Just had a harrowing experience
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:40 pm
So, I'm here and have to feed Anarky Jr some lunch. I open a can of (organic) chicken tortilla soup, and split it in two. I try to give her as little of the liquid as possible.
What happened next, well, she had no idea what was happening and apparently thought I was sneezing repeatedly because she kept saying, "Bless you. Bless you."
I take a bite, and I cough or hiccup or something--I'm not even quite sure--and this huge chunk of chicken goes down my throat before I can chew it. It's not in the airway. I'm able to breathe fine. I've had food stuck in my throat before (I just read it can be caused by acid reflux, which I used to have a serious problem with and is probably the culprit), but normally it either goes down or comes back up within a few seconds.
It doesn't. First, I vomit up the beans and rice that are on top of the chicken. Then I find myself puking up spit and mucus every minute or so--it seems the spit you naturally swallow without realizing it just isn't getting past the chicken, and it's building up and then forcing its way out.
I try drinking cold water. No luck. Then I try milk, hoping it will lubricate it. Same thing. Whatever I drink comes back up almost immediately, but not the chicken causing the problem. I try beer, hoping maybe some of the liquid will get down and make me belch. A little does, and I burp several times, but no luck. Then Tabasco--maybe the vinegar can dissolve it a little, and I should at least be able to feel from the capsaicin how far down the chicken is. It burns like hell coming back up. (I like hot sauce, but normally don't drink tablespoons of it at a time.)
Hot water doesn't work, nor does forcing myself to swallow large amounts of liquid. Nothing is working. I go online to search. Almost everything says that if it doesn't come up on its own, surgery may be required as this can be really, really dangerous--apparently, you can suffocate if the spit builds up and goes into the trachea, particularly after you fall asleep. I'm about to shit myself. I have a real phobia of hospitals, and the idea that they might have to cut open my throat to get a piece of chicken scares the hell out of me.
Anarky Jr finishes her food. I clean her off and put her in her room so she can't get into anything. I try giving myself the heimlich as best I can. Nothing is working.
Finally, after about forty minutes, I lean my head backwards and am rotating my head around to try to alleviate the discomfort. I can actually feel the chicken dislodge and finish going down (it was roughly behind my collarbone). I tried drinking, and everything goes down and stays down; my throat just hurts like hell (though I'm not sure if that's more from gagging for that long or abrasions caused by the chicken).
Man, that is some scary shit. I dunno what's worse, knowing how dangerous (if seemingly minor) a situation that was, or knowing that, if I were to die, it would've been because of a damned piece of chicken about the size of my fingernail.
What happened next, well, she had no idea what was happening and apparently thought I was sneezing repeatedly because she kept saying, "Bless you. Bless you."
I take a bite, and I cough or hiccup or something--I'm not even quite sure--and this huge chunk of chicken goes down my throat before I can chew it. It's not in the airway. I'm able to breathe fine. I've had food stuck in my throat before (I just read it can be caused by acid reflux, which I used to have a serious problem with and is probably the culprit), but normally it either goes down or comes back up within a few seconds.
It doesn't. First, I vomit up the beans and rice that are on top of the chicken. Then I find myself puking up spit and mucus every minute or so--it seems the spit you naturally swallow without realizing it just isn't getting past the chicken, and it's building up and then forcing its way out.
I try drinking cold water. No luck. Then I try milk, hoping it will lubricate it. Same thing. Whatever I drink comes back up almost immediately, but not the chicken causing the problem. I try beer, hoping maybe some of the liquid will get down and make me belch. A little does, and I burp several times, but no luck. Then Tabasco--maybe the vinegar can dissolve it a little, and I should at least be able to feel from the capsaicin how far down the chicken is. It burns like hell coming back up. (I like hot sauce, but normally don't drink tablespoons of it at a time.)
Hot water doesn't work, nor does forcing myself to swallow large amounts of liquid. Nothing is working. I go online to search. Almost everything says that if it doesn't come up on its own, surgery may be required as this can be really, really dangerous--apparently, you can suffocate if the spit builds up and goes into the trachea, particularly after you fall asleep. I'm about to shit myself. I have a real phobia of hospitals, and the idea that they might have to cut open my throat to get a piece of chicken scares the hell out of me.
Anarky Jr finishes her food. I clean her off and put her in her room so she can't get into anything. I try giving myself the heimlich as best I can. Nothing is working.
Finally, after about forty minutes, I lean my head backwards and am rotating my head around to try to alleviate the discomfort. I can actually feel the chicken dislodge and finish going down (it was roughly behind my collarbone). I tried drinking, and everything goes down and stays down; my throat just hurts like hell (though I'm not sure if that's more from gagging for that long or abrasions caused by the chicken).
Man, that is some scary shit. I dunno what's worse, knowing how dangerous (if seemingly minor) a situation that was, or knowing that, if I were to die, it would've been because of a damned piece of chicken about the size of my fingernail.
