A young woman has revealed details about her lengthy battle with a rare condition that left her unable to eat anything for a year and a half – despite the fact that she still felt desperately hungry . Kyli Wilfson , a self-confessed ‘ food person ’ , was 26 when she first started experiencing agonizing pain – which made her feel like she had been ‘ kicked in the abdomen ' – whenever she ate , a symptom which doctors initially brushed off as being due to a mild pancreatic problem which would ‘ resolve itself ’ in a matter of days . Kyli , now 29 , was eventually diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis , and the North Carolina resident found herself looking at a lifetime spent on a feeding tube , as the disease , which effects less than .01 per cent of people , would only get worse . Within months she had dropped to a startling 80lbs , she revealed to Cosmopolitan.com , and had to postpone her wedding as she spent more and more time in hospitals . Mystery illness : Kyli Wolfson , pictured , had trouble getting a correct diagnosis when she woke up in excruciating pain in October 2012 ; her illness left her unable to eat for a year and a half . At first , doctors faced difficulties even diagnosing Kyli ; though she 'd had digestive problems for years , her rare disease was n't initially considered . Instead , doctors at her local ER insisted that she had acute pancreatitis , a condition that commonly effects heavy drinkers . However , Kyli 's pain continued to return every time she tried to eat anything — even soup — leading her to visit two more hospitals in search of a new diagnosis and a cure . 'It never even changed , ' she said , explaining that when she tried to eat , it felt like she was burning on the inside . 'It was still ten-out-of-ten pain . ' Three months after her first visit to the emergency room , she was finally diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis , a condition she had likely had since birth but was only found after doctors put a camera down her throat to her pancreas — a potentially life-threatening procedure that was only tried after all other options had been exhausted . Literally starving : Still maintaining an appetite but unable to eat without pain , Kyli was constantly hungry — leading her fiancé Dustin Wood to feel bad eating in front of her . Rapid weight loss : Kyli's weight , which is normally at around 110lbs , dropped to 80lbs when she was at her lightest . Sufferers of the illness , which is characterized by an inflammation of the pancreas , have to be fed through a feeding tube because the condition never improves , and eventually leads to permanent damage . Kyli spent a year and half abstaining from eating entirely , which was an incredibly trying ordeal for both her and her fiancé Dustin Wood . 'We 're food people , ' she said . 'We [ love ] to bake , order takeout . Now he felt bad eating in front of me . ' Luckily , Kyli found a support group for people who have chronic pancreatitis on Facebook , some of whom said they found a way to eat : a risky surgical procedure to remove the pancreas , spleen , gallbladder , appendix , and duodenum , which allows the pancreas ' cells to be transplanted into the liver , enabling it to function as a pancreas . So Kyli flew to a hospital in Minnesota that specializes in the 14-hour surgery , and scheduled her procedure for January 2014 . Enduring love : Kyli 's wedding to fiancé Dustin is back on , now scheduled three years after she first went to the emergency room with stomach pain . After her surgery , Kyli spent another two and a half weeks using a feeding tube before being told to try food again . ' I was excited , but nervous , since it had been so long since I 'd eaten , ' she said . 'Sure enough , I had chicken broth and juice and it did n't affect anything . It was amazing . ' She soon began enjoying ice cream , lobster , and pizza , and was able to return to her normal weight of 110lbs . 'The number one thing that helped was the support group I joined and knowing other people going through it , ' she said . 'They saved me and gave me hope . ' Now feeling healthy and grateful for the transformative surgery , Kyli was able to reschedule her wedding to Dustin . She will walk down the aisle in October .
Kyli Wolfson , October 2012 , felt severe pain whenever she ate thanks to the disorder , which developed in 29 , when she was 26 . She dropped to just 80lbs and doctors told her she would likely need a feeding tube for the rest of her life . Diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis , Kyli 's only hope was to undergo a 14-hour surgery to remove her pancreas .