> > Received this today from a friend, thought I'd pass it on......
> >
> > This is a really good thing for all of us to know --- a bit of first
aid
> > info to tuck in the back of your mind. Hope you never need this...
> > Giving CPR to Yourself ?
>
> > Let's say it's 6 p.m. and your driving home, (alone) after an
> > unusually
> > hard day on the job. Not only was the workload extraordinarily heavy,
you
> > also had a disagreement with someone, and no matter how hard you tried
> > he/she
> > just wouldn't see your side of the situation. You're really upset and
the
> > more you think about it the more uptight you become.
> >
> > All of a sudden you start experiencing severe pain in your chest
that
> > starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only
> > about
> > five miles from the hospital nearest your home, unfortunately you don't
> > know
> > if you'll be able to make it that far. What can you do? You've been
> > trained
> > in CPR but the guy that taught the course neglected to tell you how to
> > perform it on yourself.
> >
> > Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this
> > article
> > seemed in order. Without help, the person whose heart stops beating
> > properly
> > and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before
losing
> > consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing
> > repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before
each
> > cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing
sputum
> > from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about
> > every
> > two seconds without let up until help arrives, or until the heart is
felt
> > to
> > be beating normally again.
> >
> > Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements
squeeze
> > the
> > heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the
heart
> > also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims
can
> > get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help.
> >
> > Tell as many other people as possible about this, it could save
their
> > lives!
> >
> > --from Health Cares, Rochester General Hospital via Chapter 240's
> > newsletter
>
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