Almost died because of coronavirus: COVID-19 survivor recalls

New Delhi : Days after surviving the deadly coronavirus, Indian-origin Ria Lakhani recalls how she almost died due to COVID-19 infection. She still faces problems in breathing.

"It (breathing) used to be such a natural action but now I have to remember how to inhale and exhale," the BBC quoted her as saying from her home in north-west London.

Currently, she is in self isolation that means she cannot hug her husband, meet the family members and she even wakes up in night struggling to breathe.

Lakhani, sales executive, started showing symptoms for coronavirus after she was admitted to the hospital for an operation.

Seven years ago, she was diagnosed with a rare condition which makes swallowing difficult. The surgery was designed to help her manage this oesophageal disease, called achalasia, the report said.

It was her routine admission for the operation that ended up like a walk in hell.

While everyone hoped it was just a side-effect of her surgery, a COVID-19 swab test was taken as a precaution. But to the surprise of all, it turned positive for coronavirus.

Soon her room was cleaned and cordoned off.

As her condition deteriorated, she required more oxygen. She was then shifted to one of London's major COVID-19 treatment centres.

"Things went from bad to worse - taking a breath became as hard as climbing a mountain," she wrote on Facebook.

"I almost died," she says, speaking from home to the BBC.

"I almost didn't come out of there. There was a point when I actually started to write difficult messages to my family. I almost died now I'm alive. How can life go back to normal after that?"