Day 0Arpita Soma took all the precautions and isolated herself even as she felt slightest of symptoms. This helped her to contain the infection and not spread it to her near and dear ones. Though Arpita did not have any symptoms, she felt mentally exhausted. Here is Arpita story through which she wants to convey not everyone who tests positive has to be hospitalized and has severe symptoms.
I had general tiredness, occasional sneezes, thought it was due to sweeping and mopping I did that day. I took a nap in the afternoon after a long time.
Day 1
My eyes were feeling strained which got okay with a cup of coffee. Later in the day, I was talking to someone on the phone who mentioned that my voice was sounding a bit different. To be on the safe side, I got myself tested.
Day 2 - 14
I had no symptoms at all apart from a stuffy nose from day 2 to day 4.
Here is why I decided to share my story
Because, if I didn't insist on getting tested on Day 1, there was no way I would have known that I could be COVID positive. And I'm scared to imagine what would have happened if I did not do the test and went ahead and met my parents/in-laws or anyone else while I was infected.
I wanted to share my COVID story, one because I want people to be aware of how easily we can ignore a few lesser-known symptoms of COVID, and two, I want people to know that there are many cases that can be cured easily and that not everyone needs to panic if they test positive.
Strained eyes, itchy eyes, sore eyes, pink eyes, slight temperature, lower back pain, vomitings, diarrhoea are some common symptoms of COVID. It looks like anything can be an indication of this disease. I don’t mean to say that every sore eye is a sign of COVID-19, but it is always advisable to be aware and if one feels even a bit unwell, it is good to isolate and get tested ASAP. Timely diagnosis and medication can avoid a lot of complications. And these tiny things can go a long way in reducing the spread.
We haven’t stepped out, haven’t socialised, and haven’t met a lot of folks in the days before I tested positive. I can count using my fingers the number of people we met and everyone around me tested negative. It took me two days to deliberate if I should post my experience on social media. I was scared that I would be jinxing the no symptoms part and I am still scared that the virus might take a U-turn and manifest as some other complication. Because that is the kind of story I have been hearing all around me.
I have also realised that the COVID story doesn’t end with a negative result. There are no words to explain the post-COVID mental stress one may go through. I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to check my kid's temperature. And every time they sneeze, it gives me a mini heart attack.
A friend's cousin reached out to me after seeing my COVID positive post. She called me to talk about the anxiety, the depression, the mental stress and the emotional drain that COVID can be.
She felt alone, paranoid and asked me if she was overreacting. I told her she wasn’t.
I told her that I now see everything with a microscopic view.
I told her that I don't let my husband open the door now to couriers and swings and that I am the family's official covi-SHIELD now and will remain so for at least another couple of months. I told her how in the middle of the night I send random messages to the husband and laugh over it the next day. It was comforting for both of us to know that we weren’t alone.
I haven’t prayed so much in as long as I can remember. I go to bed and wake up thankful for another day. Grateful every day that the kids don’t show any symptoms. I do believe in positive energy, good vibes and prayers and am very hopeful that we will sail through this phase. But, it isn’t a very happy place to be.
While I did test negative now, I am in no way back to my 100%, neither physically nor mentally. I believe that the road to recovery is a long one. I will continue saying a silent prayer every night for myself, for my family and for everybody out there fighting this dreaded virus. In the meantime, Stay home. Stay safe. Stay strong!
Did you fight COVID-19? We want to hear all about it. ETimes Lifestyle is calling all the survivors of COVID to share their stories of survival and hope.
