40-year-old Shyam Patro was feeling better on the 5th day of his COVID infection when his health took a hit again and he started to have high range fevers.
Here his COVID story
It’s been some 10 days since I recovered and closed my home isolation post treatment of COVID.
My state Chhattisgarh had experienced the worst in April, many had felt helpless for the first time in life.
I have always realised the power in sharing and wish I would be able to contribute something in my own way to reassure your wellness.
Those 18 days seemed to be a rollercoaster with a series of highs and lows; fear, anxiety, worry, guilt surrounded me as soon as I heard that I was tested Covid Positive, this also triggered a wave of emotions in my family.
It was a surprise to me as I had been meticulous on safety protocols.
It’s really an invisible enemy and it’s difficult to escape it.
I was completely asymptomatic and the 1st day came as more of a pleasant break of isolation.
And the special care and attention was a supplement.
I had serious doubts over the test results but honestly kept silent as I didn’t want to spoil so many benefits and even didn’t consult any doctor or medicines.
I kept myself engaged in getting other family members and relatives on testing and doctor consultations.
Although my happy moments were short lived as things started to change a bit at the end of the 2nd day, I started feeling terribly weak all of a sudden.
It got heavier on 3rd day, with severe body aches and fevers.
I had started medication only on 2nd day and was sleepy throughout the 3rd day being out of senses, I hardly remember anything about the 3rd day, except for the news that my mother had also got infected.
The 4th day was reasonably good, or maybe I was pretending it to be a good to display courage as I got to know that my 4 yr kid also tested positive and if I did not put up a brave front, that could really affect my family and spouse who was the only caretaker for the family.
The 5th day was a bit different and I started to get confidence that my antibodies had helped me to recoup from the COVID.
But I had another set back in the late evening and the fevers started.
The 6th day, the real Covid started with high fevers touching up to 103’ F – 104’ F.
I could recall that I was taking 3-5 paracetamols every day till 10th day (with doctor consultations – doctor was very clear that the fever should be controlled anyhow – the maximum intake should not be, in any case more than 3000 mg paracetamols in a day; one should always consult with doctor before usage).
The 10th -12th days were better with fever reducing to 100.5’F.
Things started to subside by 13th day but it was still far away from normalcy.
Somehow I managed to get a HRCT scan on 10th day and I can recall getting a CT scan late at night to avoid crowds and queues.
The HRCT infection score came as 9/25 (8-16 is known to be moderate COVID) which again created some nervous moments as I started getting advice and push for hospitalisations, but I opted to consult with senior experts and got the conclusion that if the oxygen saturation levels are good i.e >95 and fever is reducing then there is recovery happening and its in right direction.
I had started getting closer to recovery from 15th day.
Although I didn’t sound confident this time as I had experienced such recovery twice in the past 2 weeks.
The 15th – 18th days were, thankfully, uneventful.
And even I didn’t get retested as per doctors advice and closed my quarantine on 18th day as I didn’t have any fever for the past 96 hours and the spO2 level was consistently at 95+ in the past 6 days.
Some of the main pointers I felt and learnt.
1.
Fever is inevitable and one should be well ready to have a big course of paracetamols / Dolo.
If your symptoms do not subside in 3-4 days and fever is increasing, it means that the virus has reached inside your lungs.
And it’s time to reduce the steam – one or twice a day as it causes dryness in the lungs and poses difficulty in breathing.
2.
Early medication is the key, and taking medicines is more important than getting tested.
The testing is essential but it comes with a lot of baggage of waiting period, so in these testing times the self evaluations also work; If one is feeling a bit unwell, or some feverish or body aches and if exposed to some covid environment in past or associated with some unwell person in the past 2-3 days, then the best thing is to immediately get consultation of doctor and start medicines of Covid, instead of waiting for the test results.
Every hour is very important once one has been exposed to COVID.
3.
Stay mentally positive, there would be enough forces other than gravitational which can upset you and even create doubts over your immune system.
Whatever it may do to your body, don’t let Covid mess with your mind.
The 2nd wave had proven very rapid spread and which is why we have seen many within families getting infected.
“All is well” is the mantra.
Feeling low is usual these days, so don’t feel that you are the only one who is facing this; be well informed that it would be a testing time, and would require courage and a calm mind.
4.
The 9th – 12th days are the days where the maximum infection would be visible in your body so if possible avoid any type of testing or scanning between 9th – 14th days, until and unless doctor is pushing you for the same.
5.
CT scan is only important if one has SpO2
6.
Ample rest, one should take complete bed rest of 5-7 days, he/she is better equipped to form the antibodies.
The phone calls could be unsettling sometimes during these days, one needs to avoid talking much, better use whatsapp and group calls for friends, family members and relatives.
Trust me, good friends are the panacea to every sickness, I recall how I got boosters from my mates.
Someone sang, someone arranged a group call, some were constantly boosting the morale of my spouse, and some played online games with kids.
Trust, all those acts were not less than any medicine.
7.
Hospital beds are a very valuable place, please don’t try to occupy until and unless one need to, please consult with the medical experts only on whether one really needs hospitalisation; more than 90% cases could be better cured at home with some good consultation and protocols.
8.
Help everyone in need, even if you need to take extra mile effort as that help would definitely come back to you as blessings and wishes.
9.
The vaccination has helped the people on the severity of COVID, my relatives who were vaccinated got recovered quicker.
So it’s always better to get vaccinated, as and when you get an opportunity, I wasn’t vaccinated and so my asymptomatic condition developed into moderate Covid.
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