Bethany
So, I've been up now since 4:30am and endured some pretty intense scenarios so far for one day. Now that Jake is calmed down and resting, and I have a comfortable couch to lay on, you can bet it's time for a nap! Alysa was sitting on the other couch hanging out and was awake incase Jake needed anything. Happiness…… finally some sleep! I had been sound asleep for a glorious 45 minutes. I was passed out, knocked out, and in full on sleep mode. Suddenly I get awoken by Jake yelling at me to "GET OUT NOW!" and Alysa saying "Beth get up now Jake wants us to leave."
You have GOT to be kidding me, were my exact thoughts, and most likely the words that came out of my mouth. As Alysa shoves me into the hallway I lose it. I was so upset. WHY am I in the hallway right now?! What is going on!? Alysa tells me to calm down, and 10 whole minutes later with no noise coming from Jakes room I begin to get worried. I crack the door open and before I can even begin to ask Jake if he is okay I get a loud and very upset response from Jake, "GET OUT NOW, I MEAN IT!!!" (for those of you who don't know Jake….. to raise his voice in this manner, especially towards me is VERY unusual.) Really Jake!??? At this point I was livid. I believe I went off on a rant for at least 20 minutes to poor Alysa. "Is he serious right now? What in the heck is he doing? I've been up with this kid since 5am. I came to the hospital with him, sat with him and encouraged him through everything INCLUDING projectile vomit all over our room and my shoes. I've done nothing but play charades with the doctors to communicate with them and been nothing but support to Jake through all this crap and THIS is how he is going to talk to me!? What in the heck is he even doing!? WHY AM I OUT IN THE HALLWAY RIGHT NOW!?" Guys, I think I had the nurses laughing because I was clearly so upset.
After 20 entire minutes of sitting out in the hall we finally see the nurses run to Jakes room. At this point I'm a worried wreck. What could possibly be going on??
Jake – Surprise! Part I
I felt an urge. An urge to go. It started small, but very quickly escalated to uncontrollable. I knew I had very little time to act, but I had a stomach pump and two IVs attached to me, all of which were connected to the wall. Feeling that I had no time to call the nurses to unwire me and help me to the bathroom, I got Alysa’s attention, telling her to get me a plastic bag that was near her, wake up Bethany, and get out. NOW. Completely unaware of what was taking place in my body, Alysa was slow to act and inquisitive about my apparently silly request. I kept prodding her on to get me the bag and get out. Eventually she got me the bag, but was trying to be very gentle with waking up Bethany. Almost exploding at this point, I shouted “Bethany! Get out! Get OUT!” Bethany had woken up, but still groggy, made no movement. I continued to yell at her and Alysa until Alysa realized that something was up and they needed to move fast. Once they finally left, I begun. I squatted on my bed, pulled down my pants, put the bag under me, and missed. Yup. I missed. The sheets on my bed now had diarrhea all over them, but I really didn’t care. The urge to go had disappeared, so in that sense I was plenty relieved. Judging by the relatively small amount that came out, I knew there was more to come, but I no longer had the urge. I collected myself and pulled up my pants just as Mama Nurse busted through the doors.
Jake – Surprise! Part II
The nurses came in and quickly realized what took place. First things first, I made sure that Alysa and Bethany stayed out of the room. I really didn’t want them in there until things were a bit more…….sanitary. The nurses did a splendid job of cleaning really, they didn’t even flinch. After they were done, Mama Nurse told me to call for nurses assistance next time. Soon after she left, the urge came back, probably around 5:00. This time I collectively called the nurses, who, probably understanding the circumstances, rushed into my room. However, they sure took their sweet time trying to unhook my stomach pump and put my IVs on the portable stand. As the urge again became extremely intense, I began to get short with them. I failed to communicate the urgency of the situation, and began to simply point and yell. “ME (pointing to myself). THERE (pointing at bathroom). NOW!” They didn’t seem to get it. I could see Alysa out in the hallway trying to tell me to calm down, and while I heard her, I disregarded her. Finally, she was able to convey to them that I needed to go and go right at that moment, and they picked up the pace tremendously. They led me to the bathroom and left. This time the floodgates opened. Most of what was in me was released within five minutes, seemingly endless amount of diarrhea. A huge release of pressure and feeling of relief swept over me – I was euphoric. From then on, I took several trips to the bathroom until late the next day. Unable to leave the hospital until A)I was approved to leave by the doctor and B)the insurance company confirmed that they would cover expenses, I spent the night. Finally I was in a state of peace; the cramps were gone, I was able to relax, and FINALLY I was able to eat (Which, very ironically, the meals they fed me were all rice). Yes, I slept like a baby that night.
Alysa
Bethany and I at this point were in the hall way, pissed! What did we do to him? I’ll tell you – nothing! Nothing but care for him and help him as much as we could, and here we are in the hall way getting no explanation as to why we had to suddenly leave.
Then it hit me: he’s pooping in the bag!!!!
At first I was grossed out but then I was like, hey if you got to go, you’ve got to go.
Bethany on the other hand was not happy, I can’t blame the poor girl, she had been there since 5:30am with little sleep and had to be rudely awakened by someone who had the urge to poop in a plastic bag! I tried to calm her down as best I could by telling her he’s been through a lot today. I don’t really know what she was thinking when I told her that but the look on her face told me she didn’t really care because she went through it all right next to him……. he shouldn’t have been that mean to us; I was feeling the same way too.
All of a sudden two nurses rushed into the room and now for the second time I got a waft of an 'oh so wonderful smell', yep….. poop. I start to hear Jake yelling at them. I look in and hear him say “ME, THERE, NOW!!!!!” The looks on the nurses faces were of confusion and bewilderment. Mama Nurse, being awesome, tried to calm him down with little to no success. The other nurse comes to the door and is trying to leave, clearly not wanting to deal with Jake, but I tell her calmly “no, he needs the toilet. Him to the toilet.” Her eyes go wide and she exclaimed “Oh!” and promptly turned around, shut the door, and to my best knowledge helped him to the bathroom.
Bethany
This entire escape literally could have been a scene out of a movie.
Bethany (Night of sleep)
I was so excited to have a nice place to sleep. After being upgraded to the VIP room from the "hole in the wall jail cell" that we were previously in, I was sure I was going to finally get a decent night sleep. Our other teammates who had been at home all day brought us some dinner, a change of clothes, and our toothbrush. Heaven I tell ya! Alysa took the couch on the other side of the room, and I took the half size couch next to Jakes bed. Jake was sound asleep, I had a clean pair of underwear on, I was about to get some sleep, and life was GOOD! I found myself waking up periodically through the night. I was in instant mom mode. I would open my eyes, sit up as fast as I could, figure out my bearings, and instantly see if Jake was okay. Each time he was fast asleep…. thank you Lord! Around 3 in the morning I wake with terrible body cramps. I'd been asleep on this half size couch that only half of my body could fit on for many hours now, and I needed to spread out. So, I march on over to Alysa's couch and push her over. Yep….. we spooned the rest of the night on a full size couch in a hospital in good ol' Thailand. I had to lay as still as I could….. any movement would push me off onto the floor. But hey, despite the terrible night sleep I got, Jake was finally asleep and resting and that was ALL that mattered to me at this point. We'd been through A LOT that day and watching him sound asleep was such a relief. (Yikes… I sound like a mother!)
Alysa
Okay so Bethany makes it sound like I was on a very comfortable big couch…..I only wish… folks I was not sleeping on a big comfy couch. Rather it was a bench. It was long, yes so thankfully I was able to spread out a bit. When Bethany did come to the "couch" to join me in the middle of the night she said "Move over…" to which I did because heck how she was sleeping on the half couch thing I didn't know. So let me tell you how we had to share it though. I had to turn on my left side so my face was plastered on the wall. Really, my whole body was up against the wall while Bethany was doing the same on the other side. Yep we spooned that night, but on the plus side we were both warm and toasty!
Jake – Joy in the Morning
The next morning was pretty uneventful. Between sleeping and making trips to the bathroom, not much else went on. The doctor came quick to tell me I was good to go, but we were still unable to get in contact with the insurance company, so we were unable to leave the room. At this point, it wasn’t a big deal to me; the hospital bed was much more comfortable than my sleeping pad, and the room was air conditioned.
Jacob – 1:00
So I came to the hospital to relieve the girls of their duties and allow them to go get some cheeseburgers. Our friend Mark came with me and we were all just hanging out and talking in Jake's fancy new hospital room. Then Jake felt that fun urge to "go". He was a professional at this point, calling the nurses and even explaining to them what to do in a calm and confident manner. He made his way into the restroom and was in there for a decent chunk of time. Then…. in came Momma nurse, walking with a purpose, she didn't even seem to acknowledge Mark or myself. She waltzed straight into the bathroom saying "sorry, sorry, sorry…" as Jake was mid-wipe (as he tells me). Jake made a few nonchalant comments asking her to leave, but he was used to this by now. Then, in her broken English, she said "Okay. I take out tube now?" and all I heard from Jake was "uhhhh…" Then she proceeded to count "One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine etc." Then she came out, tube in hand and left. Jake walked out with his IV, called the nurses and got back in bed like nothing had happened. Mark and I were in awe of the weirdness that just took place. But Jake didn't even think twice about it.
Alysa
I think I can speak for Bethany and myself that once we stepped out of that hospital for the first time we both could have yelled at the top of our lungs “FREEDOM!!!” I pretty much wanted to but resisted the urge. We were only gone for 45 minutes and returned but still thankful for the time in the sun!
Bethany 4:00
Anna and Alli, our two other teammates volunteered to let us go back and rest the rest of the night while they stayed with Jake. Basically it was just a waiting game for the Insurance offices to open up in America with the time difference. Once it was morning in America and the offices were open, we were able to get the insurance stuff figured out and Jake released into freedom.
Alysa
Finally being able to leave the hospital and not come back for a few hours was a blessing. Bethany and I were able to shower, since we hadn’t in two days, get food, and just chill in a new environment. Yep it was a breath of fresh air, literally.
Jake – Final Hours
Finally, around 6:15, we were able to leave. I made it back to Famous Ray’s, showered, and prepared to eat actual food at Casa Mia (our favorite restaurant). We jumped on the bikes and headed out around 7:00. On the way we bumped into Alysa and Bethany, on their way back to the hospital. They seemed rather excited to find out that I was out of the hospital.
Alysa
Really Jake; we seemed excited?? Of course we were! We were over filled with joy, confusion and excitement! Namely I must admit I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn’t just imagining things. Finally our Jake was free from the hospital and I was so very thankful that he was. I could tell he was too. Happy, happy, joy, joy! PTL!
Bethany
When I saw Jake in normal clothes and all showered up I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm 100% sure that I tackled him. I was elated.
Jake – Last Thoughts
Stay hydrated on the race. All of this most likely could have been avoided by drinking plenty of water, which since then I have been doing (Even though for the rest of the time in Thailand and all the way through Cambodia I had unceasing constipation regardless of what I did – it happens). You don’t want to go through this experience, not to mention it can put a little dent in your budget (Let’s just say my deductible is paid up). However – if you find yourself in a similar situation, try your best to laugh whenever appropriate. You have to have fun when you can; it’s the World Race.
Alysa
Yes, Jake learned a valuable lesson those two days…or at least I hope he did. I’ll have to keep you posted…but the lesson he learned is that H2O is your best friend. Not going to lie there were times when I was pissed, annoyed, ready to cry, filled with random fits of laughter, but so very thankful that it didn’t escalate any more than it did. Yep we burst any bubble that remained in our relationship with each other those 48 hours! Jake just letting you know……. you were a champ! To this I must end, you can bet we will be able to tell this story well into our old age…
Bethany
I'll never forget those unforgettable 48 hours in the Thailand hospital with my Jakey (yeah yeah yeah, I call him my Jakey). It was an experience that pushed me to my limits, and stretched me in ways I never thought would be stretched on The World Race! When I walked out of the hospital the second day, I felt like I could conquer anything! I mean…. Look what we just survived…. together! Not only did Alysa, Jake, and myself create a bond that can never be broken….. but I found myself having a new found love for the both of them that only this experience could have given me. Here we were, three young kids away from our families on the other side of the world, enduring language barriers, medical tests, insurance policies, and handling each and every situation the best we knew how…….with lots of laughter and LOTS of Jesus!
