PETALING JAYA: Fighting Covid-19 is not just a medical and health ordeal but an emotional one as well.
Being shunned by friends and loved ones is one manifestation of the infection, and there are no pills for it.
Physiotherapist and geriatric rehabilitation expert Dr Yogendraraj Jegathis(pix) knows it all too well.
The 33-year-old bachelor from Semenyih said he went for a test on Jan 7 when he found out that one of his patients had tested positive for Covid-19. He too tested positive, marking the start of a continuing nightmare.
On confirmation that he was infected, he was advised to quarantine himself at home, which was convenient given the fact that he lives alone in his apartment.
“After all, I only had a slight fever and body ache, which was not so bad,” he told theSun.
But two days later, he felt a tightness in the chest and had trouble breathing, so he drove to the Kajang Hospital and checked in at the emergency department.
Even then, he still assumed that it was not that serious.
“I did not have any underlying health problems and I was physically fit. I went to the gym regularly and ate balanced meals. I travel as well,” he said.
But a chest X-Ray confirmed that he had pneumonia and he was referred to the quarantine centre at the Sungai Buloh Hospital. Two hours after admission, his oxygen saturation level dropped and he was transferred to the main hospital block.
But a week later, he felt better and was discharged.
However, a few days later, he had trouble breathing again and went to a private medical centre in Kuala Lumpur, where he was warded. By then, he was already in critical condition and his lungs were functioning at barely 40% of its normal capacity.
He had to spend the next two weeks undergoing therapy.
Yogendraraj said his doctor prescribed medication for him but his heart rhythm became erratic.
He was eventually advised to have a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heartbeat, making him the first in Malaysia to need one.
He had surgery for the pacemaker implant on June 11 and 12 days later, he had a fever and chills and significant discomfort and weakness in the left leg and had to be taken back to the hospital.
“It has been five months since I started taking medication for my heart problem but I’m still not back in shape yet,” he said.
As of last Friday when theSun spoke to him, he was still in hospital.
The physical health problem would eventually become the source of his emotional trauma.
The nightmare continued, with his friends and family members stigmatized, but they remained supportive.
Thoughtless remarks from friends was another barb that was difficult to accept.
“They would keep reminding me of my infection with questions like ‘Should I visit you or not?’ or ‘Should I shower after I see you?’. It’s a bit upsetting,” Yogendraraj said.
Some friends would tell him that his emotional sufferings were all in his mind, that he was the source of the problem and that he should take the spiritual path.
“No one listens when I talk about the pain and suffering. Friends who know he has been in and out of hospital would respond with ‘Again? We don’t know what to say’.”
Yogendraraj said he finally decided to go public to raise awareness that even fit and healthy people are at risk.
“This piece of advice goes out to the young ones, especially those who believe only the elderly will get infected.”
“Do not treat the virus lightly or you will suffer the long-term consequences. It’s like fighting the infection on a daily basis,” he added.
