For the past two weeks, I was out and down with Covid-19. I had a first-hand experience of the psychological pressure attached to it.
I had previously only read about it, but I was now in the middle of it all.
I remember my 10-year-old son coming wearing a surgical mask saying “Daddy, I know you are only saying you are okay so that we won’t be afraid.”
It all started as a flu . . . a bad one. I went to get a rapid Covid-19 test which came back negative. I became worse as the days progressed.
Sacrifice Chirisa Mental Health Matters
The level of fever was as if my skin was plugged to electricity, accompanied by a loss of appetite, and body weakness, it felt as if life was being drawn out of my soul.
The symptoms were not mild, that’s for sure! I decided to go for a PCR and in 24hrs the result came out positive for Covid-19.
Being 43 years of age and hypertensive is one of the deadly underlying medical conditions.
The fear of death flooded my mind, but I needed to be strong for the rest of my family.
As the news filtered to colleagues’ families and business associates, there was an avalanche of messages of hope, but I could sense the fear and the desperation in every line and words being spoken.
Some would start praying or crying the moment I answered their calls.
I felt an immense feeling of pity from everyone, the constant checking up on me within every few minutes was extreme, and sometimes all you need is just a little rest.
The house felt really quiet, my wife constantly checked on me, and the kids seemed fine, but unspoken thoughts of worry for dad’s health and fear of the unknown seemed to hover around, should anything happen that had not been anticipated.
During this time, I did not think about money or my career.
My thoughts were centred on “will I make it, will I be alive after all this? If I don’t, what will happen to my kids and wife?
This uncertainty seemed to make things worse.
The fear of death is real, especially with a condition with no cure such as Covid-19.
Sleeping was difficult with anxiety and deep thought of life.
I kept asking myself: is this it?
Is my time here on earth done?
Surely, all is vanity, said the preacher.
What kept me sane and hopeful was the love and support extended to me and my family through prayers and encouragement, and we are grateful for this.
Thank you!
I guess this is the time when you need humanity from people, just thinking about the other person.
As the cases of Covid-19 continue to rise, let us all step up and take the precautions and when one has it, let’s show the human face of love and concern, that’s all I needed.
Suffering from this virus is already daunting, especially due to the uncertainty and fear of possible recovery or not associated with it, the last thing one needs is being in an unsupportive environment during illness.
Dr Sacrifice Chirisa writes in his personal capacity. He is the deputy director of Mental Health Services at the Ministry of Health and Child Care. email: drsmade76@gmail.com
