WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN WE FIRST HEAR WE ARE COVID 19 POSITIVE? (A step-by-step guideline for coronavirus patients)
WHAT SHOULD WE DO WHEN WE FIRST HEAR WE ARE COVID 19 POSITIVE? (A step-by-step guideline for coronavirus patients):-
We read a lot of articles about covid 19 since the pandemic is going on. However, when the report comes that we are Covid positive, we panic, and we do not have any idea what to do. This happened to me as I was Covid positive on April 28th, 2021 and even though I have a lot of ideas about the covid virus, I had no idea what to do when my report came positive except overthinking, panicking and worrying.
Therefore, through this article, I bring to you a step-by-step
guideline, what to do, the moment you are Covid positive, so that you are well
organized and less panicky. So let's get started:
STEP 1: Self Analysis about Home Quarantine or Hospitalisation
Your medical practitioner or the clinic where you got the
covid 19 test done can also advise if you are eligible for self-quarantine.
Patients with comorbid conditions such as hypertension,
heart/lung/liver/kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes are allowed
for home isolation after the treating doctor evaluates it. However, patients
with cancer, HIV, transplant recipients are excluded from the home isolation
list and are not eligible for home isolation.
STEP 2: Get the necessary medical equipment
Thermometre
Oximeter
Glucometer
Vapourizer to inhale
the steam
Gloves
N95 and surgical masks
Hand Sanitizer
A thermometer is necessary to monitor the
temperature of your body. You should monitor the temperature every 2 hours. Keep
reminders and alarms as you might tend to forget for timely and disciplined monitoring.
If the temperature rises to 101 degrees Fahrenheit then consider taking
paracetamol. This will be discussed in detail in the next headline where we
talk about medicines.
An oximeter is used for monitoring the oxygen
level of your body. The safe range is above 95%. You should monitor the oxygen
level every 2 hours. Keep reminders and alarms as you might tend to forget for
timely and disciplined monitoring. If it is 94% or below, inform your treating
doctor immediately and prepare for hospitalization. The oximeter also shows the
pulse rate of your body.
A Glucometer is necessary to keep a check on your
blood sugar level. Monitor your sugar level empty stomach in the morning which
is called the fasting reading and then after every meal. The normal sugar level
in your blood should be below 140 mg/Dl. A glucometer is necessary even for people
without diabetes as the covid 19 can spike the sugar level in your blood.
A vaporizer is important for steam inhalation.
According to a study published in the journal Life Sciences, steam inhalation
relaxes the lungs and damages the capsid of the SARS-CoV-2. Five minutes of steam
inhalation, 4 times a day is recommended for effective results.
Gloves should be worn whenever you are dealing with care
providers at home for food, water, or medicines. Hand sanitizers should also be used frequently by both the patient and the care providers.
N95 masks should be used by both care providers and the patient, whenever the care providers are
dealing with the patient for food, water, or medicines. Surgical masks are recommended to be
worn on top of the N95 masks for better protection of your care providers and
surgical masks are never to be worn alone.
STEP 3: Get the necessary medicines
Generally, the medical equipment and the medicines will be
available in the same pharmacy. Hence Step 2 and Step 3 will go simultaneously.
Of course, you will be taking the medicines after consultation with the treating
doctor. However, this checklist of medicines will be useful as you would be
able to discuss the medicines with your doctor with more confidence. Below is
the checklist:
A multivitamin with
zinc: Example,
Tablet Zincovit: 1 tablet once daily for 2 weeks.
Paracetamol tablet 650
mg: Example, Dolo
650 mg: To be taken only if the temperature of the body rises to 101 degrees Fahrenheit.
A vitamin D tablet of
60,000 K: Example,
Tayo or Uprise D3. To be taken once a week for 6 weeks.
Vitamin C tablet 500
mg: Twice daily for
2 weeks.
Betadine for gargle: Twice daily
Tab Azithromycin/Azee
500 mg: Once daily
for 5 days: It is an antibiotic used to treat chest infections such as
pneumonia.
Tab Doxycycline 100 mg: Twice daily for 5 days: It is an
antibiotic used to treat a wide range of bacterial infections in the lungs,
throat, airways or skin.
Tab Ivermectin 12 mg: Once daily for 5 days: Used to treat
parasitic roundworm infections. Generally, they enter the body through hands
and then putting the hands in the mouth. This is another reason for using hand
sanitizer from time to time. Roundworms can also enter through skin.
Tab Montelukast: Once daily for 1 week. Used to
prevent symptoms of asthma.
Tab Fabiflu: 1800 mg 2 times a day for the first day.
800 mg, 2 times a day for the next 7 days.
Now tablet Fabiflu with 1800 mg may not be available in the pharmacy. Generally, 400 and 200 mg are common to find. So you need to take 8 tablets of 200 mg to make it 1800 mg on the first day. And 4 tablets of 200 mg to make it 800 mg for the next 7 days. Similar calculation if only 400 mg is available.
STEP 4: Start your treatment at home
Now that you have all the medical equipment and medicines ready, it is time to start your treatment at home.
👉 Take all the medicines at a fixed time every day, as prescribed, so that, the level of drugs in the blood remains as recommended to effectively stop the virus from multiplying.
👉 Monitor temperature, blood sugar levels, oxygen level, the pulse rate at the advised timings and make a chart for easy reference. Any abnormalities should be immediately reported to the treating doctor.
👉Gargle and inhale the steam and make sure that you have done it as per the recommended number of times.
👉Take adequate rest. Taking adequate rest does not mean being stuck in bed all the time. You may engage yourself by doing positive things like reading a motivation book, watching a funny or happy movie and so on.
👉Take an adequate amount of fluids which include water and juices.
👉The diet should include a lot of vegetables, fruits and protein. Minimize the consumption of sugar as the sugar would feed the virus and help them in multiplying.
So, in these 4 easy steps, you can treat yourself while in home isolation. If the recommended treatment is done properly, the symptoms should subside within 5 days and become asymptomatic. Once you are asymptomatic or only 1 or 2 symptoms remain in a very mild condition, then it becomes easier to treat yourself and engage in positive activities inside your room.
Overthinking, Worrying and Panicking with Covid 19
Stress and anxiety can affect your health more as it affects the immune system of the body. And a lower immune system means more and more symptoms may appear. 81% of the covid patients have mild to moderate symptoms and out of them, many are asymptomatic. Maximum of the Covid patients panic and they rush to the hospital and the symptoms become severe from mild to moderate, just because of the stress and anxiety. Hence keeping our calm during this pandemic time is of utmost necessity. We can treat ourselves effectively at home only if we are calm and composed with minimum stress and anxiety levels. Our goal is to maintain our mild and moderate symptoms as it is for the first 5 days and not to level them up.
Out of my personal experience, I would advise to stop reading,
watching or listening to the news for at least 1 week. The news gives us a lot
of information about the Covid 19 pandemic like the death rates, cremation
arrangements by the government, hospital conditions, interviews of suffering
covid patients in the hospital, covid after effects and so on. While the news may be true, but our goal is to
keep our anxiety levels to the minimum and watching such news may raise our
stress levels and lead to negative thoughts.
How to make temperature, pulse and oxygen charts:
There are many ways to make a vital signs chart. To give you an idea, this is how I kept monitoring and recorded my vital signs when I was suffering from Covid 19.
Are the medicines Fabiflu and 2Dg specifically for the treatment of Covid?
Tablet Fabiflu is an anti-viral tablet used specifically for the treatment of mild to moderate coronavirus disease (Covid 19). However, this medicine cannot be self-medicated and should be under the prescription of a registered medical practitioner only.
There is a new medicine for coronavirus which is called 2Dg. It is not available in pharmacies and only doctors are allowed to administer the medicine. This medicine is used for moderate to severe symptoms only. The drug is developed by the Defense Research and Development Organisation’s laboratory Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences partnered with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratory.
To know more about the drug 2Dg and the various types of available vaccines click here.
Conclusion:
The above guideline is an effective one as I have followed these guidelines strictly and within 5 days I started to feel better and on the 6th or 7th day, I became completely asymptomatic. My father and my brother were also infected almost at the same time and they got better too. My father and I had moderate symptoms and my brother was asymptomatic. I was under treatment by a reputed doctor of Apollo Hospitals, Delhi, India, and a maximum of the doctor’s advice was through telephone calls. I hope these guidelines help you to treat yourself at home in a more organized way and in a calm and composed manner.
Disclaimer:
The author of this article is Durun Barruah and he was a covid patient from April 28th
to 14th May 2021. Hence the article should be treated as guidelines
only and consultation with a registered medical practitioner is recommended.
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