SCS explant surgery

Kerissa • November 29, 2012

Well, it’s official.  My spinal cord stimulator explant surgery is scheduled for Dec. 4th!!  Have to get there at 7 in the morning, and surgery’s at 9 AM.  Today I had a pre-op phone appointment, and tomorrow I have PT.  I hope my physical therapist is prepared for all this sad news I have to tell him…  Surgery is in 6 days, and honestly, I’m so sad.  Last year, on September 13th, having a spinal cord stimulator implanted was the happiest day of my life.  It never entered my mind that a year later I would have to have my SCS removed.  I never thought that a year later I’d have to go through the worst headaches of my life.  I never imagined that a year later I’d have to soon get MRIs on my brain and spinal cord.  As I think about all this, I’m just soo thankful I can’t know the future.  If I knew last year that all this would happen, I don’t think I could have survived all these turn of events.  So I’m so grateful that only God knows the future.  He is in control.  He’s holding my world in His hands.

I’d really appreciate your prayers on Tuesday!  I love you guys.  Maybe I’ll post some pics..

Love this song by Kristian Stanfill. It gives me peace. 🙂

And this is Your world, You made it

And all of creation is breathing because You sustain it

Jesus, by Your powerful word, You spoke out the earth and the heavens


So I will not worry or fret

My God is the God who will never forget

All of His goodness and all of His promises

He’s holding my world in His hands


And these are your days, You give them

All for your fame and all for Your glorious kingdom

Jesus, You have ordained all things to dwell in Your purpose

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/kristian-stanfill-holding-my-world-lyrics.html ]

So I will not worry or fret

My God is the God who will never forget

All of His goodness and all of His promises

He’s holding my world in His hands


And I am Your child, Beloved

And all of my days my future is laid in Your promise

Jesus, to the end of the age, I am not alone or forgotten


So I will not worry or fret

My God is the God who will never forget

All of His goodness and all of His promises

He’s holding my world


So I will not worry or fret

My God is the God who will never forget

All of His goodness and all of His promises

He’s holding my world in His hands

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