'I thought: What if l don’t make it or I end up on a ventilator?' - Avtar shares his Covid-19 experience
Avtar Samrai, a porter at Royal Derby Hospital, has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to help others - walking and running every day to raise funds for Derby and Burton Hospital Charity.
Avtar has had to overcome a completely different challenge since the turn of the year though, after contracting Covid-19.
This is his story, in his own words:
"I tested positive for Covid-19 on 13 January this year. From about 8 January, l had been feeling unwell at work – I had headaches and felt really hot – and on 12 January, l felt really tired while I was at work, and hot with a really bad headache that meant by the time l got home, l just wanted to sleep. I got up the next day, did the test and it showed positive.
"I went upstairs to isolate in my bedroom and, whilst talking to my wife on FaceTime, the first thing that came into my mind was ‘what if l don’t make it or I end up on a ventilator?’ – what with me being over 60 years old and having underlining health issues.
"Throughout my isolation period, l had the normal symptoms of a headache, feeling really hot, a bad cough, while my asthma was also getting really bad. After isolating for 10 days, my left side was affected: my muscles got really tense, I developed a frozen shoulder, ear ache, and the left side of my throat was hurting.
"I also really want to share something that male colleagues might find hard to talk about: the mental anxiety effect this illness can cause. During my isolation period, l was so emotionally affected that l forced myself to stay awake during the night, as l got it in my head that l might never wake up. Being ‘BAME’ with underlining health issues, l kept thinking l was going to end up on a ventilator.
"l wasn’t eating properly, and l don’t mind telling everyone that l ended up taking Sertraline antidepressant tablets. l was so, so weak and tired. My left leg was so painful and, from my knees down, my legs always hurt. l have been like this for four months now, having twice tried to come into work but having to go on sick leave again each time, which made things worse.
"Having been so active last year through my fundraising, jogging 5k every day, l now find it hard that l can’t even walk 5k without getting really tired. I’m still suffering from the side effects of ‘Long Covid’. l don’t know how long it will last.
"Covid-19 has affected me emotionally and physically, although I have now come off Sertraline. l get really frustrated when l try to do the normal things l am used to doing. l have now started the ‘Couch to 5k’ but the side effects remain. For me, this is back pain across my chest on the left side and feeling continuously tired, but the worst thing for me has been the emotional effects.
"l want to thank all of my colleagues who have helped make me feel more positive since I returned to work. This has made me feel more positive and I will carry on fundraising to thank my colleagues for their support in returning to work."
Find out more about Avtar's fundraising exploits >
We're asking different members of our #UHDBfamily to share their experiences of the last year, in their own words, so that we can understand what kind of impact Covid-19 has had on our colleagues. If you'd like to share your Covid-19 story, please email our Communications team at uhdb.communications@nhs.net