84-year-old takes on Covid-19... and wins
Amidst the global panic over coronavirus, it's easy for fear to overwhelm optimism. For every tragic death at the hands of the virus, one must remember there's also many stories of recuperation.
Rajshahi's Mansur Rahman's story of overcoming of Covid-19 is particularly inspiring. "Anyone would panic when they stand at the door of death. So did I, but I found a group of caring doctors who helped me get back my spirit," said the 84-year-old, after he tested negative May 31.
Even at such an age, Mansur never gave up. "My family members were also there for me, and here I am, alive and well." said Mansur, a retired primary school teacher residing at Rajshahi's Mohonpur upazila. He said a caring group of doctors can help a patient fightback against death by keeping the spirit strong.
A father of four, Mansur tested positive back on April 25. After 40 days of death anxiety, he was officially declared recovered, said upazila health officer Dr Ariful Kabir.
He is among 230 Covid-19 patients from eight districts of Rajshahi division who have recovered. Out of a total 917 patients, six have died so far, according to Directorate General of Health Services data.
Mansur started showing symptoms back in April 19, when he began suffering non-stop hiccup from the evening, his son Alamin Sarker said.
It continued even after he was taken to Mohonpur Upazila Health Complex. He was transferred to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital the same night. The hiccups stopped two days later. The hospital released Rahman and he duly returned home.
However, he began developing fever and cough after a few days, son Alamin said.
On April 25, he was again taken to the upazila health complex. Doctors suspected it could be a case of Covid-19 and collected his samples. The next day, the results came back -- Mansur was coronavirus positive.
Doctors asked him to stay in the isolation unit of the hospital, but his family did not agree. They decided to keep him in home isolation under family care.
At home, all five members of the family stayed isolated in separate rooms, said Alamin. "We respected the disease, but didn't fear it," he said. The family began using PPE, raincoats, masks and started taking care of their father.
Doctors from the hospital prescribed some medicines and were available on call whenever the patient or the family needed consultation, sometimes more than thrice a day, Alamin said.
A grateful Mansur added, "Since I tested positive, the doctors became very kind towards me. They started being more attentive to me."
"I was prepared for death as I've reached a very old age. But even then, I felt scared. But the doctors assured me that good treatment can cure me, and I believed them. This assurance really helped me, and I started hoping for survival," he said.
Shamima Parvin, Mansur's daughter-in-law, thinks her father-in-law survived for his strong will to keep living. "He often said during his illness that he would survive," she said. "I cooked his food and prepared his medicines. My husband [Alamin] took them to his room," she said.
For his stomach and anxiety issues, doctors prescribed generic esmoprazole, domperidon, doxepin twice a day. Generic Montelukast Sodium was prescribed for asthmatic conditions and paracetamol for fever.
"We gave him warm water mixed with honey, lemon, and orange more than four times a day, for both drinking and gargling," Shamima said.
14 days later, Mansur's retested and it came out negative. But the story didn't end there. 24 hours later, he tested positive again. Luckily, he was tested two more times in the last three weeks, and both came back negative.
"Staying alone in a same room for more than a month was challenging for me. But I endured that thinking of the family," Mansur said.
As he is now completely recovered, Mansur feels immensely grateful to the doctors and his family. "They created the hope in me," he said, "that's why I'm still alive today."
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