You really must leave and get medical attention ASAP. Some info on delayed effects of manual strangulation:
Women who survive strangulation are up to seven times more likely to go on to die at the hands of their partner, according to recent studies in the US.
And there are side effects that aren't always obvious to treating doctors, paramedics or police officers — everything from voice changes to blood clots, strokes and paralysis.
Survivors and medical professionals are now pushing for increased training and awareness around non-lethal strangulation — something they say could help save lives.
Law professor Heather Douglas has also heard of cases involving memory loss, loss of consciousness, anxiety, paralysis and miscarriage.
"Gael Strack, who is an educator in the US around strangulation and prevention, describes it as the 'last warning shot'," she says.
When somebody has been choked, it's not always obvious to first responders.
Dr Vanita Parekh, the head of Clinical Forensic Medical Services at Canberra Hospital, says 50 per cent of people who report an attack will have no marks on their neck.
"About 35 per cent will have very minor marks, and 15 per cent will have enough injury to be photographed," she says.
Without appropriate training, she says, it can be "very difficult" to spot other signs of non-lethal strangulation — like memory loss and increased anxiety.
The injury from being strangled includes psychological injury (PTSD, depression, suicidal ideation, memory problems, nightmares, anxiety, severe stress reaction, amnesia and psychosis), neurological injury (facial or eyelid droop, left or right side weakness, loss of sensation, loss of memory and paralysis) and even delayed fatality.
While victims of strangulation may never lose consciousness and many regain it after losing it, that doesn’t mean that damage has not been done. Even the temporary lack of oxygen can cause brain damage and other life-threatening injuries.
“Most abusers do not strangle to kill. They strangle to show they can kill,” says Gael Strack and Casey Gwinn in the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice. However, it is important to realize, “When a victim is strangled, she is on the edge of homicide.”
In fact, a study published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine found that women who survive strangulation by their partner are seven times more likely to be the victim of an attempted homicide, and eight times more likely to be a victim of homicide.
Always seek medical attention after a strangulation attempt, even if you feel like you haven’t suffered any lasting effects. There may be internal injuries that aren’t visible.