Last night was i given my evening meal by my carer, just as usual. This meal was the "wiltshire farm foods" , a little fish, chips and plenty of peas , and cup of tea. [no blame on the wiltshire farm foods ] This was only a very small meal. My lovely carer did her bits and bobs, asked me if i need anything else, i said" i'm fine Jane, many thanks, see you later tonight."
After i ate the meal, i then started coughing, then coughing worse, then couldn't stop coughing !! until it got to the stage i was pretty desperate, i could barely breath,and barely had the strength to cough any more This was steadily getting worse, for about an hour, I really was in a terrible state by this time. I went dizzy, felt as though i was going to collapse.I really thought i had, had it ! ! By this time my chest, ribs, and back were in agony. I was just about to press my pendant alarm, as i knew something was seriously wrong by now. .But didn't know what ! !
As luck would have it, my council "redundant" carer, called to collect her log book on me. She rushed in, on hearing me choking, coughing etc. Saw the empty meal plate, grabbed me with her arms, got me through to the living room, quickly adjusted the recliner chair, so that i was bent forward, turned the oxygen from 2 litres to 6 litres, then pulled me right forward, slapped me hard on the back many times, which was agonizingly painful for me, as i have a fused spine.
After a few minutes i managed a last big effort cough, ,,
Out came a lump of phlegm,,, With one" WHOLE, SMALL GARDEN PEA" in it.!!
She then gave me a drink of water,which i could only sip, then put the nebulizer on, then checked my oxygen level, I couldn't even draw in the "rescue inhaler" I didn't have the strength.
As i slowly come round, She then told me my lips were blue when she came in !! my face was grey, my oxygen level had dropped to dramatically,[75 ]That was when when she took it !! [even although i had oxygen on ] She was then going to phone nhs 24, which i told her not to. About an hour later, she then turned the oxygen back to the two litres, Took my oxygen level again, which was "reasonable" [88]
She did say she would need to report this to her supervisor, who would then need to report this to my g.p.
My other carer came in later and made sure i was ok.
But i have felt it since, i.e. pain in back ribs and chest,[i have end stage copd , heart failure and ankylosing spondylitis ], i'm still bringing up phlegm, but clear and easier to bring up now, after repeatedly using my saline nebs, my rescue inhaler [by this time] my salbutamol meb.and my other inhalers. My breathing is "borderline" now, i would say, But i can assure you, this took an awful lot out of me. i have felt it all day today.It really "knocked the stuffing out me." My carer "jane" has called 4 times today, and is calling again later.
All this for a simple garden pea !!
Please don't say i should have went to hospital, please no sympathy, i want neither,
But what i do want,,,,,
Is firstly to warn others, about making sure you chew your food well [ i had ate this meal without teeth in ]
Take your time in eating. as this could have very serious consequences.
And ask if anyone else has ever had bother like this ?
.And also ask, did this "pea" go down my wind pipe ?
I have been taking things very, very easy today,as i am very tired, Not answering phone etc. [ there's an answer machine, if important ] but just resting my whole body.even my voice.
I can only thank that carer for her quick thinking, and her quick actions,
jimmy
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jimmyw123
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yes, most def, food does need to be chewed very carefully,i've learned a very big lesson
best regards jimmy
That must have been incredibly frightening Jimmy...oddly enough I saw a video demonstration of what to do if you are on your own and choking...you throw yourself to the floor face downwards. Not advisable for you though...lol
Next time you have something to eat for heavens sakes put your teeth in man...!
My late husband got a pea stuck and it wouldn't go down,finished up in a and e at bout three in the morning it just went down after so many drinks of water,but that was so scary so really feel for you Jimmy as you was alone
Hi Jimmy...you don't want sympathy but you didn't say anything about being chastised! Shame on you for not pushing your alert button! That's there for a reason! Thank goodness your aid returned for her note book. Now go sit in the corner until I say you can come out!!!
Nothing wrong with a little chastisement As i do need that at times, unfortunately the alert button would have taken too long by this time, but fully understand what your saying
can i come out the corner now [been there for two days
lucky that carer turned up when she did , don't blame you for taking things easy today , hope your feeling a bit better now , your microwave meal reminds me of when I had my back op I wasn't married to my wife then we lived separately she lived 10 miles away and couldn't drive I had a back brace on as wasn't allowed to bend so couldn't use the cooker so she bought me 2 weeks worth of microwave roast dinners she said they aren't very big so got you 2 for each day she bought them on Monday morning by Saturday night I rang said could you get the bus over as I only have enough meals for tea for tomorrow she said I filled your freezer up with them I bought 28 meals I said yes but I been having 4 at a time ,
Well of all the stubborn old b....... WHAT is your panic button for ??? Good job your carer called in......but just think Jimmy.....what if she hadn't !!! at what stage were you going to call for help.
Soooo pleased it turn out for the best, sorry your suffering today especially after the pounding you had. Do take care and rest, lots of love and gentle Huggs to you. Xxx
And I was always told to eat up your greens as there good for you . Jimmy that sounds like a close shave and all caused by a tiny little pea, dam lucky your now 'redundant' carer came by and new what to do
It just goes to show how fragile we all are and how a little but important thing like chewing your food correctly could mean the difference between life and death.
Make sure those teeth are in next time Jimmy or stick to haggis soup with the miracle Scotch mist at the ready to put in your nebuliser just in case.
I think that I may have a few of those peas stuck in my throat cause I haven't stopped coughing for the last 5 years .
Seriously though thank your heroine carer from all of us on healthunlocked for saving our Jimmy so he can live to post another day .
Hi Jimmy I don't think we have spoken before but I enjoy reading your posts and comments. take it easy, but remember what your pendant is for, I am happy in the knowledge that my mom who is 91 and wears a pendant would pull it if she needed help, that takes some of the responsibility from me at night time. but if I knew she wouldn't use it I really would worry. I have to be very careful when eating crisps, toast and biscuits etc as they to can get stuck and set my breathing off.
Believe it or not my old mother is still living at 92, she has a pendant as well, slightly different than mine, [two different councils ] i phone her every night there's nothing wrong with her brain anyway obviously looking older now,nearly blind but still gets out each day marvelous really
Oh Jimmy, I agree with everything everyone has said, so consider yourself, nagged, chastised and sympathised with - I know you didn't want sympathy, but it's hard when it sounds so frightening for you.
It certainly seems as if that pea went down your windpipe, and promptly gathered up some nasty stuff to give you that horrible experience. We're all grateful to your lovely carer for rescuing you and doing all the right things.
So rest for as long as you need now and let us know how you get on in a couple of days. Love Jan
Hi jabber, yes it was frightening but very lucky for me the carer came in at the right time, That last cough with the pea in it came from "way down deep" i felt as though it was coming up fro my feet :D, however lessons to be learned for all, with lung issues
What a fright Jimmy, rest up, this is a truma, I once chocked (inhaled) a tiny piece of red cabbage, we was in company and I left the table (idiot I am) I was just on the point of going back into the restaurant when I mate come looking for me
luckerly she's a nurse, she did the holding round the waist thingy, pushing up into the diaphragm, and out flew the offending cabbage, I find raw carrots and apples can be a nightmare, so pleased other carer there for you Jimmy, makes me wonder if we are 'looked' after at times, take good care of you, and put your teeth in !!!!xxxxx
Hi Jimmy , I know how this must have felt, so glad you are ok. About a month ago I was eating my dinner and must have taken a breath as the food in my mouth was hot. I started to choke a little so hubby slapped my back and I stopped choking. We had meat pie with potatoes and you guessed it ....peas. Anyway though the food was very nice cooked by hubby, I was unable to eat more of it. Had a yoghurt for pudding and cup of tea. I seemed OK apart from later on kept needing to cough. Thought I had probably irritated my throat a bit. I have severe emphysema . well went to bed and kept waking up in the night with an irritating cough, thought probably getting another infection or bug. Then the next morning after had been up for a while I started coughing again, giving a large breath and a cough out shot ........ One pea !. So I also beg the question was it in my windpipe?. Your experience was more scary than mine but it s put me off peas !
It just goes to show doesn't it, that's how it started to begin with me, at first coughing, then a bit worse, this continued until it was so bad i didn't know where i was,, well at least both of us got it up
Hi, Jimmy, you certainly had a lucky escape there, no thanks to you though it seems. Why on earth didn't you press that button ? that is what it's there for, and for goodness sake, eat with your teeth in in future. Right, that's it. nagging over, just please, be more careful in the future and don't leave it too late to call for help. I'm so pleased it all turned out ok, you make sure you get plenty of rest now and give yourself time to recover.
We've survived yet another bad experience, sure will enjoy many more happy days, but wil be very careful now, big lesson learned
best regards jimmy
Hi Jimmy, what can I say, thank god ur carer who wasn't working came at the right time, glad the pea came out, but ur still naughty for not pressing ur pendant. Sorry uve felt so rubbish all day, but glad Uve been resting and taking it easy, plz plz take care xx Sonia xx
Jimmy, please please - use your pendant ! You were so lucky this time but you mustn't take that sort of risk again. Press your pendant and take care of yourself. I hope you'll soon be feeling much better once you've rested.
Very happy you carer came back when she did Jimmy as it must have been a terrifying experience and so glad feeling better now I have done it before when eating a pea and now I don't like peas now but please take care now jimmy
Don't you worry about chastisement, i need it at times
But this was a one off thing [see post below ]
pendant would have been no use,, teeth another matter but happy to have lived to tell the tale, and hopefully lessons for all to learn
lots of love jimmy xxx
Wow that was a close call Jimmy. Put your teeth in next time. So glad you managed to avoid the dreaded hospital. You take care of yourself now and God bless your lovely carer. Lots of big warm cuddly hugs love. Bev xx
Thank goodness your former carer called. Jimmy, I love you to bits, your lovely garden and humour bring smiles to us all. BUT James, you sir are a bad lad. I know you are feeling unwell and things may feel a trouble but put your teeth in, at the very least to eat. No more choking on food; it's the last thing you need. Hope you feel a lot better soon & will see your granddaughter soon. Love and scolds, Margaret. X
Hi Jimmy, They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions! Sorry I misunderstood. Last year I was in a Garden Centre with Dave. He has a hiatus hernia and he choked on a pannini. We were in the Gents With the first aider trying manoeuvres and thumping but could not move it. We ended up in an ambulance and Dave in A & E . Nurse gave him a glass of coke and said drink it in one go, it shifted it. I know how frightening it is. Dave was in pain and fighting to breathe, I thought I might lose him. Later that day worse was to come but I have written about The beginnings of mum's lung cancer journey before. You take care Jimmy . Love Margaret x
They say God looks after his own and he sure did via your carer! I won't add all my nags to everyone else's just think them. Be more careful with your self we need you😇
Aye thank god thats over , one big fright and hopefully lessons to be learned by all
all the very best Snodgrass
best regards jimmy
Oh goodness Jimmy,you are like the cat with nine lives😂No more peas for you! I once choked on sausage skin,such a frightening feeling,thank goodness your "redundant worker" came when she did,do hope you write a letter of praise for her,to the relevant authorities😊
OMG wee Jimmy, I saw your post earlier and decided to calm done before replying.
A bulk delivery of Scotch Mist is on it's way to you.
What a terrifying ordeal for you. Please I beg you, should you ever be in difficulty again, God forbid.... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ...... USE YOUR PENDANT ... GOT THAT?????
Love you dear wee Jimmy Azure and George xxx xxxx xxx xxxx xxx xxxx
Best post yet as this was the intent,, just a warning to all, to hopefully avoid this bad situation, a very frightful experience i would wish on no one
Phew jimmy! That is one meal you will never forget and how very frightening for you. Normally it would be ok if a pea just slipped down but clearly not in your case. Thank goodness the carer came back when she did, and knew what to do to help you.
Please take things easy, let yourself recover and yes, do chew everything really well. I will tell Pete about your experience so that he knows to chew his food properly - even the peas.
Sending lots of love and good wishes your way and hope things are a little easier for you today.
Oh Jimmy, what are we going to do with you? That thing around your neck is not a necklace - it's to ask for help when you need it, so God forbid that this happens again PRESS IT! As for the "teeth" side of things.....I had my teeth knocked out when I was 23 years old and have so much bone loss in my lower jaw that I cannot wear a denture. So, like you I tend to eat without teeth and I can sympathise on that score. You're needed on here Sir James, so please listen to all the advice you've been given - naughty boy XXX lol
Well Jimmy hope you feel a bit better today, thank goodness you have trained care workers. I have encountered a similar experience in a care setting with those tiny fish bones that can't be seen too. Would not of expected a pea to be the same so thanks for taking the time to type a warning for others on site. Take care x Oh and I think Wiltshire foods do pureed peas, but if not I would suggest mashing them with your fork the skin on peas can get stuck too I don't eat peas only mushy ones so appreciate your dilemma. Enjoy your weekend, thank goodness for the twist of fate that brought the care worker back .
Thankfully getting over things now, who would have believed a pea would cause so much bother , i think you've brought forward the right idea, mash them with the fork, either that or don't eat them i would think he mushy ones are the best,, but ill have another look at the wiltshire menu book.
but just shows how careful we should be big lesson learned here
Thank god for that carer, i dread to even think what could have happened
This is the sory of "pod" , the chap who swallowed a pea, off course it was nearly" jimmy"
First of all my post was intended as a serious warning for folks with severe emphysema and copd.and contained just two questions that were mostly unanswered .
luckily they were answered by a member, by e mail, who had went through exactly the same. The pea went down the windpipe into the left lung ,[all was explained to me, quite horrifically well if i might add.]
Most of you know me well enough to know i can take criticism, especially when i deserve it
But i do have to explain a few things,although i know all posters are well meaning, firstly "press the button" You might just wonder why the carer never "pressed the button" !! ? ?
This its because its a "falls alarm" in case i fall ! ! Which when pressed goes do do do do etc. 11 times i.e a phone number, then a gap, then repeats this, do do do do again 11 times then another gap then a third time the same 11 times[i'm not doing the do do do bit again, its like a tune :)] ,, before some kind old
lady eventually answers, and says "how can i help mr w " Then she would have most probably phoned an ambulance, then god only knows how long this would have taken !! i would have been quicker phoning 999 myself !! But due to lack of oxygen before i could even realize it [as some of you may know this can happen,suddenly, in a minute ] i didn't know what i was doing. Without going into anymore detail , you would have had to be in the situation yourself to fully realize the whole scenario, Very difficult to fully explain,
If i had managed to "Press the button" then sat, waiting calmly and patiently [which would have been impossible] then blurted out "pea" [which off course i didn't know it was a pea ] i think the kind woman would have sent the district nurse :D, for a catheter change , thinking it was a blocked catheter [as just had new one fitted other day ]as i have complete bladder retension, So "pea " wouldn't have been the best word to have used , That's if i could even speak, which i couldn't
Now as far as simply "wear your false teeth", off course this was part of my warning to others in my post, "chew your food well " this is the reason i printed "i had no teeth in" The reason for this was that my false teeth don't fit me due to constant steroid use, and thrush. When i put them in it is just so sore, off course i need to make a dentist appoint.to try rectify this i am using nystatin at the moment, but it is not easy for me to "just do this" and "run" to the dentist .
The post was simply meant to be a serious warning to others,
that had similar secondary, serious conditions such as myself.
Many thanks to the h,u member who e.mailed me explaining things in more detail , and off course once again, many thanks to that carer who called at the right time.
Dear wee Jimmy, don't worry about replying individually. concentrate on getting better. Now you have explained about the Pendant I understand why you couldn't use it.
I have had a few minor choking incidents so I wonder if it to do with emphysema. perhaps a cough coming on at the wrong moment can cause it. A disabled lady I know has a phone with a red button, that rings a carer at once. In fact she trained her dog to press the button. Her mother would receive heavy breathing snuffling calls, but she could hear my friend in the background.
A phone like that linked to a carer might be useful for you Jimmy xxx
Gives a whole new dimension to the phrase "having a pea" - and how do you manage to chomp on chips without choppers? (lovely bit of alliteration there). Know exactly how you kicked the emergency pendant idea, it's fine if you require help in the next hour or so but full-on emergency, like minutes, no use. How many of your lives have you used up now? By my reckoning you have more than all the moggies on here put together. Stick with mushy peas - they're nicer with f&c anyway. Have a restful day and give that wonderful carer a big "thank you" from me.
Wendells said you were like a cat with nine lives but you have well overstepped the nine lives bit I think! More like a guardian angel or 'wee devil' hovering around you I'd say.
Thanks for the warning. It is so easy especially for us lungy people with mucus in our throats and any degree of difficulty while breathing and trying to eat to come acropper. Just getting bit stuck in our throats can set us coughing for the day until we can get rid of it!
My thoughts are with you Jimmy, you were one of the first people to reply to my post when I wrote feeling frightened of just being diagnosed with Copd. Your words brought comfort to me. I hope you feel better soon
How very scary Jimmy - thank goodness the other carer arrived at just the right moment. A lesson well-learned eh? Take it easy till you get your strength back. Hope all gets back to normal soon. xx
Hi Jimmy glad your ok I can't think of anything worse this happened to me with skin from a apple I was eating I was alone the only thing I could do was make myself sick.
Last week we spent a few days with the daughter she went to the shop leaving the old man and i looking after the 20 month old granddaughter she was chewing on a fruit burst when it got stock anyway to cut a long story short i grabbed her quick and managed to dislodge the sweet while the old man panics, the sad thing is she looked at me and ran for granddad she probably thought i can't breath and Nan smacks me we soon made friends.
Take care xx
Hello jimmyw. I've choked several times, I often cannot breathe through my nose so have to eat and breathe through mouth at the same time! Hate eating with mouth open so keep it closed & suck air in at the very edge! You do right to warn everyone as the consequences could easily be fatal. I eat very carefully and chew tiny mouthfuls. After one frightening episode I try to avoid eating alone but realise for you this isn't an option. N
Hi, Jimmy that sounds terrible. Pleased to hear that you are reasonably OK now. Take care next time you have a pea! That Ronnie Corbett! He's only little too! Regards-Dave.
many thanks for all your kind and witty remarks, made me smile.
have been in hospital, still recovering somewhat.
need to go for a pea now
strangely enough [i don't think the pea was to blame for the hospitalisation, but don't think it helped ] when i mentioned this to a prof macnee, he had actually had this before many times [not him his patients ]
talking of peas.. must empty my catheter bag
i shall be popping on from time to time, in the hope i feel better soon.
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