I'm finally ‘ME' AGAIN

When Lisa Holmes’ life changed drastically over the course of a year, she turned to food for comfort

- BESS BROWNING

Sitting at home during the lockdown, it was an unpleasant reminder of an even darker time in my life. Six years earlier, I’d gone from a busy full-time job as a medical secretary, and priding myself on being a devoted wife and mother, to being confined to my home, losing my independence and suddenly relying on my husband, Andrew, then 50, and daughter, Elena, then 18, when I’d spent decades looking after them. Back then, food became my ultimate comfort as the person I was slowly eroded away.

It was November 201• and I was on my way to a restaurant with a colleague after work, when I was struck by a sudden and powerful headache. ‘Something’s not right,’ I said to my colleague, massaging my temples and struggling to keep my eyes open as the pain seared.

Life-changing news

Panicking, I rang Andrew, who picked me up to take me to A&E. Tests revealed my blood pressure was sky-high and I was sent for an MRI. ‘You’ve had a brain haemorrhage,’ a doctor told me after, explaining I’d need a surgical procedure. Andrew rang Elena to let her know we were being transferred to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, and as the blue lights flashed, I tried to stay calm. It was impossible though. ‘I’m scared,’ I told Andrew, clutching his hand. I was rushed for endovascular coiling to seal the aneurysm, preventing it from rupturing again. Without the operation, I could’ve died. For the next 10 days, I was in Intensive Care, and after another week recovering in hospital, I returned home.

But the haemorrhage had caused monumental damage to my brain – my memory and thought processes were crushed. I’d leave the tap on, burn beans on the hob, forget where my keys were, and repeat conversations I’d started minutes before.