Happy Day

Kerissa • September 26, 2012

I’M HOME!!!!  It’s so good to be back!  It’s only been a week since I was last home, but it feels like I’ve been gone forever!  Coming home from the hospital, I’m now in more pain than when I first arrived there.  Very amused.  Haha!  My right arm is purple and green all over from getting so many IVs and blood draws.  My latest IV infiltrated, so now I kinda have a lumpy and hard patch on my forearm.  Very weird to the touch..  I’m still dealing with that new headache on top of the old one, but I received one last IV drip of magnesium before I left, and I hope it lasts!  My left leg is super weak, and it’s so different being back on crutches, especially in the house.

This is Brian and me.  Will always treasure this picture!

Since my symptoms are still unresolved, here’s the plan: I see my pain dr. this coming Monday (10/1).  We’ll discuss the possible removal of my spinal cord stimulator to get that MRI.  Can’t wait to know what his thoughts are on that..  I start up physical therapy again (I’ve been off of it for more than a month!) on the 3rd.  And, on the 5th, I have a follow-up with my neurologist.  So next week will be quite busy!

And in the meantime, I’m gonna get some sleep.  In my own bed.  Without any phlebotomists waking me up at 6:30 in the morning.  Without nurses coming in my room at 7:30.  Without seeing doctors soon after that………

Good night!

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