Slow Train to Healing

Warning: the following graphic image may be disturbing to almost anyone.

If there are any small children present or anyone that may be offended please ask them to leave the room immediately.

I'm not starting until everyone leaves.

Okay are they gone?

Great.

I didn't have time today before dinner to go on and on and on about how horrible the hospital was in fact, I've barely started on that topic, but I know a lot of you out there are probably getting tired of reading about it. You're thinking, "Wow, I wonder what Josh is going to write about today. I can't wait to check because I'm so excited to read the same old boring thing."

Whoo Wee who needs that kind of motivation? I certainly don't. Right now the hospital is just a fading dim memory of a time that seemed like it would last forever and now im in the time where my wound seems like its taking forever to heal and not really doing much of anything and if it never heals then i never get the ostomy reversal referred to as "the takedown" by everyone in the medical profession.

Also, I didn't want my account to get banned by showing my entire wound and ostomy bag so I thought I would just take a picture of a small portion of the bottom part of my wound, which also happens to show a lot of my underwear and part of the tape of the ostomy bag sticking to my skin.

Every every every every every single day the wound needs to be re-bandaged and every few days or sometimes less my ostomy bag needs to be changed completely.

Several doctors remarked that its going to be an awesome scar. However, some of those same doctors said that leaving my ostomy bag on forever would be a "cure" for Chrohns disease. Yes, its true that if you completely remove the colon then the Chrohs disease has nothing left to attack and will simply go home and irritate someone else, however thats like saying that a good cure for arm pain is to cut off your arm.

I have to empty this ridiculous bag like 12 times a day and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to stand it or do much of anything else if I had to wear it for the rest of my life.

Some friends and doctors have talked about support groups and given me videos about my illeostomy (the technical name for it) but I have not paid attention to any of it based on the hope and prayer that by mid april sometime this will all be a fading memory and all I'll be left with is a horrible scar, wierd arm pains, clothes that don't fit, and old medical receipts that have been paid for by the hospitals charity wing.

Also, most people that get the crippling level of chrohns that i have are generally much older.

I'm actually up at em most of the time right now and drive around all over the place, and get groceries for the family, and take pictures for my dad, and I've gained a little weight. I'm up to a gut busting 120 lbs.

Also don't forget that its never too late to donate money towards my recovery tax free to my paypal account at joshuadudley@gmail.com or follow my twitter account.