaps between the shoulder blades, followed by 5 abdominal thrusts (Heimlich) and if that doesn’t work repeat the whole process again.

MAFIL · 07/12/2019 18:13

@Dontdisturbmenow, sorry, you are wrong with that advice.
The modern advice is that you start with back blows and only move to abdominal thrusts (or chest thrusts in an infant) if 5 back blows have been ineffective. Then continue to alternate 5 of each.
Here's the current Resus Council advice www.resus.org.uk/choking/

hazeyjane · 07/12/2019 18:30

In my choking incident, the person hit me on my back first, then Heimlich Manicured, then drove me to hospital.

MarshaBradyo · 07/12/2019 18:32

Oh no that sounds pretty scary, also you describe it well

Just the usual odd bit of pepper corn nothing big. But I am mindful since watching Six Feet Under to brief the dc re a chicken bone

MarshaBradyo · 07/12/2019 18:45

Just reading back Sushiroller I can’t believe they didn’t help you tg you were ok

Sushiroller · 07/12/2019 19:29

I think fear his means some people go into "buffer mode" they can't think themselves and are just frozen. I'm similar so no judement on them. I think they also found it traumatic to watch.
It was bizarrely an incredibly timely choking as I was applying for another job at a fairly "prestigous" company and as i stood there I thought "no fucking way am I dying in this shitty meeting room. I deserve better!" So I started to self hymlich....

It was distressing no doubt but a good catalyst to change my life (as I got the job and accepted it Grin and also a warning to spot talking and eating?!?! )
Frankly it was fucking harrowing but I think with life events like this its about how you view them and I pushed myself to take a positive stance and good learning out of it.
I'm also never eating fucking macadamia nuts again

Emeraldshamrock · 07/12/2019 19:41

@Celebelly Cheers. 🤣

GoDasherGoDancerGoDonneretc · 07/12/2019 19:48

@ TheFairyCaravan don't let this get a hold. See my post earlier. That's exactly what happened to me, I couldn't eat when alone, starting restricting drastically what I thought I could and couldn't eat and ended up really ill, having panic attacks.
I had CBT with the therapist suggesting it was a form of PTSD.
Even now, some 4 years later, I sometimes have to stop myself panicking if I feel something go down the "wrong way " and I am completely unable to swallow any tablets.

dinosaurstomp · 07/12/2019 20:01

Christ I shouldn't have opened this thread.

My DS choked a few months ago on a piece of bread. While DH and I managed to dislodge it slightly we couldn't get it up. Neither could the paramedics. He was blue lighted to hospital and straight into resus. A huge team of people worked on him for about 40 mins before he was stable and then he had to have a procedure under general anaesthetic as some had gone down into a lung.

He's doing ok now. I reckon I have PTSD though. Worst night of my life. Thanks to everyone who this has happened to, I can't imagine how awful it is to actually experience it.

GaaaaarlicBread · 07/12/2019 20:11

A while ago when I was around 16 I was eating one of those sour gobstopper sweets that one of my cousins gave me. She didn’t pre-warn me that it was very sour so as I put it in my mouth it made me gasp and I inhaled this gobstopper which was about the size of a large marble! I went blue and she just stood and stared at me with my two other cousins and my younger brother! Eventually they realised I was panicking and that I couldn’t breathe after around 40 seconds! My cousin was slapping me on the back nothing was coming up and I started to go even more blue, I fell to the floor and I’m not even joking I genuinely thought I was going to die. They gave me one more slap and it shot out followed by a lot of blood. It really is one of the worst experiences, so funny that your daughter walked off thinking that it was embarrassing! I hope you’re okay now though x

buttonup26 · 07/12/2019 20:25

I choked when a clove got stuck in my throat when I was drinking mulled wine. I was in a room full of people and couldn't get anyone's attention. Eventually my friend realised and thumped me on my back. It was absolutely terrifying, I really thought I would die.

NaomiFromMilkShake · 07/12/2019 20:28

About ten years ago we were on rugby tour and I choked on a piece of steak, my DH hit me on the back several times and it shot out and landed in my glass of wine. Grin

My DS who was about 8 looked at the steak floating in the glass of wine and very dryily said oh dear, lose, lose as they took it away. Grin Grin

moanyhole · 07/12/2019 20:29

I did once on a cherry tomatoe in a restaurant. A friend got it up doing the heimlich and it shot across the room and hit another diner on the back of her head!

A very good friend of mine choked on a turkish delight sweet. Despite those around her doing the heimlich and trying to fish it out she didn't make it. She was only early 40s

BrusselPout · 07/12/2019 20:38

I lived alone for years, and will never forget having a bit of steak lodged - the sheer panic and terror at the knowledge that I was entirely on my own will stick with me forever. Even thinking about it now is making me emotional.

I managed to dislodge it after what seemed like hours of trying! I threw myself over the arm of the sofa and against the work surface in the kitchen but neither worked, what eventually got it was throwing myself backwards against the wall repeatedly (so effectively using the wall to slap me on the back). It flew out just as my vision was starting to go black round the edges so I count myself very lucky, but cried A LOT that evening (I think it also unleashed all the 'I'm going to die alone/no one will find me for days/everyone else lives with people that love them' feelings)

Awful

TheFormidableMrsC · 07/12/2019 20:46

When DD was about 14 months old she came and stood in front of me and said nothing and I realised immediately something was wrong, opened her mouth to see a mint lodged, I actually threw her upside down and shook her and TWO flew out. She’d been in my bag and found them. I’ll never forget the utter terror. She’s 21 now but it will stay with me forever. Years later I was carving some beef and popped a bit in my mouth and it got stuck, the panic and fear was immediate, luckily it suddenly started to move down and I could catch my breath. Utterly terrifying. I have an 8 yo DS and I’m afraid I still cut things up, especially grapes, lengthways. I am always horrified when I go to kids parties and there are bowls of grapes on the table that haven’t been cut.

DecemberSnow · 07/12/2019 20:51

Niece has chocked afew times.
As a baby and a toddler.
Very scary.

Worked in a nursery where a toddler choked and stopped breathing, he was ok but that will stay with me forever

DecemberSnow · 07/12/2019 20:51

A toddler in a nursery down the road from ours, chocked on jelly.
She was 2 years old and died.
Just awful

woogal · 07/12/2019 20:52

Yes on fish when I was 9, on a piece of chocolate when I was 9 and again on a cake when a year ago.

Absolutely terrifying.

WWlOOlWW · 07/12/2019 20:55

Yes, often. I have Multiple Scolrisis.

I choked most meals.

Its shit. Always wondering when I will die.

Emeraldshamrock · 07/12/2019 20:57

@WWlOOlWW Jez it is shit. Flowers
It is fear of mine as I choke often and drop things lots, Scary. I am sorry you have to live with MS.

GoGoLego · 07/12/2019 21:31

Not choked exactly but I swallowed a fish bone which got stuck in my gullet. I could feel it all day then suddenly it moved so I couldn't stop coughing. Had to go to a&e to have it pulled out

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