A Doctor’s Experience of Bleeding in Her PPE During COVID Duty

Spread the love

Dr. Kamna Kakkar, an Anaesthesiologist recently shot to limelight when she shared her experience of bleeding in her PPE suit on her first day of period while attending to Covid affected patients. Taking to twitter, the doctor went on to say how her first Covid-19 ICU duty on 17 May in Rohtak will be unforgettable.

“I bled freely that day…,” she writes, “… though not out of compulsion but by choice. I belong to the privileged strata of society where I never had to think about safely managing my periods. But that day, I felt what it was like to be in the shoes of women who do not have access to sanitary napkins or tampons or clean alternatives.” She shared this post on May 21, world menstrual day and was quickly picked up by social media. She was a junior resident doctor then.

“It takes 45 minutes for us to wear the PPE in sequential steps — a process called ‘donning’. Then we follow a designated route to the Covid ICU where we work with the sickest of patients. When our shift ends, six hours later, we leave the ICU via another designated route to reach the ‘doffing’ area. ‘Doffing’, or getting out of the PPE, is another step-by-step process that also takes 45 minutes.

“In the rush and excitement to serve in the Covid ICU for the first time, I had completely forgotten that I was nearing the end of my menstrual cycle and it was time for my periods. All I could focus on was being in the midst of a pandemic and also needing to stay safe. I had completely forgotten that I had a woman’s body inside a frontline worker.

“I couldn’t risk leaving my sick patients unattended in the ICU for 45 minutes to doff plus 45 minutes to don the PPE again — a total of 1 hour 30 minutes — to just wear a sanitary napkin. Also, that would mean I would need another set of PPE, and in a pandemic, PPEs are precious and being rationed. I didn’t want to waste even one.”

So she decided to bleed freely in her PPE till the end of her shift. But while narrating her ordeal to a friend when she called her a warrior, Kamna wondered if she really was one or just another regular woman doing my job.

“Regular women menstruate while working — nothing heroic about it. However, unlike me, who bled freely by choice, if one has to menstruate without a pad or a tampon out of compulsion, it makes her a victim of social apathy.”

Just like the many women who do not have access to clean toilets or better hygiene practices and sanitary products during menstruation, the real difference between Kamna (and most of us) and these other women is the privilege of having the choice to bleed freely.

Source @drkamnakakkar on twitter

Spread the love

If you want your skin to appear as attractive and young at any age, avoid using excessive cosmetic products. This is because the chemical substances present in these products cause a lot of damage to the skin. Instead, you can keep the skin beautiful by taking natural superfoods. These are some of the superfoods which contain more skin nourishes and its effect remains intact for a long time. By incorporating these foods into the diet, you can easily reduce acne and wrinkles. Know, who are those superfoods that will sustain your skin’s beauty by increasing ageing?

Avocados

Avocado has healthy fat and nutrient that helps to moisturize the skin. Avocado keeps the skin young and prevents you from wearing fine lines and wrinkles. It contains vitamin-C, E, K, Folic Acid, Magnesium, and Potassium, which is essential for healthy skin.

Blueberries

Blueberries contain vitamin C, which is an antioxidant and helps keep collagen healthy in your skin. A study of the US Department of Agriculture has been studied on 40 fruits and vegetables, in which, blueberries have been given the first status for antioxidant activity. Blueberries contain anthocyanin and quercetin, which helps in reducing inflammation and keeping the skin healthy.

Green-T

Green-T contains antioxidant properties which help in preventing premature ageing and wrinkles on the skin. It is highly beneficial in the treatment of skin related problems such as acne, psoriasis, and wrinkles.

Curd

Nutrients like proteins, calcium, riboflavin, vitamin B are found in curd. The amount of calcium that strengthens teeth and bones is much higher in curd than milk. Diseases such as indigestion, constipation can easily get cured if you continue to eat curd. It will be beneficial for you to eat yoghurt or curd made lassi, buttermilk etc. for food.

Almond

To keep your skin healthy, it can be beneficial to consume almonds in your diet. Almond is one of the best sources of Vitamin E, which helps to nourish your skin and protect it from the harmful rays of the sun. Almonds contain antioxidant and anti-aging properties which help reduce wrinkles and other symptoms of ageing. Fatty acids present in almonds are known to help in reducing inflammation, thereby, eliminating skin-related problems like acne, psoriasis, and eczema.

Honey

Honey contains minerals, copper, calcium, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and zinc. It also offers many types of vitamins. Honey grabs the fat of the body very quickly. Apart from this, if you are involved in diet, you will get full nourishment for your body while dieting. Honey can also be used externally by applying it to pimples, acne, sunburns.

Turmeric

Turmeric is known for its antiseptic and antibiotic properties. Turmeric cleans your blood and makes your energy pure. For external purposes, It can be used to cure acne, rashes, and skin blemishes.