Recap cum prologue

 May 19, 2021

Hi. As I am writing this, I genuinely don’t know to whom this “Hi” is saluted to. I don’t know who is going to read this or anyone including me is ever going to read this anyway. I am also not sure whether this will be first time and last time of such writing exercise or am I going to continue daily till the end of this as I have told to myself.

 I know in first few lines itself I am unable to conceal my ever confused state of mind. That is me. Confused. I am confused about what to write in COVID diary. Yes, that is what I am writing or at least trying to write.

First let me go through the recap of this covid chapter events till now.

Last week late Sunday evening, my lovely wife Ripal asked me what to prepare for me for the tiffin next morning first shift. Since the start of this second wave of pandemic, she has been preparing tiffin for me in the first shift also. What it means for her is getting up at 0400 hrs and ditch all her lower back pains and morning sicknesses (she is 22- week pregnant) aside just so that I can avoid eating canteen food.

Back to question asked by Ripal about what to prepare in the morning for tiffin. I replied, as always, whatever she wishes to. To that I she will make quick shiro will that be fine I said perfect for me. Then I realized she was not feeling well since that day evening.

Next day, on Monday she was looking out of sorts and feeling feverish herself when I came home and must have felt the same whole day. Though I did not felt any increased temperature and consoled her there is no fever and no need to worry. Inside I was thinking, if this continues for the next day as well, I must take her to see her doctor. On Tuesday, I called her home from office and to my surprise she called the sample collection guy from the hospital to come and take her blood sample. The results of which came by the afternoon and her CRP level was 17.

Her symptoms, the blood work and ongoing situation were indicating only one thing: COVID-19 SUSPECT.

Immediately in the evening we went to see her gynec. After some other screenings and looking at her blood report, He suggested that we should go for the aggressive treatment for covid-19 without waiting for RTPCR results. He suggested her to stay put and take complete bed rest for atleast 14 days to go along with prescribed medication.

We left the hospital and while returning from there we were discussing about whether to tell this all to our both parents and concluded that as of now there is no need to tell anyone as there is nothing they can do about this situation but worry. Eventually we decided to tell this to my parents as they would know every time we go and visit Ripal’s doctor at Ankleshwar as we are using my father’s car and highway Toll gate charge deduction alert message would be sent to mobile number that my mother is using currently. In that case our frequent visits from Bharuch to Ankleshwar will raise suspicions. Hence, we decided better to let them know of the situation.

Letting them know was a task itself. I remember how my mother screamed and her broken voice while I was breaking this news to her. Both were adamant to either me and Ripal go to Baroda or else at least my mother wanted to come and see us. Neither was the right option citing the danger of infecting them. I somehow manage to convince them against both options.

That day evening, I informed my boss about situation and took leave for few days and took the charge of kitchen and other chores and instructed her to simply go to bed and rest. Although I admit that I was not able to anything without her help in kitchen. So she will lurk from bed and answer my queries and instruct me where the things are.

This went on for another 2- days. I would do kitchen and wash dishes. But even on those days she would do clothes despite being unwell and defying my anger over her doing it. She would simply do something at least. I failed to stay her put on bed for 2 straight days.

From the third day of treatment and sixth day of onset of covid, my wife started to improve on her health, Other than loss of smell and taste she was not complaining of anything else. That day around noon, I started to feel unwell. After eating lunch, I went for sleep straight away. Chores were by now being taken care by Ripal only.

Next day morning my temperature read 100.6 F. RIpal again called the lab guy for my RTPCR. That whole day my temperature was fluctuating between normal and low grade fever. Ripal was now doing all the work at her full strength. I would chip in with doing some dishes at least. I was not taking any medicine other than paracetamol for symptomatic relief.

On this Sunday, we again went to see Ripal’s gynec as per scheduled follow up checkup. Doctor concluded she is responding well to the treatment and prescribed some more medicines to her along with some more blood tests. I was relieved a bit when doctor himself asked me whether he should prescribe treatment to me too? Otherwise I was hesitant to ask a gynec for my treatment. In fact, Ripal has asked me while in car going to the hospital to ask doctor for medicines for myself as well. To which I said I can’t do that, however if he himself offers me so, I will take that prescription.

Today, as I write this 3-days have been passed since I started medicines from that gynec. 2-days until we both are going to visit him as per scheduled follow up. My parents now do know about me too being covid positive as municipal corporation guys came looking for me and check whether I am doing okay in home isolation. This is because in my Aadhar card my address is still of my parent’s Baroda home.

Ripal has her eleventh day and I have my sixth day since onset of symptoms. We both are doing fine. Ripal is recovering her smell and taste steadily. I am also doing well other occasional bout of coughing and loss of smell I am perfectly fit.

But, at the back of mind there are few things:

Sometimes I think about how and why young people of my age are requiring hospitalization and oxygen support. A young Kishor Patil could not recover and succumbed to death. Nilay’s younger brother was much younger to me. He met the same fate unfortunately. At some point of time in these people’s disease progression they were in home isolation and doing quite okay. What happened from that point that they could not be recovered? Doctor said while writing the prescription that oxygen saturation doesn’t drop as of now it drops between 7^th to 14^th day. This all things, all these thoughts constantly swing around in my mind.

Certainly mental will power has to be there and it definitely helps. It helped Adolf Hitler recover his lost vision due to injury sustained from WW-I battlefield. Doctor has said to him to accept life without eyesight and to everyone’s surprise he recovered only due to his strong will power.

I am inheriting lineage of battle hardened souls and I will fight this with all my might and will not require hospitalization. That I pledge to myself. Just stop overthinking that something is going to happen. Just be in the moment and live life in each moment without thinking about what is going to happen in next.