One-Time Local First Help.

This was one hell of an experience that night, my baby brother's temperature had skyrocketed to a percentage I had no idea of but I knew something needed to be done about it.

Opps! I think until the day my country finally leaves the ”developing stage” before we could call for emergency assistance. If not just be ready to do the Do it Yourself Thing

Well back to the story, it was in the middle of the night. I was awoken by my mom’s consistent footsteps from the kitchen to the bathroom turning in a circle.
It felt unusual and I decided to get on my feet to know what the problem might be.

Immediately I saw the look on my baby brother’s face.. I knew all wasn't well. From that point, sleep was far gone from my eyes.

We didn't notice these on time. Before realization, all pharmacies around our environment had closed for the day.
We plan on settling for tomorrow when all of that comes up.

My mom who held a damp towel with a bowl of water continuously uses it to clean his body hoping to relieve the burning temperature.

She was still on that when all of a sudden he started convulsing.

I think I am already so emotional merely thinking about that night.

It was the shock of my life.
I've never been as scared as I was that day, for a child around the age of four, it was like watching my younger brother going before my very eyes.

Something, I just needed to do. I didn't realize my parents pouring a full bowl of water trying to revive him.
But I was thankful that in my confused state, my legs and head could work together.

The crude oil. Funny how my eyes always met with the bottle every time I came home from work. Never knew it would come to use that night.

Immediately I lay my hands on it.. I ran back to my brother who was still convulsing in the hands of my mom and immediately rubbed the oil from his head down to his toes.

I continued doing so for a while before he finally calmed down a bit.
Honestly, I didn't know where I got the strength from.

The normal me is so bad at acting on impulse. I guess I love my baby bro too much.

Fortunately, after he came back, I went to the kitchen to pill and diced out onions to add inside the crude oil which I mixed and continuously rubbed him with it.

The smell and stain were something else but it was my least or no concern at that point. When I discovered the temperature had dropped to a great amount I left him in the hands of my mom to phone a medical friend and told him all that happened.

That's where I learned the temperature should have been at a high decree to have led to that, and advised we manage with paracetamol alongside the damp towel for the night and bring him to the hospital at daybreak.

Well damp cloth, yes.. But. paracetamol no we didn't have it at home.

Not until daybreak after we took him to the hospital and were reassured he was medically fine nerves calmed down.

The burning question on that thing with crude oil came from my mom.

Not that I wasn't expecting the question too. lol, I even slapped myself for not remembering on time, it could probably have cooled the temperature long before that time.

I randomly just answered

One of the advantages of being around elders and hearing them tell stories.

I listened to my godmom’s mom being a midwife when the younger one casually mentioned the use of crude oil. That's it.

Ever since that scary experience, never again did we ignore the absence of children's paracetamol in the house since it was in a way still the best option especially being that it's in dealing with a child.

We never expected a sure experience to occur again but then chose to have crude oil around too, maybe plan B.

At the same time, never again did we take a mere temperature unserious, we learned the hard way and definitely wouldn't want a repetition of that very night.