Calm Chris Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 We went for a steak in TGI's in El Sheikh one night on holiday. More like camel meat and stupid me thought I'd had enough of chewing and rather that spit it out I'd swallow it. Big, big mistake After 20-30 seconds of not being able to swallow or push the obstructed grizzle I sought the help of a guy dinning with us. In my best mime style I explained what was going on. 20 seconds later and a few mid sized smacks between my shoulder blades, nothing had moved. Another 10 seconds or so and he attempted a very poor (and wrongly positioned) heimlich manoeuvre (I'd have explained to him that he needed to position lower on the diaphragm however...). So there was me the best part of 70 secs in, starting to fail, being watched by 40 odd diners (and a heap of inept cretinous TGI staff) and still no nearer to resolving the block in my trachea. Out of the blue appeared an angel- she swept past me and I turned knowing what she'd do. With a fair run and a mighty fine side of hand punch, she hit me bang between the shoulder blades. Pop, ban, whizz out flew a table spoon sized lump of camel grizzle. Lisa my angel saved my life. She knows how great full I am / was So girls and guys:- Swallow small lumps of food Don't swallow food that could shape change on the way down Understand simple choking treatment Choking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Silly thing being that I know them from first aid days, and have used them for others in the past- however you can't use them on yourself. Had my angel not done what she did I might not be here. No one in the restaurant had any idea what to do (shame on the staff) and my wife and the 5 others we dined with all were unaware of the correct methods to deploy in such an event. As for TGI's- they gave me water and I puked up all over the floor whist in shock / recovery. As for the steak, it was paid for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 I've had a few memorable near misses at work, the most recent was getting too cocky while working at height because I had my harness on. It was only when I slipped and caught myself did I realise for all I had my harness on, it wasn't clipped on anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Sobering experience Chri5 - I managed a guy in ITU a few years ago who died having choked on a piece of steak. My last near death experience is a little prosaic but it was basically 5 years ago when I dismissed some chest pain as probably just muscle spasm when deep down I knew what it might be but on a conscious level refused to admit it. 12 hours later a (medic) friend came to visit (I had had a recent op), shook my hand and just by doing that felt my pulse racing away....asked me about any symptoms and 10mins later I had been admitted at the nearby hospital with clots on my lungs - very high mortality rate in the community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 A few years ago, I was standing on the platform at a tube station with a friend when he bent down to do up a loose shoelace. A relatively humdrum occurrence in normal circumstances but here he'd failed to make the connection between the leaning forward motion, being right on the very edge of the platform and the onrushing train. Luckily, I had been watching for the train and was able to pull him out of the way with a gentle tug on the belt. He was totally oblivious as to why I had done it at first, then he threw up. Oh, and I have a friend of friend (genuine) whose husband was on a night out with the lads, stopped for a burger and choked to death on it. Life is very fragile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxyboy Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 We went for a steak in TGI's in El Sheikh one night on holiday.More like camel meat and stupid me thought I'd had enough of chewing and rather that spit it out I'd swallow it. Big, big mistake After 20-30 seconds of not being able to swallow or push the obstructed grizzle I sought the help of a guy dinning with us. In my best mime style I explained what was going on. 20 seconds later and a few mid sized smacks between my shoulder blades, nothing had moved. Another 10 seconds or so and he attempted a very poor (and wrongly positioned) heimlich manoeuvre (I'd have explained to him that he needed to position lower on the diaphragm however...). So there was me the best part of 70 secs in, starting to fail, being watched by 40 odd diners (and a heap of inept cretinous TGI staff) and still no nearer to resolving the block in my trachea. Out of the blue appeared an angel- she swept past me and I turned knowing what she'd do. With a fair run and a mighty fine side of hand punch, she hit me bang between the shoulder blades. Pop, ban, whizz out flew a table spoon sized lump of camel grizzle. Lisa my angel saved my life. She knows how great full I am / was So girls and guys:- Swallow small lumps of food Don't swallow food that could shape change on the way down Understand simple choking treatment Choking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Silly thing being that I know them from first aid days, and have used them for others in the past- however you can't use them on yourself. Had my angel not done what she did I might not be here. No one in the restaurant had any idea what to do (shame on the staff) and my wife and the 5 others we dined with all were unaware of the correct methods to deploy in such an event. As for TGI's- they gave me water and I puked up all over the floor whist in shock / recovery. As for the steak, it was paid for A real man would have dropped his rib cage onto the corner of a chair thus removing said blockage and rendering faltering restaurant staff redundant. At least that's how I roll. I bet that was a scary 5 minutes or so though. --- - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Three days ago. Cliff walking. The ledge was about 2 feet across and I was 2 miles into a 5-6 mile round trip on my own. The drop into the Atlantic was about 80-90 feet and the rocks below were covered with about 2-3 feet of water crashing over them. I posted a few pictures of my trek on Facebook at the time and one shows a gap. It was a gap of about 6-7 feet and I titled the picture "decisions, decisions, should I jump or turn back". I then posted a picture from the other side, about 50 yards further on. What I didnt say is that I slipped. As I hit the other side I had a firm footing, but needed to get about 8-10 inches higher to be truly on the ledge. I moved my foot into place, the ground was firm. It was when I moved my hand onto another seemingly very large rock that my heart rate lept. It fell. I fell backwards, my arse stuck in the ravine and my foot now above my head. Luckily for me I was able to get up and gently find my footing. However, had I gone, at a guess, a foot more to the right, there is no doubt I'd have gone straight through the V shaped gap and plummeted to certain death. I took other pictures on my camera I'll post when we get home. You'll gulp and see what I mean. I continued but had a major sweat on for a good half an hour thinking about it, and yes I came back on the beaten track instead of cliff walking. I won't be doing it again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 I'm like a cat some would say ...... I fell into a lake when I was 3, still vividly remember being in a murky water sinking then can't remember anything until my mum crying. My dad's best friend Eddie had dived in to get me out. about 13/14, playing in the local church (I know I know, bored teenager syndrome, it's a really old church and has lots of nooks and crannies we used to explore and play including a game to see who could hold their hand under a grave that had a big gap from the vault underneath to the top of the stone stuff on top the longest), two men appearing into the church and closing the doors behind them .... I lived in a small village and we didn't recognise them so we ran towards the back of the organ where there was a secret staircase that went up about halfway height to a ledge that overlooked the pews, the three of us stood there watching and listening to the two men who were calling out and looking to see where we had run, as they went round the back of the organ we all jumped form the ledge and pegged it out of the church - not 100% sure they meant any harm, I never will know but by the time a few locals had turned up from us knocking on the door they had disappeared!! A few others spring to mind, one I save for drunken nights in the dark and I was quite sure I would die and tbh try not to remember !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Oh I almost forgot, I once drove an Audi A4 TDi Avant 130 Sport. That tried to kill me on numerous occasions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Glad you are still with us Chri5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooby_simon Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Fell in a pond when I was 3; mum pulled me out by my hood Skiing under a large rock wall in Avoriaz; get that "feeling" and make a swift 180 and ski out. Av'd later that day Skiing off-piste in Cham on the Grand Montets; got that feeling again. av'd later in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldavo69 Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Probably this when I was 23: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Sometimes I wish I was dead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted August 17, 2011 Report Share Posted August 17, 2011 Sometimes I wish I was dead What's up girl? I am feeling the J_C black mood vibe strongly tonight! A problem shared is a problem doubled and all that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chick Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I'm fine, I always am ............. the mask just slipped momentarily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 No worries J_C. What good are faceless internet mates you have never met for, if you can't unload or put the mask aside and get some fresh air every so often? If you wanna vent - happy to lend an ethereal ear+++ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calm Chris Posted August 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 Glad you are still with us Chri5. Ta for that, so am I ! They say a cat has 9 lives, and thinking about it I've use a fair few:- Aged 4 took some pills I thought were sweets by my Mums bed Aged 8 fell from the top of a temp stand at Brands Hatch, about 30ft and landed on storage tarp. Aged 16 put my moped under a lorry trailer and missed the wheels Aged 18 wrote of a Alfa GTV with my body via a undue air flight caused by a over the bonnet motorbike accident (was in hosp for 15 weeks) Aged 20 rolled a Mini 1275 in to on coming traffic, got hit upside down with a estimated crash impact of 100 mph Aged 22 knife fight fortunately I had a 4mm thick biker jacket on Aged 35 mugging via 2 guys with bats, 32 head stitches Aged 51 choking per top line story Oh poo, I only have one life left Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 When was the last time you nearly died? Less than an hour ago in the border car crossing from Shenzhen to HK airport - rounded a bend at speed to find slow lane blocked by a broken truck, the swooping undertake was then blocked by another vehicle changing lanes. How we didn't then hit another vehicle or the central reservation I'm still sitting here trying to work out on my third glass of wine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 JerryDu to the rescue again by the sounds of it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulboy Posted August 18, 2011 Report Share Posted August 18, 2011 I am going to study that chri5 and glad you're not dead! I coughed when chewing some gum a couple of weeks back.....which neatly went down the wrong way. it got me thinking about that heinrich manoeuvre thingy. My close shaves are a barbiturates overdose and stomach pump age 16. Motorcycle crashing into back of car (going 50mph) at 120mph. Knocking down a lean too type thing. Roof collapsed and wedged just short of my head, when I looked there was a 6 inch nail right above my head No 1 just stupid. 2 and 3 still send shivers down my spine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazza_g Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 JerryDu to the rescue again by the sounds of it! JerryDu is still being shipped back to the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4ttm4son Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 Only tame efforts from me, I'm generally very risk averse. That story about going round the cliff walk had me crapping my pants even before you slipped, MrMe! And I've now learnt all about chocking hazards 1) I was pretty sure I nearly died when I was learning to swim as a 6yo, but it was in a lesson, so probably completely safe. It has still kept me from doing anything too silly when it comes to water. 2) I went to pick my friends up from Dover one evening when I was 19. They had missed the last bus back to Canterbury. So the four of us were mightily luck to get out of the car relatively* unscathed when I rolled it onto a large roundabout on the way home. I'm so grateful everyone was smart enough to be wearing seatbelts, otherwise I could have had some prison time instead of just 6 points. *I fractured my thumb which will probably give me problems when I get older. 3) I woke up one morning after a particularly heavy night to see I had vomited in my sleep. I could have gone out Jimi Hendrix style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 I think the last serious time was when I had chance to closely study the bark of a great big feck off sycamore tree as I gracefully slid about 6 inches past it on black ice at about 70mph. Still managed to write off my 24v Senator, but I'd have stopped an awful lot quicker if I'd gone off the road about three feet sooner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick 63 Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 I nearly died when I opened last winter's gas and electric bill's, but that's another story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted August 19, 2011 Report Share Posted August 19, 2011 (edited) Pictures as promised. On this particular cliff walk the ledges are usually 4-6 feet in width, so very safe as long as you watch ahead so as not to trip on anything. In some places the ledges are a mere 2 feet below hundreds or thousands of feet of land stretching back from the sea and up into mountains, but this trip was a bit different. The drops are severe and one of the biggest things is watching out for over hangs in advance. So whilst focusing on where you're walking, I keep an eye on 1/4-1/2 mile ahead and use a pair of small binoculars. That way you can see and overhangs that look like they're on less than 4-5 feet of rock. I judge it by a line system on the binoculars that is reasonably accurate at telling me the rock depth depend on the lines the rock spans. After a mile of stuff just off the beaten track (where you'd have to be an idiot to fall because it's just like a dirt footpath and very firm ground), you start to come across this type of ledge. The cliffs then rise and become much more difficult because in places, like this one, it's impossible to see too far ahead so you don't know what you're treading on. In places like this I just stay as close to the cliff wall (it's about 12-14 feet above you at this point) as possible without touching it and take it slowly. However, where my 'stumble' occurred was here. If you look dead centre at the bottom of the image, to a sort of 'V' in the rock/cliff, well this picture was taken once I'd clambered out out of the 'V', having fallen backwards into it. As you can see, had the rock been wider (or maybe me slimmer!) I'd have probably gone through it and it wasn't a short drop into a deep pool... (p.s. to the right is a scattering of red rocks, almost like garden gravel - well no sooner had I pulled myself together...they fell from the cliff above...so I took this picture and didn't hang about here after that.). p.p.s. for those thinking I have lost the plot, I only ever go cliff walking on holidays. Never any other time, not in the UK at all and only ever on rock cliff and not the type we have in the country where you don't really know what land is about to slip at any moment. The reality of the photos above are that the ground is immensely secure because it is solid lava rock that has been there for hundreds or thousands of years (millions in most cases although I did have a trek on some that was 'created' in the early 1700's and was a little unnerving because it was also rather warm to say the least). Edited August 19, 2011 by MrMe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulboy Posted August 20, 2011 Report Share Posted August 20, 2011 A triple pike with a somersault and a tuck and you may have got a 10 ! Seriously though, you were very lucky especially being alone. Whereabouts is it? Country? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now