What did I ever do to you, you insect?! I didn't even disturb you, or try to swat you away or anything! I was just minding my own business, getting on with my life, and all of a sudden, you stung me! Of all the people that you could have stung, you just HAD to sting me! Pffft...
[ Sigh ] Well, I guess it's no use complaining. It's just an insect. But whatever this insect was, it sure has some really potent venom. And I'm not joking. What appeared to be a simple insect sting is turning out to be a bit more serious than I expected.
It all started last Tuesday (10 July 2012). I was washing the dishes as usual, when I realised that there was a tingling pain in my left index finger. I analysed my finger a bit more closely, and that's when I saw it: A shiny red bump. And at the center of this red bump, I could see what was undeniably a puncture wound, no bigger than a pinhead. Immediately, I showed it to my mother. And after a while, she concluded that this red bump was caused by an insect sting.
I stood there for a while, speechless. Since when was I stung by an insect? I tried to refresh my memory, but honestly, I just couldn't recall anything that was related to me being stung by an insect! Simply put, I was randomly and unknowingly stung by an insect, without even realising it!
At this point, both me and my mother dismissed this insect sting as something minor. After I finished with my chores, my mother told me to apply antiseptic on the bump (just in case), as well as some anti-inflammatory cream. That's all.
11 July 2012 - The next day, I noticed that the bump had grown in size, and the tingling pain had intensified. Furthermore, the bump was filled with what appeared to be yellow pus. Once again, I showed it to my mother, and unsurprisingly, she told me it was fine, and that the development of the pus was a "normal" thing. Well, her confident statement gave me no reason to panic, so I carried on with my daily life as usual.
12 July 2012 - On Thursday, the pus-filled bump had again increased in diameter, and to my horror, the skin surrounding the bump was shockingly pale and blue. Half of my index finger was now red and inflamed. Frantically, I showed it to my mother (again...). But this time, she realised that things were more serious than she thought it would be. So she decided to bring me to the Setia Alam pharmacy after college to get my finger checked. The pharmacist was sure that this bump was unmistakably caused by an insect sting.
After passing me some cotton swabs, alcohol, and antibiotic cream, the pharmacist instructed me to sterilise a needle using the cotton and alcohol, then use it to puncture the skin containing the yellow pus. Then, I had to squeeze out the pus by applying pressure to the area. I did what she told me to do, and by the end of the day, I had squeezed out almost all the pus from the bump, together with an equal amount of blood. After that, I carefully applied the antibiotic cream.
And with that settled, I thought my finger was finally going to be okay again...
13 July 2012 - I woke up on Friday morning, expecting to see my finger returned to its normal state. Even an improvement would suffice. But there was no such improvement. Instead, the situation just got worse. Much worse.
My ENTIRE left index finger had become madly swollen and enlarged. The tingling pain had been replaced by a pulsating, throbbing pain. And as for the bump, it was now bigger then ever, re-filled with more pus. It was sickening to even think about it. And at this point, I could barely even bend my index finger! Regardless, I applied the antibiotic cream and went to college as usual, fearing the worst.
When my mother took notice of my seriously inflamed and swollen index finger, she was stunned. She quickly took me to a clinic, where the doctor confirmed the seriousness of the situation. He took me into a small room at the back of the clinic, where he, armed with cotton pads, began squeezing out the pus from the bump. The pressure he applied was immense, and the pain in my finger was excruciating. It felt as if my finger was being slowly ripped off! I couldn't help but wince due to the intense pain, and when I braved myself to look at my index finger, I witnessed a horrific sight. There was so much, blood. My blood... Dripping uncontrollably from the gaping wound on my finger. Bloodied cotton pads lay scattered on the table where my hand rested on. I closed my eyes tightly and braced myself, as the doctor prepared to apply even more pressure on the wound.
And then, it was over. As the doctor applied yellow solution and a plaster onto the wound, the pain pulsating throughout my finger continued to throb uncontrollably. I sighed with relief as the doctor showed me the way out whilst talking to me about venomous insect stings, antibiotics, and painkillers...
14 July 2012 - Ever since I went to see the doctor, I finally had some peace of mind. I obediently followed the instructions the doctor gave me, mainly taking the prescribed antibiotics according to the schedule, and sometimes squeezing out some excess pus that may have developed after my visit to the clinic. Overall, Saturday breezed by without much trouble or worries. The worst was over, or so I thought...
15 July 2012 - In the morning, I was squeezing out what I thought was a small amount of pus that developed in the bump. Then my father came to check on me. Apparently, he got stung by an insect too, so I assumed he wanted to know about my insect sting as well.
He noticed that I was squeezing out some pus from the bump. Squinting at my finger, he told me that I wasn't applying enough pressure, so he volunteered to do it for me. And so I let him.
Without much warning, I felt like my finger was being literally crushed! The pain was agonising, almost twice as painful as the pain I experienced at the clinic. Initially, I tried hard not to scream. But as the pressure applied on my finger increased, I couldn't hold it in anymore - I HAD to scream in pain. Once again, blood oozed out from the re-opened wound, dripping uncontrollably from one finger to the next...
As my father went to grab more tissue paper, I stared at my bloodied finger, with the pulsating pain throbbing more painfully than ever. And then the process was repeated. Equipped with more tissue paper, my father squeezed the area around the wound mercilessly and unrelentingly, causing more blood to gush out. I gritted my teeth and clenched my other fist, fighting off the extremely intense pain that erupted from my left index finger.
The thin patch of skin that clung on to the wound finally gave way, and my father offered to peel the dead skin off. Before I could answer, he pulled it off anyway, then he began squeezing again. My thoughts about the dead patch of skin were abruptly interrupted as a new wave of excruciating pain shot through my index finger. As I reluctantly turned to look at my wounded finger, I noticed what seemed to be a small, finger-like projection, emerging from the wound. I asked my father for a tissue, with the excuse of wanting to wipe off the sheer amount of blood accumulated on my finger. As I wiped, I examined the finger-like projection, prodding it cautiously with my tissue. I tried to gently tug it out, but as I did, a sharp pain shot through my finger. Then it hit me - It was actually, believe it or not, a blood capillary! (This was confirmed a while later, when I checked the cross-section of the human finger on the Internet). My mind was reeling, and I began to feel slightly dizzy. I thought it would never end...
Finally, my father declared that the blood coming out of the wound was "dark red" and "clean". He cleaned the wound, applied yellow solution, and wrapped some first-aid gauze around it. The ordeal was over at last...
And so, here I am, documenting the painful and bloody experiences that I have been through for the past few days.
As of right now, the fate of my finger has yet to be determined. It could get better, but it could also get worse.
Only time will tell...
May the Force be with you...
