Sunday, March 22, 2009

A Trip to the Waterfalls and a Question to be Answered by YOU!

There are several waterfalls in the surrounding mountains of Taloctoc; big and small ones. There was this small one that we used to bathe in when we had more time to venture farther from the village. It was situated in a mid-portion of the mountain and it was an ideal place to have picnics, take a rest and then just basked in nature.

On a Saturday, I and my friends had decided that we had enough of the river and would want the refreshing cascade of the waterfalls, so off we went.

We had planned to stay only for half a day so we didn't bring anything with us. We swam under the pool of water just below the falls and enjoyed the clear and sparkling coolness. We climb atop the jutted rock and dived downwards; it was exhilarating that we lost track of time.

(Our waterfalls looked something like this.)

We only noticed that it was already afternoon when our stomachs growled hungrily and our shadows were slanting towards the east. (Yes, that was how we knew what time it was).

Each one went scavenging for food, but we didn't have to go far as there were wild guavas and berries all over the vegetation. We stuffed ourselves and in no time at all, we were full. We then went back to diving and swimming. We only stopped when it was too cold to stay in the water.

We donned our newly-washed clothes - which we have dried during the interim. (Remember, we bathe with nothing but our birthday suits on.) We were as happy as a bee and feeling invigorated as we finally descended and found our way home.

This is one event I would never forget because the following morning, we were all "sick" in bed. Not one in the group acknowledged the real reason why! We just said, we were sick and needed to stay home.

But truth is - CAN YOU GUESS WHY?

I will award 3,000 EC credits to whoever could give the real reason why we stayed home the following day.

Photo by Li-Ji

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am guessing an upset stomach... you took the plunge on a full stomach, after filling yourselves with guavas who I guess might have been under sun's heat too.. which could also contributed to the stomach aches.

Jena Isle said...

Hi Roy,

I'll wait for more answers before I select the closest one. Thanks for participating and happy blog hopping.

Anonymous said...

Wow what an adventure! I guess you got sick because of the wild guavas and berries you had for lunch. Some of these wild fruits are even poisonous!

zorlone said...

That's a very beautiful mini falls! I would have done the same... swim in it! he he he!
Okay, I would agree with roy, an upset stomach will be one of my choices. but i'll try to give my best medical guess/guesses.
Going through the salient features of the events that transpired, let's see:

1. you were probably in your pre school or start of your schooling when this happened (you were not ashamed of being naked with other people).

2. the guavas, berries, water. these are potential sources of the problem, so i will look into that later as we analyze.

3. acute onset of the symptoms. the nest day you were all at home.

4. the number of people, i mean kids who were affected at the same time.

probable causes/diagnosis:

1. Acute viral diarrhea
this is one of the easiest infections you can acquire from all the salient features. this condition is contracted from just even going to a different area/place, hence may be called traveler's diarrhea.
this will also justify why all of the kids wont tell the real reason why they had to stay home. it's a bit humiliating for a kid to have diarrhea, you know all the joking, sneering, and teasing. hehehe

Culprit: viruses. most common rotavirus

2. acute gastritis
although not as common as the above condition, acute gastritis may manifest with vomiting and stomach pain, just like what roy mentioned.

Culprit; bacteria, the enteric ones like E coli, H. pylori, etc

3. Systemic viral illness

Not a priority or choice, but the manifestations are, fever, body malaise, fatigue, the B symptoms as we call it in medicine.

Culprit: any virus (not a specific infection)

4. Although, not a medical consideration, I think all of you kids got a lot of spanking when you got home!!! he hehe! another reason to feel ashamed. LOL

5. Dehydration

this is a differential diagnosis but a least likely condition, chances are, the sun was up and you were all tired from swimming and whatever, so there is a chance to be dehydrated. BUT, I doubt that, since you were playing in a cool are, the water falls. he he he.

I hope I covered all the aspects of our investigative work, but I would still search for more reasons if my differential diagnosis are unsatisfactory.

Beautiful mini falls!!! I want to go there!!!

Thank you for letting me participate Jen!

Z

Jena Isle said...

Hi Carey,

I'll say nothing for now, until after the entries are all in..lol...but ..well...happy blog hopping.

Jena Isle said...

Hi Doc,

Very thorough indeed, he he he...pero...he he he...Let's wait for the others. lol...

zorlone said...

I wouldn't want to say this because it will ruin the guesses of other people.

Because that day the kids stayed home, was a day of responsibility. Commandment number four. In our country, that day falls a day of rest. Pretty cool contest!

Z

Jena Isle said...

Hi Doc,

hmmmmmmmm....more please..hehehe.

zorlone said...

Ok, if it's not an infection, then it's food related. An intake of high fibers will form bulk in the stools, if the kids were hydrated (consumed a lot of water), then they would have more bulk in their stools. Too much of a high fiber diet, will cause increase in intensity of passage (defecation).

Culprit: Foods rich in fiber, so whatever the kids ate, it must be that, fruits such as papaya (freshly picked), potatoes (if the kids picked them up and cooked them), avocado (from the trees), or any other high fiber food.

They got sick, but the kind that's not infectious. he he he!

zorlone said...

Not to mention the embarrassing flatulence it causes... you know, eating those kinds of food.

zorlone said...

Oh no! The other end of the spectrum? Constipation. Too much guavas, will hold onto the stools longer. LOL
Tricky...

Anonymous said...

Hi Doc,
hmmmmmm.., I'll answer that eventually...let's wait and see if any of your answers is correct. lol.

Renz said...

Hmmm..I think you were all too shy to admit that all of you got spanked for playing all day and staying out late. Grounded for the day?

Or because you were naked you got bitten by leeches hehehhehe...

Jena Isle said...

Hi Renz.

he he he, that was funny..hmmmmmm....watch out for the answer in the next few days..good luck! Thanks and happy blog hopping.

Anonymous said...

You had poison ivy.

Jena Isle said...

Hi Karen,

Poison ivy, hmmmm , good answer....but let's wait..lol...

Thanks and happy blog hopping.

Jena Isle said...

Thanks to all who answered. The doctor got the correct answer- constipation and dyspepsia caused by bad gas. lol..I'll send the EC soon doc and I'll give all participants 100 EC credits for the effort.

Roy said...

got it Jena!

I was surprised.

Thanks!

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