I would like to share my experience in the hope that it may be helpful. I am on day 15 since my symptoms started and I believe, with the grace of God, I am on the road to recovery. But please take this as my experience and nothing more. I am not a doctor.
My symptoms have been: sore throat, headaches, tight chest, prolonged coughing fits, restrictive breathing, almost total loss of smell and taste, body pain, slight rise in temperature but not fever. These are mine. I understand symptoms are different per person.
I cannot stress enough the importance of isolation. The day I found out I had symptoms I closed my bedroom door. I have kept my family out only communicating through a closed door. Food was left outside the door. Even at my darkest times I kept that door closed. It was hard for them too. Hearing my coughing fits and difficulty in breathing and not being able to come to my aid. But this has paid off. They are so far OK , God willing.
The things that I believe helped me are as below:
a) Total rest.
Your body needs all the energy it has to fight the virus. Eat small amounts of light food so that you don’t overburden your digestive system. Concentrate on nutritional value.
b) Eat foods that boost your immune system.
These should include ginger, garlic,onions, haldi , fruits and vegetables.
Plenty of hot drinks to keep your airways clear. I had a drink made of fresh ginger, lemon, honey, turmeric and pepper every hour. It’s very important to keep hydrated.
c) There is no specific medication for this.
Take Paracetamol for fever. I took vitamin D as I understand this helps boost your immune system. And more importantly, black seed (kalonji) oil. I can honestly say that when I took this oil I could feel a physical change in my sinuses.
That’s the practical side. Now the hard bit. The emotional. This is a very isolating virus. I haven’t touched another person for 15 days and now realise the importance of human contact. I have been on an emotional roller coaster. The only thing that helped me was my faith in God. When you come face to face with the prospect of death, you start to search your soul. The question to ask yourself is “Am I good with my God?” Use your time in lockdown to search your soul. Make things right with your God and your loved ones. Use whatever you have to help those less fortunate. This is very important. Give charity in the face of Calamity.
Please don’t play the blame game. Whatever happens to us is what is meant for us. We are all suffering in different ways. If you have food and money then share it with those who don’t. Be kind to each other. This is our only legacy.
Stay positive. With the Grace of God we will get through this. Let’s hope that we all come out of this as better people. And if this happens then I say, job done.
