DAY 6: "THE TRACHEOTOMY"

When I was originally admitted to Lynchburg General, my oxygen levels plummeted, so they inserted a ventilator. When my oxygen levels finally stabilized, the ventilator was replaced by a trachea. I was told I would have a hole in my throat for the rest of my life and I would have to subsist on a pureed food diet (the equivalent of baby food) for the rest of my life. I told them I would rather die than eat baby food the rest of my life.

Because of the tracheotomy diet of pureed foods I was on I lost 60 pounds; over 1/4 of my body weight. There were only 4 different pureed meals that would be served in rotation day after day after day. One of the complications of Covid in my case was the significant loss of muscle mass. I wasn’t getting “real” food, so my muscles kept deteriorating. The staff was acting out of fear of another mucous block or that I would choke on “real” food. The trachea issue would haunt me for weeks. The issue with food would not be resolved until I moved to Virginia Baptist Hospital - The second facility I was in.

TOMORROW: DAY 7: "THE WOUND"

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Nick is the Vice-Chancellor of Amherst Theological Seminary, and he has a D. Min. from Amherst Theological Seminary. He has his MA from Liberty University in Marriage and Family Therapy. He is the author of the book: "The Walk Applied: Living the New Creation Life as a Citizen of God's Kingdom in a Secular World". He has also written "The Fasting and Prayer Handbook". Nick has been married to Kathy since 1985, and hey are the proud parents of 3 children.

Contact Nick at nick.marica@srcministry.org

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