There are the usual "Will I like this job?" "Will my boss like me?" "Will I be good at this?" type of fears. Then there is the less usual kind.
The main fear, and this just dawned on me a few days ago and I can't believe I've never been more afraid of this, is choking.
As I said, I've never been afraid of choking, and I have never choked, but now that I'm home alone all day, it has become a very real concern.
My mom tells a story about how she was by herself at her office (probably in the 80's, who knows, a long time ago). She "popped" an aspirin in her mouth without water, and she started choking. She was the only one there, obviously, so she "threw herself on to the back of a chair" and the aspirin came out. She self-Heimliched.
I don't know why, but she's told this story kind of a lot over the years, and it always terrifies me. It's scary to think that my mom was almost killed by aspirin, but what's the most scary is, that until very recently, I didn't think I could do it. Actually, I still don't know that I could "throw myself" on a chair. I think I would probably be so freaked out I'd just run around, waving my arms and bumping into walls until I passed out. It would be a terrible way to die, and I don't want to risk it.
My first solution to not choking was to only eat soft food and chew it very well, if Brad wasn't home. This worked for like an hour until I really wanted an orange. My second solution was that I would just run next door to our neighbor (who is a stay-at-home mom) and have her Heimlich me.
This could potentially work but a). she is a tiny little thing and who knows if she could even do it b). I look terrible now that I work from home, so do I really want her to see me choking and without a bra? c). what if she's not home? Then I've wasted precious energy running over there. The clock is ticking!!
So, this week, I decided I would have to get over my fear of self-Heimliching. I found some things in my house that I could "throw myself" against that don't have sharp edges. The best spot is a counter we have that is about stomach height and has rounded edges. This would be my Heimlich counter. I even practiced in slow motion (no throwing of myself because you should never really Heimlich yourself or anyone else unless they are really choking, according to the interwebs).
I also looked up several YouTube videos. If you search "What to do if you're choking and you're alone" you do get some good stuff. One of my favorite things about the videos is that a lot of them say, at least in the comments, something like "watching this video could just save your life," and I believe them.
There is even an alternative move you can do which involves getting in the push-up position and throwing your hands up so that you basically fall on your stomach. It was taught by an ex-boxer turned paramedic, so I think it's legit. His right hand was fused from boxing so when he did his push-up he made a fist. He told us this. The fist is optional he said.
There is a comment saying that a person tried this and it worked, but he broke his jaw and lost some teeth. So, I don't know that this will be my go-to method, but it's good to have options.
This lead to a rabbit hole of YouTube video watching in which I refreshed on how to Heimlich other adults, children, babies and even dogs (also led to a new fear of "Oh my God, what if my dog chokes?"). For fun, I also watched some CPR videos, even though I know how to do that. It's good to keep current.
I do feel better and more prepared after my research. I still don't ever want to find out if I'll have the courage to throw myself against something, so I will continue to chew slowly and not pop things into my mouth. At least now, though, I have options and a pre-prepared counter, even though the lady in the YouTube video highly recommends a chair. I stand by my counter decision.
YouTube Links (they just might save your life!):
1. How to Heimlich yourself: http://youtu.be/FEr9jjZ6fi8
2. Alternative push-up way (fist optional): http://youtu.be/Iz8M0UTkvSU
3. How to Heimlich someone else (especially if they choke on a grape): http://youtu.be/tEIiEAn7b-U
4. How to save your choking dog (because apparently they can choke on everything, including springs): http://youtu.be/eO3X-hoqfB0
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