A Night Full of Pain

A Night Full of Pain

I had the most horrifying experience in my life last weekend. It was a night full of pain.

Hello, Read! It’s good to write again after that experience and that’s what I’d like to share with you in this post.

It Started With Some Slight Discomfort

April 23, Friday. After dinner, I made a couple of quick digital drawings in Medibang Paint and posted them in Noise.Cash. Afterward, I planned to finish an article that I have already started. But that’s when the discomfort started.

At first, it felt like acid reflux that caused heartburn. Both of my chests are slightly in pain. I burped a few times that gave me some relief. But it did not stop.

The Pain Worsened

As time passed by, the pain slowly worsened. I sat, I stood up, I can’t find any position that would relieve the pain. We had no antacid available at the time... something I used to always have.

I was sweating cold sweat. My stomach continued to bloat, pressing my lungs to the side. Both sides of my chests are in pain and I was already catching my breath.

It was horribly painful. On a scale of 1-10, I could say it was almost over 10. It was the most painful thing that I have ever experienced. More painful than the almost dislocated clavicle bone I attained from my martial arts training.

Going To The Hospital is the Last Option

Though there are a handful of active cases of Covid-19 in our city, it is evident that there are asymptomatic persons carelessly roaming around and spreading the virus. As much as possible, I did not want to go to the hospital. Although with the amount of pain that I was feeling, I almost wanted to.

We Tried Anything Available

I was frantic. Almost in panic. I walked around. Lied flat on the floor. The pain keeps worsening. My mother-in-law suggested trying the “Pito-pito”, a local concoction of seven (pito) herbs. It usually works on mild symptoms.

But after an hour, I am still in extreme pain! Then they found a tablet of Buscopan, which is an antispasmodic medicine. I took it out of desperation.

My wife found our old hot-water bag. But it was already leaking. So I had a plastic bottle filled with a quarter-full of hot water and pressed it on my chest as I lied down.

Temporary Relief

I don’t which of the remedies we tried worked, but around 3 AM, I felt a little relief. I was still hugging the bottle with hot water on my chest. Replacing the water every now and then.

I even think I fell asleep a little bit, but the pain was still there.

The Pain Returned

However, around 3:30 or so, the pain level started to rise again. I just kept on holding the bottle with hot water. I don’t know what happened after that until morning came anymore... I don’t know how have I endured such pain.

Saturday

I woke up on Saturday, after the little restless sleep that I had, with still so much pain. My wife gave me some tablets of Kremil-S (a brand of antacid). She also called for the neighborhood “hie lot” - or someone you might call a ‘faith healer’. A frail-old lady.

As a Christian, I don’t fully believe in ‘faith healers’. But I know that the way these neighborhood ‘hilot’ do their work, they also massage their ‘patient’ with healing oil... or a concoction of liniment and spices and oil. I allowed her to perform her ‘ritual’

As she performed her ‘ritual’, she kept on praying ... an act which I cannot disagree... as she kept on massaging me and rubbing me with a piece of ginger, she kept on praying and emphasizing that she is not the healer but God.

After the ‘Healing’

Was it her massage? Was it her entire healing ritual? But even before she finished her ritual, the pain has subsided. And she said, I was fine now and I will just go on and sleep the whole day. Which I did.

The whole Saturday, I did nothing but sleep.

I ate nothing but half a small piece and some plain rice porridge.

The important thing to me at the time was the pain was gone.

So I thought...

Image Credits:

https://pixabay.com/photos/man-heartache-chest-pain-hurt-pain-1846050/

https://pixabay.com/photos/massage-shoulder-human-relaxation-2768833/