THE CORONAVIRUS STORY
My friend, Tapan Desai, and his parents were recently diagnosed with the COVID-19.
Here is our conversation from June 27th.
It was scary.
All of them are now doing much better.
He recently wrote about his coronavirus story. It’s a must-read for anyone who wants to know what happens to your body, mind, and bank account when you get COVID-19.
Here is a short snippet from his story:
PANIC ISN’T YOUR FRIEND
Keeping a calm mind is a very important part. A calm mind allows you to think clearly.
I would like to say we were calm for the initial 4 days. After the first partner was admitted on 23rd June, it all went downhill.
Even my think-about-the-worst-make-good-decisions-ass panicked.
Our ears would perk up if we heard a cough in one of the rooms. We started keeping an hour by hour tab on each other’s condition. Dad would literally stop in my room every hour at night to check if I was still breathing. I would do the same with maa.
It did not help. One person made the other panic.
I still can’t recollect if my hands had actually turned blue or it was just the panic that made me think my hands were blue!
Panic led to exaggeration in other conditions. My blood pressure shot up. Mom’s diabetes increased. Dad stopped sleeping at night. None of it was helping!
Additionally, we had decided that in case we tested positive for Coronavirus, we would home quarantine. After talking to doctors and internally, we thought it was the best route. However, when it actually came time to test, we all had already reached a level of panic that hospitalization seemed the most viable option. And that led to further confusion.
And in all the panic, we forgot one major thing. We forgot to prepare for the worst.
When it came time to test, we didn’t know if we now wanted to home-quarantine or go to the hospital. We didn’t know which hospital to go to. Who should we call? How can we get tested? What do we need at the hospital? Does everyone have health insurance?
I would like to think that we were prepared in some sense but it wasn’t enough!
The article is informative and insightful, including a list of actionable steps you can take right now to better prepare you and your family in case the worst comes to pass.
I highly recommend that you make it your weekend read.