Awwww! Their Feelings R Hurt(And no, I did not photoshop this headline from today's newspaper)

[merrily]

52. I once told my sister I could not breathe. She called 911.

The next thing I knew, it was a month later; and I was still in the hospital, with a tracheotomy tube in my throat.

So, I can say unequivocally that saying you can't breathe does NOT mean you can breathe after all.

These people may be conflating the test for choking to death with the inability to oxygenate. If you seem to be choking, supposedly the test is to see if you can talk. If you can't talk, you need a Heimlich. (I say "supposedly" because I am not a medical professional. This is just what I've heard.) However, again, I can tell you from catastrophic experience that a person about to pass out (or worse) from lack of oxygen can say "I can't breathe" and be 100% correct. So, if someone says to you "I can't breathe," do NOT assume they can. Do what my sister did. Call 911.*

I can't believe how irresponsible people can be to say otherwise in a newspaper.

*ETA: And, if you know CPR, start CPR. My sister did not know CPR. But I am not trying to give medical advice here, beyond saying it's bs that saying "I can't breathe" means you can breathe, nor am I qualified to give medical advice.