Hip MRI results.

Kerissa • June 8, 2016

Last Thursday, I had my hip MRI arthrogram.  Before the actual scan, I was taken to Radiology, and the doctor injected a combination of saline, adrenaline, two types of contrast, and long-acting lidocaine all into my left hip joint.  The needle was very long! :O  They used long-acting lidocaine because they said that contrast really upsets the hip joint a couple days after the MRI.  The numbing medication took away my hip pain completely which was so nice. Sadly, after it wore off on Friday, the pain has since doubled, and I can’t move my leg well at all. :/

Yesterday, I saw my Orthopedics dr. to go over the results.  It’s not good news. Now we know why I have hip pain!  I have a labral tear (the labrum lines the hip socket and acts as a joint protector/stabilizer and shock absorber), degeneration from the tear, and an area of chondromalacia (cartilage damage/softening).

He referred me to a hip surgeon to figure out the best plan.  He reiterated that any type of hip surgery would not be easy to go through, especially since I have so many medical conditions, but I really hope this can be repaired because the pain is bad!  So we’ll see what the surgeon wants to do.  They’re trying to get me in this Friday, but if that doesn’t work, I can’t see her until July 11th. Please pray that I can see her this week!  July 11th seems so far away. If the appointment can’t be until next month, I’ll be getting a hip steroid injection in the meantime to decrease the pain and inflammation.

On Thursday the 16th, my parents and I are heading up to Seattle!  The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation national symposium will be in Seattle from June 16-18.  It’s usually on the East coast, so we’re excited to be able to go for the first time!  There will be lectures, times to meet other families, and even a banquet for both the doctors and families to attend!

On the 20th, I get to see my favorite doctor (my pain dr.) at the UWMC pain clinic again.  So much has happened since I last saw him in February.  I hope to get his opinion on a long-acting pain medication that my palliative care dr. wants to put me on.  After I see him, the plan is to head home!

I’ll hopefully blog again in a couple of weeks. Thank you for checking in!

Kerissa

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