Covid
in my life by Dr Nihal D Amerasekera
 |
| Self portrait by ND |
I
retired after an active professional life in hospital medicine. Living in the
shadow of a famous cricket ground in London I have watched the game in all its
formats to satisfy a childhood passion. Not having the talent to play the game
I did the next best thing and became a lifelong spectator.
SARS-CoV-2,
the Covid-19 infection began in Wuhan, China in 2019. However, its true origin
remains shrouded in mystery. It is the height of irony that the country where
the infection began sells to the world the protective equipment, hand gels and
masks to keep us all safe. The infection arrived on our shores and spread in
waves in 2020. With crafty mutations and
a multitude of variants, the lurgy has remained with us in the UK ever since.
The effective vaccinations and the new variants have made the infections less
virulent but still very debilitating. Like for everyone all around world my
life has been restrained and restricted by a virus invisible to the naked eye. Visits
to the cinema and theatre became hazardous. There were no sports played. All
foreign travel was on hold. There were successive lockdowns in early and then late
2020. Each lockdown incarcerated and confined us to home with the tragic loss
of personal freedom. Life became boring, difficult and mentally challenging. Birthdays,
Christmas and the New Year had lost its sparkle without the family.
As
I stood by a hairdressing salon which
was shut for the lockdown, a passer-by quipped “It’s all going to get ugly very
soon.” Even in the doom and gloom of the pandemic there was some dark humour to
raise a smile. The lockdowns were soon followed by various forms of
restrictions in 2021. For many older folk, like myself, time is of the essence.
Time is an asset we don’t have much to spare. Taking 2 years away from us with
restrictions was a tragedy.
In
December 2020, UK administered the first COVID-19 vaccine in the world. The
well planned and effective vaccination programme was tremendously successful. Following
a decline in cases, all restrictions were lifted in March 2022. Now there is no
compulsion to stay at home even if someone has tested positive. With it the hand
washing, social distancing and mask wearing went out of the window.
I
still was wary of the government advice and continued to wear masks in crowded
place and public transport and washed hands regularly. To be fair the Health
Service advised us to self-isolate for 5 days if we tested positive, to wear
masks for our own protection and to wash hands. They allowed us to use our judgment, and this
was not compulsory. Some heeded the advice while others lived their lives as
they pleased.
It
was a Friday. Watching cricket has been one of my few pleasures in retirement and
I’ve never missed a game. We were made to understand that in the open air, like
in a stadium, with all that swirling wind the chance of spreading or catching
Covid-19 infection was unlikely. I was watching a crucial T20 game. Being seated
out in the open I did not wear a mask. It was a fun evening. The stadium was
packed with people. Gallons of beer were consumed while I confined myself to a
glass of Champagne.
When
a team completes the 20 overs it is the ‘rush hour’ at the gents’ toilet. There
was huge traffic into a confined place that was poorly ventilated. If anyone had
the Covid-19 infection he would be oozing and issuing the virus from every
orifice. The virus would swirl in that humidity to infect as many people as
possible. Thinking of the cricket that was not going too well for my county, I
walked into the gents’ toilet almost in a trance and forgot to wear my mask. I was
overwhelmed by the humid atmosphere of the human breath and gasses. Within an
instant I realised my folly. By then, perhaps, the damage has already been
done.
All
Covid restrictions were off. It is impossible to be certain when and where I
was infected. On the Saturday and for much
of Sunday I felt fine. Very early on Monday morning I woke up with a high
temperature. My mind seemed to be in a muddle. I was hallucinating and seeing
the same dream, over and over again. I was sweaty and uncomfortable and slept
poorly. Later that morning I developed a severe sore throat. My nose ran like a
tap. The body ached as if I had been in the boxing ring with Mohammed Ali. As I
got off the bed I felt like a Zombie and was rather unsteady on my feet. I
tested positive for Covid-19 on a lateral flow test. Rather than lying down and
looking at the ceiling I preferred to sit in the lounge and watch TV. My mind
was not at all clear that day. From time to time I dozed off in the sofa. There
were gastrointestinal symptoms too of nausea and diarrhoea. I had lost my
appetite. Bouts of headache came and went all day long. My aches and pains were
controlled well by Paracetamol taken 8 hourly. I was pleased to see the end of
the 1st day. My 2nd day of Covid-19 was similar to the 1st.
Knowing what to expect and how to deal with it, I coped much better. On the 3rd
day I felt no change. Interestingly the infamous symptoms of the loss of smell
and taste which were synonymous with the original infection were conspicuously absent.
I
was eminently aware of the dangers of Covid at my age and began to worry. What
was foremost on my mind then was the question “when do I call for an
ambulance?”. I had read that worsening of
the symptoms, shortness of breath and a reduction in the blood oxygen
saturation were the ominous signs. My symptoms and signs have been static. My
breathing was normal. I had no proper pulse oximeter, but my Apple watch
indicated my oxygen saturation was 97% which was in the normal range. I
weathered the storm for yet another day. It was not until the 4th day that I
felt marginally better. I was now on the mend.
On
the 5th day I felt well enough to take a short walk. As I set off, I
soon realised my muscles had lost some of its tone and power. Walking certainly
needed greater effort than before. The tiredness that has built up during the
height of the infection tends to linger on. I still needed some paracetamol for
body aches and for the occasional headaches.
Covid-19
has the propensity to affect every organ in the body. Pneumonia, acute
respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure and septic shock, are
the common causes of death. One in five Covid-19 patients get mental health
problems. I experienced an inability to concentrate at the height of the infection,
but this soon disappeared as the infection cleared. The potential serious consequence
of the illness is a source of stress and anxiety to many.
Most
Covid-19 sufferers get better in 10 – 14 days. Those who are fully vaccinated
have an easier ride. The headaches, cough and muscle pain can linger on for
several weeks before clearing. For a minority of Covid-19 sufferers symptoms
can persist for several weeks or months when it is called Covid-19 syndrome or
long Covid. Many antiviral treatments have emerged which are said to shorten
the period of infection and infectivity. They also seem to have the ability to
prevent hospital admissions.
This
narrative is intentionally not meant to be a treatise on Covid-19. It is merely
a patient’s story, a description of my symptoms, its rapid progression and a synopsis
of my suffering. The media depiction of the current variants of Omicron BA.4
and BA.5 as mild and like a simple cold is far too flippant and fanciful.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Even for those whose infection lasts
just 5 days, those days are long, could be disastrously debilitating and utterly
exhausting. Although fewer patients need hospital admission, people should be
under no illusion of the unpleasant nature of the challenges it will pose.
Do
all you can to avoid getting the infection in the first place. Vaccinations,
mask wearing, hand-washing and social distancing still remain as the backbone
of personal protection against Covid-19.
The
pandemic has changed life for us all. It has brought widespread changes to the
way we live, work, play, and stay healthy. For some the drudgery of the daily
commute has stopped. Zooms have replaced formal meetings. Online shopping and
home deliveries are now well established. Telehealth and telemedicine is now
the way healthcare is delivered for the many. Covid has overwhelmed our lives
and monopolised the media since it made its debut in 2019. When it all seems
never ending, I seek the wisdom of the Persian poet, Rumi “This too shall
pass”. Let those prophetic words bring us joy.
We
have not experienced a pandemic for a hundred years. Initially no one knew how
to deal with it. I am personally immensely grateful to the government that got
to grips with the situation swiftly and to those in healthcare for developing a
vaccine so quickly. I extend a generous thank you to those dealing with the
enormous task of mass vaccination. Hospitals were overwhelmed and bore the
brunt of the burden. The doctors and the staff saved so many lives by their expertise
and dedication. My heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped in this most
difficult of situations. I simply wish the WHO played a more dominant role and was
far more proactive as an organisation in the battle against this pandemic for
the greater benefit of the developing world.
