J-tube update

Kerissa Lee • March 17, 2026

"God is always doing more than we know, working toward a good we will one day rejoice in."

-Lysa Terkeurst

Hi, friends,

I just wanted to thank you so much for all of your sweet texts, messages, and prayers these past several weeks during this whole abscess/j-tube debacle. Your loving prayers have been carrying me through a rough bump in the road. ❤️

In my last post, I shared that the surgery NP ordered an x-ray with contrast to check tube placement. Well, the results showed that contrast would come out around the tube and pool onto the skin.

I was hoping they could get me in on Monday the 9th, but the smaller tube size had to be ordered. Thankfully, a resident was able to see me on Friday the 13th, but it sadly didn’t come without challenges.

The resident noted the raw tissue but wanted me to try the topical lidocaine gel first. He said that local anesthetic contains epinephrin which constricts blood vessels, and because of the raw tissue, there’s a higher risk for infection. Even though I’ve tried topical gel in the past (which didn’t help), I didn’t want to seem like a difficult patient, so I agreed. It numbed the skin really well, but not the tract itself. So when he tried pulling the tube out, I kept saying “Ow, ow, owww.” But he sadly kept going and pulled the whole thing out. I bled a lot and burst into tears because the pain was soo bad. I just have experienced one too many traumatic tube changes. 😭 He then decided to inject lidocaine before inserting the new tube, but I really wish that could have been done in the first place to avoid unnecessary pain and suffering. :’(

I’m really thankful, though, that the Lord blessed me with a kind resident—he actually apologized that he caused me pain (which I think is rare for a general surgeon!).

Could you please pray for the site and tract to heal completely—it’s still really painful and leaking, and I’m not sure if it’s because the tract got damaged from 2 back-to-back tube changes… :( Or, maybe the whole area is just really irritated and inflamed.. Saturday night, I couldn’t fall asleep until after 8 AM the next morning due to the pain. It feels like my small intestine is clenching/twisting which unfortunately causes the tube to push in and out throughout the day and night.

< Older Post Newer Post >

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