My COVID Story a tale for every young healthy adult!!!

“Due to the apocalyptic stature the media has conferred on (COVID-19), no one or at best very few know, what to do and how to recover and come out if one happens to get infected. Prevention is better than cure, but knowing the path to recovery is a must”

“COVID-19/Corona” would be the most dreaded word of 2020. The Global pandemic has changed the world unbelievably, to an extent never even remotely imagined, it has severely impacted every economy on the planet, halted industries and schools and limited the mobility world over. It has been as if we were in the middle of a sci-fi movie. We saw a perceived apocalypse shadowing the world, coming closer to us each day, from a city in a distant country to our cities, streets and then grappling our neighbourhoods and families appearing as if the world is already under its shadow and we just cannot escape it. News on TV, print and internet has been running COVID-19 and its impact almost 24x7 for last one year now. However, all we are being told is what to do to avoid it, while knowing very well that with each passing moment the likelihood of catching it is only increasing. Due to the apocalyptic stature, the media has conferred on it, no one (or at best very few) know what to do and how to recover and come out of it if one happens to get infected.

Me and my wife both, like a billion others globally, have feared COVID-19 and always prayed to keep away from it, taking utmost precaution every-time we stepped out, washing hands with soap multiple times and never erring to miss the mask while being out. Also sanitizing/washing everything (groceries etc) before using. Stepping out would be followed by washing every bit of clothing, steam inhaling and taking a shower. In short, we have been religiously following every known precaution. In June, we moved from Mumbai and reached our family in Noida (mother and brother) safely packed in PPE Kits in our flights. Everything was just going fine as we tried to dodge COVID with our shields of best practices.

“Being proactive is good, in short, we had been religiously following every known precaution”

On 31st October, 7 months since lockdown had changed our lifestyle, my mother (60) who otherwise is very physically active lady and has been non-diabetic, was unfortunately diagnosed with extremely high blood sugar levels (550+), and I along with my wife had to rush her to nearest multi-speciality hospital. She was in emergency-ward, and we stood in worry all day in a hospital which was treating both COVID and non-COVID patients. Her blood sugar was brought in control by around 8:00 pm at night, and on our request doctors discharged her and we returned home late at night. With medication and diet, she started showing continuous improvement though continuing to be weak in days to follow.

On 5th November, as part of my usual daily kitchen help, while I was tempering Daal, I accidentally burnt all the spices in my tempering pan, but unusually, I just could not smell anything. I did not believe and immediately, tried smelling other strong spices like Hing, Ajwain, but everything smelled sand to me. I too thought, what most of you are already guessing, and my heart was thumping out of tension, next I opened my Arogya setu app, which only confirmed my fears were right, the app showed a 10-minute interaction with COVID Positive person on 31st October at the super speciality hospital. I was sure by now, that I was infected. With a thumping heart, I sat in a corner calming myself as I thought of what to do next. Let me highlight here that I had no other symptom by then, I had no cold, no fever, no cough or throat irritation, just loss of smell alone.

“Being proactive is good, but there is never a 100% guarantee to prevention and it’s equally important to be vigilant of early symptoms and accept and come to response mode with calm mind even if things go where we never wanted them to be”

I declared an emergency at home and isolated myself with absolute certainty, nothing, after this moment, came out of the room I was in. The home and kitchen were sanitized immediately, and each member quarantined themselves no one used the same bed from that evening, even if it meant sleeping in the drawing-room on the floor. Same time I booked for a COVID-19 test, informed my manager in the office about early symptoms and about the scheduled test. Next day, the Government COVID response team came, and did a Rapid antigen test of each of us, within 20 minutes I was declared Positive while everyone else at home was declared negative. 1 hour later another team came and did the RTPCR test, reports followed 2 days later and to our surprise, while my brother and mother were negative, my Wife’s RTPCR report came positive. That’s where we saved the family, clearly disciplined Quarantine prevented mother and brother from getting infected. Wife joined me in my room in the isolation. While my mother and brother helped us survive by supplying the essentials and daily cooked food. Literally, nothing beyond air came out of our rooms during the days of our isolation even our utensils were separate and washed by us.

By our respective 4th day, both of us, developed cold, running nose and great fatigue, as against my normal sleeping hours of 5-6 hours, I was sleeping 12-16 hours. One unique thing about COVID-19 was while all other symptoms faded, the fatigue stayed. Around 7th day all symptoms other than fatigue were gone with minimal medication. We were given multivitamins, Vitamin C and a very healthy protein-rich diet. We also followed a religious schedule of 3-times warm salt-water gargles, 4-times steam inhalation 100+ smells a time and drinking only warm water, while also having one spoon of Ayuvedic Chayavanprash. We were also under medication 5 days antibiotic course along with a corti-steroid for the restoration of lost smell (as per Doctor’s prescription). The Fatigue was such that simple work as lifting a cotton blanket strained the arms as if I had lifted a filled ~20Kg Gas(LPG) cylinder leaving the hand shivering for hours and I found me sleeping for hours after such work.

However, with experience and trials, we learnt a way which probably helped overcome the fatigue very quickly. After 17 days in isolation were over and doctors advised that we could move out, I started doing light exercise for longer durations, like walking, (completely avoiding anything which would need power) only mild exercise. After such a work, I got tight sleep but the stamina surprisingly increased the very next day. Within a week after recovering (21 days from 1st day of infection) I was able to completely resume my old routine including feeling the same strength as Pre-COVID-19 days. Mild long walking greatly and surprisingly helped.

 We had the wedding of my younger brother on 9th December and we had all the energy not only to complete the preparations in 10 days following the end of our isolation but also dance for hours throughout in each function.

Timely detection, strict isolation, religious medication and routine with a focus on immunity booster diet during the isolation followed by mild exercise increasing every alternate day and keeping a very optimistic mind helped us beat COVID-19. It’s just another disease first win it over in mind and the humankind will surely beat it.