It happened at around 10:30pm last night, just after hanging out a bit with a friend at Lulu Carpenter’s, a coffee shop downtown on Pacific Ave. I (Luke) was parked about a minute’s walk down a somewhat dark and deserted street, in the (likewise deserted) bank parking lot. 
I had some Smarties in my pocket from a jam-party I was at last Saturday, so as I approached my car in the deserted parking lot, I popped one in my mouth. Immediately, I got that nasty sensation of strong sour flavor mixed with a lack of saliva—I don’t know if other people have experienced this, but when this has happened before I’ll get a really terrible feeling in the back of my throat. Almost like some super-concentrated sour syrup getting caught back there.
The difference this time was that something got stuck back there. Suddenly I found I couldn’t breathe. I tried to cough, but there was little air in my lungs and I couldn’t do it. Realizing that I could suffocate and there would be nobody around to help me, I started running back to Lulu’s. I was hitting myself in the stomach and back as I went, trying to breathe. I’m a pretty bad runner as it is, endurance-wise, but not being able to breathe made it seem that much longer. The thought crossed my mind that if I didn’t make it to where other people were, I could die.
Thankfully, as you might guess, I didn’t die. I started getting little gasps of air just as I ran into the coffee shop. I leaned on the counter, gasping and sputtering and looking like I’d seen a ghost; the employee guessed, “Hey, you want some water?”
After I got home, I finished the Smarties.
WoWzeRS!!!
close call there dude.
Had a similar one myself with a big bite of toast.. crumbs blew back and made me gasp to cough.. and yep.. blocked up my whole blow hole.
It was a couple of rather struggly minutes before it went soggy enough to get a good breath in to cough it out. phew.. not fun.
I did however then decide i wanted marmalade on the rest of the slice.
Keep breathin boy!
Laurie xXx
That’s one scary story. Glad to hear you got right back on the horse and didn’t hold a grudge against the Smarties. Here’s a word of advice, also be careful with french fries - take it from one who knows.
What a scary experience! You should be highly commended on the levelheaded way you handled yourself in that situation.
Well, you know what they say… when you start to panic, take a deep breath…
Luke,
Looks like you took the old epiglottis out for a little test? It did it’s job. Seems like that Smartie was teeter-tottering deciding which “slide” to go down.
I saw the repeated episode of Trading Spouses on CMT today. I saw what I thought to be less than truthful editing, so I decided to google your family, and got your website. I am happy to read that you all have gotten over your initial feelings of betrayal. And have moved on. What a horrible ordeal to have to live through.
If it makes you feel any better though, it was very very clear from watching the show, that they did not portray your family or the other family in a true light.
I think that when it originally aired, “we” were not as savvy about reality TV editing, as “we” are now. So actually, these repeat shows on CMT may help your original cause (to share your music and Taoism), because otherwise I never would’ve googled your website.
RN in Texas