A New Year.

Kerissa • January 4, 2015

Happy new year, everyone!!  I’m sorry I never wrote my usual last-day-of-the-year “reflections” post.  I was admitted to the hospital the day after Christmas and got discharged this past Tuesday, so I didn’t quite feel up to blogging.

The jejunostomy tube feeds trial failed on Saturday—I have very slow small intestinal motility and hypoactive abdominal sounds.  It causes terrible abdominal pain, distention, and nausea.  The IV team came by Sunday to place a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) in my upper right arm.  And Sunday night, the doctors started TPN (IV nutrition) very slowly to bypass my GI tract.

Once I got home, 3 different TPN nurses from home health came by Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to teach me and my mom how to administer and hook up to TPN.  They also drew blood work (which my GI specialist wants completed weekly) to monitor all my electrolytes, triglycerides, etc.  I also got my PICC line dressing changed twice—a nurse will be coming once a week to do this as well.

The CRPS has been flaring up a ton in my right arm from all the trauma.  Dressing changes are so painful with all the tape removal, etc!  So my pain dr. will be squeezing me in soon to try and figure out what to do about this.  I can’t use my arm well, and the slightest touch causes severe nerve pain.

TPN initiation has been a big step.  I see my GI specialist this Monday to go over everything and discuss continued tube feeds trials as it’s not good to stay on TPN long-term.  And for the first time ever, the hospitalist gave me and my family a serious talk about disease progression, prognosis, and how I need to get my PCP more involved because of all these changes.  It was different hearing that for the first time..

Yes, I have been and will be facing a lot of unknowns in the future, but the Lord is Sovereign!  Since 2010, each year has been getting more and more difficult as you can see, but that’s the beauty of a NEW YEAR.  I look back on the previous year, and it always gives me so much hope, knowing that a gracious and faithful God will continue to carry me and my family through these ongoing challenges and trials.

It’s already 3 days into 2015!  I’ve shared this before because it’s my favorite verse!  “…it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain “(Philippians 1:20-21).

 

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