He's going through a bad/difficult/rough 'patch' [='spell'] right now.
The chair's original paint is still visible 'in patches'. [=in spots]
The doctor 'patched' him 'up', so he's going to be as good as new.
(..) I'm not crazy, John. I'm not saying that you're crazy, okay. And I'm not talking about a shrink. So we turned to the Church, Father. It's what my parents did when they hit a rough patch... and it worked for them. I understand, of course. But you two hit more than just a rough patch. (..)2014 Annabelle