s!!!WARNING!!!
This is a warning to let you know
that there are pictures of an
open wound in the post below.
If seeing a deep, open wound
makes you at all queasy or
disturbs you, then I would
suggest that you not read
the post below.
If seeing an open wound does
not bother you, then feel
free to go on and read below.
There’s nothing obscene or
anything, just showing how
a wound heals over time.
And in doing so, I’m posting
some pictures of my wound
right after the surgery
(which was 2 months ago).
!!!WARNING!!!
This is probably the last I will post on things I’ve learned from my surgery (as far as I know). I am healing up well and just wanted to share how amazing God’s body that he made is! I can hardly believe how much healing has happened within the past two months.
When I woke up from my second surgery (in May), I was surprised to find that the doctors had not closed up the wound were my ostomy had been removed. Instead, they left it open. I expected it to be sewn or stapled shut, but what I found was this:
I thought I had been shot in the stomach while in surgery. And actually, that is what happened! …. Not really, but I think that’s what I’ll tell people when they see the scar…. In reality, that is where my small intestine was attached to the right side of my abdomen, a little below my belly-button. It’s about an inch in diameter, just so you know. It’s hard to tell in this picture, but where it is dark in the middle of the wound there are actually three black souchers that are holding my intestine wall closed. So you are actually looking at my intestine in the middle of the picture. Yes, I touched it. 🙂 I’m sorry if that bothers you. Not many people get to say that they’ve touched their small intestine. And no, it didn’t hurt at all — all the nerve endings have been severed, so I didn’t feel a thing.
Anyways, I was curious why they left it open at first, but they do it so that it can heal best. If they close it up from the top it may get infected below because it is so deep. But, if they leave it open, it will slowly fill in from the bottom up with time. I did not realize that the body could do this — but it can! Isn’t God’s creation amazing!?!?
So I just changed the bandage twice a day and packed gauze that I had doused in saline into the wound every day. For a couple of weeks it didn’t look like anything was happening, but about a month out it really started filling in. Remember, all I did was bandage it — I did nothing else. And all on its own, the wound started healing in and now it is all closed up 2 months later! Below is what it looks like today:
Isn’t that amazing!?!? It just closed in earlier this week. But it’s back to normal, and all filled in – all on its own. It was such a neat opportunity for me to see God’s wonderful creating at work, healing itself as God made it to. I never thought that would happen if you just left it alone. We really are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). I’m so thankful for the chance to understand that and watch it first hand in the midst of my surgery!
In many ways, this surgery has grown me and my understanding of God and his creation in greater ways than I could ever have imagined! Again, what a God who could use something so painful for his glory and my own good! It encourages me to trust him more and look to see how I can learn and grow from each circumstance that comes my way. We really can learn a lot from difficulty if we would just have the right attitude towards difficulty and open eyes to see God’s sovereign hand in the midst of all things!
I think it is no accident that I have begun reading Colossians today:
“He is the image of the invisible God…
By him all things were created…
all things were created through him and for him…
he is before all things…
in him all things hold together…
that in everything he might be preeminent.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…
and through him to reconcile to himself all things…”
– Colossians 1:15-20
Just another example of a God who is able to use all things for his glory and my good! May he be praised forever more!
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, that is, the church…”
– Colossians 1:24
Great article!! Surgery is very important to all patients. So, we should it take in best. Hopefully, your writing must be useful to all of them and sure the content will be very useful to me as well.
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