How exactly are you supposed to help your choking friend? Usually you are not able to do anything helpful until after they have stopped coughing/gagging except for possibly remove the article that is preventing them from breathing, but seeing as it was water...

When people are actually choking, that cannot cough. If they are coughing, you need to wait until the article of food, or water in this case, is cleared. If they are choking, you should obviously help them.

*they Sorry, I'm tired. :/

#26: Rolling on the ground laughing your ass off at your passed out friend shouldn't be your next option when you "don't know how to help them".

I wasn't saying that rolling around and laughing was a good idea at all. But truthfully there are not many options. And yes a symptom of Choking is indeed a weakened cough/ high pitched noise, turning blue, grabbing throat or passing out. You can either "pat them on the back" and remind them to cough it up or if it is food grab them and help them with a quick abdominal thrust, but once again this was water, not a lot to do except for CPR after they have stopped breathing.

Choking is the mechanical obstruction of the flow of air from the environment into the lungs. Choking prevents breathing, and can be partial or complete, with partial choking allowing some, although inadequate, flow of air into the lungs. Prolonged or complete choking results in asphyxia which leads to anoxia and is potentially fatal. If the person choking turns blue, they do not have air flow to the lungs. Coughing requires air, if the OP passed out, obviously he/she was lacking air flow to the lungs. You can't exaclty remind someone to cough if they can't breathe.

Hey hey These comments are becoming incredibly long snippets of encyclopedias. Now I'm not saying your wrong and I'm not saying your right but I'm removing myself from this discussion. Before I go though I just can't resist adding in that.. "prolonged" choking means that you have been choking for an extended amount of time longer than usual, which I'm assuming means you have passed the point of showing symptoms of choking. Which brings me back to my point at the beginning you will cough before you pass out from asphyxiation.

I've taken safety courses. I don't need an encyclopedia. So, again, you will not cough if you are choking. You can gag on the food/water and cough. If you are not coughing, you're choking and need the Heimlich maneuver. Coughing requires air, and when someone is choking they turn blue just like you said. If there were any air flow to the lungs, the person would not turn blue.

That article, just made me incredibly sad. :(

had a doctor say he'd live twenty more years after I was dead once. He died 34 years ago in four inches of water when cleaning his swimming pool.

win... just win.

is there a reason why your profile thingy is a picture of Jerry's uncle?

no... no, it doesn't actually. nice try though

yea but ur a dog its different

Yeah, the majority of the comments are buried. Weird stuff.

Well yours has 3 thumbs up (until someone else thumbs your comment, but for now it does).