georgeherald

[georgeherald]

Feature Article

A view shows a makeshift barrier set up on a street of a village under lockdown amid rising coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections, in Manila, Philippines, March 12, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

On March 23, my sister and I were diagnosed with COVID-19, and we immediately isolated ourselves at home.

While my classmates are studying and preparing for our midterm week, I am at home taking medicine because I am physically, emotionally, and mentally suffering from the virus.

It started on March 23, when I woke up with a high fever and headache. At that time, my sister said to me that she is also not feeling well.

On the same day, we found out that her co-worker in Jose Reyes Hospital tested positive for COVID-19, and I immediately moved to a different room to isolate.

My sister gave me medicine right away, and I drink two vitamins and one paracetamol.

March 24, I woke up with a dry cough, runny nose, headache, and feeling weak. At that moment, I have a feeling that I am positive, but I keep on praying that this is just regular flu, and I am just overthinking. However, the virus is not just hitting my physical strength but also my mental health.

I couldn't sleep; I can only sleep for 2 hours and then wake up. That week was probably the most challenging week of my life because I don't have the appetite to eat, the strength to exercise, and the mind to function properly.

I am alone in a room for about a week, and it's not good for me because I keep on crying and thinking. There are so many "what ifs" in my mind, and I know it will only worsen my condition.

In the same week, I'm getting worse. The worst part of getting the virus is when I have it in my midterm week.

The stress and anxiety that I have been through in this Journey is not a joke. While trying to live and taking meds, I also keep on thinking about the requirements that I should pass on time, but how can I do it when my head is killing me?

I have four exams that week, I needed my mind to understand the PowerPoint presentations to answer my exams, but it's hard for me since I am unwell. Thinking, typing, understanding, and designing I always enjoy that, and I find it easy until I need to do it even though I am suffering from the virus.

I tried to reach out to my few close friends and told them that I am not okay, that I am physically and mentally drained.

And that is one of the best decisions I made. They encourage and motivate me to think positively.

My friends help me feel better, and I reached the point that I am super drained and sick because of the exam, so I just cried and sent them the picture of me crying, and their reply meant so much to me.

Just a simple word can encourage me to feel better because they know that's what I needed the most at that time. Having a few real friends is a blessing than having a lot of friends.

On March 28, my symptoms worsen. I lost my taste; I have body pain and shortness of breath. To the point that I will wash my dishes, and I feel so exhausted already, and at that time I said to my sister that I want to share the same room with her since both of us have the same symptoms, and I needed someone to rely on because my anxiety is killing me when I am alone.

My sister is working as a health worker in Jose Reyes Hospital, she's a front liner during the pandemic, and I share the same room with her even before we got infected.  I never think that I'll get infected because of her until it happened.

On March 30, the head doctor in Jose Reyes Hospital called my sister to inform her that she needs to go to the hospital to take the swab test to ensure if she got infected or not, and after two hours, she received the result.

                     RT-PCR TEST, Manila, Philippines, March 30, 2021.

She's positive for COVID-19, or let me say, we are positive. I told my sister if I needed to take a swab test as well, but she told me not to do it because she is sure that I am positive as well, and we will be taken to the nearest facility if it happened.

                                        Managing COVID-19 Symptoms at Home

Taking medicine every 4 hours, exercising, eating even though I can't taste it, and passing requirements while battling the virus inside me is my routine for about two weeks.

Never underestimate the power of the mind. The effect of the disease on my physical fitness combined with anxiety and nightmares at night is the worst day in my life.

Prayers and support are the only powerful thing that I can rely on in this Journey.

We did not think about the possible outcome of having a front liner at home, how dangerous it is to sleep in the same room with a person working in the hospital.

Our recklessness brought down trouble in our family. Instead of blaming ourselves, we put our faith in the hands of the Lord and pray every night. Everything happens for a reason, and every battle has a lesson.

The hardest symptoms of COVID-19 were the depression, anxiety, and mental state issues that I encountered going through all of these. The actual virus symptoms were nothing compared to these three mental symptoms, and I am still affected by them to this day.

On April 10, my sister's chest x-ray was clear stated by Dr. Aboloy of Jose Reyes Hospital, meaning she is already negative.

While all my symptoms eventually disappeared, I reflected on the personal significance of my COVID-19 Journey. One of the worst things about being infected is the feeling of being a burden. For all of its terrible attributes, COVID-19 enables a sublime epiphany: if one survives this disease, that feeling of being a burden can be replaced by a sense of hope to continue living.

One important thing that I have learned during pandemic is “Our ultimate goal in life is to live, others are just a bonus.”