Wiersma Family Blog

WIERSMA FAMILY BLOG
A glimpse into our lives as a family with micro-preemies. Our twins boys (Lovingly referred to as our Miracle Men) were born almost 16 weeks early.

Our journey continues when our son Max was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 3. This is his story....


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A day of changes

I am elated to report that Kate and the boys had a good day today. After two rounds with the contraction monitor, I am happy to report that Kate won both of them. The nurses didn't think there was a contraction on either of the "strips" as they are called (the contraction monitoring machine prints the results on a type of graph paper...very old school). What an amazing answer to prayers. This past weekend sees like a distant memory, and I think Kate could handle bed rest for months without TV or any other form of entertainment if you told her every day would be like the last two. We are a bit anxious because the doctors have taken Kate of the Mag, and that goofy bag of clear liquid has us both convinced that there is no other way to stop Kate's contractions and keep them away. We were both surprised that they chose to take this course of action, but after a few questions we found out that they do not want to keep her on the mag because if it is already built up in her blood stream and the contractions return, there will be very little they can do. After 24 hours, the drug will have worked out of her system and it could again be used as a treatment option. The upside is that Kate is "IV free' right now, which gives her more freedom to get up to use the bathroom, take a shower without being wrapped in saran wrap, and gives me more sleep...win/win in my mind. The doctors are again using a drug called Procardia, but Kate has had mixed results on this drug and we are a little uneasy about its ability to keep the contractions away. The one thing we are sure of is God's ability to keep the contractions away, via medication or by way of his Might Hand. One other change is that Kate is again being given blood thinning medicine via an injection twice a day to keep from getting blood clots in her legs due to inactivity. They started this treatment on Friday of last week, but they stopped giving her the shots because she was in labor and the doctors think C-section is the likely from of delivery, and apparently blood thinners and surgery do not mix well. So she had these really neat inflatable leg warmer things complete with an air compressor on the end of her bed. As cool as they were, they made getting in and out of bed even more cumbersome, so my mourning there loss will be short lived. All of these changes led up to Kate being "disconnected" from all devices, so sleep should come easier for both of us now. I will miss the intermittent hum of the air compressor, however.

I was able to get a full day of work in today, which was great. We are so thankful for two relatively uneventful days in a row. We are almost wondering what we did to deserve such a luxury, but we will bless God for these days every chance we get.

For those of you who were wondering, the Aerobed slept like a dream. My only struggle with it is the lack of space along side the bed (about 3 inches total between Kate's bed and the wall), so I have to perform this awkward "caterpillar" type move down to the bottom of the bed to get in and out...but it is well worth it. I am pretty sure the nurses that saw me performing the move last night got a good laugh out of it.

We found out this morning that Kate has gestational diabetes. When they told Kate that she had tested positive, her response was, "of course I did...why wouldn't I". She is used to getting her blood drawn every 6 hours, so a little finger prick doesn't offer too much inconvenience. The real inconvenience comes in looking at all the delicious candy and home-made delicacies laying around the hospital room. A few minutes after they told Kate that she had tested positive and discussed with her the changes she will need to make to her diet...the worst possible thing happened - our friends Leah Geenen and her mom Sue Timmer came in with 2-dozen fresh baked cookies. These are not just any cookies...they are Cafe 58 cookies. For those of you who don't know, Cafe 58 is an amazing restaurant (operated by Leah and her mom) in the old Zeeland Hospital, and their cookies are out of sight. Seriously, if you have not had one, make a special trip. You will be a better person for it. Then, about 2 hours later Kathy and Brian Busscher stopped by with fresh made scotch-a-roos, another one of Kate's favorites. It was almost enough to put today in the "bad day" category...for her, anyway. I was able to sample both and this has been one of the best days of my life!!

11 comments:

  1. What wonderful news!! We will continue to pray that things remain this way.
    This is a reminder to us all that God is listening.
    Love you guys!!
    Stacy & Geoff

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  2. So glad to hear the news! Thanks again for keeping us updated! The prayers will continue.

    Joel and Sarah

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  3. Kate! I'm SO sorry! You know if I had known earlier, I would have devised a way to make Cafe 58 cookies without sugar! When those babies come MANY weeks from now, we'll make you another whole batch. For now, just give them to your nurses so you can become the floor favorite. Mark, good job on the blog! I'll come back out there soon and help you make it a little "cuter." :) We will keep praying for you guys, especially that you can both get some good rest. We will pray that the contractions stay away, even without the mag! The faith that you two have through this all is such an awesome testimony.

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  4. Hey..I'll come and stop and get those Cafe 58 cookies off your hands...those are the best! Praising God with you for an uneventful day! God is good! And Mark...you are an impressive writer and I love reading your updates!

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  5. Praise God from who all blessings flow!!! I'm thrilled to hear you had some peace in mind, body, and spirit today! We pray there are many more days like this one to come! Mark, you know it is your duty now to gobble up anything Kate can't eat to ease the temptation, right? Hehe We are still on your knees for you all!
    Brad and Lindsey

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  6. God is good, all the time, God is good. So glad you guys had two wonderful days, besides the baked goods, Sorry Kate that really stinks. We will be praying for many more days just like this from here on out! And Mark, I need to agree with Kelly above when she says you are an amazing writer. I am blown away and want you to know that you bring tears to my eyes. Theses past couple days I have been checking in with your blog numerous times praying for an update. And when there is, I get so excited, number one b/c I can't wait to hear what the Lord has done and number two to read your writing. It is amazing and I want you to know that it has touched many people. Keep going b/c you will never regret having this! Line from a song I heard and love tonight.. "My hands are holding you"

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  7. AWESOME news mark and kate!! I remember those bedrest days when they unhooked me from the IV and monitor for a while! what an awesome feeling!! thinkin about you guys, and of course lifting you up in prayer!
    Rachel and Bill DeYoung

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  8. Hi guys! Awesome news!!! I don't know of anyone who has handled having gestational diabetes like it's nothing more than the hiccups... Kate, you're a super-mom already!!!:)

    Praying!
    Jason, Mary & Bella

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  9. Kate and Mark,
    I am a friend of Sarah VanderVeen's. I have twin daughters, who happen to be in Brady's class, and they were born at 26 weeks. I was on bed rest for 4 weeks until I had my two precious angels. When Sarah passed your story along to me I just had to send say hello. I remember those boring days on bedrest, the uncertainty of the situation, and the constant prayer that God would just keep granting my babies one more day in my tummy. Watching Alana and Makayla grow is amazing and it is with the upmost conviction I can say, God is good!! They spent 2 months in NICU and they are absolutely gorgeous and perfect (ask Sarah:). I am so happy to hear that you have hung on past 24 weeks. I can't wait every day to see if you have made it another day. I pray every day that God will continue to watch over you. Hope in the Lord always, His grace abounds. Melanie Lyons

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  10. I havent met you guys yet, but live in your neighborhood. I just wanted to let you know we are praying for you and I am constantly thinking of you. Praying for more days like this, and that those boys will hold out longer for you. Thanks for the updates. So happy to hear things were "uneventful" the last couple days. God Bless-Ryan and Megan DeVries

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  11. Kate & Mark, I couldn't help but reflect on how this blog has brought so many people together, to encourage, to learn, to grow in our love for our great God and for one another. Rejoicing in how God has brought you thus far on your journey and continuing to pray that He will sustain you and your precious boys yet another day. For many of us, this has been a journey that we are traveling right along with you. We have wept tears of anxiety, tears of joy, and tears of thankfulness....Blessings to you all & sweet dreams! Love Aunt Allie, Uncle Bob and family

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