Possibly the most important thing I learned today ...

I was in another First Aid course today. And our instructor started talking about what to do if you're alone and you start to choke (e.g., full airway obstruction).

As society changes, it seems that more and more of us live alone. To be honest, I don't have the wherewithal tonight to get into THAT discussion, but Bridget Jones' fears of dying alone and being eaten by Alsatians seems to me to be both hilarious and archetypical.

Anyway, getting back to the class ... our instructor discussed how unlikely throwing yourself against a chair or a countertop - or even performing abdominal thrusts to yourself with your own hands - is to work, considering they all require you to override your body's innate mechanisms of protecting itself (which makes sense, right?). So what did she suggest instead?

First, you have to assume that you have no more than 30 seconds before you will pass out, so you have to act fast. So:

1) Call 911 from your phone. Cell phones and VOIP phones, alas, don't count, as they don't currently provide details about your location. And if your airway if fully obstructed, you will not be able to even make a choking sound. But if you have a land line, by all means dial 911, then leave the phone off the hook so they will dispatch someone to help you. (If you don't have a land line, don't waste your precious time, I guess.)

2) Make it your priority to get out of your house or apartment ASAP. You know you may go unconscious due to a lack of oxygen, so pick a place where you are likely to be seen. As my instructor said, hopefully your neighbours aren't used to seeing you passed out in front of your place. :) An awesome suggestion she had for condo- and apartment-dwellers was to PULL THE FIRE ALARM in the hallway. Genius.

3) On your way out, grab an object like a water bottle, TV remote, whatever that, once outside, you can try to thrust into your diaphragm to free whatever is lodged in your throat.

Straightforward and logical, right? And yet none of these occurred to me before. And I'd be very suprised if I were the only one.

You know, the last time I took a First Aid course was only a year ago (this time it's employer-sponsored), but I've learned so much today. I would encourage EVERYONE to take one of these courses - so much priceless, valuable information.

Okay, that's my PSA for today. Feel free to send along to all your family and friends - you never know if you might save a life!