My Fling with COVID-19 | The Week Before | #1

Hello everyone!

As I lay stretched on my bed –it is safe to say that what started in Wuhan has officially reached Belapur. I, along with my husband and daughter have been tested positive for COVID-19 and  I am going to share with you – How COVID-19 is more of a psychological and social disease, than anything else. How I kept myself entertained and sane during isolation and much more. Brace yourself for a long(is) post as I bare my heart out.

5 days before the onset of my symptoms, I knew something was not right. In spite of eating right, having a disciplined lifestyle, pretty much fixed sleep time and workout routine, I felt my body was zapped of energy. The headache and body gripped me like a long lost lover!

I remember telling my husband on one of those days, that I am too tired. I said, “I am done for the day, please manage Renee and help mom for lunch. My head is spinning and my body hurts”. He looked at the clock quizzingly, for it was barely 11am.

For people who know me, also know how much of an over-enthusiastic over-achiever I am. No No… please don’t get me wrong. I am not being boastful here – Just stating the facts you see. Even at my weakest best, I certainly end up doing a thing or two more than what my to-do list says. Simply giving up, was never my thing. And that’s why when I gave up at 11am, i knew something was off.

My husband and parents concluded it was exertion and that I need to stop waking up at 5:30am to make art-works. I needed to stop making lamps after Renee slept and I certainly needed to stop going for my morning runs! So I did all of that. I stopped all of the above for good 4-5 days, but my condition didn’t get any better.

I popped 2 pills of Revital in a failed attempt at feeling energetic. It did absolutely nothing. So from Sunday to Wednesday I somehow survived through the week.

On Thursday we had a family get-together. It was us cousins and our parents meeting up after a long time. So in spite of not feeling my best, I popped a DOLO 650 and went for the dinner. It was the only thing I was looking forward to, my only highlight and hoped that may be some socializing is what I actually needed.

Half way through the dinner, I started to feel light-headed and the world seemed to move faster than it should. My husband got me namak-chini paani and I sat through the next 1 hour, wanting nothing but to desperately crash on my bed.

On the way back, I told my husband that my body ache and head ache is just too much. Let’s do one thing, you drop me and Renee at my parent’s place for the night and pick me up tomorrow or the day after. I should be fine in a couple of days. And without any 2^nd thought, he agreed.

The next day i.e. Friday was no different. My mother felt that as a new mother, I could be going through some gynac related issues, so may be visiting my gynac was the right thing to do. Friday was all about taking appointment, meeting my gynac, she recommended a bunch of blood tests and coming home even more drained.

The blood tests were done the following day and by then the fear had set.

The fear of COVID-19.

I had 67346 questions popping in my head – What if I am COVID+ ? What if my parents catch it from me? How will my daughter be managed? Will I be allowed to breast-feed? How will my parents manage the household chores AND a toddler, without a house help at their age? What can I do to reduce their burden?  What if it is not COVID? What could be causing me so much weakness? Oh my god, am I pregnant? I can’t be pregnant! Oh dear god, NO! May be I am just anemic. But what if I have thyroid? My life will be finished.

Being the over-thinker that I am - I was going bonkers with all these scenarios. I needed some closure. ANY CLOSURE. By Saturday evening my blood test reports came and to my horror – EVERYTHING WAS JUST FINE. No major deviations, hemoglobin was of the right level, No thyroid, Sugar etc. In that moment, I did not know whether to be happy or sad about it.

I immediately spoke with the doctor empaneled with my company, gave him the entire download and more, upon which he said what I was hoping I would never have to hear.  He said, “Ma’am, your symptoms are that of COVID-19. You need to immediately isolate yourself,”.

And BAAAAM - I found myself shifted and settled in the room that used to be mine before getting married! The RTPCR test followed the next day and as expected, the results were "POSITIVE".

 More in the posts to follow…

#COVID19 #Pandemic #MyFlingWithCovid