A brush with (someone else's) near death
Ok, maybe the title of this post is a little dramatic...
So I'm out on a date Friday night, eating dinner at the Indian place next to Calhoun Square. We're both enjoying our meal and conversation, when my date says "I think that guy over there is choking." I turn around and look behind me, and sure enough, a few tables over, there's a guy doubled over his plate gagging.
Another guy is moving behind him and starts trying the Heimlich maneuver. He gives a few good thrusts, then says "does anyone else know how to do this - I don't know if I'm doing it right." By this point the guy had started coughing, so thankfully he was getting at least a little air, but the food was still lodged down there somewhere.
I got up and went over, thinking I remembered the Heimlich maneuver from, ahem, high school first aid class, like um 15 years ago?! I remembered to find the bottom of the sternum, and the belly button, and put my fist between the two, and thrust sharply upward. So I gave him a few good tugs, not entirely certain I was doing it correctly, but I couldn't do any better. He was still coughing, so he wasn't going to die (at least immediately) but he was getting *really* red in the face.
By this time 911 had been called, and someone had also grabbed a couple of cops off the street (I think there was some sort of block party going on in the parking lot next door, so there were cops very nearby.) The cops noted that he was getting a little air, and didn't do anything except continue to reassure him that since he was getting air, he should just keep trying to cough and try to stay calm. A minute later, the ambulance showed up, and they walked him out. A few minutes later, he came out of the ambulance, apparently all right, his date gave him a big hug on the sidewalk, then he came back in to pay his bill. If I were him, I don't know that I would have remembered to pay the bill - and the restaurant didn't want to take his money, but he insisted.
I wonder if Ms. "Maddog" Madigan, my high school lesbian health/first aid/gym class teacher would be proud?
So I'm out on a date Friday night, eating dinner at the Indian place next to Calhoun Square. We're both enjoying our meal and conversation, when my date says "I think that guy over there is choking." I turn around and look behind me, and sure enough, a few tables over, there's a guy doubled over his plate gagging.
Another guy is moving behind him and starts trying the Heimlich maneuver. He gives a few good thrusts, then says "does anyone else know how to do this - I don't know if I'm doing it right." By this point the guy had started coughing, so thankfully he was getting at least a little air, but the food was still lodged down there somewhere.
I got up and went over, thinking I remembered the Heimlich maneuver from, ahem, high school first aid class, like um 15 years ago?! I remembered to find the bottom of the sternum, and the belly button, and put my fist between the two, and thrust sharply upward. So I gave him a few good tugs, not entirely certain I was doing it correctly, but I couldn't do any better. He was still coughing, so he wasn't going to die (at least immediately) but he was getting *really* red in the face.
By this time 911 had been called, and someone had also grabbed a couple of cops off the street (I think there was some sort of block party going on in the parking lot next door, so there were cops very nearby.) The cops noted that he was getting a little air, and didn't do anything except continue to reassure him that since he was getting air, he should just keep trying to cough and try to stay calm. A minute later, the ambulance showed up, and they walked him out. A few minutes later, he came out of the ambulance, apparently all right, his date gave him a big hug on the sidewalk, then he came back in to pay his bill. If I were him, I don't know that I would have remembered to pay the bill - and the restaurant didn't want to take his money, but he insisted.
I wonder if Ms. "Maddog" Madigan, my high school lesbian health/first aid/gym class teacher would be proud?
posted by equipoise at 10:52 AM
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