Don’t panic, but be positive, says Biocon’s Kiran Mazumdar Shaw on her experience with COVID-19
My first symptom was a mild feverish feeling late evening on August 16. I had felt similar symptoms in early June and I tested negative so I just took a Crocin and thought it would take care of it. The next morning though, I continued to feel feverish and I measured it - 99 F.
That’s when I decided to test myself and my
entire household as I have my 89-year-old mother, a cancer survivor and my
71-year-old husband, a cancer patient to worry about. I immediately
self-quarantined in a separate room and waited anxiously for the test results.
At 5pm I was told that I tested positive but everyone else at home including my
staff tested negative. Mercifully, the virus spared my mum and my husband. I
asked for the CT (Cycle Threshold) value to assess my viral load and when I saw
it was 23, I felt the load was safe enough to be home quarantined under
tele-supervision.
Dr Murli Mohan from Narayana Health, Bengaluru and Dr Shashank Joshi from Lilavati hospital, Mumbai, were my key medical supervisors. I was put on a course of Favipiravir, azithromycin and paracetamol.
Apart from this, I continued with my daily dose of Vit C, Vit D, Zinc, baby aspirin and chyavanprash! Not to mention my twice a week 200mg dose of HCQ! Day two and three were uneventful. I was measuring my oxygen saturation levels six times a day which were all between 96-98 percent even after a brisk six-minute walk. My temperature was normal but late evening on Day 3, I felt flu-like symptoms and it extended to Day 4 and 5. There was no measurable temperature but frequent bouts of sweating, which suggested that my body was fighting the virus. I was also tracking my Cytokine levels.
My cRP was normal at <0.5 throughout the infected period, which indicated no inflammation. My D-Dimer and Ferritin levels were also within normal range. I also tracked my cytokine levels especially IL-6 which were undetectable. By Day 6, I started feeling better. My rtPCR test on Day 10 was still positive but with a CT value of 33 suggesting a very low and non-infectious viral load generally attributed to dead virus shedding.
I also tested my blood for antibodies n T-cells on Day 9. IgM was noticeably present but not IgG. My innate immune response based on Dendritic and NK cells was strong. A robust T cell activation was observed in my sample with a higher frequency of antigen specific T cells, effector T cells, Memory T cells and cytokine release on stimulation. I basically had developed T Cell immunity which could potentially protect me for a long duration. On Day 12 My rtPCR test was positive with a CT value of 36 heralding the final leg of my Covid19 saga!
My experience has been mild and uneventful. No loss of smell or taste n no drop in oxygen saturation. I recommend to everyone with mild fluish symptoms to test and decide on hospitalisation or home quarantine based on viral load: CT values <20 with fever ought not to home isolate. Monitoring oxygen saturation several times a day is psychologically good for your virus fighting morale. I also recommend that you try and exercise or go for a short walk every day to keep fit. I did not experience any loss of appetite and I suggest a diet of fruit, vegetables, lentils and cereal. Soups and salads were a daily feature for my meals. My constant companions were Netfllix and Amazon Prime; avoid TV and social media as negative news are bad for fighting Covid19!