Have you recently recovered from covid-19 disease and wondering what you could do to take care of yourself now?
Here are a few things to keep in mind and practice.
1. Take a break
If you have just recovered from the coronavirus infection, chances are you still have weakness and fatigue. This is called the Post-COVID fatigue and is seen in about 70-80 % patients. In some people complete recovery may take up to 3 months. The general sense of well being could take some time to come back. Give your body a break, rest well so that you can go back to feeling normal again. This doesn’t mean that you stop all physical activity though. You can walk at a pace that doesn’t tire you or stroll around, do some deep breathing exercises or mild stretching, Yoga or meditation. The idea is to go back to routine life and activities at a slow pace.
2. Replenish your body
The infection has taken its toll on your body. Eat well to keep your energy levels up. Your diet should be well balanced. A high protein diet would help in faster recovery. Eggs, milk, cheese, paneer, soya protein products, legumes are all good sources of protein. Include green leafy vegetables and fruits in your daily diets for the dose of micronutrients and vitamins. You can also add nuts and seeds if you wish. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe nutritional supplements depending on your needs. Eat small meals at regular intervals to ensure easy digestion. Avoid alcohol and tobacco consumption. Include plenty of fluids in your diet, keep your-self well hydrated.
3. Medications
You must have been prescribed some medicines by your physician. Once you recover these medicines will stop. Some of them maybe be tapered gradually. If you were already on medicines for pre-existing diseases like diabetes or hypertension and they were modified during the course of your treatment for COVID 19, ask your doctor if you can go back to your previous medications.
4. Listen to your body
A small number of patients, especially who have been critically ill with the disease might present with symptoms even after discharge from the hospital. Collectively these are known as the Post COVID syndrome. There are a few warning signs which should be looked out for. These include high grade fever, persistent breathlessness, Sp02 < 95%, unexplained chest pain, new onset of confusion, focal weakness. Any new symptom should not be ignored especially if you have an underlying co-morbid disease.
5. Vaccination
I often get asked if one should get vaccinated even after suffering from COVID 19. According to the Centers of disease control and prevention (CDC), “due to the severe health risks associated with COVID-19 and the fact that re-infection with COVID-19 is possible, vaccine should be offered to you regardless of whether you already had COVID-19 infection. At present, experts do not know how long someone is protected from getting sick again after recovering from COVID-19. The immunity someone gains from having an infection, called natural immunity, varies from person to person. Some early evidence suggests natural immunity may not last very long. We won’t know how long immunity produced by vaccination lasts until we have more data on how well the vaccines work”.
The government of India in commencing with the vaccination program on the 16th of January 2021 in a phased manner and when and as advised in the coming days and months the vaccination schedule is announced, it would be preferable to take it.
Of course, it goes without saying that recovery from COVID 19 doesn’t make you immune to the disease. You should continue social distancing and wearing a mask in public spaces.
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