VE Shankaran caught COVID-19 just when the second wave of coronavirus had started to spread in the country. Initially confusing his COVID symptoms to be that of the frequent colds he used to get, his condition soon became severe and required him to spend days in the hospital. While he was lucky to recover in time, he recaps that defeating COVID-19 not just requires timely medical intervention, but also a lot of mental resilience...
I was planning to take my vaccine in April’21 once my year end office work was over as I wanted to have a thorough check up of my chest, blood etc before I do that.. And then, just as April started, so came COVID calling. I too thought it would be like viral fever for the last 1 year, since it came into this world… I read a lot of medical notes on google etc… As a person who used to get a severe attack of cold and cough now and then which also impaired my hearing, it was my assumption that it would be a little more severe than a viral fever
The first week of April, the day started with a slight sensation of cold, nose block and sore throat which were the symptoms I used to get when I get or say catch cold…
I went to the office as usual and by evening around 3 PM fever was mild.. I told my colleague and left home.. I didn’t call anyone in my office to my cabin that day, nor attended any meetings at the office.. as I used to do when I have a severe cold.
I also took a leave from the office the next day onwards & I was on antibiotics for the next 3 days but body pain became so heavy that I couldn’t even walk to the washroom. Fourth day morning, I felt some uneasiness in breathing & my fever was not coming down, my wife and son took me forcibly to scan centre for a chest scan as per our family doctor advise. The report showed CT severity score 8/25.
It was suggested that I get admitted at the hospital and have a full treatment considering my age 54 years and the frequent colds I have.
I was put on treatment for the next 5 days at a private nursing home and was monitored by a pulmonologist too for my O2, BP. Fever receded the very next day of giving Remdesivir & other antibiotics. Lucky that God made me get this in mid April when there was no shortage of medicines and no scarcity of oxygen as I needed O2 support since day 1 of admission.
At the hospital, my wife ensured that I kept on keeping myself nourished by having soup, fruits, eggs, etc.. at regular intervals although I could not differentiate between anything.No sense of smell or taste.Eat even though you don’t want to was the basic principle as we had no other option than to fight the virus. The more nutritious food you eat, the more you fight it more… It's only forcible eating..
If your medicines worked on your body to recover, your mind also needs to work equally to recover. You need to fight against this in your mind too.. So I kept saying it's nothing like a normal fever, I will come out of this etc.. As a person who used to read a lot of motivational books and give such tips to many, now it was time for me to follow this personally and it was this mind that made me come out of COVID.. Thanks to my wife Anu who stood by my side telling me I was perfectly well.. each time I cough.. or take food.. If today I am back to work it was because of her… Not even 0.00..1 percent jacking up in this line…
My Post-COVID recovery: What the path after testing negative looked like
Post treatment, you feel too weak, always feeling to lie down in bed and sleep, feeling tired even to eat. I felt all of this severely hit me. However, what we need is to make our lungs comfortable, do basic breathing exercises to the extent you can.. not to strain immediately, but not to be lax too. Go for a small walk in your house or on the terrace. Expose yourself to the Sun to get your body rejuvenated. Early morning and late evening would be a good time to walk around. Walk at the speed you can and how much you can. Try to increase every 2 to 3 days the speed and distance. But always be comfortable with whatever you do. Nothing should be forcible to your body.
Have a good quantity of protein rich food in your diet. Eat small quantities at regular intervals of 1 hour or so. I used to take hot milk with soaked almonds and put it into it right in the morning. It gave me enough energy. Take your meal at a fixed time every day. Fruits like Papaya, Melons, Anjeer, Pomegranate were taken daily. These gave good recovery in a short span. Avoid outside and Junk food especially. If no other alternative is there, better go for steamed food, Dal khichdi, curd etc.
Keep reading or listening to music or watch movies whatever you like, spend time with your family forgetting you were ever sick. Tell your mind that you are perfectly alright. Thank God he made you realise the value of life and you are back to normal. Realise every moment of life is important to what you do to your body. Stay calm both in your mind and body. Meditate for some time. It doesn’t mean to go into a spiritual way. Just calm your mind and body, this calms and recovers your inner organs. Laugh as much as you can…
Today you have a lot of websites who give ideas on staying calm, meditation, pranayama etc.. You may choose from whatever you feel it suits you.. Of course, having done the Inner Engineering program of Isha Yoga and also having seen my wife being a mindfulness instructor and a regular person who does pranayama , I could derive inner strength from these two.
Of course life is to live…, it's not only going to work, earning money, career enhancements, investing etc, but living to the fullest extent, enjoying every moment of it. I thank my wife Anu, friends, doctors and paramedics who took care of me and obviously without God’s grace nothing would have cured me. And of course my colleagues & Bosses who stood by me during the difficult times..
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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 more details.
