COVID DIARIES – THE RUN UP TO THE TEST !

As I pen down my encounter with Covid , there is absolutely no doubt in my mind (and body) that this is one of the strongest and deadliest virus that I have been attacked by , so far.

No wonder the world is wound up in tight spirals of worry , anxiety , uncertainty and fear.

Since I was directly infected by the virus , I thought one good way I can get over it – is by talking about it .

But why  worry the already worried world and raise even more angst ?

So , yours truly will attempt to take a lighter view of the situation , without doing away the facts and truths.

At the outset , let me clarify that there  is no clear and concise way through which you can pinpoint as to when did the Virus start to ride piggyback on you .

So I decided that Day 1 would be actually the day that I got officially anointed as POSITIVE .

So the Run up to the Test (Days) were eventful. My symptoms started showing up a couple of days prior . It started with a back ache, then a dull continous headache, then a nagging body ache and then a low grade fever. That’s when I decided to get myself tested.

And you know us Indians , we rarely do big things alone ! So me , my family , our support staff and our neighbour – and -best – friends – all got testedin one go (like a good Indian Parivaar ).

The Test results take a while , so it is good to isolate yourself the minute you begin to feel the symptoms. The newspapers and social media had given us enough inputs to prepare for the onslaught.

So I retired to my room – with – a -view. The family declared my room as out of bounds . Even the much pampered canine was not allowed inside.

An ornate table was dragged from the living room and put right outside my room. All my needs and meals would be placed there , hereafter.

A broom , a soap , a mop , a number of disinfectants were also slid into my room. My battle with the virus was all set to begin.

But on a serious note – it’s a good practise.

Sanitising your room, the clothes one wears , the utensils one uses – definitely stops the virus spread. It made me more responsible towards my own hygiene and staying clean and healthy helps fight this virus.

I had access to a balcony where not only did I put my clothes and stuff to dry , but I also made it a point to spend 5 minutes in the sun, daily. I feel that really helped.

Initially the fever was low grade and the body ache was immense. So you spend the entire day tuning in to your body needs and resting it out. From the bed to the washroom and back. That’s it.

Since the Test Reports had not come in , I had not started with any medication as such apart from a Vitamin C tablet and Zinc supplement , as suggested by my doctor friend. Since I had no cough or cold at that point of time, a simple adrak chai suited me fine.

A good video I would suggest is one by Dr Hansaji in which she talks of simple breathing exercises exercises one must do https://youtu.be/w1FAVxpON4w

In the run up to the Test days , my appetite was not impacted at all . But my family thought otherwise !

There was a shout out every hour , “Mom what Can I get you ?” “ You must stay hydrated and well fed “.  And the ornate table outside my room overflowed !

The night prior to my test result , I had a dream . I dreamt that my Report had come NEGATIVE ! I was celebrating and so was the family . And in the middle of all these celebrations , my special privileges were being whisked away. My room door was thrown open , room service was stopped , the ornate table was dragged back to its place in the living room and I was back to being mama chef, mama waiter and mama cleaner .

The edges of the chef cap tickled my nose and woke me up from my stupor. My doctor friend was desperately trying to call me , “Achha listen. Don’t worry , your report is POSITIVE though “.

At that point , I looked up at the ceiling and I swear I saw the cherubic Devil Corona wink at me and say “ You wanted room service isn’t it ? Well my friend , there is no free lunch in life “.

And so saying the Devil disappeared.

I gathered my feverish body and geared myself for the days to come ! The family set up a video consultation with the doctor for the coming day. Must mention the utility and friendliness of the Apollo Hospitals app and the ease with which a Covid patient can set up video consultation, is praiseworthy.

Do note that no way was I able to pen down these experiences on Day 1 itself. I was too weak and fuzzy . I just kept making mental notes . You lack the energy to even scribble. I just kept making some mental notes . I put these words on to the keyboard probably on Day 7.

WHAT HELPED : Warm saline water gargles , twice a day steaming , lots of fluids and lots of sleep . Avoid using the air conditioner and throw open the windows for fresh air to come in. Keep the food light and eat on time.

DAY 2 & 3 shall unfold tomorrow !