How to know Novel Corona virus or Covid19 has you - Personal Experience of a Doctor
Do you have the Novel Coronavirus or Covid-19? There are a number of articles, videos, and posts on social media available. This post is by a doctor who explains the progression of symptoms step-by-step from start till end. It is very important to note that different people will have these symptoms differently based on their lifestyle, their health condition, age, and activities. You will not hear him talking about the dry-cough either.
While not every flue, fever, and cough are Covid-19, Covid-19 is not your regular flue either. So be smart, be vigilant, stay at home, keep your hands clean, keep your surroundings clean, keep your family and loved-ones safe.
Have no fear, but do have the right education...
Have no fear, but do have the right education...
I would like to share my personal experience with you guys about my Covid-19 illness.
Day 5 of exposure: I started feeling sore throat and body aches. So the virus was possibly infecting my throat and entering my bloodstream. I didn't feel like eating.
Day 6: The body aches got worse and my chest started to burn, like as if I had just walked into a room full of smoke and took a deep breath. (That was virus moving towards my windpipe, called the trachea). That evening, I had my first bout of mild shortness of breath. It was a bit scary to not be able to breathe. But it quickly went away with steam inhalation as it probably cleared the mucus on my airways.
At that point, I had completely lost my appetite and I couldn't smell the Sheikh Alfaransi Oil I had on my hand.
Day 7: The burning got worse. But now I felt pain in my chest and ribs area, which indicated virus probability spreading to the lungs. This was the worst day, with fever, shortness of breath and chest pain at its peak. My immune system was fighting hard. It was Alhamdolillah manageable because as a doctor, I knew what to expect.
Day 8: All the symptoms eased off. First, the throat pain disappeared, followed by improved breathing. The chest burn was mild, and temperature around 99 degrees. Rib pain, however, got worse but manageable with panadol.
Day 9: Today, I woke up feeling much better. The fever has completely disappeared. My appetite is back and I feel 90% normal. There were mild fatigue and weakness. For the first time in days, MFK Oud Satin Mood, my SOTD, smells great. I still get a bit of chest pain and shortness of breath, mostly during Namaz as it is possible the time I am exerting myself the most. At rest, it goes away and I feel fine.
Day 5 of exposure: I started feeling sore throat and body aches. So the virus was possibly infecting my throat and entering my bloodstream. I didn't feel like eating.
Day 6: The body aches got worse and my chest started to burn, like as if I had just walked into a room full of smoke and took a deep breath. (That was virus moving towards my windpipe, called the trachea). That evening, I had my first bout of mild shortness of breath. It was a bit scary to not be able to breathe. But it quickly went away with steam inhalation as it probably cleared the mucus on my airways.
At that point, I had completely lost my appetite and I couldn't smell the Sheikh Alfaransi Oil I had on my hand.
Day 7: The burning got worse. But now I felt pain in my chest and ribs area, which indicated virus probability spreading to the lungs. This was the worst day, with fever, shortness of breath and chest pain at its peak. My immune system was fighting hard. It was Alhamdolillah manageable because as a doctor, I knew what to expect.
Day 8: All the symptoms eased off. First, the throat pain disappeared, followed by improved breathing. The chest burn was mild, and temperature around 99 degrees. Rib pain, however, got worse but manageable with panadol.
Day 9: Today, I woke up feeling much better. The fever has completely disappeared. My appetite is back and I feel 90% normal. There were mild fatigue and weakness. For the first time in days, MFK Oud Satin Mood, my SOTD, smells great. I still get a bit of chest pain and shortness of breath, mostly during Namaz as it is possible the time I am exerting myself the most. At rest, it goes away and I feel fine.
It's a rough few days of illness with ups and downs. I would like to share a few important points with you here.
1. Observe strict isolation. You don't want others to suffer.
2. Don't be afraid. It's not that bad most of the time. Fear of having it is the worst part.
2. Panadol, steam inhalation, green tea and drinking lots of hot water really works.
3. Put a little bleach in any available 1-litre spray bottle and spray of frequently touched surfaces twice a day and carpets, closet doors, washrooms twice a day to reduce viral load. You don't want to keep reinfecting yourself.
4. Keep yourself busy. My worse moments were when I was doing nothing. Distracted mind means fewer symptoms. It is a psychological game. Play it well.
5. Most importantly, please do not rely on Government health services. I requested them numerous times to test me and my clinic staff as we were possibly exposed and had symptoms. They simply refused because I didn't have a travel history or contact with a known patient. The private lab gave me 10 day report time, which was again a useless exercise.
So I called my Infectious Diseases Specialist friend. He said, "Look Even if they test you, all they will do is to lock you in a room and give you panadol. You know you are infected. So do it yourself and don't be a burden on our already limited resources."
I was grateful for his sane advice. Please do the same and don't go to the hospital unless you are really really coughing badly or seriously short of breath. You become a burden and source of infection to others.
1. Observe strict isolation. You don't want others to suffer.
2. Don't be afraid. It's not that bad most of the time. Fear of having it is the worst part.
2. Panadol, steam inhalation, green tea and drinking lots of hot water really works.
3. Put a little bleach in any available 1-litre spray bottle and spray of frequently touched surfaces twice a day and carpets, closet doors, washrooms twice a day to reduce viral load. You don't want to keep reinfecting yourself.
4. Keep yourself busy. My worse moments were when I was doing nothing. Distracted mind means fewer symptoms. It is a psychological game. Play it well.
5. Most importantly, please do not rely on Government health services. I requested them numerous times to test me and my clinic staff as we were possibly exposed and had symptoms. They simply refused because I didn't have a travel history or contact with a known patient. The private lab gave me 10 day report time, which was again a useless exercise.
So I called my Infectious Diseases Specialist friend. He said, "Look Even if they test you, all they will do is to lock you in a room and give you panadol. You know you are infected. So do it yourself and don't be a burden on our already limited resources."
I was grateful for his sane advice. Please do the same and don't go to the hospital unless you are really really coughing badly or seriously short of breath. You become a burden and source of infection to others.
Stay blessed and stay inside.
How to know Novel Corona virus or Covid19 has you - Personal Experience of a Doctor
Reviewed by Munir Rahool
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Reviewed by Munir Rahool
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1:58 AM
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