To ask if you've ever choked on food?

[BillHadersNewWife]

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!

Yes, piece of meat recently, the shock, utterly blocked my breath. I stood up and tried to get to the house phone to dial 999, the phone wasn't there. Luckily it went down. Dh was upstairs with dd, I could have died in those seconds it was horrific.

I inhaled a bit of baguette on a platform at London Bridge station - I realised that I had in time to stop inhaling and use the air I had left to blast cough the bread out in a shower of crumbs. Slightly embarrassing.

I got a Dorito stuck in my throat whilst at buffet. Easy to breath but swallowing was agony from the sharp corners. I sipped on a lot of lemonade until the liquid soaked the crisp and made it soft and swallowable. DH and DS just ignored me!

I don't think I choked exactly, nothing got lodged - but a teaspoon of honey once went down the wrong pipe when I was about 8. I was on my own in the kitchen, took my nightly spoonful of honey (can't recall what it was a remedy for at the time), and spun around to head to bed.

The honey shot into my windpipe and I immediately had that awful sensation - desperate to cough, but couldn't drag any air into my lungs to cough it out. I tried to call out but couldn't make any sound. I think I was patting ineffectually at my chest and trying unsuccessfully to suck in air - I sort of staggered out into the hallway to get to my stepdad, but everything was going a bit weird and I remember collapsing onto all fours, clawing at my throat. As I hit the deck the honey sort of re-emerged with a wet glug, and I took a huge croaky lungful of air.

I doubt I was at any real risk of dying as it was liquid and would have cleared presumably. I'd forgotten about it, until I read this thread and had a sudden flashback of being unable to get any air and falling to my knees in the hall.

I did it yesterday trying to eat a sandwich whilst rushing back from my lunch hour. Was coughing and wheezing the entire walk (desperate run more like) back to my office.

Yes . Age about 10 . Soor Ploom hard boiled sweet. Could not speak .
Grandmother slapped my back and it popped out .
Father also choked on a piece of meat. Again no speech , just signals .Mum slapped his back . Huge piece of meat came out .
Mum said " Shoulda let yeh dee , ya greedy bastard. Look at the size o that !"

There is a really good video online by the Resuscitation Council .

www.resus.org.uk/apps/lifesaver/

One of my friends nearly choked to death on some food once. Another friend who was with her put her fingers in her mouth and pulled it out. I'm not sure this is the best thing to do, but my friend was blue in the face by that point so there wasn't much time for dithering.

On a fatty bit of lamb. I was trying to pull it out of my throat whilst my then cunt of a boyfriend carried on eating his dinner. I managed to pull it out by retching and using my fingers (I've got a big gob).

ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION TO SLAP/THUMP ON BACK !
ASK THEM TO NOD . OTHER PEOPLE MIGHT THINK YOU ARE ASSAULTING THE PERSON.
1st thing is to get them to cough .
If that does not work 5 back slaps .
If that does not work an upthrust over stomach to push up under ribs with closed .fists .
If that does not work, a collapse ensues. Ambulance.
Might have to start CPR.
CHILDREN.. different according to age .

AND get the adult choker to lean forward slightly.

I have a couple of times. On two occasions a few thumps on the back have cleared it. On one I was on my own at home with toddler DS and somehow managed to dislodge it by choking. The fear of dying is so genuine, my life flashed before my eyes each time.

Twice - once on a boiled sweet - and considering I was in a hospital my colleagues thought I was messing around for far too long (they did get it up once they realised I was actually choking - no sound or anything could get through) and once on a tomato at home - DH managed to dislodge it slapping my back

Some terrifying stories on here. I haven’t choked on food but one of my earliest memories is me choking on a marble and my dad holding me upside down while slapping my back to dislodge it. I just remember my mum’s utter panic and me gasping for breath.

I don't remember what I had been eating, but I was eating standing up on the kitchen of my new 1st floor flat. I choked, and couldn't cough it up. I knew I didn't have time to run downstairs to the street to get help - I absolutely knew I was going to die if I couldn't dislodge this food.

Having no sofa or chairs yet, I slammed myself backwards into a wall several times, all the time convinced I was going to die. It worked though, and cleared my throat.

I know I didn't eat the meal, as my throat was too sore and I was too upset. Fucking scary.

Yes. A piece of bacon. Dd was 3 months old and I was holding her while eating a sandwhich in a posh cafe with Dh. It wouldn’t go down and I kept trying to swallow it, then started panicking. I practically chucked Dd at Dh and ran to the toilet, I managed to throw up in my hand while running, Iv never been so scared in my life. Even now I can see feel the fear.

*Having no sofa or chairs yet, I slammed myself backwards into a wall several times, all the time convinced I was going to die. It worked though, and cleared my throat.

@TwattingDog* it looks like the wall is helpful. I genuinely think someone would have had a horrid discovery a few days later if it hadn't worked for me. Scary

Yes, I choked on a polo when I was younger. Ironically it went down sidewards, instead of flat so I could breathe through the hole my elder brother just watched on in the front of the car until I threw it up.

I have an oesophageal pouch in which food gets stuck on a regular basis. Usually I can clear it in a few hours, but I have been hospitalised 3 times and stuck on a drip due to dehydration. The last two times I was apparently a couple of hours away from cardiac arrest because my blood was so thick and my heart rate was 160+

Now I make sure every mouthful of food is chewed into the tiniest of pieces, so often food goes cold.

@doctortwo

How did you realise you had this please?.
If someone had tube stuck down throat would this be noticed?

My son did. Nearly 30 years ago. I'm in tears now remembering it. A fast food outlet, a bacon sandwich. I have never been more scared in all of my life, fortunately lots of back slapping dislodged it. Honestly - when it's your precious child there is nothing more frightening.

I also thought you should dial 999 and get the ambulance on the way...

It is very much life or death?
I'm sure first aid person said this! They can always be stood down.

Get 999 going

Get 999 running.

You can always cancel and those minutes matter... They can be the real difference between life and death

Not me, but my youngest child, choked on a macdonalds cheeseburger, fully blocked his airway, I’ve never been so terrified! Turned him upside down and slapped him on the back, eventually managed to hook the offending food out with my finger. Frightening really.

I chocked on a gummy fried egg once.

I’ve not been able to look at a pack of haribo the same since