A few weeks ago over at http://www.halfpastkissintime.com she talked about the Heimlich maneuver. I commented and said that it had saved my life. She asked me to tell my story. So here it is.
I was working for a client in Bakersfield. He was sponsoring a lunch for the unions that would eventually build his power plant (he worked for Enron, but don't hold that against him). They had signed a contract with him to build the plant. Big celebratory lunch, which was my idea.
I was busy talking and eating...that's the important point. All of a sudden I couldn't breathe: meat was caught in my throat. I knew to do the universal sign; put your hands up to your throat. I was gasping for air. The first guy who tried it wasn't successful. Finally as I was about to pass out, another fellow came up and literally picked me up off my feet with the force of his fist. And that's the key point. The other fellow was trying to be nice. This guy knew that force would do it.
The meat actually went down not out; I started to breathe. Another guy from Enron guided me into the bar where he got me a big glass of water. I was shaking like a leaf and scared to death. On the flight home I began to feel real pain in my abdominal area. I had the biggest and darkest black and blue mark I had ever seen.
A few days later I had my annual pap smear. Well, as you women know, all is uncovered during those exams. My doctor saw the horrible bruising on my upper abdomen and assumed I was being abused by the man in my life. She started in on her talk about how help is available. She was visibly relieved when I told her what happened. Turns out she had been helped by the Heimlich maneuver when she choked on some pineapple when she was in med school.
So have you been saved by the Heimlich Maneuver or have you saved someone else? Tell me about it.
