Paging Doctor Heimlich

Last night Jen and I went to Kiernan's Steak House in Dearborn for dinner. My filet was unremarkable, which really disappointed me because I was looking forward to it because I know they have bernaise sauce, which I really like with my steaks. But the food ended up playing second fiddle to the people watching action at the table right in front of us. The lineup at the table was a well-to-do retirement aged lady with a nose that was definitely not the one she was born with. 2 stereotypical "mother of an affluent man" types complete with the old lady clothing that is nothing but old lady clothing, but still not your run of the mill department store old lady clothing. We also had the affluent white male who is on the board of a local hospital group, and the last person was hard to peg, and we just assumed she was part of the help for someone in the group.

Toward the end of their dinner, and just as we were getting our entree, little old lady began to have trouble breathing because some of her food didn't quite make it all the way down. She was still getting air, but was in distress. Some of the staff tried to Heimlich her, but it didn't seem like the food was lodged high enough for that to work. I watched intently to gauge the woman's condition, deciding whether or not to step in and take over administration of first aid.

Just as I was resigning myself to the fact that I would need to step in for the safety of the old lady, a man at the table next to them calmly came over and did so himself. From the way he grasped the old lady and Heimliched her, you could tell he was a doctor. After a few attempts he decided to try using her gag reflex to help clear her airway, and stuck his finger down her throat. I didn't see her gag reflex kick in, but after a few moments she said she felt better and all was well.

The excitement seemed to thin the crowd drastically, especially after the paramedics arrived, and pretty soon we found ourselves almost completely alone in the restaurant to finish our meals. We made sure to chew everything very thoroughly after that....