Living with and surviving Covid-19; A few lessons of my experience with Covid 19 sickness and survival tips
BY DR BEN PHRI
On 2nd January 2021, I went for a covid 19 test after I had developed symptoms of the virus like loss of taste and smell, flue, cough and shortness of breathe. The results came out positive. I immediately went into isolation until the 23rd of January, 2021 when I tested negative.
I have taken time to share with you how I survived the battle against the monster that is Covid-191. Keep the faith and trust God… the worst part of the illness is that it is a fight against faith and a fight against mucus, those are your enemies. Be positive. Have the faith in God, fight on.
Believe that you can’t let mucus win the fight. Declare victory and meditate on the words of God (Isaiah 53 v 5, Psalm 90 v 10, Jeremiah 30 v 172. Gather as much information as possible on covid.Do not assume, take time to know more how this enemy operates in the body. Follow the medical advise keenly.
3. Boost your immune system. Take Vitamin C and enjoy sunshine. If there is no sunshine vitamin D tablets will do. Whatever the case is, keep warm!
4. Do a lot of breathing exercise. If your symptoms are mild exercise a lot where you can. I used to do 16 km a day to improve my body’s ability to fight the disease and aid my breathing mechanisms. Remember, the battlefield is the respiratory system. Other exercises include balloon blowing, rope skipping, push ups, frog jumping
5. Eat, eat and eat… one of the symptoms of Covid19 is loss of taste and smell. Whatever the case make sure you eat a well balanced meal. You need the energy to carry on. Make fruits (especially citrus) an integral part of your diet.
6. Heat steaming. Forget what some conspirators are saying about this. Steaming works but know how to do it and what you want to attack. You are attacking a new virus that may have hidden behind the nose and the way to weaken it is to breathe in steam through the nose as well as out through the mouth. The steam will weaken the virus allowing the antibodies to finish the fight against the virus.
7. Consume a lot of liquids (water and juices). I would recommend warm liquids for both. Go for the gingers and other natural remedies but not too much and must be consumed warm.
8. Do gurgling at least twice a day with hot water.
9. Keep away from negative news. At the rate the virus is claiming lives, and how social media is awash with news of someone passing, stay away from such negativity. The worst day of my sickness was when the Nation lost two of my compatriots Late Hon. Muhammad Sidick Mia and Late Hon. Lingson Berekanyama (May Their Souls Rest in Peace) died. I was filled with fear, anxiety and stress until I told myself to fight on and reminded myself of number 1. Keep the faith, God is in control. Concentrate on your healing and stay away from any negative news.
For home based isolation
Apart from isolating yourself from others, where possible,
1. Make sure you use disposable plates and cups when they’re giving you food and liquids.
2. Have Bin liners where you dispose the disposable items after use and make sure they are burnt.
3. Treat all your clothes and beddings with Dettol or other disinfectants. Remember we are at war and the enemy is unseen.
Quoting President Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa ” The disease doesn’t care if you’re a lunatic or a normal person, intelligent or dumb, educated or not, rich or poor. It will play havoc with you.” Treat everyone as a suspected case. Observe all precautionary measures#WashHands&Sanitize#ObserveSocialDistance#WearAMaskAlwaysMay God heal our world!Ben Phiri
