"Every day that i live after...."

Covid came ,saw and well..... is overstaying his/her welcome! Gone are my pickle jar rituals and crazy worry for family.I ve always worried about the impact covid could have on our family.After a long time worrying ,I would come to the same conclusion.There was no place to isolate! So when o micron decided to pay me a visit, i obliged.2 days of high fever and body pain.We live in hospital campus surrounded by families like us.Soon as my report came and I knew i had hit the jackpot,messages and vessels full of warm food started arriving at our house bringing with it thoughts,prayers and their reassurance!Working loving hands packing pasta and brownies especially for my kids as their token of love.
My husband left his patients and surgeries for the day and a nasal swab later,was home to be with me and kids. He would walk in frequently and ask after my health.A bone doctor telling the sleep doctor to down antibiotics and medicines on time,with worried frown lines on his forehead i wished ,would make him look his age. My 9 year old son,would cover his face with his slender hands to make hurried visits to pick up things from my bedroom.The same question every time "have you recovered Amma?". A blissfully ignorant 4 year old couldn’t resist visits to her momma and would sneak in doughnuts and brownies.She would touch my forehead,try to get a cuddle while saying "if your husband finds me he will fire me,amma!!".And when her father would find her sneaking out,she would say "I didn’t go near her ,Appa".I checked my temperature and my saturation and recorded century on both.
Roles reversed,and I would get scolded by my husband for letting the tea go cold, for not eating breakfast or for walking around . When the man of the house took over,
Kids found a new leader, a more energetic,less complaining one! Food was eaten on time,classes attended,chores done,and evenings done right. My husband an athlete ,would run loops inside our compound with two lil ones hot on his tail with sticks in tow! I had no were to be,nothing or no one to take care of ,so I indulged in movies and books.i would even ask my husband what was for lunch and make a grumpy face and say "only that?"!
7 days and I am back at work. My husband left 4 days before that.Gone are the 14 days and primary contact leaves.Even though I said "o micron" was a breeze,it feels like a hurricane.I have pulled down weight,I haven’t rested after my orthopod went back to work. I have loss of appetite, I get fatigued easily.,and severe gastritis and acid reflux.I went back to work and realised even my post graduate students much younger than me haven’t been that lucky.One cannot converse because of her uncontrollable bouts of cough.Everyday we count how many of us are left to work.For many its their second or third time.Symptoms range from sore throat,cough,wheeze and severe breathlessness to gastritis,diarrhea,regurgitation.But we are all vaccinated and some of us have even had our boosters.

Schools are reopening soon and we are in for a block buster.. All covid wards and ICUs are full again.With vaccination the severity has come down on imaging as well as clinically.Are we safe? Will covid be like the flu in cold countries? Seasonal and taking with it, the vulnerable? Maybe so.

World over medical fraternity are returning to work as early as 7 days ,having not rested while diseased as we were alone with family to take care of.

Covid has taken the lives of many people i know.In this wave,mostly the old and people with other comorbidities have lost lives.For me personally, relatives with children abroad haven't seen them in years.They are all trapped at home in their worry ,decaying with the pandemic. If covid hasnt caught up with you physically, its done enough damage to you mentally.Working from home isn't great as it's made out to be.Our kids have become couch potatoes, running from screen to screen for comfort.I even saw children talking to each other through chat boxes while their teacher waited for them to speak up. My pre schooler thinks school is a screen,one she attends if she feels like.As I sign off, I count my blessings in the form of my job that gives me mobility ,my patients who grant me purpose, my supportive family ,my loving neighbours, and my health!