More tests..

Kerissa Lee • November 10, 2023

"I wait for the Lord,

my soul waits, and in his word I hope."

Psalm 130:5



Hi, friends,


I just wanted to share how the appointment with my GI specialist went this past Monday. Thank you so much for praying about it. ❤️


After giving him an update on all that has happened, I’m happy to say that he is being very proactive about the high liver enzymes that are showing up on my blood tests the last 8+ weeks. I get 5 blood tests drawn every single week when my home health nurse comes to change my PICC line dressing. Well, my GI dr. ordered 10 additional blood tests on top of the original 5!! He also placed an order for an elastography scan which is a specialized ultrasound that grades how stiff the liver is—when there’s scar tissue, the liver gets stiff. The more scar tissue there is, the stiffer it becomes. Unfortunately, they’re booked out, so it can’t be done until next month..


I asked him if my high liver enzymes could be from not being able to take my Wilson’s Disease medication (the one that helps chelate copper out of my liver which has been back ordered for many months). In his opinion, he doesn’t think so because symptoms from Wilson’s slowly develop over time and not this fast. But, he did say my case is so complex and that I’m “one in a million.” 😞 These high liver enzymes could be from the Mitochondrial DNA Depletion Syndrome….it could be a reaction to a medication or from the antibiotics I took for the abdominal abscess…it could be from my mast cell disorder…or he could be wrong and it IS from Wilson’s…! He just doesn’t know yet, and since things are always so complicated with me, all these tests he ordered may or may not give an answer.. 😢


In other news, I’ve still been dealing with a high heart rate every now and then. I thought the IV iron infusion I received would have helped, but it hasn’t. 🙁 Around midnight last night, my heart was beating fast which made it hard to sleep. I got up and put my Apple Watch on which showed a heart rate of 120 bpm. I remembered that the watch has the ECG feature, and imagine my surprise when it showed an episode of Atrial Fibrillation! Thankfully, I had a virtual visit with my PCP earlier today, and he looked at the Apple Watch ECG report…he did see A-fib on the results. He wants to further investigate and ordered a ZIO patch. This device will record any heart rhythm events for 2 weeks. I really don’t want an official diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation on top of everything else going on. 🥺


Waiting for appointments and scans and results and blood tests…it’s hard to do, especially when I’m not feeling the best. I wish I could have answers right away.. But over the years, I’ve learned that God’s timing is best—truly, my times are in His hands (Psalm 31:15). I think of that verse from Isaiah which says, “From of old no one has heard or perceived by the ear, no eye has seen a God besides you, who acts for those who wait for him” (Isaiah 54:4). So, with God’s help, I will continue waiting…waiting for Him to act but also thanking Him that my life is in His hands, no matter how difficult my challenges become. ❤️

Surgery Update 😊

By Kerissa Lee • August 21, 2026
Dear friends, I just wanted to thank you all so much for praying for me during my abdominal surgery on August 6th! 💚 All of your messages/emails really encouraged my heart! If you missed my previous post, I had to have an unexpected surgery to take down the jejunostomy tract and repair an enterocutaneous fistula (a rare complication from having a j-tube for 12 years). I truly felt your prayers, and the Lord answered so many of them as well! 🥹 My surgeon only had to remove about 1 1/2 inches of my small intestine which is great news! I was in the hospital for 4 days because my blood pressure was low and pain control was rough (it’s a long story, but pain management is complex due to a specific medication I take daily at home..). But aside from that and having an allergic reaction to the surgical glue, I’ve been healing well. Thank you again for praying!! God has been so faithful throughout this journey. I got a visit from my sweet foster nephew when I was in the hospital (2nd picture)! 🥰 I can’t wait until I can show you his face—he’s so adorable. 🩵 I’ve mentioned this before, but an important medication I take causes severe insomnia (still not falling asleep until anywhere between 3 AM-9 AM). 😞 But I saw my naturopath this past Monday, and she’s going to treat me for suspected cortisol spiking up during the night (which disrupts the body’s circadian rhythm). I’m thankful for the wisdom God gives her, and I’m excited to see if this treatment will help! It will take 6 weeks to see if there’s any benefit, but I first have to specially order it.. 

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