YSK What to do if someone’s choking: Evidence says begin with back blows

Why YSK: > Despite choking being an emergency, until recently there has been limited high-quality evidence to guide bystanders on the most eff…

I had a surreal experience once. I was at a busy, casual restaurant at a booth, sitting across from my wife. There was a lady eating alone at a booth a little way behind my wife, and I noticed she looked kind of distressed - looking around like she was trying to catch a waiter - but she seemed to be getting more panicked looking and her face didn’t look right. I got up and went over and said “Are you chocking?” and she looked at me with big eyes and nodded. I asked if she wanted me to try and help and she said yes and stood up. I never learned how to do the Heimlich except from TV shows, but seemed worth a try, so I did what I remembered, and she coughed up a piece of chicken. She looked really embarrassed and said “Thank you.” I said I was glad to help and went back to my seat. No one in the place noticed a thing except for my wife.

When I was a kid, my mom put a lot of effort into teaching and reminding us to cut up our food into small pieces to make cooking less likely.

I don’t know if this story is true, but she would always reference how a relative of hers had gotten steak stuck in his throat, couldn’t communicate that, and died in the middle of the dining room seating, surrounded by relatives I guess just thought he was being quiet.

(And that’s why you always leave a note)

Can you imagine how that family must have felt? Awful.
Truly. I can’t imagine the guilt.