Not good news

Kerissa • January 24, 2017

“God is closer than your troubles and stronger than your fears.”

~Joni Eareckson Tada 

Would appreciate your prayers.  Today I was thrown a curve ball, and it hit me in the head…

I had 3 appointments today and am so exhausted!  I have pre-op tomorrow, a home health nurse visit on Wednesday, 2 more appointments on Thursday, and surgery on Friday!

It’s been a whirlwind, and this on top of my mito appointment last week (which, btw, I haven’t even had time to blog about yet….) has been rough.  The only thing I can do is take a deep breath and cast my cares at Jesus’ feet.

But back to the curve ball—I had a venous duplex ultrasound study today to check up on all my veins and on the clot in my right arm.  Well, after the scan was finished, the tech sent over the results to the radiologist to have him look at the images.  He also sent them over to my general surgeon.  Just a few minutes later, he received a call from my surgeon saying that I need to come see her to discuss the results.  I thought that was a little odd because that has never happened before.  After PT, I went up to her clinic (so thankful almost all my doctors are in the same building!).  After a long while, the resident came in and told me and my mom that a “big” blood clot was found in my jugular vein which is near my heart…..they weren’t expecting that at all!  We weren’t either. They now need to consult with Hematology to see if pulling my central line on Friday during surgery will cause the clot to dislodge and travel to my heart/lungs.  NOT something you want to happen because it can be fatal.  Now, of course, that’s worst case scenario, but it’s still scary to think about. Should be hearing more tomorrow about the plan….

That’s what happens when you have to use long-term venous access devices….that’s why TPN (IV nutrition) is always a last resort because central lines and ports cause scar tissue build-up, infection risks, clots, and numerous other problems.

I know God is in control.  But I just wish I could catch a break………But tomorrow is a new day……His mercies are new every morning.  I’m ever so thankful for His grace and compassion.

Thank you for praying for me and being there for me!

October prayer request

By Kerissa Lee • October 19, 2025
Dear friends, At the beginning of October, I started taking a new medication for the autoimmune disease. I thought I was tolerating it just fine, but after several days passed, I began experiencing nausea, loss of appetite, weakness all over, and increased pain. 🙁 It’s like I’m experiencing another “mito crash.” I found out that this specific lupus medication affects mitochondria. That is, it causes an overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). This, in turn, causes cell damage and oxidative stress. I sure wish the rheumatologists would have known about this before prescribing. But I have to remember that Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome is rare, and they’re not “mito experts.” Anyways, the last time I felt like this was back in May.. I’m so grateful to God that I haven’t needed to be hospitalized from this, but at the same time, I’m also sad that this happened at all, especially because I had such a nice stretch of stable health. I’d really appreciate your prayers, that this muscle weakness can resolve soon, and that this increased pain all over will get back to my baseline. Every time I have a “mito crash,” it feels like I’m fighting the flu which always sucks. The pain has been hard to bear. And whenever I’m in the thick of it, it’s difficult to remember that this too will eventually pass. 😢 Pray that I will endure and follow Jesus’ example like this passage from Hebrews 12:1-2– “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross...” Thank you all so much for praying for me. ❤️

Thank you! (+ a prayer request)

By Kerissa Lee • October 4, 2025
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3

Praises & Prayer Requests

By Kerissa Lee • September 3, 2025
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23