THE ULCER OF DEVOTION

THE ULCER OF DEVOTION

THE HEALTH DIARIES PART FOUR:

Introduction

The Ulcer of Devotion– Nkunim unnecessarily fasts for the attention of the beautiful Anima, whom he can’t get enough of, but unfortunately, his deprivation of food causes him more harm than good.

Chapter 1: Gossip Girls

I regained consciousness with a bad stomach ache in a room with four ladies: the secretary for the prayer department, the music director, the head pastor’s daughter, and the chief usherette. I realised I was in the hospital the moment I smelled the sterile smell of disinfectant and saw the IV drip connected to my arm. Then I remembered. I was probably rushed to the hospital after the unfortunate incident.

I woke up to a group of ladies ranting about how unfaithful God is for allowing his most devoted servant to succumb to a grievous illness. I grunted at my attempt to sit up, interrupting the gossip.

“Oh, Nkunim, you’re awake.” The pastor’s daughter uttered those words, prompting all the ladies to turn their gaze towards me.

“Can…I get a cup…of water?” I managed to speak, and everyone in the room was in a haste to get me a cup of water. I cleared my throat and thanked them when I sipped from the cup.

I shook my head and cleared my throat again. “God will not do by miracle what we are supposed to do by responsibility.” Those were my first words as I drank from the cup, and they all stared at me, waiting for me to explain my sudden statement.

“Despite God’s mercies, I brought this upon myself,” I emphasised my earlier statement, then adjusted my pillow as I held my tummy. “This is my story.”

The ladies listened attentively as I began, “Two years ago, the beautiful Anima joined the church and subsequently joined the choir.” I admired Anima from afar, watching her sing in the choir with a voice that seemed to touch the heavens. Every Sunday since then, I mustered up the courage to approach her, but my nerves always got the better of me. I decided to pray that the Lord would grant me Anima. I even became excessively active at church in hopes of attracting her attention. I was already on the prayer team, but because of Anima, I decided to join the protocol team and the singers.

Chapter 2: Anima

That was how it all started. I transformed into a young man, yearning for Anima’s beauty and the prospect of a happy family with her. I resorted to prayer and fasting when I realised my desire for her.

I fasted for weeks and months, pleading with the heavens to grant me a loving wife. There were days when I would see Anima, lust after her, and deceive myself with a prayer. “O Lord, how I wish you’d grant me this fine babe,” I would say. Then, I would find a way to punish myself by fasting, depriving myself of food, so that, as they say, “I may die to the flesh.” However, I was only using my religious wisdom to justify my actions. Even when I heard my tummy rumbling, I would convince myself that my flesh was not dead yet and would just pray till I fell asleep.

Sharp pains would pierce my stomach, like a thousand knives stabbing me from within, and I would double over, gasping for breath yet refusing to surrender. “Just a little longer, Lord,” I would convince myself. I disregarded every pain, thinking it was my flesh taking over my spirit. I was desperate to be with Anima.

Six months later, however, I was determined to get her, so I approached her. After endless prayers, I thought I’d be irresistible to Anima. When the service ended that day, I took a deep breath and made my way to where she stood, busy with her phone.

“Hey, Anima,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Do you have a map? Because I just got lost in your eyes.” I cringed inwardly at my own cheesy line but forced a smile, hoping she’d find it charming.

Anima turned to me, her smile fading as she processed my words. “Really, Nkunim? A map joke? That’s… something,” she replied, unimpressed. I managed to maintain my smile, but she furrowed her brows, gave me a polite but dismissive nod, and walked out on me.

“How could Anima disgracefully snub me like that?” I had thought to myself, angry. I felt I wasn’t praying well enough, so I intensified the fasting and screamed my lungs out in prayer.” I said, and sipped some water.

Chapter 3: I Got Served

I had decided to push God to the limit. I would deprive myself of food, pray after work, stay for evening services, and lead prayers. I carried all the heavy chairs and instruments because I needed Anima to perceive me differently. I thought God would look at all of these and give me Anima as a wife.

Through it all, I felt pain in my stomach, but I ignored it. One day, I lost consciousness at work and received medical attention at our clinic. They informed me that a stomach ulcer was developing.

“How? This cannot be possible.” I shook my head immediately.

“That’s the diagnosis, Mr. Nkunim.” I stared at him in disbelief as he spoke. He went ahead and educated me. “A stomach ulcer is often described as a painful sore inside the stomach lining, which can cause significant discomfort and distress. This burning pain in your stomach may worsen if you feel hungry before meals or deliberately deprive yourself of food. The main causes of stomach ulcers include a bacterial infection, poor eating habits, starvation, overuse of common pain relievers like aspirin or ibuprofen, smoking, excessive drinking, and high stress levels. These factors either weaken the stomach’s protective lining or increase stomach acid, resulting in ulcer formation.” He spoke, and I immediately stood up.

“I don’t have a stomach ulcer, doctor. I can’t. Do you know who I am? An unwavering child of God. Just watch me change this diagnosis with prayer.” I said with rage.

“Mr. Nkunim, If your condition is left untreated, it can lead to serious problems like bleeding, which might show up as blood in your vomit or stool, and even holes in your stomach lining, which is a medical emergency. However, the good news is that ulcers are treatable. Doctors can prescribe a combination of antibiotics to eradicate the bacteria and medications that lower stomach acid, allowing your stomach lining to heal. Making some lifestyle changes can also help—eating smaller, more frequent meals, avoiding spicy and acidic foods, quitting smoking, cutting down on alcohol, and managing stress.” I heard the doctor that day take a list of the drugs he prescribed, but I didn’t budge. 

Chapter 4: The Proposal

“Can I take you out on a date this weekend?” I stood in front of the mirror, practicing my conversation with Anima. I had to come back better and more direct—no silly pick-up lines. “Are you free this weekend? How about we hang out at a place of your choice?” This sounded much better, but I was nervous as hell.

There she was, looking so sweet in her tight, long skirt and a ribbon in her ponytail. She stood with three other ladies, discussing the latest Game of Thrones episode, laughing and stealing glances at me once in a while.

She knew I wanted to speak with her. She was very much aware I was not content with my approach last time and would come back again. I gathered all the courage in me and approached the ladies.

“Hello, Brother Nkunim,” they all greeted.

“Hi, guys. Anima, can I see you for a moment, please?”

I took Anima to one corner of the room. I was shaking like a man suffering from a fever. The time had come to exhibit all that I had been practicing. I stared into her eyes, and I already felt like opening the earth and burying myself in it. She was so pretty, I could barely stare at her for two minutes straight.

But before I could open my mouth to utter a word, I felt a sharp pain in my abdomen. I tried to talk through the pain. “Hi, Anima, are you free this…” And then everything went pitch black. I fell to the ground, hitting my head on the pavement hard until I completely blacked out.

Chapter 5: Miracle-Working God

That’s how I got here. I’m not sure how long I’ve been here, but judging by the change in clothes, it’s been long…”

“Nkunim, God has definitely saved you,” the secretary of the prayer department said. “The doctor said you would have had a severe gastric obstruction if we had delayed for even a second. Thank your God He didn’t take your life. Now, you must not fast and pray amiss.”

I looked at each of them standing around the bed and became teary-eyed. At that moment, I felt a sudden sensation of sadness and pity for myself. The doctor was right all along; I really do have an ulcer and haven’t been taking it seriously. I reached out, held the secretary, and cried out loud.

“I promise to take care of myself” were all the meaningful words that could come from my mouth; everything else was just cries.

Ulcers have a 10% mortality rate. Since they are pretty common, there’s no shame in getting help. You can get better faster if you talk to your doctor about your treatment choices right away.

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