text: Alison Hall, 48, almost choked to death after a false nail in her pocket worked its way into her asthma inhaler. It then shot to the back of her throat when she took a puff . An asthma sufferer almost choked to death when she took a puff on her inhaler and nearly swallowed a false nail. Alison Hall, 48, was at work when she felt her chest tightening and took out her blue salbutamol inhaler. She took a sharp breath and felt something shoot to the back of her throat where it became lodged. The mother-of-one ran outside in a panic when a neighbour came to her rescue and began pounding her back before calling 999. After five minutes of choking, a false nail finally came loose from the back of her throat and fell out onto the pavement. Ms Hall, who works for a local authority, said it was part of a cheap £1.50 set she had used weeks before and had probably fallen in her pocket. She believes the nail may have worked its way inside the inhaler through a gap at the top. She added: 'The inhaler has a lid but the top is open. There is a millimetre gap on each side. I spoke to my doctor and she was mortified.' Ms Hall is now urging others to check their inhalers before use. She said: 'I check my inhaler constantly. I've been using it for about ten years now and I use it regularly. 'I can go days without using it but then at times I need to use it a lot more. 'At about midday I used it and I checked inside the mouth piece. Then I was in work and went in my pocket. I took the lid off and took a puff. 'Something went into the back of my throat and I started choking. I don't know how long that nail had been in there.' She added: 'My brain told me to run outside. There was a neighbour who was two doors down and I was trying to shout help. 'I kept thinking "I'm going to die". Blood started to come out of my mouth. 'The man started hitting and hitting me on my back. Then his wife came out and took over. Her husband then rang 999.' Scroll down for video . Ms Hall said the nail was part of a cheap £1.50 set she had used weeks before and had probably fallen in her pocket. She believes the nail may have worked its way inside the inhaler through a gap at the top . Lee Bray, 45, his wife Tracy, 37, and their daughter Millie, 11, continued to help Ms Hall until the paramedics arrived. She said: 'The next thing I knew there was a nail on the floor and a pile of blood. The nail had been scratching me and causing me to bleed. 'I was choking for about five minutes. It felt like more air was coming out than was going in. 'Even when the nail had come out I kept saying to the ambulance people it was still in there, so they gave me another hard hit and more blood came up.' Ms Hall, of Oldham, Greater Manchester, said: 'The paramedic and the doctor at the hospital said that I was one lucky lady. 'You don't know how scary it is until you go through it. I thought I was going to die.' 'My main concern now is making other people aware of the dangers.'
target: Alison Hall, 48, says the nail became lodged and she started to choke .
  Believes nail had come off in her pocket and worked way inside the inhaler .
  There is a 1mm gap at top of salbutamol inhaler where it may have got in .
  Now wants to warn others about thoroughly checking inhalers before use .