If you are actually choking right now and cannot breathe, speak, or cough forcefully, treat this as an emergency. Call your local emergency number immediately, preferably on speakerphone. If you can still cough forcefully, keep coughing.
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Mayo Clinic
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If you’re alone and choking
For an adult, after calling for emergency help:
Make a fist and place it just above your belly button.
Grasp the fist firmly with your other hand.
Bend forward over a firm surface, such as the edge of a countertop or the back of a sturdy chair.
Drive your fist inward and upward with a forceful thrust.
Repeat until the object comes out or help arrives.
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Mayo Clinic
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The American Red Cross also describes giving yourself abdominal thrusts directly with your hands; a firm surface can provide additional force. Don’t use a sharp edge or corner.
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American Red Cross
Don’t do this
Don’t put your fingers blindly into your throat. You could push the food farther down. Only remove an object if you can actually see it.
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Red Cross Guidelines
Don’t waste time drinking water or trying to swallow more food if you’re unable to breathe or speak.
Don’t assume the problem is over if you become weak or dizzy—get emergency help.
If the food is stuck but you can breathe
A blockage in the esophagus (the tube to the stomach) is different from choking in the airway. If you can breathe and swallow, the situation may not be immediately life-threatening, but persistent food stuck in the esophagus can require medical removal.
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Mayo Clinic
After a significant choking episode, medical evaluation can be appropriate even if the object comes out, particularly if you have continuing chest/throat pain, coughing, breathing difficulty, or difficulty swallowing.
If this is happening right now, stop reading and call your local emergency service while performing the self-thrusts.
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