May update (and sneak peek!)

Kerissa Lee • May 23, 2025

How unspeakably wonderful to know that all our concerns are held in hands that bled for us.

-John Newton

Dear friends,

Last week, I started experiencing some “mito crash” symptoms again.. So thankful to God that this one’s mild compared to the 2 flares I had in November and December, but it’s still been a bit of a challenge in its own way. 🥺 My dr. ordered dextrose infusions, and I’m grateful he was able to place orders quickly to nip this in the bud faster. I’ve improved in many ways (my eyes are no longer droopy, my bladder/kidneys are functioning back to normal, etc.), but my muscles are still weak/heavy, and the pain is severe—I haven’t been able to fall asleep until 5-6 AM….so very exhausted. 😞 Would be grateful for your prayers that I can return back to my previous baseline!

I mentioned in my last post that my elbow joints have started to become painful, and I’m sad to say that both shoulder joints are now hurting as well. 😢 The rheumatologist said that conditions can happen gradually sometimes, and I’m wondering if that’s the case with me. Not that I want another disease, but it would be so nice to have some answers as to why I keep having crashes since something seems to be exacerbating the mitochondrial depletion.. Since January 2024, this marks my 4th one. But before January 2024, I had only one flare which was all the way back in 2020! And, that was also the first time it ever happened!! It would truly be a dream if my body could become more medically stable like it was in my 20s. 🥺

My second opinion with another rheumatologist was originally scheduled for late June (which I’d been waiting months for), so it was discouraging to receive a phone call recently from his office, saying that he’ll be out of the clinic that day. The appointment has now been pushed out to the end of August—I sure wish it was required for doctors to give notice more than 2 months in advance.. 😔

Haven’t heard yet what the Undiagnosed Diseases program has decided regarding my case, but as soon as I hear, I will be sure to update you all with the final decision of acceptance or not! Would appreciate your continued prayers about this.

In other news, I’ve very slowly been working on having my lettering art made into notecards and other fun items, and the art in this post is one of the designs (of many 😉)! The cards even have my Pain With Purpose logo on the back. 🥰

It’s taken a lot of time and effort with how much goes into starting an actual shop, but I’m so excited. I’m sure I speak for many (who are living with chronic illnesses) that it’s hard not to feel useless.. 😢 So it’s truly been special to work on something like this, and I hope my cards and other products can be an encouragement to many. 💗

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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