Always chew your food

[Taverner]

This is the valuable life lesson I learned yesterday.

I was at a wedding (well I was the best man) and had a few glasses of fine merlot and some fine spliff. I started cutting my beef for the evening, and proceeded to swallow some, when the piece seemed to lodge itself halfway between windpipe and esophogas. I tried to swallow, but to no avail - it was staying put. I left the table and tried to get it to go the other way - no dice there either.

I could still breathe but just barely....and every time I did it made a gurgling sound.

And I was thinking "So this is it, I'm going to die. Wearing a kilt. Drunk. Stoned. Killed by a piece of meat. How fucking fitting." Immidiately I was thinking about that show Six Feet Under and now I was the opening sequence. I was that night's shot at irony. My name flashed across a white screen and there were the dates 1970-2005.

After a few minutes I guess the food slid down, but not without leaving me with a small fright.

So lesson for the day - always chew your food. Fully.

[DS1]

1. I'm torn between saying this and not saying it

but clearly, not that much

Dude, if you'd gone down wearing a kilt, drunk, and high, and offed by a piece of wedding steak, I'd love you forever

[Kahuna]

2. I had the same experience Friday night.. Though mine was caused

by nasal drip instead of food. I took a gulp of water and it went down my windpipe. I thought I was gonna die. i was gasping for air and hysterical. I hate when that happens. :cry:

[DS1]

3. 2 DUers in one weekend?

Glad you lived, I'd hate to have to live through the "Karl Rove did it" threads.

No, really, glad ya made it :hug:

[Taverner]

4. HAHAHA I Like that!

Karl Rove dressed me up in a kilt and stuck wedding steak in my windpipe!

[DS1]

6. Never misunderestimate the Roveman

:D

[Kahuna]

7. Thanks, DS1...

:hug: I'm still a bit traumatized about it.

[auntAgonist]

5. You were VERY lucky!

I'm glad it turned out ok for you!

[samplegirl]

8. last labor day

we cooked steaks on the grill i watched my mother
choke on a piece of steak.....it was the most
horrible thing i have ever witnessed. She went blue her eyes rolled
back and thank god someone was here who kept trying
the hymlic i ran out to get my neighbor who assisted.
Finally after about 3 or 4 min. without air my neighbor reached in
and pulled it out. Paramedics arrived and off we
went to hospital.
What a terrible reminder of that day. Glad you were able
to dislodge it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. That is soooo scary , my dear Taverner...

And it is quite common for this sort of thing to happen when there's alcohol around...

People just don't chew as thoroughly and I think that the throat reflexes might not work as well as they normally do...

IF, for God's sake, this ever happens to you again...

Have someone do the Heimlich manoever on you...it might be unpleasant, but it could save your life...

PLEASE....:pals:

[tjwmason]

10. That could have been profoundly embarrasing

Especially if you were wearing your kilt correctly.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. Indeed, my dear tjwmason...it could have been profoundly

embarrassing...

But dying would have been waaaay worse.... :blush:

[TheProphetess]

12. That's horrible!

But, thankfully, you are alright. It is very scary having that happen.

BTW, your Six Feet Under reference really made me laugh - I've had the same kind of moment (under different circumstances though).

Glad you're ok! :)

[Taverner]

13. Yeah something tells me I would not have been a recurring "ghost"

maybe one or two dialogues with the Fishers, but thats it!