COVID DIARIES

Miles to Go Before I sleep

Day 2 dawned with the confirmation of the Test being POSITIVE.

What followed was a video consultation with the doctor , a detailed comfortable chat . She heard my symptoms and gave a brief roundup as to what is happening in my body. The prescription was attached within 15 minutes and I will not divulge the details of the prescription here , since each patient undergoes symptomatic treatment . So it would be unethical to paste a personal prescription here.

2 advise given that was to be strictly followed :

• Get an Oximeter and keep a regular oxygen check , every 2 hours or so
• Monitor your body temperature every couple of hours.

The doctor did warn me that my temperature might swing from low grade to high , in the coming days .

The CT value for my Covid Test was 25 . And there was good learning in it for me .

CT is the Cycle threshold value .  CT value in such a case as Sars Covid is inversely proportional.  Samples with CT value of less than 35 are positive.  Samples with CT value of more than 35 are  negative .

17 – 24 = High . 24 -35 = Moderate .

Infectivity and severity are to be differentiated .  The CT value had nothing to do with severity.

Eg – a person with CT of 10 could be asymptomatic while a person with a CT of 25 could be highly symptomatic.

I continued with simple breathing exercises and eating meals on time.

Slowly the bodyache grew in intensity . You feel the heat escaping from your heels ,  toes and palms.

It seems as if there is a tornado raging inside you , the type that you see in movies alone , going round and round in circles.

Since my oxygen levels were steady throughout , I did not panic .

There was a point of time when I started conversing with the virus : “Why are you so angry Mr Virus ? Why are you so violent ? Can’t we talk gently to each other ? If we are going to sharing space for the next few days, then lets have some ground rules . You cant be troubling me 24 X 7 !! “

The funnybones in me were tickled at the thought that even in pain, I was building up stereotypes. How did I presume that the Virus was a Mr ?

Day 2 saw me manage to sweep and mop my room and have a bath but Day 3 was a total wash out. I just lay on my bed whole day long , totally drained.

Blessed I was to have a daughter , a husband and extended family by my side who nursed me day in and day out. The ornate table outside my room witnesed heavy traffic whole day long.

My heart goes out to those who have to go through this ordeal in strange lands and away from homes , on the streets and in hospital corridors.

Counting my blessings helped me get over my bodyache on Day 2 and 3.

I did miss out mentioning that I had taken the first dose of Covishield  vaccine , 2 weeks prior to being affected . And my doctor assured me that this act of mine could well save me from getting affected severely by the Virus.

And yes , the perfect companion to my isolation hours was the CARAVAN RADIO borrowed from my friend.  Together , RD Burman (God Bless his soul ) and myself would  drift off to sleep, long after the world had fallen quiet.

Another video which I followed, containing simple handy suggestion for Covid infected patients and their meals , was https://youtu.be/jU9BsoHZuiM

WHAT HELPED : Meals on time, light food, lots of fluid, periodic check of Oxygen levels, isolation.

What I also kept going was my hobby of writing , though in my mind. I hung on to it , word by word. It kept me mentally alert.

And the most powerful of all – prayers !

Day 4 and 5 were another journey altogether !