KOCHI: Obesity plus Covid is a deadly combo, says Shaz Shabeer, offering a glimpse into his 27-day battle with the virus. An ad filmmaker, vlogger and founder of #KRA Kochin Foodiz Relief Army, Shaz cautions people against taking the disease lightly. “I never thought I would catch the virus because I was taking all precautions. But I did, and I had to wage a tough battle against it. I survived the ordeal with the help of God, my family, and the medical staff at the hospital I was admitted to,” he says.
“It was while offering namaz on April 14 or 15 that I realised something was wrong. When I tried to stand up after kneeling, I couldn’t. I had to really struggle to get up, and that simple activity left me breathless. I didn’t even consider that it might be Covid at the time. I had gained a lot of weight recently, and I thought that might be the reason. But I started to feel feverish afterwards. Thinking it might be just another viral fever, I called up a doctor friend who prescribed me Dolo. However, even after four days, the fever didn’t subside. My body temperature hovered above 100°F,” he recalls.
Soon after, Shaz’s wife too started to show symptoms like dysentery and body pain. “So, we decided to get tested. I opted for an RT-PCR test and my wife went for the antigen test. As she tested positive, it became obvious that I too am infected,” he says. He subsequently talked to some doctor friends who were posted at Covid wards in different hospitals, who told him to keep a pulse oximeter and a thermometer ready. He was also prescribed antibiotics.
Shaz systematically took the antibiotics and monitored his temperature, pulse rate and oxygen saturation. One day, however, his saturation level fell to 87. “On notifying the doctors, I was told to seek hospitalisation immediately,” he says. It took a long hospital stay of 12 days for his fever to finally subside, and his pulse and oxygen gradients to become normal. “Dealing with Covid becomes especially difficult for people who are overweight. The one thing they struggle the most with is breathlessness. So, try to reduce weight. I am saying this from personal experience,” he says.
Shaz advises that it is also necessary to get your data and results updated on the official portal as soon as you test positive. “You can do this by contacting the health department or local Asha workers. This will help you if you need hospitalisation, as the officials will be keeping track of your situation. As I was staying in Kodungalur, I got admitted to a hospital at Irinjalakuda,” he says, and goes on to laud the “very good service” he received there. However, take care to carry things like a plate, spoon, glass, pillow, bedsheets, a bucket and a mug while getting admitted in a government hospital, he adds.