You have met my folks more than once. I take kindly to the fact that you have loved up on them/us in those meetings. Thank you.
Today, Christmas, is our day to be together, celebrate, eat, hang out together talking about how blessed we are. We did all of those things and then sat down to Christmas dinner, a little early for Persiflage and me, but a good time for the folks. At their ages they don't do dinner at nine PM, ya know?
And then it happened. Mom choked.
Follow me below the fold for the rest of the story, which worked out well.
As Mom, who has had a cold and sore throat, took a bite of meat she hopped up from the table and made a dash for the kitchen sink, coughing. I jumped up behind her trying to help her get "up" whatever was causing her distress. She leaned over the sink, gagging, and then bolted upright. At that point she took in a "breath" that sounded like a foghorn. I started giving her the sharp and repeated back blows that are taught in CPR training, those that could help dislodge food from the trachea before it becomes a totally dire situation. I asked, "Mom, is that better?" And then I heard it, no sound at all. She began flailing her arms.
As an RN I have had multiple trainings of CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver over the years. I know the Universal Sign for choking is the hands at the throat thing. I guess Mom didn't get that far because I was right there with her, assessing and understanding that she went from breathing to breathing not well to breathing not at all.
I have to tell you, when I understood my Mom was not exchanging any air at all everything became like a lightening strike to me. What later took me two minutes to describe took me two seconds to do.
As I write this, and I need to get these feelings out, it takes me time to do it. As this happened, it took seconds, literally.
I took hold of my 89 year old Mom, told her I was going to do the Heimlich Maneuver on her, that I didn't want to hurt her, put my right fist under her "breastbone", my left hand over that and did the "in and up" maneuver I have been taught eleventy times but have never done. To my total amazement a huge piece of steak came flying out of her mouth into our kitchen sink and she sank into me saying "oh, thank you, that feels so much better".
I couldn't believe she could talk, but she could and did. After a few minutes she wanted to return to the table but eat only soft foods. She was able to do that, I think because I was right there with her and it never got to the point that she was really without air for too long a time.
Ultimately we took the folks home, for a good night's sleep, Mom has not slept well worrying about Christmas and are the gifts she got for everyone right and O.K., and we are now relaxing.
I will cry, somewhere along the way. Persiflage tells me, "you saved your Mom's life". I really can't go there. I just cannot do it. I will cry, for teh happy, when I am done shaking like a leaf. I held my dear Mom's little body against mine and did the Heimlich maneuver on her.
Sweet Jesus.