Our Life in a Week--Hogeye & Hospital

Before the race

His fans--Kolton (Josh's brother), Wayne (Josh's Dad), Terri (Josh's Mom), and of course Hudson & blankie :-) I was also a fan that was behind the camera

Last part of the race

Last Sunday, April 10th, Josh ran in the Hogeye Marathon. He had been training since October and was so ready to go out and give it his all. If you know Josh, giving his all doesn't just mean 100% but more like 150% or more. That is one of the many things that I love about him. He has so much heart that nothing will stop him. He will admit that he went out way too early and hard at the first of the marathon. His pace was faster than what he had been training at. At mile 18 he knew that he was in bad shape, but he kept going those last 8.2 miles. I can't even imagine the pain he was feeling at that time. He finished the race under 4 hours and didn't look very good afterwards. He could barely move/walk. His brother, Kolton, and I had to help him to the sidewalk. Everyone just thought he needed to drink more water and to rest. Hours went by and he still wasn't feeling good. Again, we just thought he needed fluids and sleep. He was able to eat a little bit but was just exhausted. The next morning, Josh got sick to his stomach but went ahead and drove to the shop/work. He came home within a couple of hours and got sick to his stomach again. At that point he said, "I need to go to the hospital". I took Hudson to my sister's house (thank you sis) and we went to Washington Regional. We both thought that he would get an IV and get some fluids in him---be home in a few hours. One of the nurses said that he would need more fluids so it was very likely that we would be spending the night. Josh told me to go get Hudson and go home. He didn't want us to have to stay with him.

At around 11:30pm on Monday night, Josh called me and said that things were worse than we had thought. I went into panic mode after we hung up. There were things the doctor told him that had us very scared. Josh's parents were on their way back to Arkansas after we told them we were going to the hospital. I am so thankful that they were on their way. They showed up at the house about 20 minutes after Josh called me. We were all so worried and just wanted to be with Josh. Josh's Dad & I went to the hospital while Terri (Josh's Mom) stayed at the house while Hudson was sleeping. On the way to the hospital, the doctor called my cell phone to explain what was happening with Josh. I was so scared when the doctor felt the need to call me. My Mom was already on her way so she could be with Hudson and Terri could come to the hospital. I cannot express my love or appreciation for Josh & I's families. They were so wonderful and supportive through all of this. They love us, their kids, so much and I am so happy that God gave me MY parents and MY in-laws.

During the early Tuesday hours, Josh was moved from the 4th floor down to ICU. Things were starting to sink in when they tell you things are moving fast and he needs to be in the ICU. Here is what happened to Josh's body. During the marathon his muscles starting "breaking down". We aren't sure if it started with dehydration but Josh truly feels that he was hydrated before the race. His condition was rhabdomyolysis. This is when the muscles break down and enzymes & toxins are released into the bloodstream. The normal count for these enzymes is 900 and Josh's was at one point 595,000. His kidneys just couldn't filter this amount and shutdown. So, the doctors said that he was in kidney failure and needed to get on dialysis. The kidney doctor said that the amount of kidney damage Josh incurred takes people months or years to develop and he did it in 48 hours. That was VERY scary to hear. I just kept wandering why I didn't make him go to the hospital on Sunday and how that could have helped him. There are so many details that I can't remember or have room to type. He had tests done on his gallbladder and his whole abdominal area. Thankfully, that all came back fine. We had so many visits from friends, family, and our church family. I cannot express how much we appreciated all the visits, cards, food from people. The first few days were a whirlwind and I still can't wrap my head around it all. I can say that God had his arms wrapped around Josh and our whole family. Without the faith that he gave me, I don't think I could have functioned all last week. He gave me a peace about the situation and I knew Josh was going to be okay. The kidney doctor was very encouraging and said that he feels Josh will make a 100% recovery. That was so wonderful to hear and Josh needed to hear it.

Josh was eventually moved from the ICU and to the 4th floor. We were happy to be out of the ICU. That was one step in the right direction. I have to brag about Washington Regional. Josh had the BEST doctors and nursing staff. They treated us like family and were so kind. They all took the time to answer any questions we had (trust me we had plenty :-). One of the nurses even got a gift for our soon-to-be baby boy and she called Josh at home to see how he was doing. I will never go anywhere else. I think I could be their spokeswoman :-)

Josh got to come home on Monday. He was ready to be back at home with me and Hudson. Hudson visited Daddy a couple of times in the hospital. He wasn't sure what was going on but he was a trooper. He loved being with grandparents all week. On Monday, the doctor said that his kidneys were only functioning at 5%. He did dialysis for 5 days (1 time a day) while he was in the hospital. His enzyme levels have gone down dramatically. They were in the low 3000's when he left. He will continue to do out-patient dialysis. We aren't certain how long he will have to do this. Our lives will adjust to this but that is okay. Each time he does dialysis it will last 3-4 hours at a time. We are all learning patience. I have learned/remembered some things during this past week.....

#1--God is Great. He is the ultimate Healer & Comforter

#2--I LOVE my husband. I still want cry when I think about what "could have" happened

#3--I forgot how much Josh helps me....When you have that person with you day after day and then they are not at the house you appreciate them so much more

#4--We have a wonderful family and support system. Our friends & church were so supportive and encouraging through all of this. We love all of them so much.

#5--Josh is my rock. He keeps me grounded and makes me want to be a better person.

#6--This isn't anything I needed reminded about but wanted to share--I am so happy that Hudson has Josh as his Daddy and that our new baby boy will be told how strong his Daddy truly is.

#7--Josh will NEVER run a marathon again..ha