So the story of my seafood dining experience didn’t end there. It got more interesting as the night went into a deep silence. I had tulang ikan stuck in my throat . It was taken lightly at first as stuck tulang ikan was a routine sometimes ago. I ate ikan everyday and every time a small bone would stuck in there for some reasons.
“Eat with your hand every time you have ikan” my father used to say. “… you should feel the little bones before you eat”
Sometimes you forgot that little advice and paid the consequences dearly. It was too much for me as the stupid bone tingled my throat for most of the night. At one point I just shove my finger in there. But it didn’t budge to leave me alone. Frustrated.
So early in the morning I was at the counter of a private hospital here registering for a treatment. I was scared and hopeless. Not again! I whispered sadly. Every part of my body seems to deteriorate. A small blister at the foot took forever to heal. Waking Up from bed, a wrong twist would send my knees to Africa for months. I just need a good rest.
At the treatment room an elderly doctor gave up his Sunday to come and observe my case. He gagged me and shove a camera down my throat to look for that little shit. For the first time I saw the inside of my throat and it made me realised the complexity as well as the tenderness of the whole structure. I always took it for granted and shove in there whatever thing edible. Last night, I pushed my finger in there hoping to reach that little bone. And this morning the aftermath was visible… scratches here and there, even one deep cut across the thing. They have all the names for every part in there; i just don’t bother to take notes. But it was a whole new world in there, i tell you, so take care of your throat . It is so delicate and I think the most important part of us— for eating, drinking ,speaking etc.
I left the hospital with a hefty bill but somehow relieved.
