From Ventilator to Recovery: The Raw Truth of My Dad's Covid Battle
The Beginning of a Nightmare
On September 19th, 2021, my world came crashing down when my dad was hospitalized. We had been treating him at home with my herbal medicine, thinking it was just a simple case of covid or a cold. He had all the classic symptoms: a cough, high fevers, sinus congestion, and chills. To make matters worse, he started hallucinating! He imagined a delivery truck dropping off a pallet of "covid beer," and thought he needed to stay awake to catch it before my mom saw. He didn’t tell us about the hallucinations until the night before he ended up in the hospital.
Though he seemed to get better and we thought we had beaten it, the morning of September 19th, he came to my house for our usual weekend breakfast. What followed was anything but normal. He had a violent coughing fit that wouldn’t stop, which we thought was just his usual asthma. But then, he began vomiting blood—handfuls of it. I immediately checked his oxygen levels with my pulse oximeter, and he was at 74%! We rushed him to the ER.
The Hospital Nightmare Begins
At the hospital, they determined he had a blood clot, double pneumonia, and tested him for covid antibodies (though covid was no longer the main issue). They immediately put him on antibiotics and Remdesivir, despite our firm objections. Remdesivir is an experimental drug that was first evaluated for use with Ebola, and it carries a significant risk of kidney injury. We didn’t want him on it, but the doctors insisted.
What was truly disturbing was what happened next:
At the local hospital, my dad was treated with just one dose of antibiotics (one single bag), and then they stopped treatment altogether. They removed the antibiotics once he was transferred to a larger hospital, and for the next four days after he was placed on the vent on the 21st , they did not resume antibiotics or make any other efforts to treat his pneumonia. In fact, they continued to focus solely on his covid diagnosis, ignoring the fact that his pneumonia was worsening and untreated. This delay in treatment was critical and part of the reason he got so much worse before any action was taken.
The hospital's approach was chilling. They didn’t seem to care about his pneumonia or other infections. It felt like they were only concerned with his covid diagnosis, treating it as a singular issue without addressing the fact that he was battling multiple, potentially life-threatening conditions. We had to fight for every decision, from asking them to start antibiotics again to advocating for additional treatment options that they weren’t willing to explore.
Ventilator and the Struggle for Control
By September 21st, we received the call we feared the most: my dad’s oxygen levels had plummeted to the 50s, and the doctors wanted to place him on a ventilator. We had just spoken with him an hour prior, and he seemed okay. We requested to video call him before he was placed on the vent, and we spoke to him one last time. He told us he didn’t want to die and that he loved us. An hour later, we received another call—he wasn’t on the vent yet, but he was sedated, and his oxygen levels had returned to the 90s.
At this point, we were desperate to have our voices heard. We requested that he remain sedated, and not placed on the vent at this moment, to avoid panic attacks, which had been triggering severe coughing fits. Despite our request, the doctor was cold and dismissive, claiming that we couldn’t make this decision even though we had Power of Attorney (POA) over his medical care. They even tried to tell us that the POA wasn’t valid because it hadn’t been notarized, which was absolutely false. When we demanded they consult with the pulmonologist, it was a battle to get anyone to listen.
The Fight to Be Heard
Emotionally, mentally, and physically drained, I was forced to fight for my dad’s life. I began researching hospital policies, making phone calls, and speaking with patient advocates. It felt like we were constantly being shut down by the hospital staff, who were more interested in following their protocol than actually treating him in a holistic way.
It was apparent that the hospital was treating covid as a "one-size-fits-all" illness. They didn’t want to veer from their predetermined treatment plans and were rigid in their refusal to explore alternatives. Even after I demanded they start IV Vitamin C, and push for antibiotics, it took too long to see any action. They were constantly telling us that there was no evidence that these treatments would help. Yet, when I pointed out that they were using the experimental drug Remdesivir (which hadn’t been fully tested either), their defensiveness only grew.
Eventually, after contacting the hospital’s ethics committee, we were able to have IV Vitamin C administered, and the antibiotics were resumed. But it was a battle we should never have had to fight. Our loved ones deserve better care than this, especially when they are already so vulnerable.
The Propofol Allergy: A Battle of Instincts
One of the most crucial, yet overlooked aspects of my dad's care involved his reaction to propofol, the sedating drug used to keep him under while on the ventilator. The doctors didn’t seem to believe he could have an allergy to the drug, but I knew something wasn’t right.
I noticed a pattern. During the day shifts, when the nurses would reduce the sedation, my dad’s swelling—especially in his tongue, lips, and neck—would decrease significantly. But when the night shift nurses returned and sedated him again, the swelling would return. This wasn’t just coincidence. I began to suspect that the sedation was causing this troubling swelling, particularly in his throat, which made the situation even more dangerous. It seemed like the more they sedated him, the more his body was fighting the drug.
For three days, I was told by many doctors and nurses that it was impossible for him to be allergic to propofol. They insisted that the swelling was a result of something else, and I was growing frustrated. But I stuck with my instincts, and thankfully, one doctor finally acknowledged that I was right. They had to start addressing the allergy as the cause of the swelling, and this revelation was a turning point.
The propofol allergy was likely one of the reasons the ventilator had to stay in place for so long, as the swelling caused by the drug made it risky to remove it. I’m so thankful I didn’t back down, because once we addressed this issue, we were able to make progress in his recovery.
Discovering His Blackened Toes: A Growing Infection
One of the most alarming discoveries happened after we were finally allowed to visit my dad in the hospital. When we entered his room, we noticed that his toes were black. The nurses had failed to notice, or worse, ignored it. His toes were stuck down in the bed, which was too small for him, cutting off circulation. He had been in that position for so long that the lack of blood flow caused his toes to turn black.
At first, the nurses tried to make excuses, calling it “covid toe.” They seemed to dismiss the severity of the situation, brushing it off as a side effect of the virus. But I knew it was much worse than that. His toes were not just “covid toe,” they were a result of prolonged lack of circulation, and the growing infection was a real threat.
It took five days of pushing and requesting wound care to finally get them to treat the infection in his toes. Meanwhile, the infection was spreading, and it became clear that my dad might lose several of his toes. But because I took matters into my own hands, I began treating the infection with my herbal remedies. I used my Black Drawing Salve and Herbal Antibiotic oil to help draw out the infection and promote healing.
Thankfully, with my herbal treatments, my dad was able to save most of his toes. He did lose one toe, but the doctors were amazed that he didn’t lose more. They initially thought he would lose many more toes due to the severity of the infection and lack of blood flow, but I know, without a doubt, that it was the herbal medicine that made the difference in saving his toes from further damage.
The nurses themselves admitted they had never even looked at his feet properly. They were so focused on the covid diagnosis and the ventilator that they neglected basic aspects of his care. The podiatrist confirmed that the issue with his toes was not “covid toe” as they initially claimed, but rather a result of the loss of circulation. This was an issue that could have been avoided with proper attention to his positioning and circulation.
The Kidney "Miracle" – But I Know It Was Herbal Medicine
After the doctors had tried everything they knew, they told us that my dad’s kidneys were in such a state that he would likely need dialysis forever. His kidneys were functioning at just 17% capacity, and they gave us little hope for recovery. The dialysis was his lifeline, and they insisted that he would remain dependent on it indefinitely.
However, after my dad came home and we started him on herbal medicine, I witnessed a miracle—his kidneys began to recover. The doctors were stunned when his kidney function improved, and they couldn’t explain how it happened. They called it a "miracle." But I knew better. It wasn’t a miracle; it was the herbal medicine that made all the difference. With the help of remedies like my Kidney Support Tincture and Magic Mushroom and other natural treatments, his kidney function went from 17% to over 60%, and his need for dialysis was eliminated.
A Rollercoaster of Emotions
Throughout his time in the hospital, there were many ups and downs. We experienced moments of hope and moments of despair. But when my dad was finally removed from the ventilator and taken off dialysis, it was a moment I’ll never forget. His recovery didn’t happen overnight, and we still faced numerous obstacles, including difficulties with food, withdrawal symptoms, and complications with his feet.
February 22, 2025 Update
Wow… it’s crazy to think it’s been so many years since I wrote this post. Here we are, years later, and this day still stands out as one of the worst of my life. It’s still very relevant in our lives, but we are happy to report that my dad is still with us! His kidneys have continued to stay healthy and thriving! He’s still taking his Healthy Kidney and Bladder Tincture, on a schedule of three weeks on, one week off.
His lungs have some scarring, but they’re thriving as best as they can. He takes Lung Warming daily, Lung Biotic & Expectorant as needed, and Liquid Cough daily. He did lose a toe due to covid and unfortunately, he lost eyesight in one of his eyes. But we’re thankful he’s still here with us.
In addition to all of that, he had brain surgery for a tumor that was not detected during his covid hospital stay, but it has since been identified. He’s also still fighting an enlarged heart that developed during his hospital stay. He is unable to work, and currently hoping for disability to go through. In short, Covid, and the care he received changed his life in ways herbs can’t undo. We can only move forward and support what we can with herbs,
He’s nowhere near the health he once had, but because of God, herbal medicine, and a few amazing specialists who have taken great care of us in his recent stays, I believe we’ll have many more years together, and we’ll get through anything else that comes his way.
We’ve also done extensive detoxing over the years, using products like Purge, Full pathway cleanse, Lymphatic Cleanse , Detox Bath, Liver Cleanse, and more. He’s on a daily regimen of Fire Cider, Viral, Tonic, and Immune Booster for his immune system.
Conclusion
This experience reinforced my belief in the power of herbal medicine and natural healing. After my dad’s release from the hospital, I immediately started him on herbal treatments. I made sure to use Herbal remedies to help him recover.
Thank you for reading
