My Story-Rencontre with Covid-19
| IOP Desk - 08 May 2021

Oh God! It’s such a difficult time.My dear friend Manorama Bakshi, PGJMC, PGDM, MPH, MPA, Ph.D (H.C), who just rencontre with COVID-19, wanted to share her experiences in a Covid Hospital, in Jaipur. It’s not the question about which hospital, almost everywhere the situation and scenes are the same. Manorama is a persuasive Social Development & Public Health Professional and advocate for Gender/SDG/ Human Rights with over 22 years of experience in offering Techno-managerial, Strategic Planning, Program management and Advocacy support to Government, Multilateral organisations, Corporate, and Philanthropies. As Senior Advisor, Tata Trusts, she led the Trusts's efforts to build strategic relationships with governments, UN, multilateral organizations, private philanthropists, and other key partners to increase program awareness, action, and resources. Now, she is working as an Independent Consultant and offering advisory on SDG’s, Health, Nutrition, Adolescent and Gender. Here is her unedited story, as she wrote.

My Story-Rencontre with Covid-19

By Manorama Bakshi  

COVID had silenced me for some time. But today, I thought that I should speak, share my experiences and how I am coping with post COVID syndrome, maybe my words will make someone feel better. I had developed a severe case of COVID-19, which affected my lungs and required me to be placed on a ventilator in ICU. I spent 12 days in the ICU. I got confirmation that I am positive for Covid 19 on 20th April. I do not know how I got it, I had not gone anywhere for quite some time and had a very few visitors coming to my home. I had also done covid test twice in NCR and the results had shown negative. I had done Covid vaccination 1 st dose on 6 April, since then had followed all the protocols. 

Post covid vaccination, I had some adverse effects of immunization. Following this, I did Covid PCR which did not show anything. But since April 16 my oxygen levels went down and I had fever, my O2 level reached 83 since I am a diabetic with Hyperthyroidism, my brother, Dr.Rajendra Dhar (Cardiology, Heart Specialists) MBBS, MD (MEDICINE) based in Jaipur, monitored me virtually. He felt something was wrong in PCR and arranged to lift me to Jaipur. In 4 hours, I was in Jaipur and by that time I had developed symptoms such as fever, sore throat, dry cough, breathlessness, and headache. Brother admitted me in the hospital, got all the tests like (RT-PCR including X rays and scans clinical signs, blood investigations done on me which revealed I was a Covid positive case.

I was admitted to ICU due to severe ARDS. I was put on a mechanical ventilator, monitored with pulse oximetry, and encouraged to lie prone. In 2017, I had dengue which had given me multiple organ failure and this time COVID led to respiratory failure. What I hate most is the chronic pain due to the blood taking out for diagnostics, then administering analgesic medication through intravenous route has also been problematic besides passing urine in catheter. On an average, as a routine I sleep just 4 hours, but in the ICU, I did not have proper night sleep, the intensity of pain, bright lighting, noise from ventilators and monitors.

Every time I see medical fraternity doctors, nurses, Paramedics providing care, I bow before each one of them, their commitment, work ethics, and zeal humbles me to speechlessness. Brother dealt with COVID cases outside as well as inside home. In ICU, I realised that they hardly had any time to eat, they willingly were putting long-hours to save as many as they can and putting themselves at risk of infection to care for people in need, the health workers have been battling with the virus. I owe the rest of my life to the field of public health. I salute all health workers who have seen them working in extremely challenging conditions dealing with elderly patients, patients with comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, and other age-related issues.

This is high time we need political will of higher kind to reengineer, reimagine and reform healthcare.

The storyteller is Dr Manorama Bakshi, a Public health professional. https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-manorama-bakshi-/


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