Surviving COVID-19 — my story. 4 weeks after contracting COVID19, I…
By: Nikhat Pawane
Tags: Covid 19, Covid 19 Treatment, Covid 19 Crisis, Coronavirus Covid19, Covid Diaries

4 weeks after contracting COVID19, I finally feel back on my feet and so do my parents (one hypertensive, the other diabetic). Needless to say, it was scary & stressful mentally and different every day with an inconsistent recovery physically. So here is my story, hoping it may inform at the least and help at best. Some context; I was at my parents’ home since my mum had a fracture early April. We are 5 adults and 1 child in the house (parents, me, brother, his wife and their 2-year kid). I have made a summary at the end of this post in case you want to skim through major points only.

Getting Infected & Early Symptoms

Around the 28th of April, my brother who did the occasional grocery shopping got sick. We didn’t think much of it and started him on antibiotics. However by day 2 itself, my dad started feeling sick, my mum the next day and me a day after. For all of us it started with a slightly itchy throat which turned into a low fever (99–100F; never went beyond 100.3F), body ache and extreme lack of energy.

Week 1 — Highly infected and sick

For the first 3 days, I was in bed all day, sleeping for most. Day 2–3 were bad as I developed chills and fever went up to 100.3 (from the 99 range) in addition to extreme fatigue and body ache. It became difficult to eat food as by Day 3 my taste buds were destroyed and I faced light diarrhoea. By this time, my brother (our index case) was on his Day 6, feeling fine with no symptoms. So, still assuming it was regular flu my parents and me continued our antibiotics+paracetamol medication. By Day 6 for me, I had completed my antibiotics course and felt the fever reduce considerably. I was glad to wake up with almost normal body temperature (98 range). My parents, now on their Day 7–8, also did not have the fever levels of earlier days but all of us still felt quite weak and fatigued. We assumed the worst was over.

Week 2 — Sickness persists & getting COVID tests done

Day 8 my fever started climbing again into the 99s. My parents were also still oscillating between low fevers with other symptoms continuing. Finally, under a lot of pressure from doctors in our family, we decided to get the tests done.

Process of getting tests done — The process of getting tests done is not very straight forward in Mumbai. We had access to doctors in the family who gave us the prescription over WhatsApp with a recommendation for COVID19 test (PCR test). Initially, we had to call multiple labs close by and they said they would call back. Some did, some never did. We got an appointment with SRL Labs in Mahim (W), again through family, who needed us to come and give our swab samples. Luckily it was not a busy test centre. First, my dad and I got the tests done. The results came the next day (it can take up to 2 days sometimes). My dad and I were both POSITIVE.

It came as a bit of a shock. My dad (hypertensive, history of a double bypass) was admitted the same day since older people with co-morbidities can turn critical all of a sudden. He was put in ICU and I was advised home quarantine. The next day my mum got her test results and unsurprisingly she too was POSITIVE. We got her (a long time diabetic) admitted as well. Both were in ICU for the first 2–3 days but doing alright. I was feeling fine the day my mum was hospitalised but a day later I had developed a dry cough and low fever. The doctor prescribed another course of antibiotics and told me to do breathing exercises which I could not do. My lungs felt weak. The day after, I too was hospitalised but since I had no co-morbidities I was not put in ICU.

What the BMC does? Once you test POSITIVE, even at a private lab, the BMC is apprised of your case. Your apartment building will be sealed for 14 days, although it can take them 2–3 days to come do this. They come to sanitize your building almost daily after that. On the day I was to go to the hospital, the BMC called saying they are sending a vehicle to take me to a quarantine centre. I don’t know what would have transpired were I not going to the hospital that day. Subsequently, during and post-hospital discharge they call multiple times to check up on your progress, understand how you got infected, ask if you will volunteer for plasma donation etc.

Hospital care & treatment — Me and, after 2–3 days of ICU, my parents were put in single rooms. You could not step out of your room. We continued antibiotics, paracetamol and multivitamins (Vitamin C, Vitamin B and Zinc) via IV as well as tablets. Also, from the day we tested positive we were put on Hydroxychloroquine. This was a course of 1 tablet daily for 6 days. Since I had a cough they started me on cough syrup but as the doctor said the cough will subside in a week with medicine and 7 days without :) It went away completely after a week. I should mention that cough can last for many weeks in some people, even after you have recovered. You are also given hot water to drink multiple times a day. They did another COVID test 5 days after our first tests were done. We all came POSITIVE. (This is expected but the doctors get the RNA count and can see if there is reduction. The official test report that the patient gets only says DETECTED/NOT DETECTED and does not mention the count.) Besides this, if we felt feverish we had to check our temperature and report it to the nurse. Twice a day, a nurse would record BP and oxygen saturation. O2 sat is directly related to lungs’ capacity to oxygenate your blood. 95–100% is normal and we were trending around there.

Week 3 & 4 — Hospital discharge and Full recovery

After 5 days of hospitalisation for my mum and 6 for my dad, they were ready for discharge. This is solely at the discretion of the doctor in charge. In their case, they did not have a fever for 3–4 days continuously and were feeling stronger than when they came in. They were discharged on what was my day 4 of hospitalisation. I still had a cough, hence needed to stay back. By my 6th day there, my cough reduced considerably and I was discharged as well. My dad had developed a cough after discharge but that settled within a week. My mum has developed a cough 5 days ago but it has receded substantially. As long as there are no other symptoms there is nothing to worry. As per my cousins in the NHS, people in the UK have been going back to work with a cough post their recovery.

While leaving the hospital we were mandated 2 weeks home quarantine and that’s what we have been doing. The infectious period is 8–10 days (means you can infect others up to 10 days after you have been infected) so we were well in the safe zone but I guess hospitals are being over cautious. We got back home and followed through with the mandated quarantine. Have been in our rooms throughout, not even going into the hall. 3–4 weeks of staying in one room (first hospital, then home) is tough as hell. The day before was the completion of my parents’ mandated quarantine and today is mine. We had been feeling 95% back to normal for the past 10 days (some lack of energy for my dad) and the last 4 days pretty much 100%.

I will officially, on paper, be a ‘Recovered from COVID’ case tomorrow. There is no requirement for a NEGATIVE test result (as per current Maharashtra government rules) as the virus remnants can be in your system long after you’ve recovered. It feels amazing to have come out unscathed. Although we would all be categorised as MILD cases, it was stressful not knowing what to expect. The inconsistency of recovery is scary. One day you feel better, the next you are in the tunnel again. Symptoms can develop randomly well into week 2 and 3. My father is 70 and my mum 64, they are both fit and active for their age. My brother, who we assume is our index case, is 34, not very active or fit but he recovered in 5 days flat with all symptoms gone. So, it really depends on how your immune system reacts to the virus. Not even doctors know what to expect hence the medication is pretty basic as you can see. But all things aside, you need to make yourself mentally tough. I even prepared myself for the worst eventuality. It was the only thing that helped me face every day. If you do go through it, just remember the fatality rate is only 3–4%, the rest of us survive it. Even people with co-morbidities like my parents.

Life post COVID

We are now back to normal life, which is staying locked down with the rest of the city. We have been told to continue Vitamin C tablets (twice daily) for a month at least and Vitamin B. We should, theoretically, be immune to it anywhere from a few weeks to years however there is no antibody test easily available and no practical case data to support this. So, we have to assume we could get it again just not immediately. I return to my home this weekend to reunite with my ever-helpful husband who ferried us back and forth but managed to steer clear of the virus. Although, my hunch was he is probably positive, just asymptomatic. I guess we will never find out. My sister in law and little niece, who are currently in the same house as my parents and I, have also been asymptomatic throughout.

Summary

Symptoms — fever, dry cough, body ache, fatigue, shivering due to chills, diarrhoea, loss of taste/smell, itchy/sore throat are most common. What to do right now? Fix a doctor you will call in case you get sick. Ask him if he will prescribe COVID test if need be. You may have to call your RWA too. Government rules change every day. Keep abreast of the rules. Find out which private/government labs close by are doing the test. There are drive-through test centres in some places. If possible, find out which hospitals closest to you are taking COVID patients (especially if you have elders with co-morbidities). Start taking Vitamin C, Vitamin B tablets, drink warm water 3–4 times a day and do breathing exercises (please do this!). Doing light physical exercise at home or yoga is great too. Alcohol does not help stress and compromises you physically. For my smoker friends, this is a good time to quit. Continuing anything that compromises your lungs in an acute respiratory disease pandemic is plain dumb. If anyone gets sick, assume it is COVID and behave accordingly. Wear masks, maintain distance at home, sleep in a separate room. In case you get sick — Consult your doctor on starting medication and ask if your symptoms suggest doing a test. He will give you a Whatsapp prescription for the test (please check the latest rules if WA Rx will do). Get the test done, you will get results within 2 days. He will advise either hospitalisation in case of elders or home quarantine if you are young, healthy and don’t have issues like breathing difficulty and shortness of breath. The last two are very serious indications of compromised lungs so watch your symptoms closely. How to handle it mentally — The odds of something serious happening are low but it is a possibility. The reality is there is only so much you can do. Being prepared helps control stress if you do get sick. It also helps to take a break from reading about COVID 😊.

Lastly, panic never helps. If you get sick, relax, be aware of your symptoms and follow the procedure. Stay strong.

All questions are welcome.