Ya the other night I decided to go get something to eat as the wife gave me the "fend for yourself" cold shoulder, so I went to taco smell and got some crap to eat. Well I was being cheap and didnt buy a drink, but I was starving. So I started chomping down on the peice of garbage burrito. Well I dont know if I have a small esophagus or what, but food got stuck. I could breathe, but barely. I felt my face get warm. I figured I could make the 5 minute drive home. Well I almost got to the point of no return, did an illegal uturn in the middle of the road and hauled a$$ to the nearest gas station. Ran inside almost leaving my key in ignition out of a who cares im about to die lung for something to drink. I grabbed the closest drink and took a chug. And nothing happened. Normally the food goes down and all is well. Then I panicked and tried to get it down. After 10 seconds (which seemed like an eternity) all was well.

Now that I have wasted 5 minutes of your time, the moral of the story is carry a bottle of water in your car. You never know when you need it to get taht food down in an emergency, or use it to put in your leaking radiator or use it to see where the hole in your tire is. My wife hates to leave a bottle in the car. So im hiding one under the seat!

If you are having an esophageal [sp?] spasm, water might not help.  These types of spasms can happen just with water, alone.

Most people can take swallowing food [and water] for granted, but it actually requires a high degree of muscle coordination to get food and liquids through the espohagus.  Our saving grace is that this is [usually] an involuntary muscle reflex.

If the spasm is sever enough, the symptoms will start to mimic a constricted airway.  Your tongue can go numb and start to water, for lack of a better description.  If the spasm persists, the muscles can actually tighten down enough that blood flow through the carotid arteries is constricted.  At this point, everything will start to tunnel in, and go dark, as you begin to pass out.

The irony is that your airway is probably not blocked.  Why is this ironic?  Because you get to watch the baffled look on everyone's faces as you are passing out, and quitely laugh to yourself because you realize that nobody around you has any idea what to do.

If you find yourself in this position again, you might want to consider trying to expell the food, as chasing it with water might cause some water to go down your airway and cause caughing fits, which may only exacerbate the situation.  ***If there are any doctors in the house, now would be a good time to chime in.***

So, here's an observation: anyone who's graduated high school should probably know basic CPR, etc, right?  So why is it that CPR is never, ever, properly depicted in any movie or TV show?  Sure, someone will probably call 911, but that's probably to just complain about the tacos.

I had something similiar happen once and ever since i have always had something to drink handy whenever i eat.   That feeling really really sucks.   Glad it turned out good for you too.

It's important to carry more than just one bottle. What if you're stuck on the side of the road and it's hot? I've had to use the case of water in the back of my car before.

Had that happen to me last summer, it's enough to scare the piss out of you. Drinking can make it worse. Make sure you chew your food good.

Other foods that do that are bananas, hard boiled eggs, peanutbutter sandwiches, tuna sanwiches if tuna is slightly dry.

Its from lack of saliva due to lack of proper chewing of your food and or chalking of the food(cooked egg yoke) in your throat in the case of hard boiled eggs.

Eat slower, chew longer and have a sip of something wet if you are going to wolf down your meal.

It's happened to me......I know the feeling.

...or you  could chew it a little more before trying to swallow
I keep a bottle in glove box...you never know what or when.

Multiple lessons here.

If you're having difficulty breathing and you can drive, perhaps the place to go is a fire station or hospital or flag down a cop.

Learn how to do the Heimlich on yourself.

Don't die.

John

Finally a topic I can add something too.

As has been said low saliva or muscle spasms could do it.  Another option could be that the opening between your throat and stomach has shrunk.  Do you have acid reflux / bad heartburn?  Reason I ask is because I have or had reflux pretty badly.  I've had it so long that I did not realize that I had it.  It had caused scar tissue up into my throat and specifically on the last muscle between my throat and stomach.  The scar tissue had caused the opening to shrink to approximately 11 mm or just slightly larger than a dime.  I've tried to find how large that muscle is supposed to open to but have been unsuccessful so far, but it is much larger than that.  I had food stick often and would at times take half an hour to finally go down.  Only felt like I was suffocating a few times, but feeling like I was choking was normal.  I ended up having to go have my throat stretched.  They pretty much just ran a balloon down my throat and blew it up.  So far that has worked and I've only had my food get stuck a few times since.  Been a little over 2 years since I've had it done.  I figure I'm getting close to needing it again but am going to put it off for as long as I can.  I put up with it for over 10 years the first time (first time I remember I was probably around 13,) figure I can make it a couple more.

If it happens again, find a doctor you trust and go have some tests done.  Simple procedure to do and you'll be proud you did it.

In my less mature days, I attempted to swallow a particular hard candy on a dare.  It got FIRMLY lodged in my throat, and completely blocked off the airway.  The closer I got to losing consciousness, the harder I worked to get it out.  My friend stood there watching me like "What's going on?"  As the edges of my vision were going black, I dug VERY deep within myself, and gave the kind of abdominal squeeze that would have given a normal man hemorrhoids, and managed to get it out.  It *shot* across the parking lot.

That was one of the "growing up" moments in my life.

Glad you did not die

Also, smaller bites...

Had that happen about a month ago when eating some fried chicken.  Throat would not clear, I took a drink and it just filled up my throat (THAT was a scary feeling).  I managed to get a good cough and that cleared it.  No more wolfing down of food for me.

This happens to me every so often.  My Dad and Brother both have this problem as well.

If food gets stuck in your throat, DO NOT take a big drink.  I did that the other week wife my wife sitting across the table from me.  That wouldn't go down either and then I started choking on the water.  I scared the hell out of her and myself as well.  I knew that I should not take big drinks, but it has been so long since it happened that I forgot.   If food is stuck in your in your esophagus, you can still breath (unless it is huge), so don't freak out.  It will usually pass after a bit, but it may hurt a while.  It it is stuck too long, your body may try to expel it out your mouth.

Just take tiny, tiny sips.  I mean like a teaspoon.  That may help get it down.  I always try to drink with meals and chew my food well.

Friend of mine died in this manner. Choked on food.
Friends tried to Heimlich unsucessfully.
Sometimes the food just gets lodged the wrong way.

In any case, EVERYONE should learn at least basic CPR.

+1 Glad you did'nt die. Next time chew

I had that happen once too, then it did not stop. I was diagnosed with achalaysia, lost 75 pounds in 2 months. After a short time in the hospital, and a heller myotomy with partial dor flundoplication, I can now eat but still drink gallons and gallons of water.

You could just take smaller bites.....

Happens to me, too sometimes with chicken. I have to be real careful with chicken breasts.

You should have stopped and asked someone to give you the "Heine-lick" maneuver ......

I actually do have some acid reflux. Its hereditary and also a small esophagus evidently. My grandmother ..and I think my brother had the ballon thing done. The funny thing is is that I have a tone of saliva, just not that night!

...read a story years back about a mother driving on I-75 with her daughter.  As they went under an overpass some knucklehead tossed a chunk of concrete or rock that struck their windshield.

Spalling glass goes all over in the cabin and into her daughters eyes.  She pulls to the side of the road and only had half a can of pop (I think it was 7UP or some clear drink...) to pour into her daughters eyes to try to wash out the glass.

Story stuck with me.  I ALWAYS have a bottle of water in my door/map pocket and a case of water in each cars trunk.  

As we (the family) go through our week and are out and about we work off the cases in the trunk (going on a hike/walk, going to the gym, kids to martial arts, etc..)  The cases usually last about two weeks so even in hot weather the water never gets funky....

Good reminder to carry basics....

Not a Dr. but I used to be an EMT.  It is possible to perform the Heimlich on yourself (this used to be taught along with the technique for performing it on others.  I'm not sure if it still is.  Anyone in the medical field can tell you how often these things change.  I can't count the number of times the amount of breaths for Adult CPR changed during the brief amount of time I was licensed.)

Basically the hand position and placement is the same as it would be if performing it on another party.  Additionally you lay across a horizontal object such as a table, chair, or your vechicle, and force your body against your hands that are braced on the object.  This adds force to the technique.  I'm sure a quick search would turn up a tutorial.

Since CPR was mentioned, the actual act of CPR should not take precedence over securing the airway.  Remember the ABC's.  Airway, breathing, circulation...  in that order.

Glad that you are alright.  I always bring water with me in the car.

Glad you survived... God Damn poor way to exit the human race... choking on a burrito.

If it is a swallowing problem, it could be a hiatal hernia. Google that bad boy, along with dysphagia, and GERD,  if you aren't familiar with the terms.

I would suggest if you have recurring swallowing problems, best to see your doc and possibly get an upper GI done.

You could have gotten water for free.

I've had my esophagus spasm before....generally it's with foods like rice or when I was talking while eating (Mom was right!)  I haven't had it where it's seriously constricted my airflow, but where the upper chest pain was so great that I wanted to rip into my own chest to relieve the pain.  Water in these cases didn't seem to help.  What I did to solve the problem was to force myself to gag.  Problem solved...

I think your all missing the real moral to this story....DON'T EAT TACO BELL...not only do you have to set aside a good half of a day after eating it to splatter the toilet brown, but apparently it try's to suffocate you as well. Evil, evil stuff.



Glad your OK

When I was a teenager I spent quite a lot of time in salvage yards.

My Dad and I pulled some parts off of a car that a 19 year old girl had wrecked and died in.

She choked on a burger then crashed the car.  I am very careful when I eat and drive and admit it would be smarter not to do so.

You know sometimes when I eat sandwhiches like egg salad and peanut butter and other stuff I sometimes get a choking feeling where it isnt quite going down and getting stuck. I always need a drink nearby. I should probably get it checked out. I just had a phsyical last week, dang it.
Thanks for the sympathy, and it is a pathetic way to die, with a dang Burrito!
Ya, taco bell sucks, its like krystal and arbys though, you just get a craving once or twice a year.