Another trip to the ER…..

Kerissa • August 14, 2014

Suffice it to say, I am “ER-ed” out…..I just can’t stay away! jk

But first, let me rewind a little bit:

On Thursday, Aug. 7th, I had surgery for a jejunostomy feeding tube placement.  Thankfully, everything went well, but there were still some complications and setbacks.

1. After surgery, my heart rate was way “too high,” as the nurses put it.

2. I had a low grade fever, something the team monitored closely in case it turned into Malignant Hyperthermia (which I’m susceptible to based on genetic testing).

3. I had to spend several long hours in the PACU (post-anesthesia care unit) because of breathing problems which continually set the alarm off.  The team ended up having to use my CPAP machine.

4. I had almost a whole LITER of fluid in my bladder!  The doctor was astounded!  I couldn’t empty it on my own (because I have a neurogenic bladder), so they ended up having to place a Foley catheter—such a painful procedure! x[

5. During surgery, they wanted to place an arterial line in my arm to continually monitor blood gases….my blood work got so out of whack.

6. Over the course of this hospital stay, I had to be given 6 liters of IV fluids because my potassium kept dropping very low!

7. The dr. said I bled a lot during the surgery, even though this was laparoscopic (minimally-invasive).

Anyways, I got home from the hospital Saturday evening!  I was sent home with a long list of medications to take, including some stronger pain meds because having CRPS makes my nervous system more sensitive than normal.

Monday night, I noticed the J-tube site was bleeding a little bit, but I just tucked some gauze near the area and went to bed.  Well, at 1:30 in the morning, I woke up to wet blood on my sheets and pajamas.  I groaned, knowing where this was going to lead me.  My mom called the GI surgery resident on-call, and he said to go to the ER if I was bleeding at the central part of the J-tube.  So to the ER we went!  As you can imagine, this was unwelcome—here I was sleeping peacefully!

When I arrived at the OHSU ER, they got me right in and even put me in the pediatric side (Doernbecher’s) so that I wouldn’t have to wait at all.  It’s a bad sign when the emergency dr. knows you and is familiar with your case..

The nurses were concerned about all the blood.  The dr. quickly called Surgery to come.  What followed was very unpleasant and so painful!  The dr. washed and cleaned the area aggressively to try and see where the bleeding was coming from.  She had to use scissors to remove thick blood clots….that part wasn’t nice to watch.  The bleeding still kept coming, so she eventually had to suture the place up again.  Thankfully, that did the trick!

I have a follow-up with Surgery on Friday.  They’re going to remove these things at the J-tube site called bolsters (which are currently anchoring my small intestine to the wall of my abdomen).  And in a few weeks, I get to have the tube changed to a “low-profile button.”

Today I started feeds at a very slow rate.  Here are a couple pics:

I receive high-calorie formula through the feeding tube.

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