How I Survived COVID-19 – Akinwale Oluwaleimu Admin by Admin July 14, 2020-

How I Survived COVID-19 – Akinwale Oluwaleimu
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My name is Akinwale Oluwaleimu, and if you still don’t believe the #coronavirus exists, and you know me, I’m a living witness.
And here’s my testimony.

In The Beginning
On June 24, 2020, I felt a little feverish but since I do not regularly fall ill, I didn’t think much of it. Yet, I went to the neighbourhood Pharmacy where I requested for any malaria medication.

The Pharmacist advised I got Coatem and Ibuprofen. I was on that, and after three days, I thought it should be over, but that wasn’t to be, as I still felt feverish and now very weak in the body.

On Sunday, June 28, 2020, I noticed I couldn’t smell my perfume, deodorant, and body spray; at that point, I knew something was seriously wrong.

Fever, cough, loss of smell, loss of taste, body pains, and weakness of the body all came together that evening. I quickly did a Google search on all the symptoms I could feel and the only thing that came out consistently was COVID-19.
As I was home alone, it was easy for me to isolate myself first as I didn’t want to infect anybody else importantly.

Lagoon Hospital:
The next morning, I needed to confirm my suspension, so I visited my private hospital, the #lagoonhospital, Ikeja. I tried my best to keep away from people and was fully geared up in face and nose masks.

Lagoon had been my private hospital for years; in fact, we had our 11-year-old daughter, Edidioluwa, there, and I must have spent close to half a million naira on one treatment at the same hospital just a year earlier.

This time, however, I was terribly disappointed in their service and patient care.

A young doctor attended to me and immediately I told him my fears, all I could read in his countenance was the quickest way to get rid of me. I asked if he had any information as regards where I could get tested, get care, or any useful information, but all he kept saying was “go to NIMR, Yaba”.

I have never heard about that and didn’t know how to proceed. Again, Google to the rescue: Ikeja LGA office was the nearest COVID-19 Test Centre, so off I went. Getting to the Ikeja LGA office, a gentleman simply called Sheriff took it upon himself to put me through what I can do, and started making calls to the Ikeja COVID Unit.

He also mentioned that Lagoon Hospital had his direct details and that even their MD knew him personally. He expressed his shock that they didn’t properly direct me, or contact them. To this day, I am yet to receive a followup call from “my hospital” (first call Doctors) to know if I survived and how I was faring.

Family
I have heard so much about having a family but my first true full family love was shown during this period (I guess, no matter how bad you are, the family doesn’t want you to die). This is to say a very big THANK YOU to my family, my sisters, Abimbola Oluwaleimu-Brown, Temitope Oluwaleimu-Alonge. Abimbola is a health worker in the US, thank you both for always checking up on me and Temitope, wife to Prof Tope Alonge (Head Director, COVID-19, Oyo State). Special thanks to Prof, Alonge who still created time to attend to me daily, even with his tight schedule attending to all the COVID-19 patients in Oyo State. I appreciate sir!

Akintunde Oluwaleimu and wife, Tolulope, you guys rock! I dare not switch off my phone because I’m sure you’ll be checking in and won’t be happy if the phone was off. Akinwunmi Oluwaleimu and wife, Folakemi, called every morning and night to find out if I had used my drugs and how I felt.

Akinola Oluwaleimu (your chat screenshot attached) my leg-man, apart from calling me regularly to check on my state, liaised with Prof Alonge, to get the right drugs and search different stores (can u believe, Vitamin D and Zinc has not been found in any store till now?).

Olori-ebi Olu-Lexy, Oluremi Oluwaleimu, for looking out for me, especially as regards my herbal meds and my Vitamin D “make sure you take Dogonyaro” (for the fever) Ginger, Garlic and Green Lemon paste, Robb in steaming water. Thanks!

Most marvelously, my two daughters, Edidioluwa and Eriifeoluwa, I made sure they were not told I had COVID-19, but in the course of our conversation on the phone during one of our numerous calls, the older one says to me, “daddy, are u sure you don’t have COVID-19?” And from the background, I could hear the younger one saying “my daddy can never have COVID-19 in Jesus name!” lol…

They both made sure the called every morning and night just to find out how I was feeling and if I was eating. Daughters are the best. Other family members that checked on me too, God bless you all.

The family values I got during the period truly helped me physically and emotionally. Thanks to you, Oluwaseunfunmi Oshofisan and wife, Happy, Mummy Oshofisan, Ladipo Dirisu, Uncle Seni and wife, Linda, Mumsy Alhaja, God bless you all.

My friends too, Kayode Badejo, Eme Inem, Abosede Olivarose, Capt. Demola, Dele-Olukoju, and my Staff, especially Sola, Tomiwa, Oyinkan, and Uche. Thanks, guys, I really do appreciate.

Treatment:
I woke up every morning to 1000mg x 2 daily of Vitamin C daily, Longrich Cordyceps Militaris and Black Ginger, Longrich Berry Oil, Vitamin D 1000 iu x 2 daily, Panadol or Ibuprofen (for pains and fevers) Azithromycin 500mg daily, Hydrochloroquine 400mg daily and Thiapril for HBP all for 5 days

I boiled Dogonyaro water, Robb Steaming, warm Ginger, Garlic, Lemon and Honey drink, bitter kola, and lots of rest and sleep.
I did this judiciously daily and felt really better. Thank you, God, by your stripes, I am healed. Please note: everyone has a different body system; so what works for me might not work for you.

NCDC
I tried doing a test from Monday, June 29; I was at the Ikeja LGA unit but was told by Mr. Sheriff that I should drop my details and that someone would reach out to me in 24 hours, but of course, no one did. On Wednesday, July 1, the same Mr. Sheriff said I should try the Akowonjo Primary School Unit. I got there by 8.30 a.m. on the said day, but no NCDC staff showed up till 11:00 a.m. And the over 40 people waiting in line had to stay and watch them patiently as they set up.

Being the first on the list, I was done by 12.30 p.m. and was told that result would be sent in 72hrs with no warnings, precautions or advice. It’s one week and …..and I still don’t have a result.

I would like to imagine that if I was not educated or knew my way around and had friends and family who had links to COVID- history, and treatment, I would have infected everyone in my neighbourhood or probably ended up dead.

My Submission:
We as a nation are not ready to move forward. We are quick to blame the Government for everything but have we asked ourselves if we have done our own little part? My Doctor, that doesn’t even care what happened to me although he was my first call for my health issue if I’m not paying them the money, why should they care if I died or not?

The NCDC staff, who does not see any reason to be at his/her unit early enough to help the people who think they might be carriers of the infection and need urgent tests, advice, and if possible medicine so as not to die or infect someone else.

People are dying just because some people are negligent. But the same people would complain about bad roads and epileptic power supply, no light appalling governance.

Do you deserve the good things of life when you refuse to do the little assigned to you to make the world go round?

Check yourself before you call others out for not doing a good job!

Mr Oluwaleimu is the CEO of Event and Entertainment Consult/ House 30 hotels, Lagos