I know I've told you before that I have been on TPN daily since June 2006. Before I started on the daily ritual, I was hospitalized about every six months for a TPN weight gain boost. I was found to have what's called Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome. What this means is, I didn't have enough fat stores to keep the artery from compressing my intestine. This anatomical phenomenon is located right below your left rib cage. When my weight would drop just one pound, my artery would compress and I'd have a blockage requiring hospitalization.
Since this is a major artery, you cannot do surgery to correct this. What they did do was make a different path in my intestines called a duodenojejunostomy. This means they took the bottom of my intestine in the duodenum and attached it to the top part of my jejunum to make a bypass. I wish I could draw you a picture.
Back then I weighed about 101lbs. Now, after 6.5 years on TPN I weigh 118lbs. It has kept me out of the hospital for the most part except for the 2 sepsis episodes. I have not been admitted since March 2009. That is one good thing about the TPN.
The other cool thing?? I grew boobs!! I was always the one with nothing there. My bra complaining it was leading an empty life. I wore the one size fits all bra and was always a little sad that I had no boobs. Then as I gained weight from the TPN, I noticed my boobs getting bigger and bigger. All of a sudden after 37 years of nothing, I had 34C boobs! Oh how I wish I had them growing up. I might have been more popular. Maybe I wouldn't have been made fun of like I was. Maybe the boys would have noticed me.
When I really think about those days, I wore heavy sweaters, hiding myself inside. I think if I had had boobs back then, I would have hid them too. Now that I am 43, I have matured and am proud that I am still upright after all the damage done to my body. I actually show the girls off in tight turtlenecks.
Even though sometimes I hate the TPN-hate having to be tethered to it, one thing I can honestly say now is:
I have a nice rack to show for it! It is my silver lining in a vast array of dark clouds....
