After COVID-19 infection. Recovery.

After we are unfortunately inflicted with the COVID-19 infection recently, I noticed that I'm sometimes out of breath easily. There is occasional coughing at times which is sometimes a hassle since my throat gets itchy to cough at the moment and to which I'm in public and enclosed space. I feel tired in my lower extremities though I just started my day of work. To those who have been there, how are you coping up?

Third time's the Charm: COVID-19

Two lines and then you know it's positive. Not mine but my brothers' who I just want to strangle if I could.

The third time's the charm for the COVID virus aye? And yes, after 2 years and couple of months of managing to avoid the COVID-19 virus while continuously doing hospital duty, the day has finally come. I was confirmed to be positive for COVID today which I tested for yesterday. How did I get it? I was exposed to a household member I happen to share a room with. And I think almost everyone can relate that no one is wearing a mask at home. That's at least if none of the members of the family are exhibiting symptoms. I've asked my brother who tested positive in a self-testing antigen kit how he may have  acquired it. He said he ate near a gas station which is al fresco. He claims that there are no crowds. Okaayyy.

This confirms my hypothesis that wearing a mask is crucial in curbing the widespread of the virus. Most of the people that I know of have this pattern that they ate in an establishment and then got COVID later on. In the hospital, we've had a several number of contact tracings but luckily we never had it up until now.

By the way, I've got the Astrazeneca as my primary COVID-19 vaccine series and had already finished 2 booster doses of Pfizer.

The first symptom that I experienced was there was something funny in my throat. It's like you are being tickled that you are tempted to cough it out. Then the next day, I've got a dry cough, colds, muscle/joint pains and a headache which is like 3-4 in pain scale. Though I am a healthcare worker, personally I refrain from taking medications as much as possible because I think that we should first give our body a chance to fight whatever it is. Nasal congestion for the first 2 days in which I hydrated with jugs of room temperature water and warm soups (clears the congestion and it made me feel better). Because the headache is becoming unbearable and continuous, I took Paracetamol and it helped. I didn't have fever.  After 3 days, the symptoms I think are improving. There is a phlegm that is like stuck in your throat.

Hope you are all fine. And keep safe. Wear your mask as this virus will still be able to mutate again as long as they have hosts to infect on.

On the 15k COVID 19 new cases surge in the Philippines

Hearing the all time high surge in cases (15k) yesterday is depressing. What we currently need to battle this pandemic are mass testing in order to determine who is currently infected, an efficient contact tracing system in order to early detect who might have been infected so we can isolate them, and the most important thing that we can do is to cooperate by stay at home. I believe that extending the lockdown is necessary because some people are too stubborn and still go out even they don't really need to go out. They try to test the law by breaking them which is super annoying and frustrating. Sorry to say this but some Filipinos are too undisciplined and lacked character to do the right thing even when no one is watching. I get it that we have to go out to work in order to survive because let's face it: we are on our own today. The government has incompetent appointments and instead of acknowledging their mistakes, they try to give illogical explanations just to justify their actions.

I badly want to shed my mask. It pains me that we haven't learned our lesson yet from last year and this time around it's gotten even worst. Hospitals are full not because of the deficiency in bed capacity but it was because of the lack in manpower. Nobody now wants to work in health care anymore. Why you ask? Being a healthcare worker and working in a hospital magnifies all the ugly things. Patients are twice or thrice more demanding. If it doesn't go with the way they want them to be, they file complaints and even posts them on social media instead of addressing them to the concerned party. It makes me question why I became one in the first place. I always wanted to help others, but I refuse to be a slave to the notion that just because I took an oath, I have to do it while sacrificing my safety. This pandemic has taken its toll on our mental health. Healthcare workers are continue to be demoralized with lower compensation but high patient load which could increased their risk to be infected and risk to bring it at home.

Please follow the standard health protocols. Don't be complacent. I observed way back before the lockdown that in that jeepneys that I took, there's at least 2 or 3 persons inside who doesn't have a face shield. Almost nobody does hand hygiene in the public transport. Now that there's a surge in cases, funny how there's a 100% compliance. People, did you know that prevention is better than cure?

On Swabbing and Contact Tracing

More than 10 times of seeming endless contact tracing because of exposure to COVID positive patients, I was usually informed to monitor for any development of symptoms. Sadly, I'm back again to doing the swab because of being categorized as a high risk asymptomatic.😭 I've been exposed to a recently COVID positive coworker because we usually rode the same public transportation together. Anyone who is waiting for their RT-PCR results can relate and experience anxiety especially when you know that your result is now available. A lot of things comes into your mind like what if I turned positive? What will happen to the members of my family? How about those people who I had in contact with? Where will I isolate? What will happen to me? For those who do not know, hospitals in the Philippines are now in full capacity for COVID positive patients. I could vouched that it's the truth as I work in a tertiary hospital and even my batchmates had inquiries who could help them find a hospital who can still cater for one. Anyway, by sheer luck and prayers the RT-PCR result turned out negative again which I'm eternally grateful. One thing that I can take away from this experience is that I cannot reiterate much the importance of face mask and face shield. When outside, please always put on your face mask and face shield. Never remove it at all costs. Avoid touching the mask/shield and if you do, promptly do proper hand hygiene. Please do handwashing if you can and as much as possible whenever you have access to soap and water. Never forget to also bring your hand lotion as dry hands can cause cracks in the skin which can be an entry for the virus or any opportunistic organisms. I understand that it's difficult to breathe in a mask especially those with certain conditions, but please understand that it is for your own safety too. If you can't then don't go out and loiter around outside. Social distancing matters too. 15 minutes or more time exposure to a COVID 19 positive person will put you in a high risk category. 

I don't want to pinpoint and blame the Filipinos for the surge in the COVID-19 cases as a lot of us are trying their best to get by in this pandemic. Tremendous number of people lost their livelihood which is heartbreaking due to the fact that a huge chunk of businesses had to forcefully close. However, in my observation, some of us are that hard-headed. People knew that there is a curfew and unsurprisingly a big number of people are still penalized for being outside during curfew hours. People are undisciplined. Others lacked integrity. And it is not even because of one's educational attainment. We are not in preschool anymore. For this pandemic to end, discipline should start with you and me. Let me share one instance in the public bus that I rode recently. In the two rows in the front seat, I saw one boyfriend and girlfriend eating inside an aircon bus. On the next stop, two male guys sat in front of me and usually in the bus, seating is alternate. But the faces of the two guys are almost near each other's face while they're conversing with each other. Both of them had face shield alright, but I guess they were using it to shield the forehead instead.

I'm fed up with this. Is it all worth fighting for?

What I do to boost my immune system

What I do to boost my immune system

As we battle this COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) pandemic, what we need is an optimum level of our immune system. You may (or may not) know that viruses have no definite cure. They are self-limiting and what we can rely on is our immune system to fight them off.

As a healthcare worker, it is necessary that we do our utmost best to take care of ourselves. Even when performing CPR training, which is short for Cardio pulmonary Resuscitation, the first thing that we need to do is to see if the scene is safe. Likewise, it is the same with today's war with COVID-19. We have to be safe and healthy ourselves in order for us to help others. Aside from the proper donning out and removal of personal protective equipment, here are some of the precautions that I take:

1. Handwashing. This is first and foremost the most essential of all. Though it is usually said in the news that 20 seconds would suffice, I'd rather do the 40-60 seconds of handwashing with soap and water. Any soap will do whether it is an antibacterial soap or not. Handrub, on the other hand, which can be pretty self-explanatory is the use of 70% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol where you rub your hands together until they are dry. I noticed that when people use alcohol, they would just rub their hands for a mere 2-3 seconds. Hand rub should last for 20-30 seconds until dry. It is recommended to do a handrub when soap and water is not available. What alcohol do is to kill off the germs in your hands but it won't take away the dirt.

2. Proper cough etiquette. Sometimes, we can't help but sneeze or cough. So as not to spread it to others, we should use a handkerchief or better yet a disposable tissue when we sneeze or cough. If you have nothing on hand, your upper sleeve can be an option. Never use your hands and always remember to wash your hands after.

3. Get the proper amount of sleep. But of course, different strokes for different folks. An infant need a lot of sleep compared to an elderly. If it isn't necessary, please refrain from sleeping late at night. We need to get a sufficient amount of sleep because this is the time when our body recuperates. Avoid caffeinated foods or drinks. Make it a habit to set a consistent time for sleeping and waking up. I thought that it was our circadian rhythm that would be broken if we do not set a time for sleeping but in the book that I am currently reading, Why We Sleep by I learned that everytime we forego sleep, we are increasing the level of what we call sleep pressure. Circadian rhythm is consistent regardless. That is why we get jetlagged when we go another country with a different timezone. If the level of our sleep pressure is too much, that's when we feel sleepy.

4. Drink a lot of fluids preferably water. I would like to emphasize about 2 to 3 liters of water if it is not much for you. Water cleans and moistens your throat. Water also detoxifies your body.

5. Sip some hot soup/broth. If I am  feeling sick or feel that I might be sick, I consume hot beverages and soups. I avoid dairy

 products for the mean time.

6. Take 1000 mg of vitamin C. Let's face it: we can't consume a lot of Vitamin C through food. That is why supplements are there to help us fill up deficiencies and that's why they are only supplementary. Don't be frightened if you think that 1000 mg of Vitamin C is a huge amount. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin. Any excess will go into your urine.

I would like to put on a disclaimer beforehand that the things I recommended is based on my own experience: on what I know and what worked for me. Everyone is different. I hope that if not all, some of these tips will work for you too. Take care and keep safe everyone!