Senior couple recalls the tough time they had tackling COVID-19; they continue to take precautions and are wary of it even after recovery
Neelam and Rohit Kumar. Pic/Suresh Karkera
On contracting COVID-19, most people first wonder whether they had taken enough precautions to prevent it. The Kumar couple from Colaba, Rohit, 59, a finance sector professional, and Neelam, 58, too, were extra cautious as Neelam is a cancer survivor and had recovered from pneumonia in 2018. So, they were shocked when they contracted the disease and were scared when their symptoms recurred 15 days after the initial recovery.
It took them a little over a month to complete the treatment and another month to get back on track. Today, they continue to take all precautions.
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“The most difficult part is the isolation. Thank god I did not get the test for COVID-19 done immediately. Otherwise, I would have been hospitalised and spent every day worrying about Neelam’s health. She had started showing similar symptoms soon after,” said Rohit.
On August 23, 2020 Rohit exhibited mild symptoms while Neelam got sick on August 28. Rohit thanks his doctor’s wise approach. “At the time I started showing symptoms, everyone above 50 was compulsorily hospitalised after testing positive. But I was not showing any serious symptoms, so the doctor suggested that I continue treatment at home. Later, both Neelam and I underwent treatment at home,” said Rohit. In a few days, both recovered well. But everything changed 15 days later.
Both of us started getting a recurring fever. While I had a cold and cough, Neelam’s oxygen level was low. The line of treatment was changed to steroids and other antibiotics. My body showed a positive response but for Neelam; the doctor suggested hospitalisation,” said Rohit, adding that she was admitted on September 24.
Those eight days in hospital were the strangest experience for Neelam, a software industry professional. She said, “I was mentally preparing myself to go to a hospital where I knew nobody. Thankfully, we managed a bed in a hospital where the doctor treating us is attached. He was the only familiar face I saw once a day.”
Her entire focus was on recovering. “What can you do on a hospital bed, apart from making, receiving a few calls and playing sudoku on the iPad?,” said Neelam, whose calm and composed approach through the time sets an example. The only aspect that made Neelam sad was weight-gain during the treatment. Regular Yoga practice got her back to her routine 4-5 weeks after discharge.
All through this, both their daughters who are abroad were worried about their health. “I told them to remain calm and be safe wherever they were,” said Neelam.
The Kumars had stayed home throughout the lockdown. They had even told their domestic help to not come to work and had stopped meeting people, restricting meetings to phone or virtual mode.
“We were taking extra precautions as Neelam is immunocompromised with a medical history,” said Rohit, while Neelam added laughing, “In retrospect, I feel we could have eased restrictions on ourselves.”
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