Pudding

A story over at Space to Rant reminded me of something that happened a few years ago. I was working a nightshift on an observation ward, just me and an HCA with about 4 male patients and 8 female ones in an old fashioned Nightingale ward, but we knew we would get more patients in later. One gentleman of the street was admitted, known alcoholic and lived in the local down and out centre when he remembered to go there. It was near Christmas and he had been admitted as he was drunk and had fallen and hit his head (PAFO - pished and fell over) no great worry and he only needed observed overnight. However he had Christmas puddings in his bag, I don't know if they were stolen or a present or if he was in a Christmassy mood but each one weighed about a pound, and I had placed them in the ward kitchen to keep them safe (there was no way any of us were going to eat his stuff so it WAS safe). After a couple of hours sleep he woke up and demanded his Christmas puddings, I explained it was very late, that he would get them back in the morning, that he should get his head down and go back to sleep. I even told him that he was barred from eating in the ward outwith mealtimes. No effect, he demanded his puddings and was actually singing "I want my puddings, give me my puddings I'm hungry give me my puddings" He was annoying the other patients as well as me so I made the decision to give him his puddings for a bit of piece and quiet. I did NOT say the words "I hope they choke you" as I gave him the pudding (honest), but perhaps it crossed my mind. So I had quiet for a few minutes as he ate his pudding, suddenly I realised that perhaps that was not snoring but a choking sound coming from his bed. I rushed over to find his mouth full of pudding and he was choking on the rest - the stupid bug**r had pushed the whole pudding in in one go. I scooped out what I could and performed the Heimlich maneuver a whole gob came out and he started breathing again, I called for medical help and he was fine in a very short time after we made sure that he had not aspirated a pudding into his lungs. He still had the cheek to demand his other pudding after everything had settled down.