Reese Barcelon
- A netizen named Henschel Ann Quinto shared that street foods are one of her favorites.
- Little did she know that the food she loves the most will be the one to put her health at risk.
Everyone loves food as there are a wide variety of dishes to choose from which can satisfy the taste buds of a person.
Some people don’t even mind trying out foods which are sold in the streets as long as it is properly maintained and not pestered by flies. However, despite the customer’s observation regarding the environment where the food was prepared, it is still possible to get some sort of disease through these kinds of foods.
A woman named Henschel Ann Quinto was a fan of street foods for its taste and affordability. However, she realized that the same food she loves is the reason why she will get a disease.
She shared this story on her Facebook account and called it ‘monsters on my body’.
Read her full post below:
“There are Monsters Inside My Body.
Share ko lang para aware kayo sa mga kinakain niyo po. It’s up to you kung babasahin niyo since madrama at mahaba po ito. Ingat sa pagkain ng street foods bes.
For the past few days, these things were the content of my stomach, puro Sodium and Potassium. Except the alcohol though. Hindi naman iniinom yan. Syempre kailangan yan for sanitizing purposes diba? It’s really hard to be sick. Hindi naman malala yung sakit ko kaya wag O.A Pero mahirap, syempre wala naman na madaling sakit eh.
I recently discovered na, I have this so called “Amoeba Disease” nakukuha yan sa mga maduduming pagkain like street foods. And yes, mahilig akong kumain ng mga street foods, masarap kasi. Halos lahat naman tayo kumakain nun.”
According to Quinto, she is one of the fans of street foods – which is the same reason how she acquired Amoeba Disease.
“Kaso, look what happened to me? Nakakuha ng parasites ng wala sa oras bes. Oo, parasiteS with capital “S”. Kasi hindi bacteria ang nakuha “parasite” po, ibig sabihin mas malala sa bacteria and madami sila sa loob ng katawan ko.
Last week, thursday midnight, I was sleeping ng makaramdam ako na parang na dudumi. My tummy was aching so crazy then sobrang matubig ang lumabas nung magbawas ako then nakita ko na parang may blood dun sa dumi. I felt nervous, I was afraid. Pero I just shrugged the thought and crawled back to my bed and slept. Kinabukasan, same pa din. Naisip ko na baka diarrhea, may nakain siguro ako na nakasira sa tiyan ko. Hindi ko ulit pinansin.
Pero nung saturday pagkauwi ko ng tanghali galing sa bible study, napatakbo na ko sa c.r kasi ang sakit sakit talaga ng tiyan ko. And same pa rin ang nangyari. Nag pahinga ako sa sofa tapos feeling ko lalagnatin ako kasi nilalamig ako. Ayun, may sinat na ko nung hapon.
Sunday ng natuluyan akong lagnatin. Dumalo pa ko sa Kingdomhall kasi sayang naman kung hindi ako makakadalo eh, nag sagot pa naman ako ng “Bantayan” kahit masama pakiramdam ko. Well, for Jehovah naman kaya I’m happy. But it turns out na, hindi din ako masyadong nakinabang kasi ang sama talaga ng pakiramdam ko at antok na antok ako.”
She already felt the symptoms of the disease, yet she decided to disregard it as she thought she only has an upset stomach.
However, the pain worsened and she started to feel sick.
“Pag-uwi namin, pinagpahinga na ko nina mama at papa sa kwarto ko. Nung nilalagnat ako, I thought ‘trangkaso siguro dala ng pagod’ kasi ang sakit ng kalamnan ko at nanlalambot na ko. And minutes after while laying on my bed, I felt so cold, my head and body were both aching, my breathing was heavy and my hands and feet were shaking. Tiniis ko, kasi kakainom ko lang ng gamot. I endured it for I think, 15 mins? Then I panicked because my body froze and I can’t move. I shouted but that wasn’t enough since nasa baba sila at nasa taas ako ng kwarto ko. Garalgal pa yung boses ko. Yung kapatid ko ang tumawag kina mama. I cried out loud. Panicked were written all over their face. Kaya ayun, sinugod ako sa hospital.
38.1 degrees yung lagnat ko ng bumaba na dahil pinainom ako ng gamot. So, ibig sabihin mas mataas pa yun kung hindi dahil sa gamot siguro nasa 39 degrees na and that’s not normal. Nag pa-laboratory test ako, kumuha ng ihi, dumi at dugo. Pero ang sakit talaga nung pagkuha sakin ng dugo nung medtech eh, ang bagal talaga tapos ang sakit pa. Hindi ako maka-move on kala ko uubusin yung dugo ko! Ang sama tuloy ng loob ko charot!”
Quinto was shaking, and suddenly, she just couldn’t move her body. She tried to shout and ask for help, and luckily, her sibling heard her call.
She was brought to the hospital where she had undergone various tests.
What the doctor found in her body shocked everyone in her family.
“Nagulat yung doctor ng makita yung result nung test. As in namilog ang mata! Paano ba naman 3 types of parasites daw ang nasa loob ng katawan ko. Normally daw kasi 1 type lang ng parasite sa katawan pag may ‘Amoeba’ madami na daw yung 2 at bihira lang daw yung ganun. Pero yung akin daw 3! Sobrang dami! Sobrang dumi daw ng kinain ko
Puro may potassium and sodium ang pinakakain at pinapainom sakin. Okay lang din daw na tubig ang inumin kaso mas kelangan ko daw Pocari Sweat kasi may sodium and potassium. Bawal ma-dehydrate, bawal pigilin ang dumi. Bawal makalimutan uminom ng gamot kasi didiretso na yung parasites sa kidney then didiretso sa lungs at yun ang nakakamatay. And the good thing is naagapan. Kelangan iinom agad ng Pocari para mapalitan ang mga inilabas ko at para hindi ako ma-dehydrate. Dahil once na hindi ako maihi, ico-confine ako para ma-dextrose at baka mag shut down ang kidney ko at ma-dialysis. Since concentrated daw ang ihi ko.
Sobrang hirap lang kasi sobrang pakla at mapait ang panlasa ko ngayon dahil sa gamot na tine-take ko. Nasusuka ako tuwing iinom ng gamot, nangangasim ako. Side effect kasi. Walang ganang kumain kasi lasang metal ang panglasa ko. Masakit sa tiyan pag dumudumi. Ilang araw pang titiisin. Ganun talaga, ako may kasalanan nito eh. Na tsambahan ako nung kinain ko. Tiis-tiis din.
Sobrang taas na lagnat, sobrang sakit ng ulo na feeling mo lumilindol dahil sa hilo, sobrang masakit na kalamnan at katawan na parang nabugbog, sobrang masakit na tiyan na para kang hihimatayin sa sakit pag dumudumi, stiff neck, sensitivity to light sobrang nasisilaw ako at masakit sa ulo yun, kaya yung mata ko naniningkit at masakit na sikmura tuwing iinom ng gamot. Yan lahat ang naramdaman ko.”
Quinto shared that the street foods she ate gave her three types of parasites that might have killed her if she wasn’t brought to the hospital as soon as possible.
Good thing she was treated immediately.
“Kung naranasan niyo ng magka-trangkaso, doble or triple ang mararamdaman niyo once na nagkaroon kayo ng ‘Amoeba Disease.’ Hindi na maalis yan sa katawan mo, ‘patutulugin’ lang yan ng gamot kaya pag may nakain ka ulit na maduming pagkain, naku bes si ‘parasites and bacteria’ matri-triggered. In short, kakambal mo na yan.
I’m sharing this for you to be aware sa mga kinakain niyo. I’m not saying na lahat ng street foods ay madumi, yun din naman sabi sakin ng doctor. But please be cautious on eating street foods. Wag niyo na pong hintayin na maranasan niyo yung naranasan ko kasi realtalk bes, ang hirap po at ang sakit. Sa mga sure kayo na sanitize ang luto at preparation kagaya nung sa mga malls. Mas expensive syempre pero mas mahal magpagamot bes! Remember, health is wealth.
Sa case ko, pangmayaman na daw ang tiyan ko sabi ni doktora. BAWAL ng kumain ng street foods. So, sorry for me. Eh di magpapaluto na lang ako kay mama. Promise, nakakadala.
Pag kayo po hindi tumigil sa pagkain ng mga street foods lalo na kung madumi magkakaroon din kayo niyan. Pwedeng same tayo ng parasite sa katawan or ibang type ang makuha mo. So, don’t let that happen. Hindi ko sinisiraan ang mga vendors ng street foods kasi hindi naman lahat ay madumi at hanap-buhay nila yan. What I’m saying is ‘Prevention is better than Cure.’”
The horror of what she had gone through surely taught her a lesson never to eat just any food sold in the streets. She learned that taste is probably not too important, compared to the way the food is prepared.
She also warned the netizens to stop patronizing street foods and do not wait until their health is at risk.
Meanwhile, the Facebook users who had read her post were shocked and scared of what a simple street food had done to Quinto.
In conclusion, foods are not at all bad. People can still indulge in various kinds of food, but they should check the process of how it is prepared to avoid putting their life on the line.
How about you? Are you still planning to keep eating this kind of food?
