The Progression

Last night, 2 hours after receiving treatment.

  

This morning, 11 hours after receiving treatment.

  

Tonight, 26 hours after receiving treatment.

  

Did it work? It’s hard to give a scientific answer. I’ve been particularly sickish in the mornings every morning since Wednesday of this week. I’ve been waking up far before my alarm with splitting headaches, body aches, sneezing, stuffiness, inability to breathe, diarrhea, crusty eyes, snot running everywhere, and various other nastinesses. And every day since Wednesday, I’ve been generally achy and mildly feverish and very sneezy and feeling exhausted and popping pills pretty much all day long.

Today is the first day since Wednesday that I slept all the way until my alarm. And it is the first day that I have had energy. And it is the first day that I haven’t wanted to go to bed at 8 PM. And it is the first day that I have gone medicine free.

Did the sickness just run its course? Did being dikerokan work? We may never know.

What I do know is that I’ve been told at least 5 times today by people who have seen the red marks trailing up my neck, “Wow! You are Javanese!” I don’t care if it made me healthy or not – it was worth the pain if only for that.

(PS – It doesn’t hurt at all today except for a little bit on my ribcage under my arms which feels like a cross between a bruise and a mild sunburn if I rub it or carry a backpack. That was also the part that caused the most pain when Dewi was actually doing it last night.)