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www.deltalivingmagazine.com
January – March
definitive diagnosis. They thought
I was anorexic, because anytime I
ate, I’d throw up.”
They transferred her to Chil-
dren’s Hospital in Stanford – eating
disorders unit. She underwent a se-
ries of psychological tests, but ev-
erything showed that she was just a
normal eight-year-old girl.
“I’ve blocked out a lot of my
health issues from my younger
years, but thank God my mom and
dad remember it all,” says Kristy,
the eldest of two siblings, Kyle, 31
and Megan, 28.
Teresa Poindexter, her mother,
works for Mount Diablo Unified
School District, as a secretary at
Walnut Acres Elementary in Wal-
nut Creek, and Roger, her father,
owns Poindexter Construction.
Throughout the years, Kristy
has lived her life in and out of hos-
pitals. She’s had eight major surger-
ies with her first two lasting as long
as 12 hours, and has been in the
operating room over 200 times.
“With all the traumas I’ve
been through, all the surgeries,
code blues, drug-overdoses and
breathing failures – I’m still here!
I may not be able to eat with my
mouth, but I’m still living my life,”
says Kristy, who endures intestinal
cramping and abdominal pain on
a daily basis.
Early on, doctors said she had
Achelasia, which she was told is
only seen in elderly patients. It’s
where the sphincter muscle before
the stomach closes off and stops
working. This is when she began
eating through an IV with TPN
(Total Parenteral Nutrition).
“I was the first kid to come
home with a TPN in 1988,” says
Kristy.
She was outfitted for a Hick-
manTube in her chest in 1988 and
since then, has had many catheter
replacements. Her current catheter
has been in since 2003.
“Each bag is three liters. I have a
bag every night for 12 hours from
9 p.m. to 9 a.m. It’s a liquid sub-
stance made mostly of sugars and it
goes into the bloodstream and the
blood breaks it down,” says Kristy,
whose nightstand drawers are filled
with medical supplies rather than
brushes and crossword puzzles.
She says her doctors don’t have
a definitive diagnosis, only theories
about her condition, “crop dusting
pesticides have somehow damaged
the nerve endings in my gastro-
intestinal (GI) track, or it all hap-
pened in utero,when my GI system
was beginning to form – a lot of
mine didn’t form right and it just
didn’t show up until later in life.”
Working as an Independent
Stylist selling high-end costume
jewelry worn by celebrities, has
helped her create a new social life
she’s missed out on over the past
two and a half decades.
“I’ve basically missed out on
friendships from the third grade
forward. I was home-schooled,
regular-schooled some, and did
independent study throughout the
years,” says Kristy, who reads, knits,
and makes jewelry as hobbies. “A
social life has always been difficult
for me because I’m always in and
out of hospitals.”
“Working for Stella & Dot for
the last year and a half has been
amazing for me,” she adds. “I’ve
made a ton of friendships through
it. Plus the flexibility of the job al-
lows me to work from home.”
She also meets new people who
share in her same struggles – as a
volunteer for Oley Foundation.
Founded in 1983 by Lyn How-
ard, MD and her patient Clar-
ence “Oley” Oldenburg, the Oley
Foundation is a national, inde-
pendent, non-profit organization
that enhances the lives of patients
dependent on home intravenous
(parenteral) and tube feeding (en-
teral) through education, outreach
and networking.
“I’m a regional volunteer and
it’s opened up a whole new world
for me,” says Kristy. “I’m on their
contact list for someone in the area
who needs to talk. I can also go to
hospitals and reach out to new pa-
tients who are learning how to do
feedings for the first time.”
While chewing and swallowing
food through her mouth will cause
major discomfort and ultimately
expulsion from the mouth, phar-
ynx or esophagus, Kristy has found
a way to simulate the pleasure
of eating.
“I chew my food then spit it
out,” says Kristy. “I started sucking
on chips, then ranch dip off carrots.
Little juices are okay, but with sol-
ids, I have the pain. I don’t have bu-
limia or anorexia, but it’s definitely
considered an eating disorder.”
When a funk-mood sets in ev-
ery now and then, her faith in God
keeps her strong.
“I was raised Catholic and I
have a pretty good relationship
with God,” says Kristy. “I don’t
get discouraged or depressed, be-
cause no matter what, things could
be worse.”
At only 33, Kristy has the wis-
dom of an 80-year-old.
“My motto is: the past is dead,
the future is chaotic and the pres-
ent is where your happiness lies,”
she believes. “My past doesn’t
define me; my courage and
bravery does.”
Visit her website at www.stelladot.com/kristypoindexter
Kristy Poindexter, 33, has been in the operating room over 200 times.
Photo by Steve Nosanchuk