"Ignorance"

Who would have thought that planting can make you cry?

It's the courage to plant some bell peppers, moringa stems, and "sigarilyas" or winged beans in that cold gloomy morning last Thursday, February 3, 2020.

***Warning: This article contains
 photograph with skin inflammation
 and wound. Excuse to those who
 are eating, read it with your  
 discretion.***

I set aside the seeds of one bell pepper that I prepared for new years evening. I spread them in the mini sack with soil in it, a mini-nursery section of seedlings.

I then replanted them already since they grew already with 3-4 leaves. I also replanted some winged beans. The seedlings were given to me by my boyfriend's father-Tito A.

I remember how amazed I was when I saw plenty of matured brown winged beans vegetables hanging over a tall tree in their backyards. Before going home, I was surprised to receive some pasalubong/ takehome treats such as star apples, betta fish, and winged beans.

I always wanted to plant something that will be useful for our family. With pandemic happening, it's not always every day that we got something to serve on the table. I mean it's big deal for me to just harvest vegetables from our yard than buy them in the market. It's very economical and sometimes commercial products are way different in quality than freshly picking vegetables to plate right away.

Going back to that planting day that I've mentioned above. I never got bored nor bothered by the slightly pouring of rain.

The thing that made me stop for a little while was when I got bitten by red ants. I got them hanging in my feet, legs, hands, and elbows. Imagine how I unintentionally gave them the dance steps I never knew I could. They're aggressive ones. I was bitten even in my fingers and palm.

I quite ignored the pain after I got rid of them in my skin and continue what I was doing. I am allergic to insect bites especially ants since I was a child, but I quite knew how to treat them.

After bathing, I put an ointment to relieve the pain and itchiness in those bitten areas. But one spot got my attention because it was more painful than the usual red ant bites yet I treated it the same with the ointment for anti-itchiness and pain.

While the other markings of red are smaller and not so red for its initial reaction after getting bitten. They will eventually be a lot more intense and will become inflamed with a watery texture and sometimes develop pus.

Above is the picture of the bitten area an hour after effect. Swollen and red with mounting pus. In the evening, I felt the stinging become more intense covering a larger circumference of redness and pain in my leg.

Every step I make going to the comfort room became so hard because all I felt was stinging and it felt like the pain runs up to my inner thigh already. I then managed to pop out the pus after several minutes of fighting with pain. Then I cleaned the wound, put some antiseptic, and covered it with bond aid.

The next morning, this is how it looks like in the picture below. Bigger inflamed area with the red circumference spreading even worst. I am in pain once any of that skin inside the green area is touched.

My skin looks deteriorating, the red area became a plastic-like texture around the pus. I told mama yesterday night that it was painful and she just told me to put some ointment around to calm it down.

Today I woke up crying because I couldn't bear the pain. I never thought planting can make me cry out in pain.

After decades of not having any open wounds, here it is now reminding me to be more mindful about my surroundings. I told mama once more hoping to seek some advice on how to treat this. After she saw the wound, she raised her voice and scolded me big time out of I don't know maybe nervousness that it might be a bee sting with venom inside that can make my whole leg rotten like a decaying fruit. I don't know, I thought it was just an ant bite that will eventually fade. I was clueless, I never knew about beebites' side effects on humans or what to do once bitten. I never experienced it when I was a child and all I know now is that it hurts so much.

I just don't want to move my leg. That's how painful it was for me.

Luckily mama told me to drink antibiotic medicine called amoxicillin to fight the stinging and bacteria growing. Aside from the oral, I continued to cleanse and put topical solution for antiseptic then covered it. I also put gumamela flower juice all over that red area( I just recall this one since Kuya was attacked by bees in our childhood, I don't know the scientific explanation but elders say it's also a cure. If only I knew it was bee bite or sting.)

The first picture was right after I drink the oral medicine, looking so much more inflamed and red. Then the second picture was after an hour of drinking the medicine. The inflammation subsided, the red color lessen as well as the pain.

I can now poke it with my finger and walk normally since yesterday and earlier today, I walked like a grandma while being a cry baby, lol.

If you have been bitten by a bee. Make sure to clean the area, sanitize the tweezer that you'll be using to remove the stinger(black color in the area), put some anti-inflammatory ointment, and cover your wound. Open wounds are more vulnerable to dirt and bacterial growth. You can also drink painkillers if it's unbearable.

Anyway, thank you for reading this far. This is my journey to knowing how it feels like to have a bee sting. Haha, luckily I didn't get a fever or even worse effects. It's just that my pain tolerance is low so this experience made me cry. Lol

Okay so time check, it's already almost 1 am. Fruitful night though to finish an article. haha, Good night guys.