Durban – A 42-year-old Durban man who is still recovering from his battle with Covid-19 said at one point he thought he was going to die.
Cyprian Harper, from Durban Central, said that at the beginning of March, before the public really knew what Covid-19 was, he noticed while sitting with friends that his stomach was swollen.
He then started getting sick and initially assumed it was his sinus allergies or that he had the flu, and he began taking vitamin C and flu medication.
“I realised it was lasting too long. The symptoms I had were like the flu. It started with a cough, it turned into asthma, then I developed a fever and it all got worse,” said Harper.
He said he struggled to sleep lying down and was forced to sleep sitting in a chair.
“It feels like someone has got your head underwater, drowning you. I couldn’t sleep if I lay down. I would actually choke like I was drowning, so I had to sit up,” he said.
Harper said the fluid build-up in his lungs made him feel helpless and weak.
“I would take two steps, and by the third step I couldn’t go further,” he said.
Within a day or two, Harper said his feet began to swell.
“My legs got swollen right up to my thighs and stomach and I couldn’t see my knees. It was bad and then I started getting blisters on my feet from all the fluid,” said Harper.
“Through this whole thing, I was scared that I was going to die, it was so bad. I was dripping wet during the fever and the pain was unbearable,” he said.
Not realising he had Covid-19, Harper said he did not go to the hospital at first.
“I went to the doctor and he told me it was Covid-19, based on my symptoms, and he tested me and then sent me to hospital,” he said.
Harper said he stayed in the hospital for a few days but the worst had already passed by then, and he was sent home to self-isolate.
“I’m at home, I’ve overcome it, I no longer have the virus but my body is still healing,” he said.
He said that he had been dealing with the after-effects of the virus for almost three months, and would need another month to fully recover.
Harper said the hardest part about having Covid-19 was being away from his family and having to speak to his children over the phone.
“What helped me through was God and my children because as small as they are, they prayed for me,” he said.
He said that his employer, Point Blank Security, had supported him financially, paying for doctors’ visits and medication.
In hindsight, Harper said he should have sought medical treatment as soon as he started struggling to breathe, and urged the public to learn from his experience.
“This was different from anything that I had seen or experienced before. This virus is no joke,” he said.