Choking & Laryngospasm
Most uncontrolled coughing and choking is due to a mucus plug or mucus that is too thick, saliva that can't be processed, or a combination of these. Irritants such as smoke, scents, dairy, spices, and more can also contribute.
Therefore, secretion management sooner rather than later is strongly advised.
If laryngospasm (where you feel like your throat has closed up and you can't control breathing/coughing) does occur, hold your breath for 5 seconds, then breathe slowly through the nose. Exhale through pursed lips. Repeat until the spasm stops. Some people find tilting their head back helps. Fewer bend it forward.
Cut a straw in half and have the pieces close at hand in the living room, bedroom, and any vehicles. During an attack, seal the lips around the straw and breathe in only through the straw and not the nose. This technique encourages slower breathing that can help relax the vocal cords.
In something called the Larson maneuver, (here's the video) after the doctor who came up with it:
Locate the soft spot behind the earlobes and just above the jaw. Forcefully push down and in toward the throat.
The pressure should be forceful enough to be painful, and if it works, it should relieve the symptoms of laryngospasm immediately.
Most uncontrolled coughing and choking is due to a mucus plug or mucus that is too thick, saliva that can't be processed, or a combination of these. Irritants such as smoke, scents, dairy, spices, and more can also contribute.
Therefore, secretion management sooner rather than later is strongly advised.
If laryngospasm (where you feel like your throat has closed up and you can't control breathing/coughing) does occur, hold your breath for 5 seconds, then breathe slowly through the nose. Exhale through pursed lips. Repeat until the spasm stops. Some people find tilting their head back helps. Fewer bend it forward.
Cut a straw in half and have the pieces close at hand in the living room, bedroom, and any vehicles. During an attack, seal the lips around the straw and breathe in only through the straw and not the nose. This technique encourages slower breathing that can help relax the vocal cords.
In something called the Larson maneuver, (here's the video) after the doctor who came up with it:
Locate the soft spot behind the earlobes and just above the jaw. Forcefully push down and in toward the throat.
The pressure should be forceful enough to be painful, and if it works, it should relieve the symptoms of laryngospasm immediately.