‘I’ve never had a fever affect me so much’
She had a very high fever. Since we were getting people with seasonal influenza, we started her on the medicines even before her test results came in. DR ROMMEL TICKOO, Max Super Speciality hospital
When she came home from work on Thursday evening, Beena Nair, 35, felt exhausted. She was also feverish, but decided against taking any medicine because she is four months pregnant. She thought that a good night’s sleep would make her feel better.
On Friday morning, she could not rise from her bed. “I told my husband that I wanted to sleep some more and that I would go for work later in the day. I reached my work, I just could not stay up on my feet,” she said.
Nair went to the sick room for staff and covered herself in blankets. “It was so bad that it was hard for me to even get up and go to the washroom. Good for me, I work on the front desk of a hospital so I got admitted immediately,” Nair said.
Nair works at Max Super Specialty Hospital in the south Delhi neighbourhood of Saket. Her doctor immediately suspected H1N1, or swine flu, and put her on oseltamivir, an antiviral medication, immediately, The next morning, her test report confirmed the diagnosis.
“She had a very high fever. And, since we were getting people with seasonal influenza, we started her on the medicines even before her test results came in. This is because pregnant women are at a higher risk of complications. And pregnancy meant that we could not even do an X-ray to check the condition of her lungs,” said Dr Rommel Tickoo, associate director, internal medicine, Max Super Speciality hospital.
She was kept under close monitoring but did not require any respiratory support. Nair was discharged on Tuesday. “I have never had a fever affect me so much, it really drained me. Right now, I have taken a few days off and will stay at home,” said Nair.