Feeling refreshed!

Kerissa • July 28, 2012

Just got back from a wonderful vacation with my family in Redmond, OR.  It was beautiful there!  Despite three episodes which I’ll explain in a minute, the trip was so refreshing, and I loved spending lots of time with my family and soaking in the sunshine!  We watched movies together, played several wild card games, went on bike rides and walks, enjoyed time in the pool, tackled a challenging putting course, and the list goes on!  It was a very blessed vacation.

Here are a few pics that my brother took of me

my “deer” friend 😉

 

The morning we left for Redmond, I squeezed in a last PT session.  As of that appointment, my therapist is now trying to have me not see him for at least one month.  We’ll see how this experiment goes..  I really wanted to have no problems whatsoever with CRPS, EDS, and POTS on the trip, but…that was not to be.

One afternoon, my siblings and I went for a bike ride.  I was doing quite well for a time, until we ended up at this huge (and I mean HUGE) and steep hill.  I got off my bike to try walking up it, but suddenly I couldn’t even do that anymore.  My legs wouldn’t move, and I developed a terrible, pounding pain in the center of my brain.  I quickly sat down on the pavement to rest, and I started getting dizzy.  I really thought I was going to black out from the POTS!  I definitely didn’t want to go to the ED.  Thankfully, I was able to make it back to the condo but it was kind of a blur.  For a long time, the pain in my head didn’t go away.  It felt like a vein in my head was going to rupture which can be a symptom of EDS.  So grateful to the Lord that that didn’t happen!

Another day, I was fixing my bed, and my left middle finger gave way and buckled under.  Now it really hurts at the first joint.  I’m not sure if this is EDS, CRPS, or both!  My fingers get stiff and swollen, and it occasionally becomes hard to “make a fist.”

And then, another day, I was playing racquet ball with my dad and two of my siblings.  I enjoyed it immensely!  But then the palm of my left hand got scraped by a sharp plastic piece sticking out from the edge of the racquet!  Now it’s a little swollen.  Right now, I’m waiting to hear back from my hand therapist about both of these “injuries”..

So I’m really glad to be home.  I’ve had enough adventures for a time..

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. ❤️
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
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