My le Affaire with Mr Covid - Part II

Part I has crossed over 1500 views within these 2 days.   Oh there  has been a tremendous outpouring

of support and wishes from various quarters.  For many it was the first time that they were

hearing about my  illness with covid and they were literally shocked.  The main purpose of this detailed

writing is to remove the taboo about talking in open about being a Covid patient as well as share my

experience so that people can learn from my trails and errors.

Before I write in detail I need to first state here that except for my obesity I don't have any other

Co-morbidity at all. From my personal experience I understand that the way this illness behaves

with different people is so different. That's what makes it more scary  because you don't know whether 

what worked for others will work for you or not.  People talk about patterns, about common symptoms

and other commonalities.  The only thing that is constant in all narratives is  the way in which they

approached and got over Covid is the POSITIVISM AND HOPE  that you will overcome it. 

There ends all similarities.  

My typical symptoms  were

• unbearable headache
• continuous fever(which was  always less than hundred).  
• intermittent cough 
• No breathing difficulties.
•  Always my pulse oximeter readings were 95 and above. 
• I used to find that my next my left side nostril was sometimes blocked due to Phlegm

             which wasnt much pronounced.

I want to take time here to thank Dr Ganesh because of his significant intervention at the right

time that I got the Swab Test result on Friday the 10th July within 3 days from the day of the first

noticeable symptom of headache and fever. The private testing services definitely helped as

Dr Ganesh seamlessly arranged the home testing, and getting the results early as well get the advice for home

Quarantine. So we didnt need to run around and so fortunately you dont need to read any horror stories

on becoming Ravana in the battlefield where Rama tells him - "Go Home and Come back Tomorrow"

The great start like this obviously cant continue right . Friday, Saturday, Sunday Monday 4  days made 

me  from highly positive to slowly becoming how should I put it - slightly dull, suffering from constant

headache and fever.  And to top it all it became too nauseating to even think about food.   Slowly my

intake of food started coming down and I was vomiting more.  So the beginning of the week saw me

becoming listless though my family weren't totally aware of how I was feeling they were tuned into to me so much

that they knew that and very very concerned that I am not feeling too well.  Here I was taking the

vitamin supplement and the kabasurakudnueer and turmeric milk and the lemon ginger concoction hot

water, hydrogenated water etc. But nothing was of help.

Thats when I sent my family the forward about the Sanjeevani Ayurveda Clinic and Ramani was at it

to analyze and find out whether we should consult them.  Exactly on the 10th day from the start of

symptoms which is 16th July,  Our family friend Mr Venkatraman went there physically and gave the

phone to the Doctor who asked all my symptoms and prescribed medicines.   So the next phase began

In the meantime, I also want to state that people who had gone through with Covid had shared that first

few days, it is quiet and anywhere between 7th and 10th day it peaks and make things very erratic and

then becomes better. let me come back to this para little later.

Joining back to the point of starting with the Ayurveda/siddha medicines - the first significant thing that

became noticeable was my stoppage of nausea. The second thing was return of appetite. I should also

confess here that I was still on my paleo diet of NO grains including rice, dhall etc and sticking

to only vegetables. My family were advising me that for all those medicine intake needs some physical

strength to work on and so at these trying circumstances it is OK to and must have some carbs.

So started having rice with dhall or rasam or sambhar.

So I talk about 3 significant things

1. Hitting the curve of 7-10 days
2. Starting Ayurveda medicines
3. starting with little amount of carbs

All these combined and I really really took a turn back to improving my health both physically and

mentally.

While allopathy medicines gives us immediate relief whether it is suppression of fever or cough

or nausea, atleast for covid it doesn't give any treatment at all. Then whats is happening in the

hospitals is the question I had - I from a layman's perspective have come to the conclusion that

they take care of the other comorbidity so that the body can fend itself against the corona virus

Thats why for those who have no comorbidity good rest, good food and good immunity boosters

do the trick.

I now stand up FOR the siddha and ayurveda medicines. I feel that I should have started it on the

day my results came out positive. This would have helped me to get it over quickly. But I went for it

only on 10th day and even then it helped immensely.

While I criticize the various whatsapp forwards about the treatments and what to take, I still am fortunate

that one such whataspp forward helped me. Herein I want to narrate about One night in between which

in hindsight I feel is when my full recovery started. But it needed a lot of Belief in the traditional medicinal

system to delivery and enormous amount of FAITH in the supreme power. It is 17th June and I had

started the medicines just the previous day. From the morning the fever was at 99.9 and then jumped to

100.5 for the first time. Dr Madhumita from the Fever Clinic had told me that as long as it is less than

100 even by 0.1 dont bother. The moment it crosses 100 you definitely need to watch out and come to

me immediately if it keeps raising. So far within this 10 days it was always less than 100 (whether with

or without paracetamol I dont know). So now the ball of worry was slowly growing in size. In the afternoon

I got a call from Sanjeevani Clinic and Dr Yamini asked me how I was whether my nausea is subsiding,

whether my appetite is OK, how is the fever etc. I told her that since it crossed 100 I took paracetamol

and so brought it down. Then she started patiently explaining to me " Madam we are going medicines for

fever also. You see it wont suppress the fever which is only symptom, but it will be working on reducing it.

But believe me, it is a slow process and dont expect dramatic turnaround. So even if the fever crosses

00 dont take the paracetamol". As an experienced doctor she knew what she was saying, but as a patient

with a unknown virus covid it was most difficult night for me and my whole household. At 9.00 pm in the

night the fever was 100.7 and a dilemma of what to be done if the fever continues to raise. Here is where

your Faith in Gods Supreme Power comes to your rescue. So Ramani prayed hard and brought to me the

Sabarimalai Lord Ayyappan vibhudi and we all fell at the Feet of Mahaperiaya of Kanchi mutt in Saranagati

During the course of the night, at around 1.45 am, the fever started reducing and I was profusely sweating

since I was in isolation just put the temp reading which was 99.4 in our family group and immediately

Ramani responded back happily. From that time onwards I was truly and totally on the road to recovery.

Gods immense grace was manifested to us in that night and all the wishes and prayers of our family and

friends helped me to turn around.

My earnest request to the Government is that while the Government Hospitals and Private hospitals

are providing yeomen service going beyond their call of duty and really performing like the War heroes

defending the people from getting killed by the enemy called covid, They need to give more and more

publicity to our own traditional medicinal systems. I can hear the Loud Yes from many saying the

Government is doing it, I would like to make it more viral. The department of AYUSH set up by the

present Government is of real significance and gives a more authenticity to the practice of our

traditional medicinal systems. I wish and want it more When you set up AIIMS please allocate a

huge block for such medical systems, mingle both and help the patients. When a patient is critical then

it is the life saver medicines and practices of modern medicine which is very necessary but for prolonged

problems and other care lets start practicing patronage of the our Indian traditional systems.

Thank God Am born in India and there is a such great Traditional Medicinal systems to get access to. So

proud to be Indian

With this am closing this off this narrative. There is will be a concluding part to this in which I would be writing about

what went right, what didnt work out and what is the support system that the Government provides, etc

Talk to you soon.