Last night before my fiance and I went to bed, she asks me to go get her some water. She is half asleep, but she sits up to drink a bit of water. Well as she is drinking it, a little bit goes down the wrong tube. I've had it happen to me and I've seen it happen to other people tons of times. There is that initial moment of surprise where you don't really do anything, and then you usually cough up a storm for a minute or two. Well she has the initial moment of surprise, but then, nothing. She couldn't breathe, she couldn't cough, she couldn't even make a sound. She immediately started to panic, and i gave her a couple brisk pats on the back to try and help her cough. I still thought it was only a matter of time before she was able to let out a cough. Well things got a lot more serious when her eyes started to close and she passed out. My first instinct is that she is choking in some form, (even though its liquid), so I try the H. Manuever, which I learned when I was like 12. It didn't work. I try it for like 15 or 20 seconds with nothing. Her eyes are still closed. I'm trying not to panic but its tough at this point. I'm about to put her on the floor and try the chest compressions and mouth to mouth, and I am simultaneously grabbing at my cell phone to dial 911. When I get her on the floor she happens to be positioned on her knees with her back facing me. For some reason I get the idea to just try slapping the shit out of her back. I am not worried about hurting her, because pain from a slap will go away, and is pretty minor when compared to choking to death. I slap the ever living shit of her back, with an open hand so I dont mess up her spine or anything. I am so relieved when she starts coughing and what looks like a tablespoon of water comes out and on to the floor. She immediately starts screaming and crying, still terrified about what just happened.
I finally get her calmed down, and have her stay awake for a little while to make sure she is ok. Man this was just a really scary moment, and I'm pretty sure its the most scared I have ever been. I never knew something like this could happen just from water, but I guess it acts just like drowning when it gets in your lungs. I hate to think about what would have happened if she were home by herself and this happened...
I finally get her calmed down, and have her stay awake for a little while to make sure she is ok. Man this was just a really scary moment, and I'm pretty sure its the most scared I have ever been. I never knew something like this could happen just from water, but I guess it acts just like drowning when it gets in your lungs. I hate to think about what would have happened if she were home by herself and this happened...

Comment