Coming back from the jaws of death
Nurse recovering from Covid-19 recounts her ordeal
"No one will understand how difficult just trying to breathe can be... This experience can't be explained…It was like I had returned from the jaws of death."
This is how a senior staff nurse of Dhaka Medical College Hospital articulated the ordeal she went through for about a week after she tested positive for coronavirus (Covid-19).
"Had anyone known this pain, he/she would not leave home and would definitely make sure their family is safe from the virus," she told The Daily Star today.
She was taking care of patients, knowing that she might be infected by the virus.
On March 21, she exhibited covid-19 symptoms when she was having difficulty in speaking after returning home from the hospital.
She could not sleep well that night as breathing problems started soon afterwards. Her sample was collected by IEDCR and she later tested positive for Covid-19.
"I'm a young woman, and have no prior breathing problems or respiratory illnesses. Yet, I suffered a lot. Now imagine what the elderly with respiratory and other problems have to go through when they are infected with the virus," she said
She kept herself isolated from her husband and two children -- one six-year-old and the other only two -- at her Hazaribagh residence for the next two days.
As her condition deteriorated, she was taken to Kuwait Bangladesh Friendship Government Hospital for treatment.
After week-long treatment there, the 32-year-old tested negative and was released on March 31.
"Every single day felt like a year. My daughters used to call me over the phone and ask me to return home. The separation was painful. At times I cried, wondering when I'd be able to hold and adore them," she said.
"I'm a young woman, and have no prior breathing problems or respiratory illnesses. Yet, I suffered a lot. Now imagine what the elderly with respiratory and other problems have to go through when they are infected with the virus," she said.
The nurse is still physically weak and is now staying home.
She said, "I will soon rejoin the hospital and serve people, especially patients with breathing problems, as I can now understand their pain."
She expressed her gratitude to her family members, colleagues including DMCH Director Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin, and ambulance driver Pradip who immensely supported her during the crisis.
The nurse is among 30 patients who recovered from Covid-19. Of the 70 confirmed cases, eight reportedly died in the country so far.