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Step 1
Living alone, one must be pretty self sufficient in many facets of living. There are teachers who instruct and are trained to guide you to be able to do the heimlich maneuver on others and yourself too. Please take advantage of those courses. This is a refresher only, which is always suggested to review every year the skills to dislodge something from the throat. Maybe it can save your life if you live by yourself. After you have taken the course in the Heimlich maneuver, you know you have to be able to detect if you can talk. If you can talk, you can breathe.
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Step 2
If there is something caught in your throat that prevents you from saying anything, you need to act fast. Do not panic! Do not waste time. Act quickly to find a straight back chair and sit down. If you cannot find a chair, a wall will do just fine. Put your back on the firm surface of the wall or straight back chair. If you will be using the wall, you might be lowering yourself to the floor, but do not do that initially. You need the room to place your hands appropriately to do the self Heimlich.
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Step 3
Make a fist with one hand and cover that fist with the other. Your thumb of one hand will be tucked into the fist of the other hand. The other thumb will be on top of the doubled fist. Practice this as you are reading, so it will come naturally for you if and when you need to use it.
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Step 4
Find your sternum or breast bone. That is the firm bone in the center of your chest. This bone has the ribs attached. The end of the ribs are lower than the sternum. Go to the end of the sternum and you will feel a softness without any bone. You are in the right spot to put that thumb that is on top of your two fisted hand clasp.
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Step 5
You are going to push inward and upward to force air from the lungs to bring that object or piece of food out of your throat or windpipe. You will continue to do that thrusting motion until you are successful. Use five forceful thrusting movements at a time and rest momentarily only seconds before resuming. The food particle will be expelled. Put your head to the side so you can vomit away from your working hands and not hinder them with slippery stomach contents.
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Step 6
As soon as you can talk. Lay down with your head elevated slightly to relax. If you are feeling faint, put your head down flat with your head to one side just in case you vomit again. You should see a doctor or health care professional afterwards to make sure all is well with you following your self Heimlich maneuver.
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Step 7
Right now the American Red Cross has down graded this technique by using back blows and then abdominal thrusts. When you are by yourself, you won't be able to do the back blows, so that is why they are not mentioned above.
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Step 8
It is also possible to lunge over the back of a chair to force a thrusting action to simulate the Heimlich maneuver. This is successful and can be chosen instead of the double fisted technique described above.
Comments
ReuseItAll said
on 7/27/2009 I've seen my boyfriend do the heimlich maneuver twice to save a life on someone else. It always pops into my head and I wonder how I would do this for myself.
I just practice this as I read your article and I think its time that I took a class like you advise. Thanks!
karileighk said
on 7/18/2009 American red cross is great.
jaredsgirl said
on 7/17/2009 Excellent tips for doing self heimlich maneuver. Thanks! 5*
boatst said
on 7/16/2009 good useful info. thanks.
bogdwell said
on 7/16/2009 I remember this from my old EMT traing... good points to bring up 5*