It started with very mild symptoms. Occasional cough, some watering of eyes and nose. When I woke up the next day, I told my wife Alka, who is a medical doctor about the irritants. She contacted her doctor friend who is in charge of a large Covid-19 ward in a large government hospital in Maharashtra. She immediately advised that we get tested for the dreaded viral infection immediately. I was asked to isolate myself to a separate room and take paracetamol in case of fever and headache. With some effort – it had become difficult to get the RT PCR test done easily – we managed to get the tests done. By evening, I had started feeling feverish. As abundant precaution, I had started wearing mask at home and ate my food away from the dining table – to avoid infecting Alka, who had no symptoms. The test results came by noon the next day. I was positive and Alka was negative. We asked all our domestic help, and our driver to stop coming to our residence till further notice.
The medical protocol followed was as follows: Loading dose of Fabipiravir (antiviral) – 1800 mg twice – on Day 1, followed by 800 mg twice a day for the next 4 days; Azithromycim (antibiotic) 500 mg once a day for 5 days; Vitamin C tablets twice a day; Zinc, Vitamin B and Aspirin (to guard against clotting) tablets once a day; PAN D before meals to prevent bloating; Dolo 65 (paracetamol tablet) as needed – not more than three times a day. Steam inhalation (using an electric steamer kept in the bathroom), gargling with Betadine solution, and taking a tablespoon of cough syrup twice a day. I was asked to keep a record of my body temperature, Oxygen saturation and pulse (the latter two using an Oximeter) by measuring them thrice a day (every 6 hours). I had been told to raise an alarm if the Oxygen level went below 95 and/or the body temperature went beyond 102 degrees F. I got my CBC (Complete Blood Count) test of ten parameters done on Day 1 to assess organ function. The blood test was to be repeated 3 days later for a fresh assessment of body function based on the readings as well as changes in the parameters from the first test. The guy who came to take the sample was dressed in full PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) – he looked like an astronaut to me.
The protocol for connection with the rest of the house was simple. A small table was placed outside the door of my bedroom where I would put my plate, glass, bowl, cup and flask. I would retrieve them after they were filled periodically by Alka. I would monitor my temperature, Oxygen level and pulse rate through the day, keep myself hydrated by drinking neebu pani, orange juice, electral and warm water – at least three litres of liquid a day. I had several books – all fiction to keep me busy. I also had my iPad to keep me informed and entertained. The communication with Alka was through the mobile phone. I had also been advised to walk inside the room for 5-6 minutes before taking the Oxygen reading. The energy level had however become perceptibly low, and I would prefer to lie down most of the time. The first night was bad and yet tolerable. I was running mild fever. The biggest challenge I faced was the throbbing headache behind my right ear. The paracetamol tablet would relieve the ache for a while after I took the tablet, but then the throbbing would build up again.
On the second day my situation was worse than day 1. And yet it was not alarming. My elder sister had advised me that I should do deep breathing (abdominal breathing) and pranayama – both are known to help overcome breathing difficulty induced by Covid-19. A friend called and advised that I should inhale steam every two hours to get the phlegm out of the system. I went to bed by 9:30 pm. I woke up in the night with severe surface pain above the waist, particularly my back and neck. I found myself lying on my back and unable to breathe. With effort I sat up on the bed and looked around for my mobile phone. It was 1:30 am. Had I called up Alka, I knew she would panic. I had to do something to ease the breathing difficulty I faced. I realized that my right nostril was blocked, and I was breathing only through the left nostril. I had to open the right nostril for normal breathing to resume.
I lay down in the prone position on my bed and rested by head on the back of my locked palms with the head turned to the right (that would put the right nostril on top of the left). I started abdominal breathing in that position. I have used this method successfully to open nostrils blocked by normal cough and cold. There appeared to be some relief, but the breathing was still essentially through the left nostril. I got up, drank some warm water from the flask and walked to the bathroom, and took steam for several minutes, trying to soften the phlegm blocking the nostril. The situation improved further. I returned to my bed and again lay down in prone position and started deep breathing with the head turned to the right. After several minutes I met with partial success. I was able to force some air through the right nostril. I next sat up on bed and started doing anulom vilom – the key pranayama exercise that alternately uses one nostril at a time to breath in and breath out. It was difficult to use the right nostril as little air would pass through that. After several minutes, I again took steam to thaw the phlegm further. For the third time I lay down in prone position on the bed and attempted to decongest the right nostril through deep breathing. There was significant improvement. I sat up on bed again and repeated anulom vilom – and this time I met with much greater success. Both the nostrils were working, albeit the right with some difficulty. After several minutes I just sat up on the bed with my feet touching he floor and did deep abdominal breathing. I checked the time – it was 2:10 a.m. I had paid no attention to the pain in those action filled forty minutes. I realized that the pain had subsided considerably. I was hesitant to lie down as I felt that if I were to, the breathing difficulty would recur. I sat down on the cane chair, put my feet up on the bed and rested my head on the back of the chair. I dozed off and woke up to find that it was 3 a.m. The body ache had completely disappeared. The breathing was normal. I could lie down and was soon fast asleep. I woke up only by about 5:30 a.m.
There were no further alarming incidents. My symptoms subsided by the sixth day and by the fourteenth day I was feeling recovered. My post-Covid recovery continued, and I resumed my normal activities including walking and exercises, about a month after being infected. The incident on the second night taught me a lesson. While we may use powerful chemicals (medicines) to fight Covid-19, we need to use our own resources – physical and mental to fight the deadly virus. Had I succumbed to the urge to call for help when I woke up on the second night unable to breathe, I would perhaps have ended up being put on Oxygen. Who knows how my illness would then have progressed!