Still, in isolation, our anxiety levels are surging, even as we try our best to stay home and stay safe. Amit Butani (43 years old) and his wife Neetu Butani (41 years old) hadn’t travelled outside the country for a year. They were taking all the necessary precautions since the lockdown and stepped out of home only for essentials.
Amit tells us that he felt the sudden onset of fever on the 27th of April, shortly after Neetu showed symptoms of fever, nausea and stomach infection on the 25th of April. Writing it off as a normal stomach infection, they began treatment with antibiotics, but her fever refused to break. That’s when they decided to test Neetu for Covid-19.
Against what they were expecting, the results turned out to be positive and she was admitted to a hospital. Amit knew that there was a possibility he was positive as well. As per protocol, the BMC officials came home and thoroughly tested him as well as the senior members of the family. However, they didn’t test his son and the house help beyond checking their temperature and their levels on the oxymeter, because they didn’t show any symptoms. Thankfully his parents tested negative, which was a huge relief for them.
The only symptoms that Amit exhibited were fever and a headache on a couple of days. The maximum temperature his body went up to was 102 degrees. Since he exhibited manageable symptoms, the BMC officials asked him to maintain home quarantine given that he’s in a separate room with an attached bathroom. And shortly after, he felt fine and normal. The viral infection spanned about 11 to 12 days for him post which he felt completely recovered.
Don’t dread the disease
Talking about what helped him get through this time, Amit says that he’s into an energy medicine routine which helped him a lot. He practises breathing exercises, kapalabhati, anulom vilom and there’s an excellent breathing technique provided by Wim Hof, which has helped him a lot. Besides this, he’s been doing the usual steam inhalation, hot water gargles, sipping on green tea, taking his multivitamins, especially vitamin C and zinc. He has also been meditating a lot and his wife mentions that this period is like a self-imposed vipassana.
Amit was fortunate enough to be home quarantined, but he talks about the several emotions that one goes through – there’s frustration due to the fever. In the mornings, the body temperature is low and towards the evening or late at night, the fever spikes; that’s when the virus comes alive. There is also a feeling of defeat that comes in at times and you’re prone to a lot of self-talk. The idea is to try and stay positive through this time as this changes the body chemistry and helps with the healing. This self-upliftment is in your hands and it’s up to you to steer your mind through it.
Keep calm and let it pass
For the majority of people, the virus will only exhibit flu-like symptoms, maybe with an onset of cough or headache and body ache, similar to a regular viral infection. What you can do is keep your immunity up, sleep well, eat a good amount of fruits and vegetables, let nutrients keep flowing into your body. Intermittent fasting once or twice a week has also helped Amit.
The elderly definitely need extra care and protection during this time. But with kids, their immunity is much better off and they’ll be able to bounce back more easily. Don’t fear the disease. Trust your body to heal on its own. Our bodies are vessels that have been serving us so well and that’s what we need to remember. Simply put in the right ingredients to help it function well.
Embrace the enemy
Neetu, who has been recovering in hospital talks about her journey through Covid-19. Although Covid is similar to having a flu, Neetu was worried because she has undergone a splenectomy, which in turn reduces her immunity. But she says that if she can fight this disease, then anyone else can fight it much more easily.
After her surgery, her stomach has always been weak, and the virus probably attacked the weakest part of the body. She suffered from a serious stomach infection and her fever went up to 104 degrees the next day. Although she was on antibiotics, there was a lot of weakness and she couldn’t eat much besides liquid foods. However, in a few days, the antibiotics began working and she got her appetite back. She was recovering and feeling better, which convinced her that it was only a stomach infection, something she was used to experiencing over the last few years. Just to rule it off, they took a Covid test at a drive-through testing centre. Her initial shock at receiving the positive report was coupled with her worry of not having a spleen that would help tackle the disease. She was also worried about her husband, son and her elderly in-laws who were at home with her.
The first step she took was to get out of the house. She didn’t want to go to a government hospital, given her spleen condition; she wanted some private supervision. She was to be taken to S.L. Raheja hospital and she packed the items from a list that the hospital had sent which would help during this isolated time.
Right from carrying her own suitcase to the ambulance, Neetu was all alone and she recalls it being very different from any other hospital admission. At the entry, there’s a sign saying to hold on while someone calls for a lift, goes inside, presses the button, comes out and directs you to go up alone. You admit yourself alone; they show you the basic functions of the private hospital room and they leave. This is how the whole experience begins.
In a matter of days, things started getting better for Neetu, apart from developing a severe cough while the fever was on and off. All the other major criteria such as EKG levels were fine except for the fever and cough. They started her on antibiotics through IV for the cough, which she couldn’t take too well and that resulted in nausea and acidity as well as weakness. The doctors conducted Covid tests every alternate day while she was there and it showed negative after several tests, only once her fever was settled.
Allow your thoughts to strengthen you
On her 9th day in the hospital, Neetu recorded an audio message about her experience and shared some encouraging thoughts, which has now reached different corners of the world. She suggests the best thing you can do in this situation is to get rid of the fear and you’ve won half the battle. Embrace the virus, embrace the enemy and he’s lost half the battle already. Accept it because you can’t do much about it when it strikes and have patience through it all.
Get rid of myths and too much information apart from what’s absolutely essential. There is a need to care for the elderly and especially those suffering from other lung issues or respiratory issues, but there’s no escaping the fact that majority of the population will face this disease some way or the other and all you can do is try to keep your immunity high and be accepting of the illness and you will sail through it.
Physically distant, but not emotionally
This battle is an individual battle and you can’t expect friends and relatives to be by your side no matter how willing they are. Don’t let this depress you. Allow them to help by connecting over the phone. The hospital she was admitted in had excellent staff and she received positive support from them even though her family couldn’t be physically present with her.
She suggests talking to your family, to the elders and children in the home and preparing them in case someone contracts the virus and plan the next few practical steps such as keeping a relative in the loop in case some family members might have to move in with them for a while. And while we maintain social distancing physically, avoid distancing yourself from people emotionally. Of course, it’s not an entirely smooth-sailing journey. Neetu recalls days in hospital when she has cried and lost hope, she felt like giving up as she was tired of fighting health battles because of several illnesses in the past few years. Through her quarantine time, she realised there’s no point of self-pity and making her body weak with her thoughts. Try not to panic, have faith that you will get through this if it happens to you and stay positive through it. Face it with full confidence and embrace it. Accept it as a transition phase that helps you come out mentally and emotionally stronger, with more gratitude for life and all its blessings and with hope for the days to come.
