Scar Tissue

Just for Ben..Experimenting with my refined blondes

2012-01-14T14:23:00.000-08:00

3 Bottles of Wine...2 Boxes of Hair Dye...1 Confused Dog.

DONT GET ME WRONG,I LOVE MY GREY HAIR....BUT AFTER A CHAT AROUND THE OFFICE TODAY ABOUT JUST FOR MEN...I WAS INTRIGUED AS TO HOW EASY IT WAS TO DO...SO I GRABBED A FEW BOTTLES OF WINE, SOME JUST FOR MEN BEARD AND HAIR AND SET OFF ON A FRIDAY NIGHT ADVENTURE WITH MR.GILBERT WRINKLESWORTH

The Grey

I STARTED GOING GREY AT ABOUT 28YRS OLD...JUST A LITTLE UP TOP...BUT AROUND 30 THE BEARD STARTED TO GET SOME IN IT AS WELL...WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL IN MARCH, THEY GREY REALLY STARTED COMING IN. IT WAS SO NOTICEABLE THAT MY HAIRDRESSER ASKED ME IF I HAD GONE THOUGH CHEMO WHILE I WAS THERE...IT REALLY STARTED TO BECOME NOTICEABLE UNDER THE CHIN

The Gel

PRETTY EASY TO USE...JUST RACK UP A COUPLE OF LINES AND THEN MIX THEM TOGETHER WITH THE BACK OF THE BRUSH...I USED THE "MEDIUM BROWN", IT SHOULD LOOK LIKE BUTTERSCOTCH WHEN MIXED..

THE HAIR MIXTURE WAS EASY TO USE AS WELL...JUST MIX THE COLOR IN THE SAME BOTTLE AS THE ACTIVATOR AND SHAKE IT UP.

The little brush thingy

THIS THING IS GREAT...IT DOES A SURPRISINGLY GREAT JOB OF NOT GOING ON THE SKIN AND JUST COATING THE HAIRS..

More Wine...Finally an excuse for the Wine Straws Mandi got for xmas
THESE THINGS ARE KIND OF GREAT...IF YOU DIDN'T LOOK LIKE A TOTAL KNOB DRINKING WITH THEM...THEY KEEP YOUR TEETH FROM GETTING STAINED AND YOU DONT GET HAIR DYE ALL OVER YOUR WINE GLASSES...

2 Minutes In

3 Minutes In

4 Minutes In

Lets take a quick peek at the Hair while we wait...

A few greys in there

Ohhhh Shit....It's been way more than 5 minutes...
ITS REALLY AMAZING HOW QUICKLY 5 MINUTES CAN FLY BY WHEN YOUR HALF DRUNK AND TAKING PICTURES OF YOURSELF...

Ohhhh Boy...I Have Black Face...

I better wash this off before I have to start doing Minstral Shows
I GOT A BIT TO MUCH OF THIS ON MY SKIN, BEING A LITTLE OVER ZELOUS WITH THE BRUSH AND DYE...I HOPE AT THIS POINT THAT IT DOESN'T STICK...IF SO I WILL BE SPENDING MLK WEEKEND INDOORS WITH SOME SERIOUS EXFOLIANTS

Hair Time
NOW ITS TIME TO GET THIS IN MY GOLDEN LOCKS...THEY TELL YOU TO PUT SOME VASELINE ON YOUR HAIRLINE TO STOP ANY STAINING...GOOD CALL

THE MASSAGE
THEN MASSAGE IT IN SO IT GETS TROUGH ALL OF THE HAIR... SURPRISINGLY IT ONLY TOOK ME A HALF BOTTLE FOR MY WHOLE HEAD

Again...The Wine Straws Are Amazing!
I REALLY NEED TO LOOK AT DRINKING IN THE SHOWER MORE OFTEN

Bam....
AND GOOD BYE GREY BEARD...IT TOOK A FEW GOOD WASHINGS TO GET THE DYE OFF OF THE SKIN OF MY CHEEKS...BUT MY BEARD IS PATCHY TO BEGIN WITH SO THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED.

GOOD BYE GREY HAIR
IT REALLY DID A GREAT JOB OF DARKENING MY GREYS WITH OUT AFFECTING THE FEW BROWN HAIRS I HAD LEFT....I CHOSE A COLOR THAT WAS A SHADE BELOW MY ORIGINAL HAIR COLOR, WHICH SEEMED TO WORK WELL ALL SAID AND DONE. THERE ARE STILL SOME GREYS LEFT, BUT FOR THE MOST PART EVERYTHING SEEMS "BROWNED" OUT...

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
I DID IT.....IT LOOKS GREAT..AND BLENDS WELL WITH MY NATURAL HAIR COLOR...THE CHANGE IN THE BEARD WAS THE MOST IMPRESSIVE, BY FAR. IT WAS A FUN EXPERIMENT, IM DRUNK AND READY FOR BED...CHALK THIS ONE UP IN THE WIN COLUM...

Moustache Season is Now Officially Underway

2011-11-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

With Movember in full swing, It's really nice to take some time to sit with a cup of coffee and reflect on where I am and how I'm feeling. And it's really nice to be freshly shorn for the first time in months. It's been a full court press this October by the entire team, and it's really paid off. To see the difference from last years 450,000 or so participants at the end of the month, to the 760,000 on Movember 12th this year is mind blowing. Lot's of people focus on the money that Movember raises, but that has never been what Movember is about....It is a tremendous side effect, but not the core. Movember is about starting and facilitating the conversation around Men's health.

Many people look at the almost $81 million raised last year as the "Outstanding Success of Movmeber". But I look at the Conversation...
Almost 450,000 participants had on average 52 conversations regarding Men's Health and Movember during the month...Thats:
780,000 Conversations a day
5,460,000 Conversations a week
And it's 23,400,000 Conversations over the Month of Novmeber that never would have happened. That to me is the number to focus on. If we did not have one more person register, as of right now..we would have 39,634,504 and, In my eyes, thats where the Outstanding Success of Movember lies. There is potential to essentially find a cure for Prostate Cancer in the next 15yrs. However until we get men focusing on their health, Going for regular physicals and seeking the advice of professionals we will still lose men to gross negligence. I know I am better than my father, but It is my job to educate my son to be better than me...To create a stigma free environment that is comfortable to discuss his health and emotions.

If you would like to donate to my 12 day old Moustache, you can hit on the link below...
http://mobro.co/Bubba

I had been really good regarding my neck scar until about a month ago, we filmed a PSA with the great folks at Break Media. http://www.break.com/2011-movember/movember-psa-2189964 When I saw my neck on HD I couldn't help but feel squeamish. I had thought I had really gotten used to my scaring. I looked at it every day in the mirror, and through a little therapy and work, It had become a part of me that I really didn't even notice....Until I saw it on the screen. Now I am fully aware that if I had gotten a haircut and maybe showered that day, It might not have been so bad...But in my eyes, my neck stuck out like a sore thumb. With a trip to see Syd, And some good love and support from my friends, Im over it now. We have shot other video's since, and it hasn't bothered me in the slightest. I guess it just goes to show that it may take more time to heal the emotional scars than the ones on my skin.

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

My Mother Raised A Quitter

2011-10-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delays in posting, things have been nutz at the old Movember HQ. This is a week late but it celebrates 6 Months of being Smoke free. It's a little thing that I had written for www.Movember.com so I will just cut and paste it below.

For the third year in a row I managed to grind through the Manhattan beach 10k once again. I hate running with a passion, but for some reason i always love this race. Mostly because it's a challenge to not run for a full year then try to break your time from the year previous.

Also, nothing makes me feel better than blowing by old people and children. I don't know if you can see it but im just about to smoke that old man on the right...All kidding aside it really is amazing to see the difference in my cardio from last year to this one. I beat my time by a few minutes, but more importantly I finished the race and felt like I could have kept going, barely breathing hard and my heart was at a normal, but elevated rate. In years past I have been gasping for air and feeling like my heart was going to jump out of my chest.

Sometimes you meet people and you just know that you were meant to be friends for ever, and that just happened a few months ago when I met the "soon to be" Mr and Mrs Robert James. They were an amazing NY couple that my good friend Alyssa introduced Andy and I to. We immediately hit it off and they both were stoked to be a part of Movember as well this year in NY.

Robert is an extremely talented designer from NYC who has a beautiful shop on the Lower East Side. Every thing he makes is hand made in his shop with local fabrics. What I love the most is When he has an idea, he walks to the market, buys the fabric, and starts to make it. His clothes are beautiful and not exorbitantly priced, He wants everyone to be albe to wear his clothes and feel handsome. But what really blew my mind is that he created a jacket and named it after Andy and I, It was the most beautiful homage that I have ever been paid. I present to you the Bad Ass B.A.(Bubba.Andy) Jacket! If your ever in NYC you need to pop by the shop, Or at least check out www.byrobertjames.com

I had been a regular smoker for 22 years, at 12 years old I started smoking my mom's cigarettes with the older kids in my neighborhood, giving me instant cred. Smoking was with me when I found a bag of porn magazines with my friends while riding our bikes in Pineland Forrest, it was there to high five me when I lost my virginity, it was there at my first job, graduation, first love and it was there to comfort me when I had my first broken heart. Smoking was the longest relationship I ever had, and even though we had hard times, I had never seriously thought about leaving. I didn't think I could survive the trama of that break up.

Well we broke up in April 2011, and no matter what I will never take her back. When I think about all of my family and friends staring at me in that hospital bed, crying, not knowing whether I was going to make it through the night I vowed that i would never do anything to put them back in that position again. And continuing my relationship with cigarettes would do just that. I still remember all the good times and I still love her, but I have grown, and moved on and realize there is no room in my life for her.

I used to think that if I died... I had led a good life, and could accept that it was my time to go. But now that I have seen death I will do whatever it takes to keep living. It's way better on this side of the pitch. Plus Chicks Dig Scars.

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

The Big Reveal

2011-08-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

Long time no chat....Was it something I said. Or more like something I haven't. Sorry about that, Work has been crazy...And I have been enjoying the heck out of losing the bandages. They officially came off about 2 weeks ago, and man it feels amazing.

The Scarring is much less than I could ever have imagined...I mean I look like I was on the receiving end of a columbian neck tie...But after 4 Months of wearing and changing bandages every day I could care less about the scars right now, I might even be more concerned with the tan line! When I was finally able to remove the bandages I had a shower that would have awoken the Gods.

It's amazing what we take for granted in life, The little things, Like showering, need to be enjoyed every day! I had gone 4 months with out being able to put my neck in the stream of the water...4 months having to wash my hair in the sink or hanging over the tub. That first shower lasted over 45 minutes...I would think if someone was watching I would have looked similar to Jennifer Beals in Flashdance.

The next thing to go was the Mo...I saw Andy had shaved his, and when I asked him how it felt...He responded only by saying "I had Ice Cream." At that point I stepped in to the office barber shop. (Thats right, we have a barbershop) and shaved. Well sort of...I rocked the halfie for the day...Then cleaned up the rest that night.

A day earlier, Andy, Jack and I made up a new story as to what really happened to me. Necrotizing Fasciitis is just so boring and no one understands it..I even struggle at times. So we created this easy to show photo where Jack really sell the story with his facial commitment.

I have a ton more to write and catch you all up on...But im about to catch a flight to Philly for the LIVESTRONG Challenge. So please enjoy the new calisthenics we have implemented at the office...It consists of deep knee bends and Koala planks...

Planks for reading...(See what I did there)

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

35 & Still Alive...Who Would Have Thought...

2011-07-14T15:23:00.000-07:00

I decided to get spread a little Canadian love around the office on the first and got the crew out for a surf... Unfortunately I still can't get in the water so I had to do a little improvising...

For 'Merica's big day I decided to dress the part...It's not hard to do when you live beside a swap meet..Ok..Actually This is how I dress most days...you cant beat $25.00 dickies and $1.00 Wife Beaters..

Had a great weekend with Andy at the LIVESTRONG Ride in Davis California last weekend! I have never been up to NorCal..It was a beautiful drive, And Andy was an amazing tour guide, I know he made up most of the answers to my questions..And now I will likely go around spreading miss information about...but the effort was appreciated. We popped by the Shark Tank in San Jose to rock some Hi-5's and Say thanks for their participation in last years campaign.

Andy rocked out a solid 70mile bike ride sunday morning in memory of his grandfather, It was pretty amazing. One of the things I love about the LIVESTRONG Challenges is the visual of the riders coming over the finish line.

The Embassy Suites Booth at These events are typically my favorite.

Nicole was re-enacting her version of what happened to the neck.

I remember being in Philly for the ride last year and meeting some of the most amazing people, so engaged in the survivorship space, It was amazing. Allow me to set the stage that will stick in my head forever...."The snapshot"...As I like to call it. I Was watching survivors coming across the finish line, Covered in dirt, sweat, and Rain, after riding a 100km course with big hills. Suddenly people started throwing Yellow rose petals up in the air as these Cancer survivors rode across the finish line, Hands in the air, Rose petals swirling around their heads, tears streaming down their faces...They did it. I find a lot of strength in this imagery, It makes me tear up every time I go there in my mind. Most importantly when Im having a bad day, or feeling sorry for myself, I go back to this moment...And it propels me over what ever obstacle may be preventing me from moving forward. They were so happy to be alive...They were afforded a second chance...And so was I essentially...I need to always respect that.

We have been reppin the Brown and Yellow at Movember events since way back..

The Wil-I-Am video they shot in our backyard a month back just got released...I hope you enjoy it....In the video you will see our back yard, front yard and Andy's porno bedroom....And this video is the reason we have a kiddie pool and swing set in the back yard for all y'all that were wondering. We are not creepy...In that way.

I couldn't have asked for a better 35th Birthday, Thanks to all of you who reached out...It was overwhelming. We had an epic sunset skate to the pier in Santa Monica for an Ice Cold PBR, Then back to Venice to Hinano for one of the best burgers in LA and off to Sports Harbor where I unleashed my Whitney Houston upon the unsuspecting audience...Im graceful for a big man..

Everything seems to be healing well, Im hoping to get back in to the water soon...Maybe another 3weeks or so...At least I'm going to have a killer tan line to take away from the gnarly scar. If you notice, It has scarred over almost all of the wound finally, except for the middle...Im jazzed!

The most irritation and pain is coming from the adhesive it gets sore during the day and still occasionally bleeds through...But the wound it's self is looking hot! (And by hot I mean almost healed). Thanks for reading...

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

They See Me Rolllin..They Hatin...

2011-06-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well actually I don't think anyone is hatin...But they do see me rollin...It's kind of all I can do right now. Im still not allowed to work out, or run, or exercise to much but I can skate...And Gosh Darn it...Im skating. I have been trying to get out at least 50 Miles a week, Its not hard when the days are so beautiful...It's also hard not to get caught up in the weather...Hit a rock and bail....Yahtzee!

Im sorry for taking so long to get back to the blog....(As my wonderful grandfather pointed out) It's been hard, I have been waiting for my bandage to be gone before I posted...I really wanted to show you a healed Bubz..I really thought I would be by now...Alas I guess thats why it's called recovery...The wound seems to be shrinking every day...There is still leakage (blood) and drainage (green stuff, I hate the P word) but it's getting to be less every day. The only pain really, That I have been feeling, comes from the skin that has been ripped and torn from the adhesive of the bandages around the wound...Oddly enough it looks like a little moustache.

I have gotten over my self consciousness of the bandage...I still rock a neck scarf on occasion, but it's more for the fashion. Syd helped me get over it, As well as just accepting that it is a part of my life right now. I have learned to embrace the bandage, and realize that like the moustache, It's a conversation starter. I have met some of the neatest people in the past 3 months on my daily journeys around town...And Im not sure if we ever would have spoken if it wasn't for my hot new look. I'm sure that when the Scar comes I may (mentally) have to go through the process again...But im ready for it, I just have to realize the strength, and move on.

For St.Jean de Baptiste Day, As a good Canadian Boy, I decided to dress up like a french man for the day. It was also subtle animal theme day at the office...

Apparently Donnie missed the Subtle memo..

Im working on a dietary guide for people recovering from Necrotizing Fasciitis. These Staples have helped my recovery, Ensuring that I replenish the nutrients that my body lost in the hospital. I hope it helps.

Meet The Leonetti Special from Hinano Cafe...A Bacon Cheese Burger with A Hot Link Served with Frito's, Hot Peppers and an Ice Cold Dos Equis. Ask for Mary Alice...She's been like a personal nurse.

And A tray full of Tito's can be a real game changer on your weakest days...Trust me...

Finally if you followed this far down...Hit the link below...It's a local artsy picture blog I'm a part of....Come see venice through the eyes of a Cabron...

http://venicecabron.posterous.com/

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

Moving Forward Sometimes Takes A Push

2011-05-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's taken so long to spit this one out..I have been waiting on it, as I wasn't sure I wanted to talk about it. But as a man who constantly preaches Men's health, mental and physical Im not sure why it took me so long to write about it.

I went , on the doctors suggestion, to a therapist 3 weeks ago. From my last post, I am obviously not fully comfortable with my new look as well I was having some troubles with the whole "Near Death Experience" Thing.

It seems there are many people that think once you come that close.....You immediately have a crazy life changing dramatic experience. You see a light and move towards it and look down and see yourself...Then fall back in to your own body...Wake up...Stop swearing..Cut Meat out of your diet and go to church...

Well that may be true for many but not this kid...

I may tell people that "I saw Jesus calling me to me, beckoning me to his bosom. As I floated up, I heard the voice of my friend Derek Waters calling me back, I turned and saw Derek on a Giant Unicorn with nothing but a Glow in the Dark Sword and a pocket full of Churro's, Derek lured me back to my body." That did not happen (It may however have been a morphine induced delusion....But im pretty sure it happened way after I was out of harms way).

I have been feeling a lot of guilt that my life changing story isn't what people think of as a definitive moment in my life...That I should change my life in drastic ways to show my appreciation for being given a second chance....That Maybe I don't deserve another shot at this. But My life was Rad Before, It's only gonna get Radder (I will use that if I want to), And im so happy to have it back! Everything tastes better! I want to go skate the beach every second of every day. I never want to ever see a Cigarette again. I want to ensure that I take care of this vessel for the next 35yrs....But I have no "Find Jesus, Aliens probed me, Going Vegetarian, Im gonna move to Japan and save dolphins moment", That so many people ask about.

After meeting with Syd (The Therapist) I no longer have those guilty feelings, Syd explained that when people hear about what happened to me, they Google "Near Death Experience". What they see is a long list of stories of people floating over their bodies, Moving towards a light, Being spoken to etc...That are now going to drastically change their ways.

What they don't find however is the thousands of other people in the world who didn't have one of those experiences...Those people who already loved what they had and just appreciate life so much more and can't wait to get back to it...By the sounds of it...Im in good company.

Im going to keep going back to Syd, See if I Can't work out some other things that are bothering me or maybe holding me back...I only have a limited time on this earth...And I want to go as far as I possibly can!

I want to dedicate this blog to Gilles, Matty, Mark, Brad, Tammy, Matt, James and Derek....I'm sorry you never were able to talk it out...I will never know the darkness you lived in.

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

Harder, Better, Stronger, Faster

2011-05-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

This Past week has been Amazing! I got in to the clinic for my 9am, Appt after a 6hr wait. And the Verdict....Im a wolverine..
Well maybe not, but the doctors are saying that I am healing faster than they could ever have expected! They also introduced me As "The Guy Who Shouldn't Be Alive" It was a compliment...I think. I can start in on some light exercise..No weights yet, but I can skate and bike which is great.

Last Tuesday was an amazing day! The Boys from Finger 11 were in town for a show at the House of Blues. Rick put some All Access Passes away and Andy, Roberto and I headed down. The Boyz killed the show, It was one of, if not the, best I had ever seen..Not only was it an amazing show, It was so great to see Rick and James and the rest of the crew and just catch up with some peeps from home. After the House of Blues started Fire (Actually Happened) we left and went to the Rainbow Room where we all acted like little girls around Till Lindermann and finally asked for his picture.

We were lucky enough to have Emmy Award winning Documentarian Michael Davie (http://michaeldavie.com/) in the office shooting a spot on Adam and the office for Movember....I was back with a straight blade in hand like I hadn't skipped a beat...Taught by Youtube and only 2 people cut so far...Still sorry about that Yimmy.

We took Cory's son Liam to Hollywood Park Race Track on Friday for dollar beer and dollar hotdog night and the Gin Blossoms show. Liam had a blast, but is possibly the worst horse picker i have ever met!

I am going to wait till he is old enough to Mow Lawns then take back the $5.00 bucks he owes me for his ridiculous bets. On a positive note, we didn't have to stay for the Gin Blossoms Show..

Now for the Grody Shots..This is the Neck today....It's healing so well!

I still have Mrs.Goh my nurse coming in 3 Days a week, hopefully it will all end soon and i can go back to a normal schedule.

Mr.G wanted to say a quick hello with his new ball from the PETCOUnleashed after a lovely dog washing.

Lots more updates to come this week but i will split it up...I did have a Will.I.Am video shot at the house the other day..More on this later this week.

Xo
B

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

Visiting My Past To Help Me Appreciate My Present

2011-04-26T13:07:00.000-07:00

Starting last Tuesday I was finally able to get back to work....So happy to be out of the house and back to the office...I walked in to work on Tuesday to see Andy, my awesome roommate and Co-Worker, sporting a Bandana in support. It was awesome, sometimes something so small can have such a huge impact on someone. I have been digging the Bandana stye, It takes away from the stares, of which there are many when you have a huge bandage around your neck.

I have really started to take notice of generally how brash people can be, At least 5 times a day someone will stop me and ask what happened. I wouldn't mind if they just asked politely, however the ones that have the courage to ask also tend to predetermine what happened to me and incorporate it in to their questions. Here are some..

"Did you get stabbed in the neck..." (I get asked this one more when I wear a flat brimmed hat)
"Wow...That looks really bad...That must really hurt" (This is when the sensitive face comes out, usually with a side tilt of the head)
"Were you in a fight?" Along the same lines "How's the other guy?" (This is usually said under breath as i walk by)
"OMG, What happend to you? That looks Nasty" (New one...Just came out with the scar from my trake now being exposed, Its hot for the ego).

A simple "I hope you don't mind me asking but are you OK?, What happened?." would be a welcome change.

I got some hot photo's from Days 1 to 4 that I had not seen yet. They are really helping me understand where I was at and how lucky I am to be here. I thought I would post them up here for your perusal....
This first one is Pre Surgery...This is how I looked On the Sunday Night...My Eyes are open but I am in Sweet Drug Coma Land apparently. Ps...Some great hair going on here....

Apparently at this point, I have awoken and (Via Note Pad) asked Kathleen to take a photo of my Catheter so I can send it to Adam..

"I can haz thum warz?" Might just make these pics in to Meme's...

I had to be restrained...Apparently every time i would become a little lucid....I tried to rip everything out of my body. I as well was shaking uncontrollably at some points and needed to be tied down..Sorry to those of you that were there. I can't imagine it was easy to watch...

All in All, It's hard to look at these photo's but at the same time it makes me realize how far I have come in such little time. I can't imagine how hard it was for all of you that were with me. Thank you...Im so lucky to have all of you in my life.

I am hoping for some really positive updates from the Doc's coming tomorrow! Keep ya posted.

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

If Im Getting Better...Why Do I Have The Same Size Gash In My Neck

2011-04-19T15:06:00.000-07:00

Things Seem to be Coming Along...My Trake is Almost Healed Over, Which is nice...I can start Speaking again. The Less I spoke the faster it would heal so I have been speaking very little the past 2 weeks..Imagine that!

The Trake hole is no longer letting Air out which is a great relief...The Nurse says only a week or so and it should be totally healed up!

A huge THANKS to Jonny Fosters and the Molson boyz for the New Pil Sweatshirt...It's nice to have a little taste of home. The Nurses say this is healing up quickly as well, but it's hard for me to tell....It's not getting any smaller.

The Nurse does say that it is getting granular which is supposed to be a good thing....
" Proliferation lasts from day two until the area is healed and features granulation, contraction, and epithelialization. Granulation includes neoangiogenesis and collagen formation. Granular tissue is pale pink to beefy red, glistening, and has a rough surface due to blood vessels and collagen deposits Contraction occurs as a result of myofibroblasts pulling collagen toward the cell body, and epithelialization is the migration of epithelial cells to resurface the area. Maturation is the last phase of healing, and involves scar remodeling after wound closure and may take years. Maturation sees a scar change from red to purple/pink to white, and from bumpy to flat."

I'm Finally back to work today...The nurse comes at 10ish and then im good to make my way down...Feels so good to be out of the house and back at work! I get still get tired quickly but every day seems to make me stronger and stronger.

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

Pssssst...If you look like this..Go to the Hospital...Just Sayin..

2011-04-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Read My First Post "The Game Changer" to get the full story....

This was a Pre-Surgery Pic that was just sent..It really shows how bad the swelling had gotten. I had not seen these, Wow....Thats a doozie! It's so scary to see myself like this.

And This would be one of the first Post Surgery pics I believe, Notice the swelling has gone down and they have cut the necrotizing flesh out.

I will be sure to publish some progress pics tomorrow when the Nurse comes to change the dressings. Feeling Great today and going to try and walk to the Pier and Back with out getting tired....

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins

The Game Changer

2011-04-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, I would like to firstly start off by thanking all of you for your prayers and well wishes over the past 3 weeks...It has really gone so fast and I am ecstatic to be well on the way to recovery. I know there is confusion as to what happened to me, Heck, Im not even all that sure. So i thought I would write this to clear things up and let you all know that I am getting better day by day and love you all greatly.

This first part (the well written part) is a letter from Mandi which really depicts my first Week or so in the hospital. I was in a bit of a drug induced Coma so I can't remember a thing. I am so happy to be alive, and so lucky to have all of you in my life.

I have posted some Pics from Day 1 till Today to show you the progress...

Mandi:

About a week and a half ago, Bubba mentioned that he felt like his glands were really swollen. Within the next 48 hours, his neck swelled out like a bullfrog and his face started to swell too. At 8:30 AM on Sunday morning, he took himself to a walk-in clinic because he had started to have a lot of pain when he tried to swallow. The doctor at the clinic took one look at him and told him if he didn't get to an emergency room immediately he was going to die. He called his friend/boss Adam who took him to the hospital the clinic recommended because they had a Head and Neck specialty team.

I didn't get his messages about what was happening until 1 o'clock. I got to the ER and they wouldn't let me see him until 4 pm. I was so shocked to see him so swollen and so scared but we were sitting in an ER and I thought at least he was there and now they could fix him. It was all so confusing trying to figure out what could have caused that kind of extreme swelling.

They had put him on an antibiotic IV and were very concerned that is airway would be compromised if the swelling got any worse. Within a few hours, they decided to intubate him and admit him to ICU. The intubation was mostly precautionary because although he could still breathe on his own at the time, the doctors didn't want to have to do an emergency tracheotomy should the swelling grow and cut off his airway. They took him to the OR to intubate him and I wasn't allowed to see him until about 9:30 pm in the ICU. He was hooked up to so many machines and tubes and he was heavily sedated so he would be as comfortable as they could make him given all that he was hooked up to. The doctors and the nurses told me that he had an infection in his salivary gland and that after some time on the antibiotics things would get better. They had sent samples of his blood and urine to be cultured in a lab to try to determine what the bacteria was that had caused the infection. They said once those results came back from the lab they would be able to target the antibiotics better but for now he was on a really broad based one they thought would kill the infection for the time being.

His mom and I talked about whether or not she should fly out here to be with him. Everything I was hearing at the time was kind of vague but seemed like although things looked bad with the machines and tubes, by the morning things would start to look better. We decided to see how he was in the morning before she booked a ticket. They let me stay with him until about 12:30 am. He was pretty comatose most of the time and when he did come to a little bit, I told him he had a really bad throat infection, he was on antibiotics and he just needed to sleep.

First thing the next morning I went back to the hospital and the swelling appeared to have gotten worse. They told me it was because of all the fluids in his body now but it looked like it was moving more up his face. They added two more antibiotics to his IV and his mom decided to fly out. There were two teams working on his case, the Head and Neck team and the Infectious Diseases team. Everyone agreed this was the best course of treatment for now. All day long we waited for some change to happen with the new antibiotics but they said we wouldn't see any change for at least 24 hours, maybe longer. I just kept telling him when he would open his eyes that he had a bad throat infection because I didn't want him to think it was something he couldn't fight. However, it was increasingly looking like that was not the case.

The chief of surgery for the Head and Neck Unit told me that afternoon they were completely confused about what was going on. His CT scans were not giving them any good answers. I never heard anymore about the salivary gland infection theory and they had no different diagnosis. They asked if had done anything different over the past couple of weeks where he could have picked up this infection. I told them he had just gotten back from South by Southwest in Austin, he had stayed on a ranch, and as crazy as it sounds, he had wrestled some goats while he was there. They said they would consider these things and hoped for some answers from the lab cultures the following day.

His mom flew in that night, came straight to the hospital and we stayed until about 12:30 am. The doctors and nurses said the antibiotics needed time to work and we should start to see some changes in the next day or two. As I looked at his body, which didn't look anything like him anymore, I couldn't help but ask myself how he could survive this. It was a complete mystery to the doctors what was causing it, they didn't really know how to treat it properly and there had been no improvement in two days. The idea that he would not make it became a legitimate possibility over the next couple of days.

Tuesday morning at 8 AM the doctors decided they needed to operate immediately and they asked his mom for verbal consent over the phone. After exhausting all other options, they wanted to get inside and see if by looking at the infection they could figure out the problem. One possibility they said was something called necrotizing fasciitis - a flesh-eating disease - but they wouldn't know unless they went in. They made an incision in his neck and found out he had this very rare infection that was beginning to kill the tissue in his neck. He was very, very fortunate the infection had not destroyed any muscle tissue yet only some of the soft tissue. They cut out the dead tissue, drained the infection, and put in something called a wound vacuum that continually drains the infection as he heals. They also put in a tracheotomy so they could take the tube out of his throat but leave them access to his airway in case the swelling got worse. And they took tissue samples for the lab to culture to see if they could figure out what the bacteria was that caused this so they could give him exactly the right antibiotic. Until they figured that out, they said they would keep him on three different antibiotics to cover all possible types of bacteria.

The put him back in ICU after the surgery and we waited to see if the antibiotics worked. They said the antibiotics had not really been able to be effective because the dead tissue had been in their way as there is no blood flow to dead tissue. He started to communicate with us a bit more on Wednesday. He wrote notes and and said he had no memory of Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. We filled him on a need to know basis so he wouldn't be scared and stressed out and told him he needed to sleep it off.

Over the next few days, he has made incredible progress. He's had some doctors tell him they didn't think he would make it. If he hadn't been so young and healthy, you would be reading a very different story. They check the wound every couple of days and there has been no new dead tissue which is great news. It's not unusual for someone with this to have to have multiple surgeries and although we thought he would need to have at least one more, it now looks like he won't have to. They still don't know what bacteria caused it. They said it's like a staph infection where you have some minor cut on your skin that you may not even realize you have, the normal bacteria that lives on our skin every day somehow makes contact with the cut and for no really good reason it flourishes into a terrifying and life-threatening infection.

Although better, he is still very sick. Over the past couple of days, he has broken out in a rash all over his body which they think is a reaction to one of the antibiotics. Since he's on three of them, it's a long process trying to figure out which one it is he is allergic to. Also, because of all the antibiotics he's on, his kidneys aren't functioning at a normal level so it's taking his body longer to clear things out. He keeps spiking a fever as well and they don't know why. His white blood cell count keeps going down so we know the infection is dying but the fever and the rash are concerning the doctors. They are starting to downsize his wound vacuum and tracheotomy though which is all good news.

Throughout all of this, what has been fascinating to watch is how just how incredibly good-natured and happy he has managed to be. Heavily sedated and infected, when I didn't know if was awake or listening, he was fist-bumping his nurses or giving them a thumbs up when we would tell him what they were doing to him. Every nurse he has had has told us he's the best patient they have ever had. They all comment on how he has never complained or been frustrated with all the poking and prodding and pain he's been in. If wasn't already certain of his purely kind, patient and loving character this experience has confirmed that for me.

Now Me:

That takes us to pretty much the end of the week, I was finally moved in to what they call a Step Down room, where I was still under ICU care but in a room of 4 with a window. I was to spend the next 8 Days here while my healing process began. As of my first day in the Step Down i was ready to start eating again, I Quickly made the steps it took from Liquid Diet to Puree Diet and Finally a Regular Diet in just 36hrs. Being able to eat again gave me the power to be able to start walking the Hospital Hallways a couple of times a day, ensuring that the blood didn't start clotting in my legs. It's amazing how weak you can become after 2 weeks laying in a hospital bed. Over the next couple of days, they removed my trake tube and finally my wound vac.

Everyday Mandi would read me the messages, video's and e-mails that everyone was sending through. On days where I was being poked and prodded, with my skin on fire It was a tremendous source of strength for me to know that I had so many people caring friends who loved and believed in me.

I was finally released to home care on Monday afternoon this week and have been quietly resting. In the time Mandi wasn't spending at the hospital...She was repainting and remodeling my room and buying me a new bed. It was the most amazing surprise to come home to!

I get tired quickly, I still can't really speak while my Trake wound heals, And I have a nurse come by once to twice a day to clean the wound on my neck. But in all, Im Alive, Happy and Getting better every hour of every day!

A Special Thanks to Mandi, Mom, Adam, Cory, Andy, Lauren and Kat, With out you by my side everyday guiding me, Im not sure I would be writing this. And to Brooke, The Ninja that made my worries disappear with a smoke bomb and cartwheel.

To the 1 Doctor at Playa Vista Urgent Care who set me straight...And to the 12+ doctors at UCLA Harbor that brought me out of this...I owe you all my life.

Looks like I have a second chance at life, And I'm going to be sure not to waste it. Keep following the blog to see updates on whats happening with Bubz.

"Scar Tissue is Stronger Than Regular Tissue, Realize the Strength, Move On." - Henry Rollins