Odisha: Doctors advise daily workouts, healthy diet to get recovered patients back on feet

BHUBANESWAR: Most patients who have recovered from Covid are feeling fatigue, difficulty in breathing and mental health issues. Many are also going through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and doctors are advising them to include adequate probiotic, anti-oxidants, fruits and vegetables and continue with multivitamin tablets. They are also suggesting regular check-ups and starting with mild physical exercises.
Doctors said though Covid-19 is a comparatively new disease and not much research has been done on it, its effects can last for six-eight months after discharge, affecting different organs, especially the endocrine system, liver and lungs.
“The post-Covid outdoor patient department (OPD) is still operating at SCB Medical College and Hospital and people with any discomfort can come for follow ups. The complications vary from patient to patient and there are a whole lot of things patients need to take care of once they recover from Covid-19. Those with other lifestyle diseases like diabetes and blood pressure and cardiac ailments need to revise their requirement of medicines in consultation with the doctor,” said Dr Jayanta Panda, technical spokesperson of health and family welfare department.
Most patients are showing symptoms of sleeplessness, breathing difficulty, fatigue and cardiac problems. “The common complaint among patients is that they are getting tired very soon and feeling weak. There is a need to ensure that there is no lung infection but general fatigue. We saw cough continuing in many Covid-recovered patients for a few days while breathlessness and fatigue are common. The nature of ailments is usually linked to the severity of the attack. So, we are advising patients to continue medicines,” said Dr Rakhi Ludam, senior pulmonologist at IMS and SUM Hospital.
Doctors said it is very important to do physical exercises. “It may not be possible to do hard exercises due to weakness but the patient should walk a bit, do yoga, breathing exercises and climb stairs to improve the body strength,” said Dr Neeraj Mishra, senior physician at Kar Clinic.