well, that was not fun

Today I choked on a piece of peanut. And I thought it was the last breath I would take, because it took me so long to get my breath. I am not trying to be a drama queen or anything, but I seriously was wondering what to do. In the past I have choked on something as small as a grain of salt. I think somewhere in my throat is a trigger that closes it up, and it takes a conscious effort to relax in order to open that back up. The kids used to tease me for choking on salt, but it is real. Normally I can tell myself to relax and I am able to open it up again and eventually breathe. This time I consciously tried to totally relax, but the piece of peanut was still in the airway and when I would breathe in slowly the tiniest amount of air, it made me cough again. So as I coughed all the air out, I couldn't get enough air back in because the throat was still closed. I thought of calling 911, but what do you say? "gasp, heeeehhh"
I finally decided to go next door to Angie's house, since I was still ambulatory and she would know what to do. Perhaps she would know the Heimlich maneuver or would be able to call 911 for me. But as soon as I stepped outside onto my steps, something triggered, and I was able to breathe in air and relax the throat. I realized tears were streaming down my face and I shook for at least a half hour. All I could think about while I was choking was: who is going to finish this dress and poor S3 will have a wedding right next to his mom's funeral.

OK, the dress had to be remodeled. Poor Cute Girl had her bridal pictures and every time she moved a certain way, she would reveal more than she wanted the rest of the world to see. We took in about an inch off the shoulder, 1/2" off the bust area and about that much in the back. It fits her better now, but that meant that all that beading and tacked-on embroidery had to come off since they were close to the seams that were taken in. When I took the embroidery off, it disintegrated, so I had to make new lace on my machine, restitch that on, and re-bead. It is almost done, and I will meet her in the town about an hour away from us both and pass the dress off to her again.


The wedding is now 5 days away. We are all excited for this sweet couple.