Health During the Movement Control Order (MCO)

It's been a year since I have posted an update about how life has been.

The year 2020 has been quite a rollercoaster ride. We started the year realizing a virus was spreading, infecting many people in many countries, turning it from an epidemic to a worldwide pandemic. To try to flatten the infection curve, Malaysia has been on a national lockdown since March.

How is it like to have Moyamoya disease and keep safe from this virus, which is now known as Covid-19?
For one thing, I have been avoiding hospitals as they are hotspots for infection due to the very nature of hospitals - sick people go there. People who suspect they are ill with the virus will go to the hospital for testing. And it has been discovered that people who have existing conditions are more susceptible to it, and death rates are higher for people with existing illnesses.

There has been a heatwave as well, and I don't do well with heat - it triggers my migraines. Thankfully with the lockdown, staying home is enforced. And it gives me opportunities to sleep my migraines off. With it being a lockdown, I am also the caregiver of the family and am the only one who can go out to buy provisions/groceries. And wearing a mask when I go out constricts my airflow. Also, I sweat buckets due to the heat, and my face being closed up, and I get dehydrated. There have been international reports of people exerting themselves while wearing a mask, and they drop dead due to lack of oxygen.

I realize there has been many news that can be rather scary for someone having a medical condition like Moyamoya. But I have been able to regulate my emotions knowing that I just need to be careful and stay safe, and not take these news too personally. I ensure I have a bottle of water if I need to go out so I can replenish the water in my system, keeping hydrated.

This is definitely a very novel experience - going through a pandemic. I hope that this only happens once in my lifetime. I pray for safety for everyone, especially those who are already vulnerable physically.