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Monday, November 30, 2009

Choking first aid - I needed it yesterday and now I know how dangerous choking is

Today I thought I was going to die because a piece of meat I swallowed got stuck and I could not breath.
I thought: "is this the way I'm going to die?" I could not speak either and a man started doing the subdiaphragmatic abdominal thrusts but it didn't help. I got very nervous but someone said: "Don't get nervous. Easy!" so I sat and relaxed with my head down and could expelled.
I realized how dangerous it can be because it's not very divulged. I remembered the movie Mrs Doubtfire when she helps Pierce Brosnan's character in the restaurant.
I realized that there are not people trained to help people in restaurants and maybe waiting for rescue can be fatal. So I am putting the site below that explain how to is the 1st-Aid for choking. It was a little traumatic for me. I hope it never happens to you or in case it happens someone knows how to deal with it. I needed someone to put his finger in my throat to take the meat away. Fortunately I always bend my body and put my head down when I am not feeling fine.

PREVENTION IS NO ACCIDENT

Adults:
-Cut food into small pieces.
-Chew food slowly and thoroughly, especially if wearing dentures.
-Avoid laughing and talking during chewing and swallowing.
-Avoid excessive intake of alcohol before and during meals.

Infants and Children:
-Keep marbles, beads, thumbtacks, and other small objects out of their reach and prevent them from walking, running, or playing with food or toys in their mouths.



If you observe an "conscious" ADULT choking:
-Ask, "Are you choking?"
-If the victim can speak, cough, or breathe, DO NOT INTERFERE.
-If the victim CANNOT speak, cough, or breathe, give subdiaphragmatic abdominal thrusts (the Heimlich maneuver) until the foreign body is expelled or the victim becomes unconscious. (Or in case of extreme obesity or late pregnancy, give chest thrusts.)


IIf the Victim Becomes Unconscious:

Visit the site for all the informations. We only think about 1st-aid when we need help. If you have any 1st-aid site that you believe is good leave a comment and I will publish it. I can only think about choking for the moment.
Have a good and healthy week!

Update:
I talked to a friend of mine and she told me that the mother of a friend of hers in in irreversible coma because of choking.

2 comments:

Sandee said...

Choking is extremely dangerous. You have lots of great advice here. I'm just glad that you are okay. :)

Ana said...

Thank you Sandee!
Again.
:)