Interviewed & written by
Jerry Tan
Intercalating medical student at Newcastle University
Last December, I felt uncomfortable as I was preparing for an exam. This illness was sudden and unlike anything I had ever experienced. On the third day I had a fever, joint pain, and felt very weak. I soon developed a dry cough and difficulty breathing, which worried me because I already had asthma.
Despite all of this, I decided to try until my exams were over.
A few days later I went to a clinic and was asked to do an RTK antibody test. To be honest, I had taken my illness lightly without suspecting anything serious was going on. I was young and healthy, I stayed home as much as possible – and on the rare occasions when I left the house for groceries, I always wore a mask. My asthma was also well controlled and I had even run marathons in the past.
So it was a complete surprise when I received a call telling me that I had tested positive for Covid-19 antibodies.
(Image credit: Freepik)
My family panicked when I told them the news. We had to do any RTK antibody tests that came back positive. Fortunately, my mother and sister were asymptomatic, but my father had shown mild symptoms.
The clinic called us to inform us that we should be quarantined at home until we received further instructions.
I didn’t have the luxury of waiting for further instructions; That night my condition deteriorated rapidly and I was soon gasping for breath.
Sungai Buloh Hospital.
(Photo credit: Yusof Mat Isa / Malay Mail)
Desperate, my father drove me to Sungai Buloh Hospital, where I was immediately referred to the Covid-19 triage area. My asthma had worsened from the infection, so I was accepted into the High Dependency Unit.
The thick, transparent sheets separating my bed from the others gave me a faint glimpse of the other patients – some were too weak to make a sound and others didn’t seem to stop coughing. I even spotted a patient tied to his bed – had he been called a prisoner?
I was given oxygen and intravenous steroids, then the medical staff did some tests. Despite the dire situation the patients were in, the ward was quiet, but everyone took their job seriously. With full PPE, they made sure that everything that had been touched was disinfected. I just sat in bed, taking turns staring at the clock and the staff as I went through the scariest period of my life.
I couldn’t bear to close my eyes; As I did that, I felt death knock on my door.
It was the first time I felt so weak and breathless despite years of asthma. They say that “your life flashes before your eyes when you are about to die” – and truly, it was during that time that I began to think about my life. No drug can cure a Covid-19 infection. I could only rely on my mind and body to fight the disease.
About 24 hours later, I was stable enough to be taken to a general Covid-19 ward. After being semi-conscious for more than a day, I was finally able to sleep. My body was shaking and sweating somehow, and I was too weak to walk. I realized that I was the youngest person in this new church – everyone around me was over 40 years old and had comorbidities.
We were too frail to talk, so most of the time we sat in silence. I could only eat small portions because I had no taste, smell or appetite.
My condition stabilized after three days on the ward as I only needed my inhaler every four hours. I stopped shaking and sweating profusely, I was definitely more energetic. I was taken to the low risk treatment center at the nearby National Leprosy Center.
The old Sungai Buloh leprosy center has been converted into a Covid-19 ward.
(Photo credit: @ DGHisham / Facebook)
The staff rarely came to the ward and communicated with us from another room on a telephone. I actually had the privilege of being right next to the phone, and I heard snippets of conversation between patients and staff, ranging from arguments about our living conditions to the arrival of grab food deliveries!
The environment here was definitely happier, with people as young as school-age children. I tried to talk but was still too weak to speak, so I stayed to myself most of the time. I ended up staying in the center for about a week, where I regained my appetite and later could breathe and speak easily. I was soon released.
I have now fully recovered from the illness, but am still careful not to over exert myself.
I have the greatest respect for our frontliners, because despite the challenges they face, they were only focused and detail-oriented in their work. I even saw the staff cleaning up after a patient soiled himself on the bed!
So it annoys me when many prominent voices downplay the severity of Covid-19 or say that a vaccine is not important. I started a Twitter thread to raise awareness of what critical Covid-19 patients like me are seeing as a reaction to the lack of attitudes among many Malaysians. What I want to highlight the most is this: Being healthy and leading a good lifestyle doesn’t mean you are safe from the virus.
Fahmi, 30 years old: a Covid-19 survivor.
(Photo credit: Malaysian Medics International)
Fahmi was interviewed by Jerry Tan for this piece. Jerry is an intercalating medical student at Newcastle University with a keen interest in mental health and medical research.
For the purposes of this publication, consent has been obtained from the respondent. The author rewrote the article with the respondent’s permission.
Jerry Tan.
(Photo credit: Malaysian Medics International)
This publication is related to the MMI Covid Taskforce Project from Malaysian Medics International (MMI). MMI is an international organization that is led by medical students and has set itself the goal of establishing, educating and maintaining contacts. With a global network of more than 200 executives from seven countries worldwide, MMI is an active advocate of inclusivity and diversity, reforms in medical education, and the welfare of junior physicians and medical students. Information about the project can be found at @mmi_social on Instagram.
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