Chillin with Kelly

So as I sit here in the hospital with Kelly waiting for his body to heal I have decided to chronicle this insane event. Here goes.....

Thursday night we were visiting the Curlee's and were chasing Cam around outside. I was with Cam but heard Sister Curlee say to Kelly "did ya get bit or something?" He must have, but just ignored it. 10 minutes later Kelly was on the porch with Brother Curlee while I was in the back with Cam and Sister Curlee. Apparently he started rubbing his leg where he got stung or bit and told Bro. Curlee he was sick, that he felt "empty" and he went looking for me. I came around the front of the house and Bro. Curlee said something was wrong with Kelly.
Just then Kelly came from the other side of the house, pale, sweaty and slurring his speech a little, he said he didn't feel well and he looked scared. I asked him if we needed the hospital, he said yes and headed for the van. Sis. Curlee kept Cam and I was off to the van with Kelly. He laid the front seat back and I asked what was wrong. He said he didn't know, but he felt really weak and dizzy. At the stop sign half a mile down the road he said his vision was getting blurry, he was getting worse and I called 911 and headed for the fire department 3 minutes away. While I was on the phone Kelly said "now I can't see anything" his voice was weak and his speech was very slurred.

I flew to the fire department as fast as I could, and ran inside for help. By the time I got back to the van 30 seconds later, Kelly was barely conscious, moaning only when I yelled at him and struggling to breathe. I was able to open his airway and the medic behind me tried to get Kelly to respond. He went for a stretcher and equipment and help. By the time they got back, Kelly was completely unconscious. The ER nurse in me began shouting orders such as, "he needs to be intubated now!" "get him out of this car!" "do you need me to start a line?" all the while holding his chin forward so his airway stayed open. His breathing had stopped and in 10 seconds they had him out of the car and onto the stretcher in the parking lot (those medics are so strong! one guy grabbed him around the chest and threw him on that stretcher) they started breathing for him with a bag and mask and I kept his airway open. I could feel him slipping away and just kept praying that he would live. It is so awful to know that you are doing everything you can and it doesn't seem to be working. All this time the inner nurse stayed strong and I was not freaking out. (He had not been breathing on his own for about 5 minutes)
I had mentioned the possible allergic reaction (there was no swelling or bug bite on his leg) and one medic got an IV started while another gave Kelly some Epinephrine. As they were preparing to intubate (put a tube in his lungs to keep his airway open and breathe for him) they checked for a gag reflex, Kelly had one, and then he started to moan again a little. That meant we did not need to intubate, we could just assist his breathing like we had been. He had a blood pressure of 80/30 so the medics got fluids going through the IV. His oxygen level stayed great and his heart rate was okay. The county paramedics showed up and loaded him onto the ambulance and Kelly began breathing on his own and was able to say "it is really hard to breathe". I told him I was there and I loved him and then I opted to follow the ambulance. I called Amber, scared the crap out of her, I just told her Kelly was on the way to the hospital, I couldn't explain at that time and could she go get Cameron from the Curlee's. Of course I was trying not to cry at this point and totally freaked her out. But Amber is a girl like me and in stressful situations she acts first, does what needs to be done and asks questions later.

(As a side note, Cameron was in heaven with the Curlee's and Brother Curlee informed me that Cam became familiar with the electric fence.....if I want to keep him out of things just get one. Poor kid, but totally expected from my curious little monkey.)

On the way to the hospital I called Matt Denison, one of our awesome friends, and he said he would meet me at the hospital to give Kelly a blessing. He was so calm and willing to help, it really helped to put me at ease. Then I called my mom and had her start praying and asked her to call Kelly's parents. Then I prayed the rest of the way there that he would pull out of this.

Back to Kelly, on the way to the hospital the medics gave him a steroid to help with the reaction and he was able to to tell them his name, where he was and that he no longer felt like he was going to die. (Awesome!) I called ahead and, luckily, old friends and colleagues were working. They let me in the back door and I met Kelly as he was being put in the room. He smiled at me but still looked like crap. When they sat him up his blood pressure dropped and his heart rate dropped, so we laid his head down and put his feet up and I bit my lip so as not to give any more orders. Kelly stayed conscious, but his voice sounded muffled and he slurred his speech a little still. They gave him more medicine, a second dose of epinephrine (still no freaking bug bite or swelling on his leg!) and his BP came up, but his heart rate stayed in the 40's and 50's (we want a minimum of 60). After the doctor had finished and they were just watching to see if his heart rate would come up, I went and got Matt and Stan Johnson (another amazing friend) out of the waiting room to give a blessing.


Now, I am generally one who likes to keep blessings private, but I asked Matt and Stan if they cared if anyone was in the room, they said "of course not" and looked at me like I was stupid. I marched them into that ER room and waited until there were only three people left other than us. (There had been around ten people in there) They chatted with Kelly for a minute and then administered to him. I could barely hear them over the people that came back into the room talking loud, discussing treatments and I was so busy watching the heart monitor that I don't know what was said in the blessing. But I watched the monitor throughout the blessing and saw the heart rate steadily climb from 48 to 70 by the time they finished. What an awesome thing the power of the priesthood is!
After that things calmed down, Kelly was able to sit up a little, he kept a good blood pressure and heart rate and it was time to wait for blood work results. Kelly did get a long breathing treatment to help open up his lungs a little and make breathing easier. They had constricted as part of the allergic reaction.

When we first came in the doctor had been saying that Kelly would need to be watched for at least 3 hours and then go home with an epi pen. I was a TOUCH nervous about that idea. I quietly mentioned to the physician's assistant (an old friend) that I really wanted him admitted because of how quickly he had deteriorated. He was awesome and let the doctor know, but she did not need my prompting, that "gut instinct" we are all blessed with told her to keep him over night for observation at least.

I called Amber's mom, Marilee to come sit with Kelly while I ran home and changed clothes and got a bite to eat. (I was about ready to pass out, I wanted to puke and cry, and I needed a time out). I called her because I knew she would be a vigilant watch woman, and not worry about getting help if something was wrong. I totally trust the nurses and docs in the ER, but every second counts and I did not want Kelly to be alone. So she came, watched the monitor, listened when the doctor came in and gave me a good report when I got back.

Meanwhile I went home, freaked for a second, packed some stuff and had a couple Otter Pops. I knew they wouldn't make me sick, and then headed back.

While I was gone, Kelly's lab results had come back and he had a very low potassium level. Potassium is an electrolyte in your blood that helps to keep your heart beating. It is easy to correct a low potassium level, it just takes a while. They had also decided to admit him at that point and they told me his blood sugar and kidney function markers were elevated. Your blood sugar can be high when you get steroids (Kelly got them for the reaction) but the potassium and kidney markers have nothing to do with allergic reactions.

Kelly was moved to room 573 (which is nicer than a birthing suite, it had a bench for me to sleep on, and a recliner!) which is on the unit that is the next level down from ICU so they could monitor him closely. Incidentally when we got upstairs a TINY bump had formed on Kelly's leg. So something for sure did bite or sting him, most likely a yellow jacket.

We finally got to sleep about one AM, then he had labs at 3 AM and a history and physical at 5AM and then the doctor made rounds at 73oAM. (I love how well rested you get when you are sick in the hospital). The doctor let us know that Kelly's phosphate level was dangerously low (a negative result of that is the heart not beating), and that he would have to stay while he got an infusion over 6 hours and then a recheck of the blood. So after 9 more hours the results were in and while his levels were coming up, he was still too low to be sent home and he needed another infusion.

So here I sit with a husband high on benadryl, listening to his pumps work their magic.
Jac is with her mom and grandma in Utah, Ryan is with my mom and sister in Idaho and Cam is with his other mom and brother from another mother (Amber and Rexlee).

As I sit here and go over things again and again, I see so many blessings! I am so grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me and my family. No matter what had happened I knew it would work out. I am so thankful that I have been given the sight to see the blessings first and the trial as a way for those blessings to be delivered.

I am so thankful for our family and ward family and co-workers who have rallied around us and offered so much support.

This is a very stressful time, but I am feeling so much peace. I am worried, but under it all, I know it will work out.

Thanks to everyone for all you have done to help!
Jaimee