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'I was on the brink of death': Doctor shares experience on surviving COVID-19
After being intubated for a week, Ulul was moved into the intensive care unit where he stayed for two weeks.
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Ulul, the head of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) advocacy and external affairs team, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that he recalled being on the brink of death as his condition worsened at a quick rate after he was taken to the hospital.
(Shutterstock/sfam_photo)
As a COVID-19 survivor, gynecologist Ulul Albab describes the disease as a wake-up call for him to pay more attention to his body.
Ulul, the head of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) advocacy and external affairs team, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday that he recalled being on the brink of death as his condition worsened at a quick rate after he was taken to the hospital.
“I could walk and pray before I was taken to the hospital, but I suffered from a severe shortness of breath a day after I was admitted,” Ulul said.
He found himself constantly struggling to breathe, to the point that he had to depend on a high-flow oxygen device to support him. His condition deteriorated rapidly and he found himself unable to walk for more than 5 meters, which led him to ask for intubation.
“I settled on getting intubation so that the medical team could treat me while my lungs rest,” he said.
Ulul conceded that not all patients who were intubated had a full chance of recovery — some did not make it.
“We either come out of this alive or we die. I can’t do anything except to pray and assure my family that it was the best decision as I might also have died if I hadn’t gotten the proper treatment in time,” he said.
Read also: COVID-19 claims life of doctor, IDI official
After being intubated for a week, Ulul was moved into the intensive care unit where he stayed for two weeks. He spent another week in a regular patient unit and two weeks in the monitoring phase when he was discharged from the hospital. He returned to work three weeks later.
Although Ulul’s life slowly returned to normal after being treated for COVID-19 for one and a half months, he had to make some significant adjustments to his lifestyle. He started to exercise routinely, watch his caloric intake carefully after consulting his doctor and get more sleep as opposed to the two or three hours of sleep he was getting before.
As for his career, COVID-19 forced him to cut down his working hours as he needs more rest. Before contracting the disease, Ulul did not put any limit on his working hours to serve as many patients as he can.
When it comes to preventing transmission, Ulul said it was actually very simple.
“Change your clothes immediately when you have returned home after conducting activities outside of your house. Do not touch your family members before taking a shower as we don’t know what kind of virus we bring home,” he said, adding that taking vitamins to build up your immune system was also highly advisable. (dpk)
Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.
