Choking

I have never had to administer CPR or First Aid until Friday evening.

I was laughing and happily conversing with my husband while eating dinner, when a piece of food suddenly became trapped in my airway. I started to choke.

I stood up, coughed and gasped for air to no avail. My husband in shock, hit me in my back between the shoulder blades.  I continued to cough and struggle for air. In that strange and surreal moment, I saw my life flash by me.

It quickly occured to me, that ironically, I was having a medical emergency. With little time to panic, I continued to cough to try to dislodge the food. Some of it came up, but not enough to stop the choking.  Being the kind of person who is trained and able to think and act quickly during an emergency, I relied upon my instincts. I had to do something. But what?  I had to locate the obstruction. I opened my mouth as wide as I could. I found a small piece and quickly pried it out of my airway. 

Still in a state of shock and disbelief, I realized that I was Ok. I was going to live. I could breathe freely. I began to breathe deeply and fully with audible gasps, the primal sounds of life. I was glad to have made it through this harrowing moment. My family quickly engulfed me with hugs and kisses.

I am fortunate that this incident had a happy ending, while there are others who have died as a result of choking. I have never been one to take for granted that medical emergencies occur in a instant. I never imagined that I would be the victim.