Table of Contents
They thought I'm joking...
Following the COVID-19 community cases outbreak, I am so lucky… COVID positive. I told my friends, and they thought I’m joking with them… They just couldn’t believe…
Why I suspect myself infected with Covid?
The story started when I was just having some light fever, light flu and minor sore throat. At this stage, I thought it’s just normal fever, because I’ve the history of having same pattern of symptoms on previous falling sick.
However, after 2-3 days, I started to loss taste and smell. Gosh… something is not right !?
You know? When a delicious Soy Sauce Chicken go into your mouth and taste very light, when you eat cheese cake and don’t have cheese taste, when you go throw rubbish and no need to press your nose… Your mom cooking delicious food and you smell nothing. Then try to eat salt and taste buds feeling nothing too!!!
I took the COVID-19 PCR swab test at nearby Pathlab, while waiting for the result, I comforting myself, well I won’t be so lucky right? …. Too bad, I got informed that I’m COVID positive… 🙁 The test report is automatically submitted to Ministry of Health Malaysia.. Then I also received call from their survey team trying to find out the places I’ve been to before, asking me to prepare my belongings and get ready for another call to go to quarantine center…
How I contracted with COVID-19 ??!!!
All this while I’ve been quite discipline. I don’t know when did I exposed myself to confirmed case. After narrow down, there’s 3 possibility on my head. 1st is the one hour at gym center (however that was 10 days ago), 2nd and 3rd are Bank ATM and buying breakfast takeaway (chances of the 2nd and 3rd seems bigger, because it was 3-4 days ago). While my friend say I contracted at gym center is higher.
If you stay positive in a negative situation you win
Preparation before going to quarantine center...
I asking around for friends, family, relatives to gather further details of what I need to taken care of. My uncle’s brother share his experience inside the Serdang quarantine center with me, so that I can properly prepare before admitted into the center. Some important points are:
- The queue at check in and discharge is very long (easily few hours)
- Aircon temperature is very low, super cold
- Not enough pillow
- Sharing dirty toilet
- Eating spicy food (not suitable for some Chinese)
- Quarantine for 10 days, no symptom then auto discharge
- No second round swab test needed, unless your situation turn bad
At the same time there’s also a video go viral at WhatsApp, from the video I can see patient inside the center singing together, playing poker card, gambling with snacks, like a holiday carnival… The overall condition is OMG… Is that real? My uncle told me he is one of the patient inside that video, wearing x shirt, dancing there, so means this is a real video…
With all the information gathered, I compiled this list and prepare accordingly.
- Shirts, pants and underwear enough for 10 days
- Snacks
- Blanket
- Jacket
- 4-ply high quality mask
- Power bank & charger
- Supplements
I'm ready, but the ambulance team go missing...
Due to the community spread cases suddenly spike, causing not enough bed in quarantine center, the ambulance team ended up missing in action. I self quarantine at home, no going to CAC, no wrist band.
If you ask me to choose whether to self quarantine at home or go to quarantine center, I will choose go to quarantine center. Why? At home having far higher risk to bring the virus to elder. Elder having weaker immune, thus far more dangerous than young chap like us.
How I take care of myself during the self quarantine?
- Sleep early, latest 11pm
- Drink at least 2 liter of water
- Day time also rest more
- Stay happy, swipe Tiktok (there’s always fun, energetic and positive short videos)
- Nutrition (Vitamin C 1000mg, Vitamin E, Fish oil, and high antioxidant Celwise)
- Wear mask all the time
- Wearing 4ply medical mask
- Social distancing with family member (at least 1 meter)
- Drink lemon water (just 2 hours after taste the lemon, I start to gain back some taste)
How I preparing myself to stay strong mentally?
We all know, worry can make you feel more sick. Some people die of worriedness. I proclaim to myself using these verse.
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
Recommended Daily Intake from Other Health Practitioners
- Take Vitamin C-1000mg
- Vitamin E
- 10:00 – 11:00 sunbathing for 15-20 minutes
- 1-2 Egg
- Enough Rest (7-8 hours)
- Drink 1.5 ml min water daily and each meal should drink warm (not cold or ice).
Post Recovery Side Effect?
After self quarantine for 14 days, my taste already back to normal. However, one thing I realize is my hair color changed from dark to dark brown. I also realize myself more easy to get tired. A sign of immunity weaken? Well, I continue to eat nutrition and give myself enough rest on daily basis, and things eventually back to normal.
Finally ~~~
Finally at the month of August, I am fully vaccinated.
My advice for the public
COVID is invisible and tricky. Don’t take it easy. Full vaccination doesn’t mean you will be 100% safe. While it do help to tremendously reduce risk of having COVID severity of level 3-5, the chances still there.