My Experience Report of Covid-19: Pre,
During and Post – Version 1.0
- owais
1. DISCLAIMERS:
1.1. I am NOT a Physician or Surgeon (i.e., Medical Doctor) of ANY kind.
1.2. This is NOT a prescription of ANY kind.
1.3. This is merely a catalogue of my personal experience and my personal understanding.
1.4. Several references are given in this report. These references are supportive of the course of action I followed. I am not giving any unsupportive references, for then I will also have to give the analyses of those unsupportive references, and why I rejected the implications of those and followed the path that I did. Since this is not a scientific study nor a physician’s advice nor prescription, but only a report of my personal experience, written for myself, which I am sharing for greater good, I feel this course of action is justified.
2. MY EDUCATED GUESSES / FACTS AS I KNOW THEM:
2.1. This section is about me. It will help readers decide whether to accept or reject my statements coming later.
2.2. I believe in Natural Powers of ALL kinds: known, unknown, misknown, known unknowns, unknown unknowns, unknowable unknowns.
2.3. I do not believe in Supernatural powers of ANY kind.
2.4. Covid-19 is a real disease.
2.5. Knowledge of Covid-19 is evolving science. So, we may be wrong, and I may be wrong about what I say here. Only time will tell, and I personally am prepared to correct myself as and when new evidence emerges. Please do forgive me for any information that I may give wrong due to my / our limitations of knowledge and understanding.
2.6. As with all situations, some people exploit this situation for their own benefit.
2.7. As in all matters, authorities can and will be misinformed and wrong, as well as well-informed and right.
2.8. Only time will tell what we, as the human species, did wrong and what right.
2.9. Well-tested, including time-tested vaccines are good for us.
2.10.Covid-19 is too new and time too short to be sure that the first vaccines that will come out, whenever they do come out, will be sufficiently effective and sufficiently safe. Therefore choosing to NOT understand SARS-Cov-2 and Covid-19 (here on, the/this ‘virus’ and ‘Covid’), and choosing NOT prepare for the same, in the hope that “vaccine will save us” is a wrong thing to do.
2.11.Assuming that “I will not get Covid” is wrong.
2.12.Assuming that “I will die if I get Covid” is wrong.
2.13.Fearing the Covid test is wrong.
2.14.Fearing quarantine / isolation / authorities’ authoritarianism is wrong. They are trying to do what they can. There will be some good steps, there will be some missteps, but working with the authorities is the best course of action.
2.15.Not going to a hospital for suspected Covid / non-Covid diseases, when warranted, is wrong.
2.16.Irrational fear of Covid is, well, irrational.
2.17.I refuse to let my life be driven by fear any longer.
3. NOTABLE DETAILS:
3.1. Nature of Virus(es):
3.1.1. Viruses (all kinds of viruses) do not "live" like animals, plants, humans and bacteria. They live only in the sense that they can replicate themselves in the patient's cells, after they infect a human or an animal, (or even a plant - though plant viruses are of a different kind, which cannot infect animals / us).
3.1.2. So, when we say that a virus is alive, what we mean is that the virus is active / viable and that it can infect someone / replicate INSIDE that patient's cells.
3.1.3. Viruses canNOT replicate outside a patient's cells, though they CAN remain viable from a few hours to several days outside a body.
3.1.4. After the virus infects, the person infected can fully fight off and 'kill' all the viruses (above the level which is dangerous for us) before he actually falls ill (ie, before he has a disease, ie, before he shows any symptom or symptoms). Such persons, in that situation are considered asymptomatic (ie, they do not show any symptoms, ie, they do not actually fall sick).
3.1.5. Some people (bodies) cannot kill all the viruses (above the level which is dangerous for them) in time and viral loads (number of active viruses inside the patients’ bodies) become so high that they start showing some symptoms.
3.1.6. Why do they show symptoms? Because every time a virus replicates inside a cell, the viruses eventually break out of the cell and the cell dies. And then, two things happen: patients’ immune systems increase their activity against the virus, and the functionality of the dead cells fails and their body systems weaken.
3.1.7. At some point, all the viruses (above the level at which they remain a threat to us) become unviable. This is typically when the patients’ bodies have killed off a huge number of viruses.
3.1.8. This typically happens in 10 days or so for most mild to medium Covid sufferers.
3.1.9. Some patients become serious. Some even more unlucky patients indeed pass away as well. Even in these patients, typically, the problems that the patients face have more to do with other problems that have been created by the virus, including, most often, problems in the immune systems of the patients.
3.2. Tests:
3.2.1. Tests are too new. All of them are likely to give some or the other wrong results.
3.2.2. RT-PCR:
3.2.2.1. RT-PCR tests for the virus’s RNA. It is done by taking nasopharyngeal (nose and throat) swabs and testing them with specific instruments. Typically, it takes a day for the lab to give the results. It often gives false positives (meaning, when we are looking for something, here, the active virus, and it tells us that the virus is there, but it is actually not there in active/infective form) after the infection has come and gone because it can pick up parts of the virus DNA even after our immune system has gotten rid of the virus (made it inactive / made it unable to cause disease / ‘killed’ it). This test and other tests can also pick up a marker of another virus, and might misconstrue it to give a false positive report. RT-PCR can also sometimes give false negatives, though it is the best test as of now to find if one is currently infected and infective
3.2.2.2. Now how does RT-PCR test such a small thing as a virus RNA material? No test can sense a single strand of RNA. So what does the test do? It takes the sample and doubles the genetic material (RNA strands or its pieces). That is still not sufficient, so it doubles it again, and tries to check if it can detect some detectable amount of virus's genetic material. These doubling cycles go on until the virus genetic material becomes detectable.
3.2.2.3. In 10 cycles, the virus genetic material is amplified 1024 times. In 20, approximately 1 Million times. In 30 cycles, approximately 1 Billion times and so on.
3.2.2.4. At whatever cycle the genetic material (viable or otherwise) is detectable, that is called Ct, or Cycle threshold value that you get of your sample.
3.2.2.5. So, this means that you had a lot of virus in you if your Ct was 15, than if it was 30. The difference is not just double the virus material in the sample, but that of 15 doublings, ie, approximately 32,000 times.
3.2.2.6. Since this test isn't a 'culture', ie, growing a viable virus, but any genetic material, which can very well be unviable also. In case of recovered patients, it mostly is an unviable piece of the virus RNA.
3.2.2.7. This is because the virus typically 'lives' for 9 days before the body's defence system has cut it into unviable pieces, anything detectable after 9-10 days in RT-PCR is generally the unviable pieces. Since most results do not tell you the Ct number, and whether the sample contained viable virus or unviable pieces, we have no clue whether we are still harbouring an actual viable virus, or merely its unviable pieces. Further, we do not even know till how many doublings the lab / kit was checking it: if they checked it, say 34 times, then the sample was detected at 16 Billion times strength of the original sample. However, if they go on till, say 40 cycles, then it was detected only when amplified approximately 1 Trillion times. So, huge difference.
3.2.2.8. This is also most likely why you read all those reports of a goat or a papaya giving coronapositive result. That is a false positive, which will come even when a stray unviable piece of virus has contaminated the sample. In areas where there are a few Covid patients (asymptomatic or otherwise), it is quite likely that the papaya in question, or the sample has been contaminated by an unviable piece of the virus RNA. I suspect, (though I have not researched the test kits’ methodologies), that it might even show (as positive) if that piece was a common genetic material of another coronavirus (not SARS-Cov-2).
3.2.2.9. Therefore please do not worry after 10 days of having given the original sample (that found you positive) or the first day of Covid symptoms, whichever was later. You do not need another RT-PCR test after recovery, provided 10 days have passed.
3.2.2.10. This is also the MoHFW (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Union of India) protocol.
3.2.3. RAT is Rapid Antigen test. It tests for virus’s protein signatures. This is also done using nasopharyngeal swabs. The result typically comes within the hour, plus any time needed for logistics. There are several kits available for this test, with differing specifications. Most of them give a substantial number of false negatives (meaning, when we are looking for something, here, the active virus, and it tells us that the virus is not there, but it is actually there). This is a quick test to tell us if we are currently infected and infective.
3.2.4. For the actual disease (ie, being sick / having symptoms, which is different from being merely infected and/or infective), specifically the lung problems, Chest CT scan is often taken, even when RT-PCR comes negative, if the patient is presenting the various symptoms of Covid-19.
3.2.5. Another test that is often done is D-dimer. It can tell us if we are at risk of the other major life-threatening Covid effect, embolism, which means that dangerous blood clots may be forming within the body.
3.2.6. Do remember that Covid can affect many different parts of the body, and thus has a huge variety of symptoms. Experienced Covid doctors (but not doctors who may be very learned, but have not yet worked on Covid) can figure out the probability of Covid by the patient’s symptoms, and may deem any Covid test unnecessary, for starting the requisite patient care.
3.2.7. After the immune system has defeated the virus, and gotten rid of it, we often develop humoral antibodies for it (antibodies in the blood; there are other kinds of immunities too, but we can test only for the antibodies in the blood, as pointed out elsewhere in this report). Typically, the first on the scene are IgM (Immunoglobulin M), which actually help defeat the virus. Then, there are IgG’s. IgG is that variety of antibody that stays longer after the IgM production is dialed down by the body. In Covid, both antibody productions have been seen starting more or less at the same time. IgM production is stopped almost as soon as the virus is removed from the body. IgG stays for a longer period of time. One might guess that it stays on till, in a natural setting, the threat of that virus would have passed. For respiratory viruses, that should typically be several months. Testing one’s blood for these antibodies tells us whether one has been exposed to the virus in the past.
3.3. Long-haulers: Some people are often unwell a long time after Covid.
3.3.1. Some people stay unwell after 10th day also. That is because this disease has TWO separate phases: first 9 days is the Viral phase. If Covid continues beyond that, then it is the Immunological phase, ie, the Bradykinin / Cytokine storm. For some people who have been very ill, they can face problems even in the post-Covid phase, when the virus has gone, but its effects are lingering. Details below.
3.3.2. Viral phase is when virus is causing problems. Fever, Body pain, Fatigue, Persistent cough, Shortness of breath, Low oxygen levels, Possible excess blood clotting etc. Even in this phase, there is a plethora of possible symptoms, since the virus primarily acts by suppressing ACE-2 receptors, which are actually needed for proper function by a number of organs of the body.
3.3.3. Immunological phase is when the virus is not troubling you anymore, but your Immune System has over-reacted and has behaved just like sometimes when kitchen gas fire burns the house. This is typically a hyper-inflammatory phase and can present many kinds of symptoms including pneumonia, thromboembolism, problems with heart, liver, kidney etc. This is because once the immune system goes haywire, there is no telling where all it will go spraying its bullets!
3.3.4. Post-Covid phase is when we face some trouble because of the damage that the virus created or that which our Immune System created in our body, or even the damage because of hospital procedures. Many patients who had serious breathing problems during the Immunological phase of Covid may find their lungs not functioning well. Other problems can be related to persistent cough, embolism, blood pressure dysregulation, heart problems, thyroid, testicular function, continued inflammation, body ache, confusion, fatigue etc. It is currently unclear if some of these will persist even after 120 days of infection or not.
3.4. Important – Post-Covid Complications: Covid recoverees have to be careful and monitor their health so that the rare post-Covid problems do not go unnoticed.
3.5. Re-infection:
3.5.1. Fearing reinfection (after having had Covid, and having cared for yourself for 120 days after the first symptom / Covid positive test result, whichever is earlier), unless you are immune-compromised, is not warranted by the current data.
3.5.2. Do remember that taking a vaccine is fooling the body to prepare for a real virus, with the pretense of a threat by a fake virus. Thus, it essentially means getting a fake disease. So, as indeed, a good vaccine is a real protection, then having had the real disease, and having returned to peak health, seems logically to be protection enough, until sufficient data emerges that it is not.
3.5.3. Actually if it were so that we will equally be at risk (of the same disease, of the same or worse severity) to the same viral disease in 45 days, as some claim, then life would not exist. Animals would not. Mammals would not. Humans would not.
3.5.4. Specific antibodies ALWAYS go down. For some infections in a few days, for others in months, for yet others a little longer. But record of those antibodies is kept in other parts of the system, most of which we do not currently understand very well. So, when the same infective agent or its relative come again, the antibodies are built before the (viral) infection (or a relative of it) can cause a serious disease.
3.5.5. This is why we get flu (influenza / viral fever) every few years. And, generally, it is not fatal (except for a very small percentage of unlucky people). And flu is generally caused by some or the other virus, including some variety of a human coronavirus.
3.5.6. Furthermore, there are multiple ways in which body defends against viruses, not only through IgG's. IgG's are a part of the humoral response to infection. And that is the only response we can measure at this level of our technology. There is also cellular response and Innate Immunity response that we know of (but cannot measure).
3.5.7. Thus, theoretically, it is possible for a person who defeated the infection through, say, Natural Killer cells to again get infected. But then his NK cells will most likely again defeat it.
3.5.8. There are a lot of scams in play currently, making some of the data doubtful. I do know of a private hospital (with investments from powerful people) contracted by a state Govt for Covid, was paying money to fake patients to get fake coronapositive reports, then get actual hospital stay and finally get factual negative test report and be discharged. The hospital was getting a huge amount per patient from the State Govt funds / UN funds routed through the Union and State Govts. The expense on the fake patients’ stay was much lower and this game has been making them a lot of money. There is complete, official record of these patients having been positive, recovered and then being negative, without ever actually getting Covid. Now if they will actually get Covid, they will actually get a factual coronapositive test report and may show symptoms (fall ill). But is this re-infection or infection? Officially, it will be re-infection, though actually it will be infection.
3.5.9. In any case, infection is essentially immaterial: if an infective agent is in the air, one WIL get infected. What matters is what happens after that. Immune system can defend us only AFTER infection! What we need to know is whether the person actually got sick because of this virus, after having completely recovered from the illness resulting from it?
3.5.10. Of course, we should take all precautions (which is why this report), but not subscribe to unlikely ideas. I am willing to bet with anyone that in a few years' time no one will be afraid of Covid, irrespective of whether they kept taking a Covid vaccine every 45 days or not.
3.5.11. In summary, I feel that half-baked reports of re-infection will keep coming up. My take is that this will basically be a result of fear and/or fear-mongering. These reports must be investigated in depth before any "re-infection happens within months" hypothesis is accepted. I very strongly feel that a huge majority of these reports will be due to test related issues, diagnostic issues, scams and at most immune-compromised individuals.
3.5.12. My Bottom-line on ‘re-infection’: If indeed a real disease cannot give us immunity, then how can vaccine, which is a fake disease, give us any immunity? So then, does humanity have no out? Our genes are way smarter than we are. We must give them the credit that evolution has put them in a balance with threats such as this virus. And how can it be that this virus is so different from other coronaviruses? This same pretense in early part of the year made everyone shit bricks and screw up lives everywhere. Unless every single case is thoroughly investigated and all possibilities of error / malafide intentions ruled out, these “cases” cannot be given any credence.
4. MY COVID EXPERIENCE:
4.1. My early experience:
4.1.1. I generally ignored Covid till the first week of March 2020, when a number of cases started getting reported from various parts of the country. Further, when I heard that PM Modi was going to address the Nation at 8 PM on 19th March, I knew that something was afoot, and that I will have to understand the 2020-Public-Enemy-No.1, SARS-CoV-2 and its disease, Covid-19.
4.1.2. I found that almost everyone was as ignorant about the virus as I was, and reliable information was difficult to come by. I started trawling the Internet, and gradually located sources that were going beyond the simplistic advice being peddled by WHO, and as a result by authorities in India. Social media companies like Youtube became more a foe than a friend as they, despite and because of their utter ignorance were blocking / taking down critical information.
4.1.3. I found, at various times, Drbeen Medical Lectures, Dr Paul Marik, Dr Zev Zelenko, Dr John Campbell, DR KK Aggarwal, Dr Richard Bartlette, Medcram, JAMA Network, Trialsite News, Dr Navneet Kalra, Ford Brewer MD MPH, Doctor Mike Hansen, Dr. Bruce Patterson, Dr Subhasree Ray, Dr. Yo!, Adam Gaertner, Papa on duty, Ivor Cummins, Unherd and several others that I cannot recall at this time.
4.1.4. I also judiciously used WhatsApp forwards. As also the people in health industry that I knew could give me some useful information.
4.1.5. I formed several groups, channels, etc. on social media like WhatsApp, Facebook, Youtube, Instagram and shared information with many others trying to understand Covid.
4.1.6. Despite the lockdown and unavailability, I started collecting the supplements, medicines, equipment etc. that I thought was necessary for effectively addressing the Covid threat.
4.1.7. I knew that as a borderline senior, hypertensive, diabetic and seriously obese person, I was particularly at risk of a bad prognosis if I did get the infection.
4.1.8. My initial strategy was to make sure that I did not get infected. However, very soon it was obvious that this strategy will fail. The virus was far too infective, our systems far too ineffective and my ecosystem far too porous to keep myself hermetically sealed.
4.1.9. I, then, started working on the presumption that I will get it, no matter how careful I personally am. The only strategy that I could then play on, was improving my knowledge and immunity building. I had thankfully had a health scare in August 2019, and I was already on the path of trying to become healthy.
4.2. Day-wise Symptoms and my Actions:
4.2.1. Late in the night on 21st July 2020, I found that I was running a fever in excess of 100 F.
4.2.2. At about 3 AM on 22nd, I woke up with about 101 F. Since I had heard of several people being found coronapositive in our residential complex, I decided to work on the assumption that I was not having a random fever, or flu, but Covid. Took Paracetamol 500, Hydrochloroquine (HCQ) 200 * 2 tabs, Azithromycin (AZM) 500.
4.2.3. I could not sleep, and decided to start the full my Covid protocol that I had already written out. I took Zinc (20 mg elemental), Thiamine and other B complex vitamins that I had procured in the form of BecoZinc. I also took Quercetin 250 mg * 2 tabs, which I had ordered the earlier from Amazon when I came to know of its importance as a Zinc ionophore.
4.2.4. By forenoon, my temperature went down below 100 F (and has not risen above that till the time of writing, though 99 – 99.8 was observed on several days till 29th).
4.2.5. I had lunch and then took HCQ 200 * 2.
4.2.6. All these days, till the date of writing, I have been taking my hypothyroid medicines (Thyroxine 125 mcg till 14th Aug, when on doctor’s advice, upped it to 150 mcg).
4.2.7. I also kept taking my hypertension medicine (Macsart cc, which is Telmisartan 40 mg, Cilnidipine 10 mg and Chlorthalidone 12.5 mg) till 25th July, whence I stopped because my BP had been going too low (100/65) from 23rd July. I restarted it on 12th August, when I experienced a BP spike (167/153).
4.2.8. From 23rd July, I did not take Paracetamol because there was no fever. There was some body ache for a few days, but I did not think it bad enough to take Paracetamol. I started clove-steam inhalation, which I continued till 14th of August. I also started doing Jalneti, Bhastrika and Pranayam, all of which I continued till 14th of August. I stopped all difficult to digest foods and ate only green broken-moong dal khichdi till 29th.
4.2.9. On 23rd I experienced no symptoms, except temperature about 99.5 F and some body ache / upper back ache. I am not too sure if the upper back ache was because of Covid, or because of a new work chair (I work on a computer 7-14 hours a day) that I had bought a few days back created it. I still feel that ache, though very slightly, when I use that chair for several days.
4.2.10. From 23rd, I reduced HCQ to 200 mg *2 once a day, which I took for 4 more days (800*1 + 400*4 = 2400 mg total). I also reduced AZM to 250 mg (half a tab) which I took for 5 days, and then on the seventh day, I took 500 mg (500*2 + 250*5 = 2250 mg total). I also started Vitamin D 7000 IU + Vitamin K2 (as MK-7) 100 mcg, Vitamin C 500 mg twice a day, N-Acetyl L-Cysteine (NAC) 500 mg, Magnesium 500 mg and Melatonin 10 mg all of which I continued till 7th of August.
4.2.11. On 24th, a little cough started, throat was a little sore and body pain / back ache continued. I took some Unani medicines (Joshanda, which is always customized and Lauq Sapistan Khayarshambari – both twice a day), which I continued till 28th. I also started warm water gargles and salt, which I replaced with Povidone-Iodine (PVI / Betadine) solution on 27th.
4.2.12. On 25th, sore throat as well as back ache increased slightly. No other change.
4.2.13. On 26th morning, I noticed anosmia, which got corrected on 3rd August. Back ache continued on this day.
4.2.14. From 26th late night / 27th early morning, I felt some problem breathing, and could not sleep at all. I was already monitoring my SpO2 on my Pulse-Oxymeter twice a day. I checked many times on this day, but it was always 98-99. I was monitoring my breathing speed also. It continued to be at 12-13 bpm. I could also comfortably do my breathing exercises which involved a 30 second breath-hold, as well as hitting the top with all 3 balls in the 3-ball spirometer in exhalation mode. So, I am not very sure if it was Covid related breathing problem, or something else. It had not rained for the whole month, and in such situations, our area becomes very dusty. There was also some dust work going on at home. I am allergic to dust, and generally develop breathing problems in such situations. Also, I had been taking Aspirin for the last few days, to counter any thromboembolism. So, the breathing issue may have been Covid related, or dust related Allergic Rhinitis or even a bout of AERD (aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease). In any case, I took an Avil and also did some Asthalin steam inhalation. I was fine in the afternoon and had a great long nap. However, since the symptoms were all Covid related, and a friend had died of Covid just 2 days earlier, I was a little on the edge. Further, in my city, they were not admitting you to any hospital unless you had an RT-PCR done. If negative, then a non-Covid hospital would admit you; if positive, a Covid hospital would admit you. And I did not want to lose precious time if I were indeed on the serious-Covid-patient path. So, I called for a private lab technician who collected my sample for a charge (4500 for test + 800 for home visit = 5300) at 9 PM the same evening.
4.2.15. On 28th evening, after getting the coronapositive result, I also took 1.5 tabs of Ivermectin 12 mg (150-200 mcg per kg of patient weight). I repeated the same dose on 29th evening.
4.3. RT-PCR Test Result:
4.3.1. The private lab, despite taking my money, did not let me know my result till about 9 PM on 28th. That too after a lot many calls and angry conversations. They confirmed on phone that I was coronapositive. When I asked for my report, they said that the Govt does not allow them to give reports to individuals, and they have uploaded the information to the authorities.
4.3.2. This is rather amazing that the law as practiced is not allowing me to get my own report for which I have asked myself and for which I have paid from my own pocket.
4.3.3. The whole night was lost in waiting for the authorities’ calls, which I was told will come that very night.
4.4. Authorities’ overreach:
4.4.1. On 29th morning, 9 AM onwards, all hell was let loose. I got no less than 50 calls and multiple visits.
4.4.2. A couple of Medical Students were sent, who were to do contact tracing, and they said they want at least 15 names and addresses, irrespective of whether I actually visited them or not. They said they were under pressure from the District Authorities to submit that many names. Since I was not going out at all, nor having any visitors, it became quite a hassle.
4.4.3. The Tahsildar visited, shouted at and insulted my family members for coming out and speaking to his own team, since they were not willing to enter our home.
4.4.4. The quarantine team called and said that the rules had changed that very day and all positives and all untested people were to be quarantined in Govt centers and not at homes, which was the norm until the previous day.
4.4.5. My family was sent to a center on a bus, which took 3 hours to reach the Quarantine Center 7 km away.
4.4.6. A makeshift ambulance was sent for me to be shifted to a Covid center (different from Quarantine Center). The ambulance driver kept me waiting in the stuffy, non-AC ambulance with 10 other positives for about 2 hours and was extremely rude.
4.5. Covid Center Experience:
4.5.1. The Center was an out-of-use Engineering College hostel. The double occupancy rooms were converted into single / single family occupancy rooms. I got a cot, a disposable sheet and mattress (but no pillow). Many rooms were having some or the other problem, so I had to go room to room to find one that was usable.
4.5.2. The area was in the outskirts of the city, so was nice, open, windy and sunny. From 29th July to 7th Aug, when I completed my 10 days and was “set free”, my stay was uneventful and not unpleasant.
4.5.3. We were, of course, not allowed out of the building. Also, of course, no one was allowed in, other than the cleaning boys. Even the food supply, temperature monitoring by the nurses and complaints’ redressal by the manager was done from the outside.
4.5.4. After that harrowing day, 29th of July 2020, things settled on an even keel. I was on 4th floor and there was no lift. So, I had to come down many times for all kinds of things. However, I was happy because that filled the day and kept my focus on my health.
4.5.5. The food was good, tasty, well-packaged, well-balanced and was actually far too much in quantity. They were also giving some Ayurvedic kadha, which I found really tasty.
4.5.6. The staff was polite, especially the cleaning boys who used to come inside in PPE kits to clean up.
4.5.7. I needed some stuff (eg, a pillow, a kettle for heating water etc) which a friend sent through his cousin who had the lockdown pass.
4.5.8. I found some friends also there, so the stay became even more not unpleasant and not uncomfortable.
4.5.9. On the 10th day, the 7th of August, we were let off. We had to make our own way back.
4.5.10. I made and posted several videos beginning with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmQGdg7ZuOY which you can see and get a fit on my Covid Center experience.
4.6. Precautions: These are the only things that the Govts and WHO are really talking about. I followed all those. However, I know that those are neither sufficient, nor humanly possible for an indefinite period of time. At most these will delay your getting Covid-19. That is what they did for me. Be aware that the passion with which you believe in those precautions is not and will not be sufficient to keep you safe forever.
4.7. Tired of the Damocles’ Sword: I am not just happy and grateful that I recovered from Covid, but also that I did get Covid. Now it is done with. Remaining always fearful does not sit well with me.
4.8. Lives lost due to fear and lockdowns: Many lives have been lost and will be lost because of the fear of Covid and the lockdowns. While all that may have been necessary to bring focus on the work that we had to do, but that was not the solution. Unfortunately, everyone seems to think that it is, and that is what has prolonged this misery for far too long. And many people are losing their lives and years from their lives because we have been misinformed and misgoverned.
5. NON-STANDARD MEDICINE & PRACTICES:
5.1. Unani – for cough, thinning the mucous, expectorant and airway clearance:
5.1.1. Joshanda (customized).
5.1.2. Lauq Sapistan Khayarshambari.
5.2. Ayurvedic – for general immunity boost: Kadha.
5.3. Cloves’ Steam Inhalation – for airway clearance and improving oxygen availability.
5.4. Jalneti + Bhastrika – for airway clearance.
6. PREPARATION PRE COVID:
6.1. Food / Drinks that I started taking / avoiding:
6.1.1. Preferring Vegetables and Fruits in best nutrient supplying form.
6.1.2. Avoiding Processed Foods, Sugars, Starches, Carbohydrates, Refined Seed Oils.
6.1.3. Avoiding drinking cold water or eating cold / frozen foods.
6.2. Supplements taken that I felt were good for building Immunity:
6.2.1. Vitamin D
6.2.2. Multivitamin
6.2.3. Zinc
6.2.4. Quercetin
6.2.5. NAC / Glutathione
6.2.6. Melatonin
6.3. Equipment that I arranged:
6.3.1. Pulse Oxymeter.
6.3.2. Thermometer.
6.3.3. 3-ball Respirometer.
6.3.4. Blood Pressure Monitor (since I have hypertension).
6.3.5. Oxygen Concentrator (As an emergency measure, should oxygen be not available when needed).
6.4. Exercises that I started doing:
6.4.1. Physical Activity (1 hour walk on the terrace)
6.4.2. Pranayam
6.5. Tests that I did for myself and family, to establish baseline (most of them as a part of an offered package):
6.5.1. 25 OH Vitamin D
6.5.2. Vitamins B-9 & B-12
6.5.3. HS-CRP
6.5.4. Serum Copper
6.5.5. Serum Zinc
6.5.6. Liver Function Test
6.5.7. Thyroid Profile
6.5.8. Renal Profile
6.5.9. Cardiac Risk Markers
6.5.10. Complete Hemogram
6.5.11. Diabetes
6.5.12. ESR
7. JUSTIFICATIONS FOR ACTIONS DURING COVID:
7.1. Water, water, water:
7.1.1. Well hydrated systems are able to fight viruses better. Lots of data points available.
7.2. Positive mindset:
7.2.1. No war is won by those who expect losing it. We will win!
7.3. Monitoring Oxygen Saturation, Pulse, Blood Pressure, Sugar, Lung Capacity, Temperature:
7.3.1. These are some of the primary problem points, as my study of Covid had informed me.
7.4. Sleep:
7.4.1. Without good sleep one cannot have good immunity. So, good restful sleep is a must.
7.5. Started using Listerine Mouthwash regularly:
7.5.1. If hand hygiene and face hygiene is important, why not teeth, gums and tongue hygiene?
7.5.2. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200810103239.htm
7.6. Warm water Gargles – with salt or Betadine (Povidone-iodine):
7.6.1. If hand hygiene and face hygiene is important, why not mouth and throat hygiene?
7.6.2. https://academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiaa471/5878067
7.6.5. http://ph.betadine.com/en/covid-19
7.7. Jalneti + Bhastrika:
7.7.1. If hand hygiene and face hygiene is important, why not nose and nasal cavity hygiene?
7.8. Lower temperature Steam inhalation:
7.8.1. No good reason, except that several people had suggested cloves’ steam inhalation. I kept it at a temperature that did not hurt. If that did not help it was unlikely to hurt me in anyway.
7.9. Pranayamas:
7.9.1. https://www.ayush.gov.in/docs/yoga-guidelines.pdf
7.10.Vitamin D:
7.10.1. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/988/htm
7.10.3. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/4/988/htm
7.10.4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCOm3X-2l4o
7.10.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8Ks9fUh2k8
7.10.7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7276229/
7.10.8. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dJ1VNakIvXBUEvqoQeV8FL8-R1PSgMJz/view
1.1.1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972032533X
7.10.10. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mth0LqC9z4
7.10.11. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770157
1.1.1. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/85596
7.10.13. https://www.medpagetoday.com/infectiousdisease/covid19/88456
7.10.14. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40520-020-01570-8
7.10.18. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200804/Can-Vitamin-D-help-combat-the-coronavirus.aspx
7.10.19. https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2020/06/14/bmjnph-2020-000110
7.10.21. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/comment/vitamin-d-covid-19/
7.10.23. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/936928
7.10.24. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876034120305311
7.10.28. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942730/
7.10.31. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5aCePGyOgg
7.10.32. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyMFsLFAE5o
7.10.37. http://imj.ie/vitamin-d-and-inflammation-potential-implications-for-severity-of-covid-19/
7.10.38. http://imj.ie/vitamin-d-and-inflammation-potential-implications-for-severity-of-covid-19/
7.10.39. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V21MLAGaB0
7.10.40. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cen.13097
7.10.42. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-020-01570-8
7.10.43. https://youtu.be/EP81YMvs4yI
7.10.44. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.4161/derm.1.4.9063
7.10.45. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2835877/
7.10.46. https://neurosciencenews.com/vitamin-d-coronavirus-mortality-16349/
7.10.47. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ije/2010/305054/
7.10.49. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHFD62SqJ9M
7.10.50. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVg8opQkQXc
7.10.51. http://www.drdavidgrimes.com/2020/05/covid-19-vitamin-d-ethnicity-and.html?m=1
7.10.52. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln14EpYqDug
7.10.53. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRwts0iztVs
7.10.54. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zK8LgVx2G8
7.10.55. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8NyMDoYJV4
7.10.56. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y07-HCBttGs
7.10.57. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXw3XqwSZFo
7.10.58. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwwTBF14Plc
7.10.59. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fxw3nTZYlA
7.10.60. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyMFsLFAE5o
7.11.Zinc (Beware of its Copper reduction effect):
7.11.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5JgieJJVkk
7.12.Quercetin:
7.12.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM2A2xNLWR4
7.13.Vitamin B:
7.13.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKbUsn1nK1s
7.13.2. https://www.eatthis.com/vitamin-b12-deficiency-coronavirus/
7.14.Vitamin C:
7.14.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZJixjgu3tk
7.15.NAC:
7.15.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr_6w-WPr0w
7.15.2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8kKWgsGIU8
7.16.Glutathione:
7.16.1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7172740/
7.16.2. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsinfecdis.0c00288
7.17.Multivitamin:
7.17.1. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.01.20112334v2
7.18.Magnesium:
7.18.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4PXaCu-9KE
7.18.2. https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.01.20112334v2
7.18.3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3685774/
7.19.Melatonin:
7.19.2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JefAqwFmheU
7.20.Vitamin K:
7.20.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1YqdgI_Wwc
7.20.2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSbHkMb_FKI
7.21.HCQ: 400mg twice on first day; 400mg once daily (or 200mg twice daily) for 4 more days. This is total 2400mg. (Higher doses are known to be problematic, especially for heart patients. Also, once a patient goes into Bradykinin/Cytokine storm, then it is probably useless or worse). Starting HCQ as soon as symptoms show up / test comes positive has been seen to be useful. Since there has been a lot of controversy around HCQ, it makes sense to read up more on it.
7.21.1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924857920303423
7.21.2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893920302817?via%3Dihub
7.21.3. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11606-020-05983-z
7.21.4. https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(20)30534-8/fulltext
7.21.5. https://www.ejinme.com/article/S0953-6205(20)30335-6/fulltext
7.21.6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhLD1P5nH30
7.21.7. https://www.zerohedge.com/political/hydroxychloroquine-and-fake-news
7.21.8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBma_0oAiMI
7.22.Ivermectin:
7.22.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHUEzoC1RmU
7.22.2. https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-38896/v1
7.22.3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7434458/
7.22.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDzBdDhyJzI
7.22.7. https://assets.researchsquare.com/files/rs-38896/v1/517669d0-6fd7-4521-93f1-12219193ca5f.pdf
7.22.9. https://unb.com.bd/category/special/dr-tarek-alam-unleashing-the-potential-of-ivermectin/54846
7.23.Azithromycin 500 mg / Doxycycline 100 mg twice a day:
7.23.1. Some antibiotic is deemed necessary to make sure that opportunistic bacteria do not wreak havoc. I used AZM because that is what I had with me. However, usage of any antibiotic can be dangerous, so I talked to my doctor about it, and anyway kept its use strictly limited.
7.23.2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7290142/
7.23.3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCxHqlIvxbY
7.23.4. https://medicaldialogues.in/pulmonology/news/doxycycline-rationale-for-use-in-covid-19-68527
7.24.Montelukast:
7.24.1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7321662/
7.24.2. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200812/Novel-strategy-provides-new-hope-to-fight-COVID-19.aspx
7.24.3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7211747/
7.25.Pulmoclear:
7.25.1. After I ran out of the Unani meds for loosening mucous, I switched over to Pulmoclear.
7.26.Omega 3 Oil Fatty Acids soft gelatin capsule (with EPA & DHA) 1000 mg:
7.26.1. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2020.00752/full
7.27.Aspirin:
7.27.1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9CvTz6XS4A
7.28.Thyroxine, Macsart cc, Avil & Asthalin:
7.28.1. These were specific to me.
7.29.Inhaled steroids: Steroids use requires a lot of knowledge, so despite reports of success of some I steered clear of any such experimentation. One must talk to one’s Doctor for any information about these.
7.30.Other steroids: These can and should be used only at hospitals. Since I was not at the hospital, I did not need or use any.
8. POST COVID PROBLEMS:
8.1. BP Spike: I experienced a BP spike on 12th Aug. I restarted my BP medicine and it settle down to my long-term levels.
8.2. Tests: I got some tests done on 13th Aug. Notable tests and results:
8.2.1. ESR was high at 63 mm/hr.
8.2.2. HS-CRP was a little high at 7.92 mg/L.
8.2.3. Covid Antibody Test – I got positive result: 2.61 (Index).
8.2.4. 25(OH)D was a little lesser than expected, but still a healthy 52.99 ng/ml.
8.2.5. Cardiac markers, Liver Function Tests, Renal tests and Lipids were normal.
8.2.6. TSH was 22 uIU/ml, after which my doctor asked me to increase Thyroxine from 125 to 150 mcg.
8.3. Physician consultation: I consulted a physician on the ’Net and he said all this was to be expected and asked me to do some more tests, which I did and posted to him, but he did not respond. Since those were OK (given in the next point), I have deferred further consultation till I cross my Day 90 / some symptom comes up.
8.4. More Tests: These were ordered by physician as above. Chest X-Ray, ECG and Echo all came back to my pre-Covid normals.
9. FUTURE PATHS – I plan to keep updated and share news about the following in future versions of this report:
9.1. Innate Immunity
9.2. TH1 path (Mild)
9.3. TH2 path (nAbs)
9.4. Vaccine
9.5. Drug Protocols
10. LATEST RESEARCH: These are some nuggets of new knowledge that I have come across since my Covid-19 experience. Some of it is referred to above.
10.1.Supercomputer study: https://elifesciences.org/articles/59177. Articles / Videos about this study: https://www.hpcwire.com/2020/07/28/supercomputer-powered-research-uncovers-signs-of-bradykinin-storm-that-may-explain-covid-19-symptoms/, https://www.olcf.ornl.gov/2020/07/28/computational-gene-study-suggests-new-pathway-for-covid-19-inflammatory-response/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDbRfur36sE.
I thank everyone who has read all this. Once again, please note that I am NOT a physician or a medical professional of any kind. This is NOT a prescription of any kind. This is merely reporting my experience. I wish you all the best. The virus will lose. WE WILL WIN.
Cheers, owais.
12th September, 2020. Bhopal.
- O-
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