First food pics that I clicked in a week! First espresso too. Or at least the first I enjoyed and had beyond a sip or two.
I went on meds for post Covid herpes zoster & blood sugar spike, which surfaced over the weekend, on Monday. That’s what the aches and pains I’d referred to in my earlier post turned out to be. I did my Home Chef Studio event on Saturday a couple of days after my post Covid quarantine ended and ran a temperature once home. I had a few painful rashes on my chest on Sunday. Our friend and doctor Manisha saw a pic we sent and said, ‘it’s herpes.’ ‘Isn’t that a VD,’ I asked. Apparently not. Herpes Zoster, associated till recently with stress and not heard of much, has apparently surfaced as a post Covid complication, I learnt over the next few days. My days of Covid were a cakewalk in comparison to the bell that followed. Fever, pain, lack of appetite, fatigue.
Why no food pics?
Monday, Tuesday. I could barely look at food. Keeping what was in my mouth in was a struggle.
Wednesday, Thursday, I ate but had no appetite. Struggled to finish my frugal plate.
Friday, Saturday,. I began to slowly enjoy what was on my plate.
Sitting across the table all along was K. Herself down with post Covid fatigue, pressure drop & exhaustion. She had worked though Covid, lulled into thinking that she was better than she actually was. Just as I had been.
She soldiered on last week for me. Planning every meal. Making breakfast. Getting our cooks to make dishes which would be tasty within the constraints of what I was allowed. Asking me for my suggestions at times even though I said I was not interested. Making it a point to plate & make each meal look attractive to me. Coaxing me to eat. For dessert there were two sugar cubes a day. I meant Baby Loaf & Nimki.
Today was the third day without fever. Touch wood. My constant ‘companion’ otherwise, from Sunday night to Friday morning. My sugar levels, which I began to monitor daily for the first time in my life, showed green in the morning too for the first time.
I reached out to Dr Ria Ankola on day 1 and she sent me easy to follow food guidelines. I’d told her I was not in a state to talk. I reached out to my doc friend Ranji who answered my questions on the link between Covid & my aftereffects. Our family doc Mirinda got on the case doggedly and chided us for not messaging her on Sunday itself. I took each day at a time with K taking charge despite her own weakened heath.
I did not take any food pictures in the interim. I just wanted to rest. I did have some pretty good food though. Which looked pretty to me. I don’t plan any changes in the immediate future. It’s still going to be only food prepared at home. I am still going to eat without photographing it first.
There’s a lot more that needs to heal . The pain, the exhaustion, the discomfort. As we have seen, this is a very unpredictable road.
That’s all for now. There’s more the story but I need to rest for now.
For now, it’s self first. Instagram can & will wait.
Big thanks to each of you who reached out with your wishes & experiences in similar cases &what helped. All of that worked❤️
#covid19diaries
