I will continue to wash my hands after everything I touch. I will continue to disinfect everything I possibly can. I will continue to shower and wash my hair after every shift. But when this is all over, the scars and trauma from this pandemic will stay because I will never be able to washContinue reading “Wash it Away”
Author Archives: docafsana
Surviving COVID
It’s been almost one month since my COVID symptoms started and I am grateful everyday that I recovered without any complications. As someone who has always been healthy, who would barely get symptoms from the flu, I did not expect to be hit hard with COVID. When I was working on the medicine floors, theContinue reading “Surviving COVID”
A Word About Sacrifice
“Are you sure you don’t want it anymore?” The words of my barber, as I struggled to tell him that it was time to remove my beard. I remember when I first decided to start keeping it, for religious purposes, and how it’s been part of my identity for the past five years. Once itContinue reading “A Word About Sacrifice”
Running from COVID
My first solo, socially distanced, half marathon down the empty streets of NYC. I left planning to do a short jog, take advantage of the nice weather and my day off, but for some reason I kept running… and running. I was running away from my stress, my anxiety, and my mental pain; the repercussionsContinue reading “Running from COVID”
Status Update
Because so many of my friends and family have been checking in with me to see how I am doing, I wanted to post a “status update”. For those of you with whom I have lost touch, I am a currently working as a senior Internal Medicine resident in a major NYC hospital. This meansContinue reading “Status Update”
Post call
Worldwide Cases: 663,828 World Wide Deaths: 30,833 New York Cases: 53,448 New York Deaths: 834 3/28/2020–Today I just finished a week of night call. I’ve been on nights for the past two weeks and my experience this week could not be more different than what I saw last week. I had my interns with meContinue reading “Post call”
“Am I dying?”
“Am I dying?” she asked. No matter how many times I’m asked that question, it doesn’t become any easier to answer. Holding her hand and trying to console her seemed to bring all of the outside beeping of monitors and commotion to a halt. Monitors that revealed how poorly her lungs were functioning and howContinue reading ““Am I dying?””