It all started with body ache. I woke up to a terribly broken body as though I've been battered in some torture machine the previous night! This was 12 April 2021. I couldn't tell which side was less painful to lie on...
A day later, Ashuni was also caught. Same symptoms. It was as though her body was also saying, 'in sickness and in health'. We were told that the new strands of covid has several other symptoms. So, we suspected that we must have got! The next day, third day since it begun, we got ourselves tested. It came negative! We were relieved in a way and so considered it some kind of a viral.But on Friday, 16 April, fever gripped me. Ashuni felt better. Somehow she recovered henceforth.... As for me, it seems to be just the beginning. Fever was becoming more intense. Upon advice we did Chest CT scan. The result was clearly pointing to covid. But just to make sure, we tested again. This time were positive!
Anyway, we couldn't really isolate. We have already exposed enough to infect others. Besides, the kids were in no way able to stay away from us, especially, the younger... she's the sensitive one. She could sense that all is not well, so wanted to give us hugs and send in love notes. When we wanted to avoid close contacts she would be upset. Thankfully, God's protection was much visible through it all, especially, keeping the kids from catching the infection!
The battle wages on:
And so, the battled waged on. Fever recurred every 5-6 hourly despite the 650 mg paracetamol tablets. To make things worse, the body ache continued and cough was adding to the discomfort. Sponging in between helped. And when you're sick you get lots of medical advice, most of which don't really help because it only adds to the anxiety... but the advice to lie down in proning position helped, not only to help my oxygen level up but also to help me sleep better.The few days of my SpO2 hovering between 90-94 got Ashuni really worried that she considered hospitalization. Of course, she was also advised medically. But the thought of hospitalization didn't sit well with me. I couldn't imagine being left alone, unsure if I'll be attended to properly. Somehow, wherever she tried calling, whichever way to get access to hospital bed, things didn't quite materialize. Partly, I'm thankful that it didn't work out... and of course, through the prayers of many near and dear ones, my condition improved by the day...
Anyway, to cut the long story short, fever left after about 7-8 days, but, of course, after rounds of medications required to heal. I'm now recovering well, by God's grace. Though, after close to three weeks, I still feel a little weak.
Lessons learnt:
First of all, the weeks long suffering made me empathize with fellow sufferers. Until this moment, COVID-19 seems to be something distant. It felt like something that happened out there. But when it affected my family this time, it made me realize the trauma of what many people had to endure because of the infectious disease. Unfortunately, this time around, it has affected most families we know. We all know that the numbers are so much underreported.Secondly, isolation is a luxury not everyone can afford. Living a middle class lifestyle in a city of Delhi has always been a struggle, economically. And when the government, or anyone, tell us to isolate if tested positive, it's easier said than done. When you don't have the luxury of having an extra room, how do you expect families to be dedicating one room for an infected person? I can understand when families are altogether infected, not because of anything else but for want of space at home. For us, it was made all the more difficult because we had the weakness of not being able to let kids stay away from us. But I also know this is the case with many families...
Thirdly, the timeless lesson on the uncertainty of life. It's a dreadful situation in India at the moment. What's worse, it could be about a tragedy in a family known to you!
The last few weeks of struggling with covid was more painful when I heard of two people well-known to me succumbing to the disease, directly or indirectly. One was a spiritual mentor through BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and the other a member of the church. It was hard not to be emotional. It was even more dreadful to think death could be lurking at your door because you're battling the same... But through it all, I've learnt to depend more on God, because He is the author of life. What am I that I should hold on to life as though everything depended on me? It's God that gives life and He takes away the same breath of life.
Some concluding thoughts:
This section could be considered advice (not that I've become wiser) by those who are battling the disease at the moment or are attending to one...Don't listen to all advices. Of course, medical advices are necessary. In fact, we were fortunate to have doctor friends who are ready to receive our calls whenever. But, I think, we have many people around us who end up being the friends of Job. Sometimes, some advices make you more sick and anxious about the condition you're in. In my case, I was fortunate to have a wife who could keep away the phone and ignore the calls to let me rest!
Eat well and sleep well. If there's one natural process for healing, that is the one! Thankfully, I didn't lose the sense of taste, like many others, so I could eat, though not much at a time... and sleep! I think sleep/rest is the body's way to recovery and back to health. Close to three weeks now since I first got the symptoms, I still need extra sleep... but again, this too is a luxury not everyone can afford. I'm thankful for the curfew that is on in the city at the moment!
My prayers and wishes to all who are battling COVID-19 at the moment. May God grand you healing in a special way.
