How a Garden Hose Saved My Life
This is the story of losing 46 pounds over 7 years. From 120 lbs in my 1st year of university to 74 lbs on my wedding day. My doctors telling me: “You will die without this feeding tube.” Then having a complete mental breakdown when I saw what the tube actually looked like.
The decline was gradual but relentless:
- December 1996: Short-term disability. Worked hard to gain weight. Gained 1 pound. Lungs acted up. Lost 3.
- 1996-1998: Downward spiral. Lung infections. Not eating. Stress and anxiety. Subsisting on Coke.
- March 1998: 74 lbs. On long-term disability. About to get a feeding tube.
My job as athletic events director was demanding: 4 pm-11 pm managing 80 varsity home games for the University of Calgary Dinos. I high-tailed it across huge venues with declining lungs. All while finishing her first degree.
Then came the doctor’s ultimatum: 18 months of “you need a feeding tube.” I said no. Then they stopped asking and started insisting.
I was also meeting with a transplant team about a double lung transplant. 22% lung function. Death was imminent.
The Surgery:
- Stomach expanded with CO2
- Scalpel through muscle and tissue about 1 inch deep
- Mushroom apparatus anchored in stomach
- Stitched up around incision
- Woke up looking at a disgusting garden hose hanging off my body
- Pain like a knife jammed in my stomach
- Couldn’t stand straight up for months
- Throwing up constantly because my stomach had shrunk to nothing
Six weeks before the wedding, I walked down the aisle at 74 lbs as a skeleton. But I had energy again from the night feeds. It was a beautiful day. We were celebrating the marriage and that I was still alive.
Still fighting.
Still fierce.
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