Smita Diwan
In 2020, the entire world was shaken by a pandemic whose name we hadn’t even heard of and couldn’t even dream of its devastating consequences. Since then, we all have been following strict safety protocols, wearing masks, prescribed diets, making green juices, turmeric, and ginger teas as our new best friends. Just when I thought things were shaping up for good, normalcy was hit by the second wave, and all of a sudden, cases increased at an alarming rate. Work again came home, kids began online classes and were refrained from visiting parks or beaches, friends & family again got distant. Even stepping out for grocery shopping became a task.
With the mercury rising outside, I felt a slight sore throat on one of the afternoons. Suddenly a bell rang, and I felt it wasn’t usual. So the very next day, on April 12th, I got tested for COVID (RT-PCR) at Metropolis. Devastated by the reports, I had tested positive, with virus detection by real-time RTPCR. (SARS-COV-2-RNA – Detected. Confirmatory Gene Ct Values:27)
A mild throat infection now turned into Covid positive. It was very unexpected as I had been taking utmost care and working from home all this while. And within no time, the virus began to show its impact on me, leaving me with severe body aches on the first day itself.
Before things could escalate, I immediately reached out to my cousin, Dr Sujata and my brother-in-law, Dr Abhay Rajurkar. On asking few routine questions, they immediately prescribed a multi-vitamin course and medicines for throat infection. With further palpation, body ache & weakness throughout the day, I immediately isolated myself from my 6-year-old and the rest of my family.
What Side Effects Did I Face?
- Severe body ache
- Dehydration
- Dry / Sore throat
- Frequent urination at night
- Extreme headache, neck, body and eye pain
- Loss in appetite
- Dizziness first three days
- Internal chills
From the very next day, we were suggested to completely reverse our routine. Things weren’t usual anymore. Our medical supplies shot up drastically – Stocked with vaporizers, betadine to gargle, multivitamin tablets and plenty of disposable masks. Along with medicines, we were asked to double our fruit intake, drink plenty of coconut water and cinnamon teas to keep ourselves warm.
Day 3: Morning sickness, loss of taste, smell and appetite
The day began with morning sickness. Even after waking up, I would lie on the sofa for half an hour to gather all my energy. I started my day with celery juice. Loss of taste, smell & appetite was a noticeable change. I used to not feel hungry even at 3 pm, wherein my usual lunchtime is 1 pm.
Tip: Fluids, Fruits and Vegetable Soups
Intake plenty of fluids to battle weakness and gain some energy. Celery, beet and carrot, or even constantly having lemon water help keep the body hydrated. Not to forget to have soups to keep your throat warm. A mixed soup of broccoli, carrot, pumpkin & potato helped keep my stomach filled for the first three days.
Day 4: Constant cough, muscle pain, but the throat was better
Chest congestion and the constant cough continued. But by now, the medicines started working on me. I could feel my throat was better than it was on the first two days. Slight heaviness on my chest and muscle pain, however, persisted.
Tip: Gargling, Steam, Hot Water
During this phase, keep gargling constantly, take ample steam and drink hot water throughout the day. You may feel your energy at its lowest, but it’s really important to keep doing the above. It helped to get my phlegmy cough out.
Day 5 & 6: Heaviness in Eyes, Headache, but Gradually Started Feeling Better, Self Checks
As days passed by, I gradually started feeling better. Although I felt slight heaviness in my eyes along with some headache on both days, I comforted myself with morning & afternoon naps. There was also a slight difficulty in breathing; that’s when I started doing few breathing exercises, which gave me good relief. Not to forget, all this while I kept a thorough check on my Spo2 levels at home, which was above 95. I continued to stay energized by drinking lemon water and intaking a protein diet.
Tip: Protein Rich Diet, Hot water, Vitamin D
To your diet, add a boiled egg, paneer or soya beans. If you are a non-vegetarian, consult your doctor before taking a protein-rich diet. Hot water throughout the day gave me relief. Vitamin D is also extremely necessary during this course, which will be prescribed by your doctor.
Day 8: No Lung Infection, Kids need Attention too
My CT Scan reports had arrived earlier. Thankfully, they were normal, and there was no lung infection which was a major sigh of relief. But in the meantime, we got our six years old tested, and she showed positive signs. It did hit us badly, but within no time we reached out to our doctor and started the meds immediately. All this while, our little one wasn’t showing any symptoms, but now she had a running nose and slight weakness.
Tip: Children may or may not show the symptoms, but if they test positive, make sure their food intake remains the same. Vaporizers are different for you and your child. You may want to use separate washrooms and maintain distance even at home.
All This While I Was Also on the Following Medicines:
- Azithromycin
- Tab PMC 500mg
- Doxy 100mg
- Ivermectin 12 Mg
- Fabiflue 200mg
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin C
Key Takeaways:
- Don’t overthink why it happened; you will only end up overstressing your brains. Nobody knows how Covid is going to knock on your door.
- Avoid touching your face without washing your hands.
- Try to use disposable masks every day, even at home.
- Ask for help. In my case, my family was my pillar. They constantly kept in touch and gave us support. Whether it was my parents, my brother-in-law or my cousins, I felt relieved with their support.
- Food intake plays a crucial role, and I was lucky to get home-cooked food from my cousins.
- We would not have sailed through this without the guidance of my doctors and their everyday morale boosters. Every piece of advice helped us in a big way, and we are thankful to all of them.
- Just go with the flow, keep a lot of patience and faith in the almighty. Remember, this phase is temporary, and your determination is permanent.
As I enter my 12th day of Covid, I feel better. My little one is doing fine, and there is no appetite loss for her. As my entire family has been tested positive for the virus, I remain the sole caretaker as my symptoms are not that worse. We are trying to keep up with our food intake, which is difficult to maintain, but that’s the only way to rebuild immunity and stay strong.
My Covid story continues as I will take you through Part II very soon. Until then, please stay indoors, stay safe.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article should not be considered as a substitute for a physician’s advice. Please consult your treating physician for any advice or more details.
