INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW KYAMAGERO

INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW KYAMAGERO

COVID-19! A PERSONAL BATTLE: A SURVIVOR'S TALE FROM CRITICAL ILLNESS TO REGAINING HEALTH

In recent months, we have heard numerous stories of those we have lost to Covid-19. Very rarely, have we pursued stories of those who have suffered and subsequently recovered from Covid-19/. In this issue we catch up with two different essential workers, a well-established journalist, and a critical care nurse. These are stories of despair, resilience, hope, faith and survival.

Andrew, kindly introduce yourself to our readers My name is Andrew Kyamagero, a journalist at NTV and the team leader of Omuntu Wawansi foundation. Am a father to 2 children and a husband to one wife. This is a great achievement and am proud of it (laughs)…

You have been very vocal in sharing that you are a survivor of Covid-19, can you share with us how all this started, what prompted you to test and confirm you had been infected with Covid-19? I got the first jab for Covid-19 Vaccination in April this year while I was reporting at a vaccination event. Around the first week of May, I got a headache and felt strange, but I refused to self-medicate. I went to see my doctor who gave me some medication and I got slightly better. On May 5th , - I got a pounding headache, started feeling weak, and developed very high temperatures. I told my supervisor that I was not feeling well and was granted permission to leave. I left work and drove home while panting, with bad joint aches, teary eyes, headache and was driving very slowly. Next time you are on the road and see someone driving slowly, ask them if they are ok instead of shouting at them. I reached home and called my wife who called my doctor. My doctor said that there were no beds at Mulago, and he advised us to go to Paragon Hospital in Bugolobi instead. When I reached Paragon Hospital I blacked out and I was put on life support machines. They did all the tests and that's how they confirmed I had Covid-19. Immediately I regained my consciousness and saw the machines, I knew this was Covid-19.

What was the journey like for you, from the time you discovered you had been infected to your time of recovery? What was the biggest challenge for you? My biggest challenge was being in the ICU where friends and family were not allowed to see you except if one has money and pays 100,000 Ugx. At that time, I didn't even know it was possible to pay and they allowed a family member to see you. The loneliness is the hardest part because you are in there alone. Actually Covid-19 is like the modern-day leprosy where you are isolated and alone. I was in a vegetative state and could not talk. One health worker wrote on a pink manila paper which had three sentences; We are doing what we can to save you; Your Friends and family are praying with you; and lastly confirm what you have read. He held it up for me to read. For a man who lives off talking, this was very hard and very scary. So, I kept reminding myself of what I know, my name is Andrew Kywamgero, I am a journalist, I am a father to two children and a husband. This kept me going. I also tapped into my spiritual being. You become vulnerable, and I chose to be vulnerable to God and asked him to heal me. In my darkest hour, I turned to God and indeed he came to be my refuge. I was also worried about the bills; how would my wife manage with the bills. When I regained consciousness, I asked my wife if we had any money left. She told me to just get better. It was really a difficult moment, even when I got out of the Intensive Care Unit, I was weak and still in pain. One day my wife saw me tossing and turning in my bed and she told me: “please don't die”. When you see someone whom you consider strong say something like that, it's really scary. I continued to affirm what I knew and told myself that I will get better. After I was discharged, I started steaming, walking around, and doing exercises. I lost my appetite, but I had to try my best to eat with the encouragement of my wife.

Can you share with us what it was like in hospital for you, what role did health workers play, did you feel that they provided holistic care that was supportive for your recovery process?

What I saw when I was in the ICU, I will never forget! I saw 5 people on my left and 6 on my right die. It was a very traumatising experience for me. However, I saw the support provided to me, the swiftness in providing care for me, checking on me if I was breathing well, was remarkable so I really appreciate that. Health workers were wearing white suits and I was just seeing their height so I could tell it was the height that saw me in the morning, came to check on me in the evening and the same height the next day. That's how I could tell that it's the same person. Their salaries need to be increased by far. With this experience, I hope to start a medical facility in Kakiri so that my community can also get the best care. I was able to get that care but how about those who cannot afford it. I need to ensure that even my people in Kakiri or elsewhere can get access to quality health care like I did.

Specifically, how did the nurses providing care for you interact with you or your care takers? Were you or your caretakers satisfied with the care provided?

Yes, I was very satisfied with the care they provided to me when I was in the ICU and when I was recovering. My wife was trained on what to expect. They told her he My wife was trained on what to is going to snap, be short-tempered, may have temporary expect. They told her he is going amnesia and so on. They trained my wife on how to take to snap, be short-tempered, may care of me and what I would be experiencing so she have temporary amnesia and so wouldn't be surprised. This was important, I asked my on. They trained my wife on how wife how she knew everything, and she said the nurses to take care of me and what I trained her. would be experiencing so she wouldn't be surprised. This was When I see a Nurse, one thing I am sure of is that I am important, I asked my wife how going to be ok. They are friendly calm and teach you the she knew everything, and she pace of life. They don't panic, they will explain to you said the nurses trained her. the drugs and effects, all the procedures being done, doctors don't do that. They will remember to check on you the next day to find out how you are feeling. If a particular drug is itching, they explain to you why it's happening and maybe it may be from the combination of drugs you may be taking.

From a patient’s perspective, what are those things health workers need to keep doing and what should they improve?

The comfort - you are not sure if you will come out alive so that encouragement they provide is really needed. The person who held up the pink manila paper for me was really exceptional. This gave me the will to fight on and recover. I will never forget this person. When my appetite was low, they advised me to eat. Plus, all the advice they provided to my wife before leaving the hospital was important. Covid-19 has made it clear that it’s a personal battle and the nurses play a critical role in supporting you to fight this battle and recover. What they need to improve is communication amongst each other. Sometimes they make assumptions that another nurse has provided the medication and yet they have not. Sometimes you hear one saying, I thought this was given by the previous nurse and then they tell you that you will be behind on this medication by one hour. To the powers that be, Covid-19 is a wakeup call that that nurse, doctors and all health workers deserve better than we provide. They should therefore be paid and given all the resources they require to do their work. I want to thank nurses around the globe, if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have healed. The comfort they provided for me, the advice and counsel I and my wife received enabled me to heal. Therefore, we need to continue praying for them so that they continue doing their jobs well.