After dodging the Covid variants for almost 2 years, I finally fell prey to it in the month of January 2022. Just after the pongal festival in South India where we all had a fun 3 days long weekend, the cases soar high and even I contracted during that time. At first my daughter tested positive and I was actually too nervous as kids are not vaccinated. Our doctor was in quite jovial mood because she felt everyone was getting the Omicron variant and the impact won't be serious. She eased us but I still was panicky. Even if we didn't test positive yet, she said we soon will and asked us to isolate for ten days!
Immediate step was to inform maid and our cook to not come. I only felt it natural to inform the apartment mates, even if maids would have spread the happy news😅. I was actually eager to update my fb and WhatsApp status informing the same. It almost felt like not being the odd ones out! I updated and as expected the concerns poured in... Here's the catch! Every one wants to help by a word or an act but they were not sure what to do and there actually is nothing which can be asked! The real pain is doing the house chores...and none can help you with that! Second or third day after Zaara got infected I too tested positive - symptoms being super dry cough, throat pain, trembling hands, truck loads of weakness.....still we divided duties among us and swept the house alt days and made very light meals if required. We either ordered or my mom being the angel she is, she just sent the food almost every day ! I was surprised to know that this variant or may be others too can be dormant for as good as 14 days!
By 4th/5th day my spirits were really dampened. I really wanted to go out and feel good. Not that I was living any different.. My entire lockdown life was isolated and I lost interest in socializing but I felt quite suffocated by the quarantine label as people would be scared to be near your house!
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| Some may actually say this to me : here |
The most challenging part of quarantine was to eat...the more you eat …the more you wash. By the end of quarantine I was pretty weak, actually much weaker than during the infected days. As per doctor's advice we came out of isolation after 10-11 days. I used vitamin supplements for nearly 2 months but the neck spasms and some other ailments retained. I don't wanna explain more and bore the readers :) !
Quick tip💭: If you know any who is quarantined and if you can really help them, help them out silently... may be by just sending some useful groceries, eatables or getting some thing if they ask you directly. If you are scared that you may contract the virus, then don't do it by any means, but continuously expressing that you want to be helpful is really a moot point (apologies if I am harsh :)).
A gentleman in our apartment came down with hot tasty boorelu (south Indian dish) and chutney on one fine morning during our quarantine. It felt so delightful! Similarly one of my aunts who stays quite far from our place swiggy genied (through swiggy genie ( a food order and delivery service app) - a new damn useful service in this new normal) us a sumptuous meal which I can never forget. My bhabhi (Bros wife) prepared all the items and we hogged on the meal (Biryani, cutlets, custard, some other sweet and so on) monstrously! The biggest BLESSING I felt that moment was that our SMELL and TASTE sensations were intact :)
I started cutting a pathetic joke with every one, that I started the new year on quite a positive note - A COVID Positive one!😝
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| Just for laughs! |
Oh yes i was on isolation in January along with my teenage son in the same room. We did not step out of the room for 10 days ! Imagine from his angle! Stuck for 10 days with nagging mom ! Poor thing !
ReplyDeleteI feel you on this one, I had dodged it for the whole 2 years and was away with my son when my wife first had Covid which was brilliant, then in March I finally succumbed. Thankfully I had a very mild dose of it but it was still phenomenally boring being stuck at home.
ReplyDeleteHope you're feeling better and life is back to some kind of normality for you.
Visiting from Facing The Mountain
If there are people who care, who readily come with something special like a food item, the cure is faster.
ReplyDeleteThat was a tough phase. Your Tips to people wanting to help are absolutely spot on. I hope you are fully recovered and back to your usual energy levels and routine. Good going on the AtoZ! Have a good day!
ReplyDeleteHaha I absolutely enjoyed staying at home myself. Quarantine made me so creative! But it aS very sad to see the world struggling outside the confines of my safety
ReplyDeleteGreat going to the challenge so far!
Sorry to hear you caught the bad bug after all. Thank God for your daughter making sure you still had a smile on your face.
ReplyDeleteIs the weakness gone by now? Are you feeling 100% back to normal?
Great idea for helping people out in the quarantine and I don't think you are harsh at all. Good advice. I am going to see doc tomorrow and I fear they will make me take a booster shot and a flu shot and I am fearful of the repercussions... win or lose ...I'm going to let God guide. I am happy one your favorite "blocks" ← wink wink ... is mine. That is encouraging.
ReplyDeleteI liked my Q post for 2016 ( Quadruped Quimby )much better than my 2022
Cheers,
Barbie
All good advice. Hope you will be back to yourself soon.
ReplyDeleteIt was nice of you to let everyone know. I still think it could have been/could be slowed down if people were more diligent about letting others know when they might have been exposed. I know I'd be a lot more careful not to be around people if I knew I had been exposed.
ReplyDeleteSad to hear you had/have to go through all of this. I just got my second booster shot yesterday, yet still isolate myself, for fear of catching the dreaded virus. I haven’t been working with kids for over 2 years now, and it gets very frustrating with my wife working and me not being willing to go anywhere public because of my age (71) other than the needed shopping. Having been a teacher for over 40 years I miss for the most part interacting with people on a daily basis. Virtual meetings have been great, don’t get me wrong, I have met, through writing and storytelling, people throughout the world and I do get to work on music and writing like A to Z. But coming from a social profession (teaching) and being stuck at home most of the time, by myself is a downer. Having people, like you, read my blog is a definite upper. I hope things continue to get better for you and definitely keep on writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your story, I'm so sorry that you and your family had to go through this but am glad you are on the mend, and wish you health and happiness. The creative act of writing this story, which has reached me in Canada, shows we are part of a creative community and though in quarantine, we are not alone!
ReplyDeletegood idea helping people who are quarantined :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say that although my family and I were careful and always isolated if we we came in contact with a positive case, we otherwise continued to live our normal life for the majority of the pandemic. We finally contracted COVID this past January and lucky for us we had very little symptoms. I guess we were just lucky! Glad you got through it ok!
ReplyDeleteAs Oscar Wilde said it is very healthy to spend time alone.
ReplyDeleteDitto for us in January. Unfortunately, and as expected, none of my neighbors even messaged to ask if we were even alive, including 'friends'. Tougher times make one knows who really cares. And so sweet of your mom and that uncle. We discovered ordering plated thalis helps as no utensils to wash.
ReplyDeleteDropping by from A-Z challenge - momandideas.com
I never officially quarantined myself over the past couple of years, but if I'm not travelling I stay home most of the time anyway. I've always enjoyed spending time with myself.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
Tossing It Out
Glad you made it through, had some unexpected surprise help, and your daughter was a source of upliftement.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had COVID yet and hope I never do, but it will probably happen at sometime.
ReplyDeleteI tested positive a few weeks ago. Sadly, I am still struggling with it. My symptoms come and go, but the tiredness is a constant. Glad you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteStopping in from A to Z: https://brewingcoffeetwistingwordsbreakingpencils.ca/2022/04/20/quartz/
I hope u feel better soon. Thanks for ur time here. Take care!
DeleteI feel like I got it very early on when the doctors and health officials didn't really know who to treat it. I never got tested but I've never been sick like that. But luckily I only had it for one day. So maybe it was a 24 hour bug of some sort coincided with Covid. I guess I was lucky.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you never lost the senses of smell and taste and that you did get some help with food deliveries. Always good for the sick to send some food or fruit or juice, I think.
ReplyDeleteLike you we managed to avoid it until February this year. Thankfully we'd had 2 jabs and a booster so neither hubby or I were particularly unwell. Also with just the two of us at home isolating wasn't really a problem either. I hope you're fully recovered by now.
ReplyDeleteI hope you're all feeling much better!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you all weathered it though the weakness really makes it hard to do much.
ReplyDeleteWe've learned to stay home when the thing rises in numbers.
Questions
I am so glad to read you got through it better than some. Fortunately, neither I nor my son who lives with me got it. We've had the booster and both shots, and don't do much out anyway.
ReplyDeleteI think everyone had Omicron in January (though not me or my husband). My son/family have had various times of quarantining. We offered to bring them food supplies if they needed anything and they took us up on it a couple of times. I'm glad you recovered from your bout with Covid.
ReplyDeletebetty
Oh this is such a cheerful angle for the virus related quarantine and other issues you guys had to go through! Glad to hear you'll are out of it. Even more glad to hear how some neighbours and relatives sent some yum stuff to keep your spirits up!
ReplyDeleteI’m happy you are okay ❤️
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Those symptoms sound painful. I'm so glad you had supportive people around you.
ReplyDeleteThat was hell of a time.Thank God! it ended peacefully. Thanks to Shabana bhabhi for her delicious lunch :)
ReplyDeleteGrateful to come out of this safely…
DeleteQuarantine was a sad reality. But the best part is that it also brought out the best in people, who reached out those in need. We were in quarantine three times in 2020. And so many people held us with supply of essentials etc.
ReplyDeleteYes, isolation feels different when it's labeled "quarantine."
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you have recovered and that people who were able to help did so in such thoughtful ways.
Covid had touched everyone and no one was spared. My family collapsed in the first wave itself and all of us barring the kids were tested positive. We lost our Father in Law as well.
ReplyDeleteHappy to know that you have recovered. My family collapsed in the first wave itself.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you're doing much better and recovered now! It sounds super scary. The mental agony of it can be exhausting considering that humans are social animals. We are not programmed to live in isolation and forced isolation can be so dampening. As far as help goes, sometimes we go 'haq se' for those we know well, for others we don't know whether we're overstepping or becoming overwhelming so we kind of stick to sidelines and let them tell us, maybe keep offering help but let the affected individual decide how much they want our involvement. It's a tricky thing for sure. The joke is funny! :)
ReplyDeleteMy A-Z list is at FictionPies
I had the omicron variant around the same time you did. I had the cough, headache, fever, and was soooo tired and weak! It reminded me of when I had mono in college. I didn't lost my sense of taste or smell, though, and I'm glad, because so many people still haven't fully gotten theirs back!
ReplyDelete