Just want to give a heads up if anyone is choking on food and by themselves. I pray that you never experience this situation, but if you do, maybe this will help.
I had that experience last night at dinner and it was quite possibly the closest I have ever come to dying. It scared me to death but I got lucky, thank you Jesus. I was completely blocked off and I could not breathe, I was in a bind. I immediately tried coughing it up but that didn’t work, took a sip of water and that didn’t work, so I thrust my abdomen onto the countertop a self-induced Heimlich maneuver. I was working hard and did not want to die and after several attempts I was able to dislodge enough of the food to start breathing again. I could still tell that I was blocked off but I was able to breathe. I took a sip of water (bad thing to do) and it closed my air path and I could not breathe so I had to thrust myself onto the counter top again and again. I really thought I had messed up, but once again I was able to get a path opened back up and could breathe. I did this a few times hoping water would help dislodge the obstruction but all it did was shut me off every time. Lesson learned….do not drink water if you have a major obstruction in your esophagus. At this time I should have called 911 but I didn’t. I was breathing but I was still partially blocked. I was constantly thinking that something would shift and would completely block me off. Again, I should of called 911 but didn’t. I could talk, I could walk. I decided to check the internet for any solutions to my situation. I typed in obstruction in throat and choking but able to breathe. I found several web sites with numerous solutions and the one I chose was drink a coke or Pepsi. I grabbed a Pepsi and took several small sips and within a few seconds my throat was completely opened up. Not sure what happened there but boy was I relieved. So this morning/today I can’t talk, my throat is very sore my stomach is bruised but I am alive. Thank you Jesus!!!! The reason I am posting this is to make people, my friends, and family aware that if they have a food obstruction, a carbonated drink not water should be consumed. I did not know this but it saved my ***!!!!
Note: Oxygen stored in the lungs can keep you alive for several minutes if your breathing is blocked. But if you don’t get the obstruction—the food—removed within four to six minutes, your brain can start to suffer serious damage. Irreversible brain death occurs in about 10 minutes.
Try to keep calm and act fast—your life depends on it. If you are completely blocked off:
1. Thrust yourself on a chair or counter top. Yes it’s the same action you’d use to help someone else who is choking, but you’d be doing it on yourself. Make a fist with one hand and put the thumb side between your belly button and rib cage. Then place your other hand on top of that. Push as hard as you can in a quick motion straight into the area. This will exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm, which compresses the lungs and forces the remaining air to push up through the trachea—hopefully with enough pressure to dislodge the food.
2. If that’s not working, keep your hands in the same position and lean quickly over the back of a sturdy chair or the island bar or counter top to exert more force into the push. This provides a hard pressure wave designed to drive air upward, providing enough force to propel the food out of its stuck position.
3. If five or six quick thrusts isn’t doing the job, call 911 immediately, preferably from a landline. At this point, you’ve likely lost quite a bit of air and even though you can’t speak, and may pass out soon, emergency responders can help.
4. And the most important tip in my opinion is drinking a can of Coke/Pepsi, or another carbonated beverage, this can help dislodge food stuck in the esophagus. Doctors and emergency workers often utilize this simple technique to break up food. Although they don’t know exactly how it works, doctors believe that the carbon dioxide gas in soda helps disintegrate the food. It’s also thought that some of the soda gets into the stomach, which then releases gas. The pressure of the gas can dislodge the stuck food.
I had that experience last night at dinner and it was quite possibly the closest I have ever come to dying. It scared me to death but I got lucky, thank you Jesus. I was completely blocked off and I could not breathe, I was in a bind. I immediately tried coughing it up but that didn’t work, took a sip of water and that didn’t work, so I thrust my abdomen onto the countertop a self-induced Heimlich maneuver. I was working hard and did not want to die and after several attempts I was able to dislodge enough of the food to start breathing again. I could still tell that I was blocked off but I was able to breathe. I took a sip of water (bad thing to do) and it closed my air path and I could not breathe so I had to thrust myself onto the counter top again and again. I really thought I had messed up, but once again I was able to get a path opened back up and could breathe. I did this a few times hoping water would help dislodge the obstruction but all it did was shut me off every time. Lesson learned….do not drink water if you have a major obstruction in your esophagus. At this time I should have called 911 but I didn’t. I was breathing but I was still partially blocked. I was constantly thinking that something would shift and would completely block me off. Again, I should of called 911 but didn’t. I could talk, I could walk. I decided to check the internet for any solutions to my situation. I typed in obstruction in throat and choking but able to breathe. I found several web sites with numerous solutions and the one I chose was drink a coke or Pepsi. I grabbed a Pepsi and took several small sips and within a few seconds my throat was completely opened up. Not sure what happened there but boy was I relieved. So this morning/today I can’t talk, my throat is very sore my stomach is bruised but I am alive. Thank you Jesus!!!! The reason I am posting this is to make people, my friends, and family aware that if they have a food obstruction, a carbonated drink not water should be consumed. I did not know this but it saved my ***!!!!
Note: Oxygen stored in the lungs can keep you alive for several minutes if your breathing is blocked. But if you don’t get the obstruction—the food—removed within four to six minutes, your brain can start to suffer serious damage. Irreversible brain death occurs in about 10 minutes.
Try to keep calm and act fast—your life depends on it. If you are completely blocked off:
1. Thrust yourself on a chair or counter top. Yes it’s the same action you’d use to help someone else who is choking, but you’d be doing it on yourself. Make a fist with one hand and put the thumb side between your belly button and rib cage. Then place your other hand on top of that. Push as hard as you can in a quick motion straight into the area. This will exert pressure on the bottom of the diaphragm, which compresses the lungs and forces the remaining air to push up through the trachea—hopefully with enough pressure to dislodge the food.
2. If that’s not working, keep your hands in the same position and lean quickly over the back of a sturdy chair or the island bar or counter top to exert more force into the push. This provides a hard pressure wave designed to drive air upward, providing enough force to propel the food out of its stuck position.
3. If five or six quick thrusts isn’t doing the job, call 911 immediately, preferably from a landline. At this point, you’ve likely lost quite a bit of air and even though you can’t speak, and may pass out soon, emergency responders can help.
4. And the most important tip in my opinion is drinking a can of Coke/Pepsi, or another carbonated beverage, this can help dislodge food stuck in the esophagus. Doctors and emergency workers often utilize this simple technique to break up food. Although they don’t know exactly how it works, doctors believe that the carbon dioxide gas in soda helps disintegrate the food. It’s also thought that some of the soda gets into the stomach, which then releases gas. The pressure of the gas can dislodge the stuck food.
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