A tale of COVID and the Mercy of God’s Healing
“Dear Fauza………………………… Your COVID-19 test reported that your result is positive indicating that you have the virus. You will be contacted soon. Please click htts:/./rb.gy/wivoa for isolation instruction” This was the text message that came through on the 4th of October from DHA. (Dubai health Authority) and immediately there was chaos in our house.
I know you are wondering how it all started. Towards the end of September I fell sick. The best way to describe how I felt was a sensation of heaviness in my body. My whole body was in pain even seating down on a chair it felt that the chair was hurting me. Going up the stairs was exhausting. But I had no fever, no headache, no body temperatures and no coughing. I decided to see a doctor as the pain kept on getting bad and she advised me to get blood test done to know the cause of my exhaustion. A day later, the results from the blood test came back and showed that my red blood cells were high, while my white and hemoglobin were low. This didn’t come as a surprise to me as I am sickle cell anemic. The doctor advised that I needed to take vitamins, drink a lot of fluids, eat a lot of fruits, eat well sleep well and just rest to boost my immune system. On the morning of the 3rd of October while taking shower, I noticed that I had lost my sense of smell as I couldn’t smell my shower gel. Later on, while having breakfast, I couldn’t smell the food either and taste it. My son Jasper had asked me to bake his favorite cake I couldn’t smell the cake too. On a few occasions, I had to stop to catch my breath
So I thought its best to call the doctor who had done my blood test to tell her that I had lost my sense of smell if that’s normal looking at the situation that I was in already? Her advice was its best to get a COVID test done as losing your sense of smell was one of the signs of having COVID. Twenty-four hours later, at around 5:30pm the text message came through with a positive diagnosis. I had contracted the virus. I stared at my phone in disbelieve. Dolf my husband had just gotten back home from work he found me seated in a state of confusion. “Hey Sweety are you okay” i said NO. I read the text message to him from DHA at a distance. My voice was low and my lips were struggling to pronounce the word COVID. We were all in a surprise mode for a little while. Since the text message from DHA instructed me to isolate I went into my bedroom to get everything that I needed for the period of isolation, then I took my laptop, iPad, my bible, phone, books and I went to our guest room dropped everything on the floor I sat on the bed and i was confused and tears were dripping off my cheeks. Wrestling with my thoughts, worried and feeling so afraid. The journey begun alone in this room on an isolation quarantine for 14 days. My body was still exhausted, in pain and just feeling really tired and I still couldn’t smell anything. At about 7:00 pm DHA called me to check on me and to talk me through the next steps of isolation and quarantine. I can only say I felt their love, support and empathy. I recall the lady saying to me “please don’t fear all will be well we are here for any help and assistance 24/7” after this it hit me that actually I am a COVID patient. At about 8:30 a doctor from DHA called me to check on me again “do you have difficulty in breathing, do you have other health issues like diabetic, high blood pressure…….” Luckily since I don’t have other major health issues there was no need for me to be admitted. I was allowed to isolate and quarantine at home but if at all there were any issue I could call DHA at any time to get help.
On the second day of isolation I woke up still feeling tired my nose was very dry that it felt pain to breathe through my nose, so I had no option but to breathe through my mouth this was a little annoying and uncomfortable.
On the third day of my isolation, I woke up still exhausted my nose was less dry so I was able to breathe through my nose. What a relieve after having my breakfast I felt my stomach rumbling like a thunder so I rushed to the toilet and I had diarrhea. After this all was okay there was no more rumbling and I didn’t had any more diarrhea. (Sorry for that)
On the fourth day, I woke up feeling less exhaustion I could feel my body is regaining its power over the virus. There was less exhaustion.
On the fifth day, I woke up feeling better but I had an annoying headache which I was told its one of the symptoms but I didn’t feel the exhaustion, no dry nose and no diarrhea. Praise God.
On the sixth day I was fine. Seventh day I was fine. Eighth day I was fine. On the NINETH day I still remember it was on a Friday I woke up totally fine but as the day went on I had a sudden anguish of emotion I found myself crying in most of the day.
From the tenth day to fourteenth day I was completely fine. What a celebration that is.
I am sure by now you are wondering did she take any medication…………. Well I didn’t had any specific medication. We all know that there is no specific treatment for COVID I was advised to eat well drink a lot of fluids rest a lot. If I had other health issues in this period of isolation I could call DHA to book an appointment in one of the designated clinics for COVID patients.
HOME REMEDES:
I think we all know the old fashioned cocktail of:
Ginger, Lemon juice, and honey.
Every day I would ask my nanny to prepare this, she would mix all this together and let it boil for a long time she would then add the honey and she would live it for me outside the closed door of my isolation room.
GARLIC: Apparently garlic has some sort of healing properties that are incredible for killing virus. So my people in the house would crush the garlic put it in a cup and fill it up with boiled hot water. Let it extract the benefits for about two hours and then they would strain live the cup outside my isolation room and I would pick up and drink that. NOTE: this is not a doctor’s recommendation it’s what I call the old grandma recipe.
Overall experience:
The hardest part of this experience is that it feels lonely especially in the nights when everyone is a sleep I am lying down on my bed alone with my thought. The first two days I was in denial of the fact that my name is now in the records of COVID patients, I was emotionally struggling with this fact, sleepless and wrestling with my thought. In those moments of silence that’s when the little voices in my head starts to tell me some nonsense when I check the numbers and read the news you realize that there are people who have lost their lives because of this virus that can be a bit worrying.
I missed my husband and my son. Technically we were all under one roof but they are not allowed to see, get close to me. They would have to call me or text to ask if I needed anything, and if I needed something would call, or text or simply just scream please bring me this……. My husband would sometimes stand outside my isolation room with my door closed and ask how I am carrying on, this was a bit strange and emotional draining. My son Jasper would occasionally stand by the closed door to tell me “I love you mama all will be well”
Yes it has been emotional but I am thankful. I am thankful that through it all even in the moments of fear, worry and my wondering I knew that I was not alone. I knew that all things were working together for my good. So what I did was speaking the word. There is power in speaking loud the word of God. In Isiah 55:10-11 the scripture says “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11; so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (ESV) I had to do self-talk because the battle is not only fighting the virus the battle is in the mind. In the mind the war rages. Sometimes the mind can be deceiving hence we are told not to walk by sight but by FAITH. Proverbs 4:23 says ” More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it”. I had to trust fully even though my body felt differently the word of God does not lie Psalm 147:3 says “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Jeremiah 30:17 says “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds; declares the Lord” Isiah 41:10 says “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you; I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. This and many scripture carried me through behind the closed door of my isolation room. This is where I drew my strength from.
A miraculous God
My heart dances in joy when I think about this. Despite the fact that we shared our bed with my husband on the few days of my sickness before I found out I had contracted the virus Dolf didn’t get sick after he did the test and his results came back NEGATIVE. For me this was a miracle otherwise I don’t know what else it could be. I am also thankful that my Jasper is well and my nanny. Everyone in the house was healthy. Maybe the virus liked me or my blood lol! Grateful that they all could bear with the situation as the dynamics of our living in the house had changed. They too were on 14 days quarantine.
Thanks Giving
I am thankful to God for His mercy and for healing me. To my prayer warriors who stood by me and covered me and my family in prayers during this time I am overwhelmed. Thank you that you took your time to be on zoom to pray with me. The voice messages, text messages phone calls all this helped me to carry on. I am thankful for the prayer covering from everyone. God bless you.
I am thankful to have had friends do our grocery. Thankful for the cooked food and for flowers. My heart is overwhelmed.
Dubai Health Authority wow my heart is filled with so much gratitude. For the phone calls from the moment I got the results a number of messages through the COVID-19 DXB SMART APP as the journey evolved. Purely loved and cared for I felt their empathy and care. This are doctors and nurses men and women who are working 24/7 to make sure that some of us are cared for. God bless them and protect them as they care for others. God bless the UAE.
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I have learned to acknowledge the fact that I have been through this battle and came out of it. I am thankful and own the experience that I have been through this journey. Thankful for my body that it fought the fight. I have made a decision not to focus on the negative side of it instead I focus on the positive side of the fact that I have been healed. I am thankful that I was able to go through it all in fact see myself victorious because I know exactly what it is and how it feels to have had the virus. I am thankful I can tell the story of my experience. Thankful for my many blessings my family, friends and from everyone who stood by my side as as I was on the other side of the isolation room. Everyday when I awake is a blessing. Life is very special, very fragile everyday is a blessing I am thankful for the grace. I have learned that I don’t need to answer to anyone on how they see me after this battle, we are all responsible of our own emotions and how we deal with them so I choose to guard my peace. I hold on to the positivity of it all. I am thankful that i am healed and fought through it all.
Lastly, I pray that this scripture will encourage you as much as it did for me, in whatever battle you are fighting right now. Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
NOTE:
This is a personal journey. Remember everyone’s experiences are different. How my body felt, reacted and fought the virus might be different from others so always seek a doctor’s advice. Please stay safe. Wear your musk correctly and always wash your hands.
Stay Safe!