CARE. COURAGE. COMPASSION.

Posted on 1 March 2021

Nimmi Biswardutt is a nurse at Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg. When she was diagnosed with COVID-19, she felt what it was like to be cared for – and why it makes a difference.

I’ve been working at Mediclinic for 19 years, in total. These days I am a senior professional cardiac intensive care unit. Typically, I’m a shift leader, which means I help supervise enrolled nurses and take over rounds when needed, to check that our patients are receiving the care they need.

When the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a global pandemic in March 2020, the hospital became pretty busy. The unit was adapted to accommodate patients in separate rooms, and we were nursing patients who were isolated. It was a crazy time.

So when I started feeling sore in my shoulders, I thought it was because I’d been overworked, pushing myself to the limit, as we all were. I was nursing an old whiplash injury too, from an accident. One day I was sitting in the reception and I suddenly started shivering. I felt very cold, all over.

The real alarm bells started ringing when I realised that I couldn’t taste anything. It was a strange feeling, as though I had forgotten how to taste. I called my local physician and over the phone, he said, “You have COVID-19.” I told him, “No, I don’t think so. It’s my whiplash, it’s work.” But fever, body pain, and now a loss of taste? He was adamant. I tested positive in the Emergency Centre that same day, 9 July.

I was very emotional. I kept thinking, how did this happen? In the cardiac ICU we were well equipped with personal protective equipment, and careful about following safety and social distancing protocols. But really, my main concern was my daughters. Would they be okay?

When you are on the other end of the bed, you don’t realise how weak and vulnerable patients can feel. I was so weak, I was dozing in and out. It might sound like a small thing, but taking a shower was a challenge. I was so tired, so out of breath, I had to sit on a chair to try to get my breath back. As soon as I got into bed, I’d go back onto oxygen.

What kept me going? My colleagues. The nurses here are unbelievable. And I can say that now, not just because I’m one of them. I’ve seen it.

YOU ARE SO WEAK AND VULNERABLE WHEN YOU’RE IN THAT BED, THAT THE CARE YOU RECEIVE IS SO IMPORTANT.

Fluffing a pillow, holding my hand. Passing me water. Such small things! In that moment they were huge. You don’t forget those moments. They made me feel seen and loved.

It is a blessing to have people in your life, to make lasting connections. It is a privilege to be able to do meaningful things for others. The love and compassion those nurses had for me, I could see reflected back on me, and on what I do.

We always do our best to make our patients comfortable. That is part and parcel of our role in the hospital. When you experience being a patient, you realise the simplest things you do for people matter the most. You think of all you do, your usual routines and approaches, and you learn how to do things differently, better.

I was so excited when my doctor said I was going home. I was just so happy to see my family and to know that everything went well; to know, I’ve made it through.

Protect yourself and protect those around you. Please be cautious as this virus knows no bounds, social status or class.

Please practise social distancing and wear a mask. After experiencing COVID-19, I would not wish it on my worst enemy.