The rollercoaster continues

The emotions definitely ran high today. We got up early again to see Kelson before the shift change, and were informed that it had been a rough night. Kelson had been trying to breathe over the ventilator, and was in distress. His blood pH was the worst it had been. They had him heavily sedated to keep him from fighting the vent, and had to replace his breathing tube. Needless to say, this was not a good way to start the day. Luckily, the doctor was able to calm us down. Apparently the old breathing tube had been clogged, and they were hoping the new, clean tube would help. He also started him on a new blood pressure medication, and was even talking about starting him on a feeding tube later this week, so he could start getting breast milk. The doctor seemed pretty confident in his new plan of action. It was also decided to keep Kelson sedated today, to let him rest and continue to focus his energy on healing. After receiving this positive news, we decided we could eat breakfast, shower, and get ready for the day. Our new nurse invited us to assist again while they had the isolate open. Krista and I were both able to "hold" Kelson for the first time today. Since there are so many tubes and wires, we obviously couldn't hold him up to our chest like a normal infant. We were able to place one hand under his neck, and one on his bottom, and hold him up while they changed his bedding. It was a big milestone for us, and we were able to pose for some pictures to preserve the memories. Kelsons blood levels had all returned to normal, and remained that way for the majority of the day...the new treatment appeared to be helping!! Our friend Marla brought us yummy lunch from Panera Bread today, and we had a surprise visit from Kristas friend Blair. My Aunt Janet and Uncle Russ also stopped by. Sharon Monroe also came. She brought some more prayer caps, and was able to pray over Kelson. We went to the cafeteria for an early supper, because we were going to get to hold Kelson again at 6 PM. When we went in at 6, I noticed they had started Kelson on another medication. I asked the nurse about it, and she informed us that he had a blood clot, but the doctor would discuss the details with us. Like any paranoid parent, I started pacing, and preparing myself for the bad news we were about to hear. It felt like we waited forever for the doctor to show up. Thankfully, the doctor was not too concerned about the clot, and felt like the medication he was on would be able to dissolve it. He then proceeded to tell us that they found the clot by accident while doing the EKG. He said they were lucky to have caught it, and that someone upstairs must be watching out over him! After the series of events we have been through this week, it is pretty obvious that God has some pretty special plans for Kelson. Tomorrow, we will have another EKG to check on the clot, and hope to get more hands on time at noon. I am planning on going home tomorrow to repack clothes, and play with the dog, Rally. Claire spent all day and night (Monday) with her babysitter and I will pick her up tomorrow. We will go back to the hospital, and then she will spend a night or two with Kristas parents. We have to check out of the guest house tomorrow morning, and depending on Kelsons stability, we will either stay at the hospital, or with some family that live nearby. We are praying that tomorrow brings us a little less stress, and that Kelson will continue to gain strength! We appreciate all the kind words of support and encouragement.

Another Crazy Day

Gos blessed us with another day with Kelson, and many more family and friends. We survived our first night in the guest house, and got up early to go see the little guy. You can imagine our shock when we heard his weight was 3 lbs 9 oz!! He had lost over two pounds overnight. Normally this would be a bad thing, but in our case, it means he has been able to loose more fluid and swelling, which is good. His arms are like little toothpicks, and his skin is getting very wrinkly. We came back to the guest house for a quick breakfast and shower, then back to the hospital. The doctor wanted to rotate Kelson head to toe in bed, because the vent causes his head to go to one side and can be hard on his neck. Due to his critical condition, the nurses decided it would be easier to move the equipment to the other side of the bed. They had to take him off the vent, and use a neopuff while they moved the equipment. This took a team of about 6 people to get done efficiently. Apparently he tolerated it all quite well. The visitors were rolling in again today. Nicole Reitz brought almost an entire grocery store worth of food for us, so we won't be going hungry any time soon. I also had my "little sister" Katie Prudek drive down from Chicago. About 11:30 we had our first big scare. Kelsons heart rate was dropping, and the nurses could not figure out why. They paged the doctor, and Krista came to get me in the waiting room. As we were scrubbing in, both the doctor and the respiratory therapist went running past. We rushed to the bedside. The doctor was able to insert a catheter into his breathing tube, and his heart rate began to rise. He explained to us that he basically had a "booger" lodged in his breathing tube, but they were able to remove it. Thankfully it wasn't any more serious. My parents brought Claire down again after church. They had quite the story to tell. During the children's message at church, Pastor Liz was talking about the Good Shepherd. She was giving examples of shepherds in our lives, like mommys and daddy's, when Claire piped up and said "The Docotrs are like shepherds taking care of Baby Kelson". I still get chills thinking about it. She is absolutely right. Kelsons medical team is watching over him, being Gods healing hand. We got to spend some more hands on time again today. Krista was able to wash Kelsons hair, and I changed my first dirty diaper. We also were visited by Sarah Viall, the Poppe family and Jr. And Joellen Gehring. It was great to have so many visitors, but we were pretty worn out by the end of the day. We spent some more time with Kelson before the shift change at 7 pm (visiting is closed from 7-7:45). Krista and I decided to leave and go to Perkins for dinner. We came back to the hospital to tuck Kelson in, and got to visit with a doctor. Unfortunately, we did not make much metabolic progress today. His blood is still acidic, and glucose levels are still high. Hopefully he will have another good night of draining fluid, so his body can start to regulate itself. We continue to get messages from friends, and people we have never even met, who are all following Kelsons story. We appreciate all of the well wishes...they help keep us strong, and give us courage and hope. We can never say thank you enough.

Each Day is a Blessing

Kelson has blown past the 48 hour mark, and now passed 72 hrs and counting. It's hard to believe the time that has gone by. Sometimes it seems like just hours ago he born, and other times it feels like we have been here for an eternity. We were able to get some solid rest last night, which was much needed. The day started out about the same, his fluid drainage tubes were changed again. They were able to manually pull off over 40 mL from one lung, so that had to be a big relief for Kelson. After breakfast, we went back to see him and they were in the process of taking a stomach xray to determine how much fluid/air there was still in his abdominal cavity. While they had his isolate open for the xray, the nurse said we could touch him and give him a kiss. He was very alert, and had his eyes open for quite a while. The nurse let Krista wipe his eyes and mouth, and assist with the diaper change. These simple moments were the highlight of our day. It may not have been much, but it was nice to feel helpful and needed. Tomorrow we have the same nurse, so we will get to assist her again. The day remainder of the day was so full of visitors we almost forgot to eat. My cousin Sherri was in town from Colorado to run the champaign marathon, so she popped in for a visit. We also had a visit from "Nurse Becky", who works at GAH, and her parents. Becky is Kristas cousin. She took care of us when Claire was born, and took care of Krista following the c-section. We also had a visit from Audrey Angus, who brought us a big bag of supplies (extra toothbrushes, razors, etc). Kelsons big sister Claire was here today too, along with all 4 of his grandparents, his Uncle Kirk, and Kenneth, Kathi, and Kara. We had to give up the room we had been sleeping in at the hospital, and have moved across the street to the Carle Auxillary Guest House. It is a great place, but it was hard to leave tonight. Even though we can see the hospital from our window, it feels like we are miles away from Kelson. As for Kelsons health, there still have not been any major changes. They continue to drain fluid, and there is less swelling. The biggest issue being delt with is metabolic balance. For example: his blood ph has been low, so they give him sodium bicarbonate to help reduce it, which then raises his sodium level, so they have to administer another drug to counteract that. He has been on high levels of dextrose for energy and nutrients, which raises his blood sugar, so they have to give insulin to counteract that...and so on and so forth. Tonight they will check his blood every 3 hours, and continually make adjustments to his medications. We have had the same night nurse for three nights in a row, and she says she is seeing improvement. It is hard for Krista and I to notice the improvements when we see him almost every hour. I will be excited to go see him in the morning, since we are sleeping away from him tonight. Thanks again to everyone who has taken time out of your day to read this. We know Kelson has people all over the world praying and cheering him on, and we cannot express how much that means to us.

Kelson's progress

Today has been a busy day, and we are quite overwhelmed at the support we are receiving. Kelson had a restful night. They had to clean out his chest tubes this morning, because they had gotten blocked. The staff is impressed that every time they stimulate him, or do procedures, his blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels stay strong. Normally this type of activity will cause changes in blood pressure, etc. Each chest x-ray shows that the amount of fluid on his lungs is being reduced, so the drains and meds appear to be helping. This morning we had a great visit from two of my co-workers, Roen and Paul. Paul had twin girls in the ICU a few years back, so he has been a great support. Kirk brought us pizza for lunch and was able to meet his nephew for the first time. We also enjoyed a visit from college friend Emily Morehouse, along with a vist from Ron and Sharon Monroe. Ron is cousin of Kristas, and Sharon is the Pastor at Mansfield United Methodist. Sharon brought some items that members of her church had prayed over, including a hat for Kelson. We were able to put the hat in Kelsons isolate, so it is close to him. My parents were able to be back again today, and Kristas parents brought Claire so we could spend some time with her. I cannot begin to explain the wave of emotion I felt getting to hold Claire for the first time since this happened. Even though she cannot fully understand what is going on, she can sense the fear and sadness around her. She is being a real trooper. My parents took her home with them for a night or two. We were also happy to have a visit from John Todd, and Kristas cousin Kara. I wish I had more to update on Kelsons status, but at this point, no news is good news. Today we surpassed the 48 hour mark from the time he was born, so that was a big milestone. He is remaining stable, resting, and gaining strength. Krista is doing remarkable. It is hard to believe she just had surgery. Krista and I cherish each person who has read this blog, and lifted our family up in prayer. The comments, facebook posts, texts, and calls are helping give us strength and keep us full of hope. We are truly blessed!

Kelson Ray Kuipers

As most of you know, Krista and I were expecting the arrival of a son around June 28. Little did we know, God had different plans. Last weekend, Krista had noticed the little "kick boxer" wasn't moving as much as he had been the past several weeks. Although the doctor wasn't too concerned, she advised Krista to have a "non-stress test" to measure the baby's activity, and put our worrying minds at ease. On Wednesday April 25, we went to the OB department at Gibson City Area Hospital (GAH) for the test. The baby's heartbeat was strong, but activity was not. This was followed by an ultrasound. As the tech was finishing the test, our doctor, Dr. Austman had arrived. I knew immediately by the look on her face that she was concerned. We were told that the baby had fluid on his lungs, and we could potentially need a c-section soon, even though the baby was only 31 weeks. The started Krista on an IV, and started administering steroids for the baby's lungs. The remainder of the day is kinda a blur. The nurses began moving much more rapidly. I called Kristas parents, and my parents, so that everyone could be on standby. We were then notified that the neo-natal team from Carle was being flown in, and Krista was being prepped for surgerry. I was able to scrub in, to be by Kritas side during the surgery. I had just enough time to call our pastor, Liz, and send our parents a frantic text message. The moment the Carle team was in place, the GAH team began the c-section. The baby was delivered, and taken next door where the Carle team began working on him. I was able to meet my son, Kelson Ray, and squeeze his hand. He was very purple, and incredibly swollen. There were people everywhere so I sat in a chair just within view, but out of the way. Things got pretty scary, so I was able to have Pastor Liz come sit with me and pray. I needed someone strong to help me stay calm. The main flight nurse was acting frustrated, so she made a phone call to get another opinion. I heard her say "ok, I'll try" and hung up the phone. Whatever advice she was given on the phone apparently worked. She had been able to release some fluid off of Kelsons lungs, and his heart rate started to rise....hope. I went back to give Krista an update. It still amazes me how strong she was throughout this entire process. After all she had just went through, she had yet to shed a tear and just kept smiling that beautiful smile. The got Krista cleaned up, and wheeled her to recovery. The plan was to pack Kelson up in the portable incubator, and roll him down for Krista to see. However, after putting him in the incubator, his stats started to drop and he was back on the table getting chest compressions. They sent a wheelchair, along with three strong male paramedics, down the hallway to get Krista, since she was still numbed from the surgery. Krista was able to meet Kelson, just before they packed him up the second time into the incubator. Kelson was then taken to the helicopter and airlifted to Carle. I am amazed at how well the medical staff from both hospitals worked so calmly and efficiently. The cooperation, consideration, and compassion from everyone involved was truly inspiring. I will be forever telling the doctors and nurses "Thank You". I was able to get dressed, and spend a few minutes with Krista, before leaving to go be with Kelson. I hated to leave her, but her parents, brother, and "sister" Ria were there to take care of her. I needed to be with our son. Pastor Liz was able to drive me to champaign, which was a great help. Once I arrived at Carle, I was met by our dear friend Amy Rademaker. Amy was able to guide me to the NICU. My parents, and another great friend Marla were waiting there. I was able to go back to the restricted area, and taken to a room to meet with the Doctor. The doctor said a lot, but I really only heard two things...he is stable, but critical. That was all I needed to hear. Kelson was alive so there was still hope. I was able to go back and see him, hold his hand, and let him know I was there. They had to do some major work, so I then had to go back to the waiting room. I suddenly realized I had not even had anything to drink since about 10:30 am. It was almost 5 pm, the previous 6+ hours had seemed like an hour at most. I drank some water, and was brought a bowl of soup. About an hour later, my parents, and I went back to see Kelson. The nurse explained everything that they had done. He was still very swollen, but when I compared it to the picture I took at GAH, it was obvious he had made huge progress. Kristas Mom, Dad, and Brother came, and I was able to take her parents back to meet their grandson. After spending some more time in the waiting room, it was decided that my mom would stay with me at Carle, and Kristas mom would go back to GAH to spend the night with her. Kristas Aunt Kathi and Uncle Kenneth came and were able to go get me some food to have overnight. I didn't really sleep, but was able to get a little rest overnight. Today, thursday, has been long, but good. We learned that Kelson has a syndrome known as HYDROPS, which means he has excessive fluid and swelling all throughout his body. The cause of this is still unknown. He remains steady, which is a good sign. Krista was released from GAH at about 2PM. It was rough on her to see Kelson, but she is staying strong. We were able to have Pastor Liz do a baptism, and pray for God to continue to give Kelson the strength to fight. The staff here at Carle has been amazing as well. We are getting to stay in a private room within about 20 steps of Kelsons bed. Krista has been asleep for about an hour, and I am going to join her soon. I know this has been a long rambling, but I wanted to answer everyone's questions. Kelson is critical, and just needs to rest and gain as much strength as possible. I will continue to provide everyone with updates on here as we get them. Feel free to call or text...but most importantly, Pray. Thank you to all for the support!