Gaurav’s Covid-19 Journey as a Crohn’s Patient in India

Greetings! I’m Gaurav Sengupta, a 32-year-old IBD patient advocate from India. I currently live in Kolkata and run a plastic manufacturing business of my own. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease back in 2015 when I was working as a Corporate Banker in the UAE. I nearly ended up in surgery back then and once again in 2019 due to stricture formation and bowel obstructions. I have been fortunate that my GI has helped to successfully control my disease during both of those flares with the help of oral steroids and immunosuppressants.

I recently fell prey to the global pandemic of Covid-19 during its second wave in India. Here, I share with you my Covid journey as an immunocompromised IBD patient alongside its physical, mental and emotional turmoils.

THE COVID PREMISE IN INDIA

India’s second wave began around mid-March 2021 and reached a peak of more than 400,000 daily cases by the end of April 2021. With an unprecedented rise in cases and deaths, the healthcare system has been overwhelmed. Medical care, critical drugs and oxygen have all been in short supply. At its peak, we were hearing that every alternate person being tested was found to be positive.

The depressing statistics aside, the reality of the situation has left the citizens of Indian mentally and emotionally drained, including myself and my family. The virus has spread everywhere. Our neighbours, relatives and even family members living in the same household are testing positive in rapid succession. It has felt like a cat and mouse chase until the cat (Covid) finally gets the mouse (us and our families). We don’t recover from the news of a loved one being hospitalized and/or passing from Covid and another loved one follows in a matter of hours. There isn’t a chance to even grieve or process any of the constant trauma.

MY EXPERIENCE WITH COVID

In my family, it was my wife who first started showing symptoms on 15.04.2021. She had a headache and felt extremely fatigued. My symptoms began two days later with a mild headache and fever of 99⁰F in addition to heaviness around my eyes. I was still following my daily routine and didn’t initially suspect Covid-19. My mother too complained of feeling fatigued and unwell. We received news from my in-laws by the evening that they were not at their best either. My symptoms aggravated shortly thereafter as I woke up with fatigue even though I had slept for a good 8 hours. My head was feeling even heavier and my lower back and legs were aching. This is when I began to suspect Covid and called up my general practitioner, who asked me to get a swab test done immediately. Later that day, my fever had shot up to 101⁰F, the body ache had become intolerable and I couldn’t leave my bed. This is when I reached out to my gastroenterologist to get his advice about how to manage Covid alongside my Crohn’s.

I was worried because I had developed diarrhea and my doctor said that it would calm down as I recovered from Covid. I had also developed a dry cough and heaviness in the chest. I was taking steam inhalation 3 times a day and gargling twice daily for congestion and the dry cough. Within the next couple of days, my diarrhea had settled, my cough was still there but wasn’t half as bad and my fever and body ache had not come back. I was checking my oximeter 3 times a day and thankfully maintained good oxygen levels.

During this time, my diet was light home-cooked food with a little oil and lots of animal protein to keep my strength up as much as possible. I was eating well but had lost 4 kgs in a matter of a week. I rested as much as I possibly could day and night but the fatigue persisted for some time. By the 6^th day post testing positive, I lost my sense of smell but it came back a couple days later. The rest of my Covid-19 journey saw me recovering slowly but steadily.

CRISIS STRIKES

It wasn’t until my 13^th day of recovery that things went south due to a medical emergency. My wife and I were woken up rather early in the morning by a phone call from my mother-in-law. She told us that my father-in-law had not slept the night before due to an acute pain in his stomach. He had been vomiting all night and had severe stomach cramps. We decided to have him admitted to the hospital, which meant that my wife and I had to cut our quarantine short immediately. We are the only caregivers to my in-laws and even though we were not in the best of health ourselves, we had to do the rounds of the hospital for a week post this incident. My father-in-law was diagnosed with pancreatitis, which occurred as a complication post-Covid. We had to stand by our family even if that meant momentarily forgetting our state of health. It was both a physically and mentally daunting task but we managed to pull through.

On the 14th day, my family members and I all tested negative by God’s grace. But the positivity was unfortunately short-lived. My maternal aunt who had tested positive 4 days prior passed from the virus and this event left us emotionally devastated and exhausted. I was very close to my aunt, but honestly, I didn’t have the mental capacity to even grieve her demise given the constant barrage of Covid news and diagnoses around me. I was more concerned about consoling my mother, who is a senior citizen. I did not want her health deteriorating due to all the stress we were facing.

THE AFTERMATH

The Covid-19 journey wasn’t just physically exhausting, but from the point of view of an immunocompromised individual, it was emotionally extremely taxing. In the past year, I’ve been worried about contracting Covid and each time I wondered in fear how my compromised immune system would deal with it. When my fears turned into reality, I was extremely anxious and had no choice but to deal with it one day at a time. Being a caregiver to senior citizens, I didn’t have the time or the space to think about how tired or fatigued I was, or how my body felt. I was just running from my home to the hospital and back trying to figure out the best way to have my father-in-law treated. It felt like I was flowing against the current; I had to stop thinking or feeling anything in order to push through.

As the male breadwinner in the family managing a chronic illness, I felt an immense load on me to keep my family well. During this time, I just put my head down and did what I had to do all the while hoping and praying that my father-in-law would bounce back to good health. My aunt’s news was the nail in the coffin when it came to whatever little positivity I was holding on to. In those days, I felt myself go numb and realised that it wasn’t about thinking or feeling a particular way anymore, it was about surviving.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

My Covid-19 journey has been a roller coaster ride but I’ve learned a lot in the process. Here are some key takeaways from my journey as an IBD patient to help anyone reading this:

If you test positive for Covid-19, ask your GI about whether to continue or hold IBD medications. Don’t look for advice on social media. Everyone’s case is different and only your doctor can guide appropriately.
Gastrointestinal problems from Covid are very common symptoms and may settle within a few days. Ask your GI for appropriate medication if it continues for longer than 3 to 4 days and if it causes significant discomfort.
Stay calm, reduce screen time and get as much rest as you possibly can. Also, stay away from negative media that can overwhelm you.
Don’t forget your basics: take your medicines, inhale steam, eat healthy and hydrate as much as possible.

When Tina asked me how I own my Crohn’s, I said by looking it in the eye and managing it head-on with my doctor’s guidance. That’s how I handled my Covid diagnosis and how I encourage you all to manage whatever medical challenges that come your way. God bless and God speed!