Quick Update (about surgery tomorrow on 1/15) and Prayer Requests

Kerissa • January 15, 2020

Hi, friends!

My surgery (to replace my j-tube and also remove the vascular malformation in the bottom of my right foot) was originally scheduled to be done outpatient at the O.R. in the OHSU Center for Health and Healing at the South Waterfront.

But, I saw the “pre-op medicine” doctor last week, and after the appointment, she got in touch with the head of Anesthesiology and my surgeon. Because I went into septic shock and had to go to ICU about 12 hours after my last surgery in 2018, they all agreed that this surgery should be done at the South O.R. up at the main OHSU hospital and then admit me afterwards for observation.

I hope and pray that I don’t go into shock again, but I’m thankful for all of my doctors who are taking these precautions.

I saw my pain dr. yesterday, and she set up a good plan and list of recommendations for the anesthesiology team. She wants them to do a popliteal nerve block before the surgery which will numb the leg from the knee down. In addition, she would like them to leave this catheter in my leg so that I can go home with the nerve blocking medicine continuously going into my leg for up to 3 days. Their hope with this is that it will help prevent a Complex Regional Pain Syndrome flare-up.

I have to get to the hospital at 12:30 pm, and surgery is scheduled for 3:00 pm. Even though this isn’t a big surgery, I have to go under general anesthesia and be intubated because of my central/obstructive apnea.

Would so appreciate your prayers that:

1. the GI team that is changing my j-tube after I’m under anesthesia can also figure out why a specific area near my tube has been so painful lately and why (TMI) it’s been oozing some yellowish-type pus. So we’re not sure if there’s a tube infection brewing.

2. my surgeon can remove the whole mass easily and that it doesn’t grow back again (I had this exact mass that I was born with removed in 2010, but it grew back in 2019).

3. my blood pressure, specifically, can stay up at a good range overnight without any issues. I had dangerously low blood pressure in 2018, and that is why my body went into shock.

4. I will have the stamina and endurance to use crutches (I won’t be able to bear any weight on the bottom of my foot for 4 weeks). It’s always hard for me to use crutches because I have weakness and fatigue from the mitochondrial disease. Thankfully, I have my wheelchair for long distances whenever I go out, but I’ll have to use crutches in the house since our house isn’t wheelchair-friendly.

5. once the nerve block wears off and we pull the catheter out at home, that I will still have good post-op pain control so that I won’t have a CRPS flare-up in my foot.

6. I can be transferred to a private room once admitted and that I won’t have to share one with a stranger. It’s hard enough getting sleep in the hospital, and it’s even harder to share a room with someone.

Anyways, I think that is all! Thank you soo much for praying for me! I am so very grateful for all of you!! As the verse that I lettered at the top of this post says, I know that the Lord is with me and will be there for me every step of the way.

I’ve had so many surgeries and procedures the past 10 years, and as a result of that, I have scars all over my body. But then I think of these lyrics by Matt Redman which are so encouraging!

Our scars are a sign

Of grace in our lives

Oh Father, how you brought us through

When deep were the wounds

And dark was the night

The promise of your love you proved

Now every battle still to come

Let this be our song

It is well (it is well)

With my soul (with my soul)

It is well, it is well with my soul

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August 6th Surgery Prayer Requests 💚

By Kerissa Lee • August 6, 2026

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." -Psalm 46:1

Another surgery 😞

By Kerissa Lee • July 25, 2026

Hi, friends, I thought I wouldn’t be posting for a while since I’ve been doing really well, but I’ve hit a bump in the road again and would appreciate your prayers. 💚 This past Tuesday the 21st, after nearly 12 years living with it, I had my jejunostomy tube removed completely. I thought it was going to be a simple process and that the stoma (hole) would close quickly within 30 minutes like they said. That didn’t happen, though, as the stoma started draining a ton! I couldn’t even leave the lobby and had to go back up to the clinic on the 8th floor to have an ostomy bag placed to collect all the small intestinal digestive juices that continually drained. Unfortunately, I’m experiencing a very rare complication called an enterocutaneous fistula. 🥺 I’m disappointed this is happening, but I’m not exactly surprised since my whole medical case with Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome has been rare from the very beginning.. I also don’t heal well due to connective tissue problems from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (case in point: my port site issues back in May when I had to have a new one surgically placed on the other side of my chest).. 😞 The clinic told me to keep emptying the ostomy bag and monitor the output. It wasn’t a fun 2 days. This whole process has definitely made me so grateful to God that I’ve never needed something like an ileostomy! TMI, but I lost almost a whole pound of fluid because so much was gushing/spurting out of the stoma every time I ate or drank. Losing so many electrolytes, I started experiencing symptoms of dehydration—weakness, high heart rate, and headaches. So yesterday, I had to go back and see the surgery resident who basically placed another j-tube (it was so painful again!). 😭 This is a temporary “plug,” and I’m bummed to say that I have to go to the operating room to have the jejunostomy tract taken down and the fistula repaired. This surgery will be happening as early as next week (it depends on my surgeon’s schedule).. She said it will be complex, especially because adhesions (scar tissue) form when a person has multiple abdominal surgeries.. I lost count what number this surgery/procedure will be, but I do know I’ve had more than 20! 😞 I know God is with me wherever I go and will supply me with the strength to endure yet another surgery like he always does. But, I’m still sad that I have to have more incisions added to my body. I shared the lyrics to this song before on an old blog post (the song is called It Is Well With My Soul by Matt Redman), but it immediately came to mind again when I was thinking of scars. As the song below said, it’s a reminder to me that my scars can be a testimony to others of God’s grace in my life and how he has brought me through every single pain and sorrow. In the Bible, I’ve always thought it’s so neat that Jesus still had his scars after he rose from the dead—he had a new body, and yet, his scars were still visible. ❤️ Our scars are a sign of grace in our lives Oh Father, how You brought us through When deep were the wounds And dark was the night The promise of Your love, You proved Now every battle still to come Let this be our song It is well (it is well) With my soul (with my soul) It is well, it is well with my soul

The end of an era ❤️

By Kerissa Lee • July 16, 2026

Dear friends, I shared in my last post how excited I was that my j-tube was going to be switched back to the low-profile version at an appointment on June 23rd. Well, that sadly didn’t happen because my surgeon wasn’t comfortable with how much pain, swelling, and bleeding I was still experiencing. It’s a long story and hard to understand unless you’re very familiar with j-tubes, but basically, she said switching wouldn’t be a good idea, and we could try again in a few months. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse, and no matter how many times I adjust this j-tube, the balloon for some reason keeps getting lodged into my abdominal muscle—it causes horrible pain, and not even my pain medication helps! I almost went to the ED the other day…that’s how bad the pain has been. 🥺 After thinking and praying about it a lot, I finally decided to ask my surgeon if I could have my j-tube completely removed since she still can’t find the cause of why the balloon keeps getting stuck. It’s been nearly 12 years using one, so this is a big deal! I just feel like the tract is somehow failing since the surgery was so long ago. Unfortunately, it can’t be done until the last week of July since it’s a policy of the surgery clinic to not use the tube for 2 whole weeks before completely removing (don’t know the exact day of removal yet). I can’t believe it’s almost the end of an era! The Lord has been so faithful and given me strength to endure over a decade of having a constant tube sticking out of my abdomen. Some days were truly so rough—remember I had that huge abdominal abscess back in 2023 and had to have bedside abdominal surgery and drains placed in the ED? I couldn’t have done this without God’s help. 🥹 You might be wondering, “What happens if I get worse again or have more mitochondrial flares?” Thankfully, I still have my port, so if I was hospitalized many times again, I would be given IV medications and infusions. And, if I did possibly need a tube again, I could have a g-tube placed in my stomach which is a much smaller surgery than a j-tube placed in the small intestine. We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it! In other news, I’ve been continuing to do so very well mitochondrial-wise, and God has been gracious and merciful! I feel undeserving of this huge gift of health when so many others I know are struggling (please keep praying for my uncle who’s been in the ICU since March)!! 😢😔 Aside from all these tube issues, life lately has been so full, but in the best way. I was able to study and complete the training to receive my Pediatric First Aid/CPR/AED certification! I’ve been applying to different nanny jobs and even had my first interview last week! It would simply be amazing if it would work out to have a part-time nanny job for 1-2 days per week when I don’t babysit my foster nephew. Speaking of my sweet foster nephew, he recently turned 1!! He had a “One-in-the-Sun” 1st birthday party which was super cute and special! It’s been so neat to see God’s hand on his life from birth til now.. Considering he was in the hospital for a whole month after he was born, he’s truly come soo far, and life is very sweet with him in it! 🥹💙 On top of all that, I was finally able to take the DMV driver’s test, and guess what?! I PASSED!!! 🥰 So so happy and thankful I was able to complete this simple rite-of-passage that many people half my age often take for granted. I constantly think how huge of a gift it is to simply be physically well enough to drive around town. 🥹 After reading this, you might think I'm all healed! And while I am feeling so much better than before, I just wanted to share that I still do experience mitochondrial symptoms every day: spasticity (it often wakes me up during the night because my back muscles tighten/spasm a lot), central vertigo, minipolymyoclonus which causes muscle jerking and tremors in my hands, chronic pain, insomnia, and many other things. But, I'm so thankful to God for different medications I'm on to help these ongoing issues. There are good days and bad days, but I just look back and see how much worse I used to be! I don't know how long this stable period will last, but I continually thank and praise God for it! 🥹