17-year-old Jared Shamburger from Houston, Texas, ended up in the hospital for five days with a potentially deadly illness after a strenuous workout.

ABC 13

After a 90-minute weightlifting session, Jared shared that he felt “super-duper sore.” The Clear Lake student said, “Everything hurt. It hurt to the touch. I was swollen.”

Jared only recently applied for a gym membership so he could join his older brother and father—both of whom have been lifting for years.

ABC 13

“I gotta catch up to them and get as big as them,” Jared said. “I have to go hard fast.”

Despite taking some time to rest, Jared was still sore and swelling.

Jared’s mother, Judy, researched his symptoms online. She said she knows that “sometimes going on WebMD can do more harm than good, but this time it paid off.”

“The mama bear in me kind of took over and I called the pediatrician and said, ‘I really think my son has rhabdo,'” Judy said.

Jared was hospitalized for five days with rhabdomyolysis, which can be caused by many things including injury, infection, and even intense workouts.

Shape

Rhabdomyolysis is potentially life-threatening, and causes a breakdown of muscle tissue. This illness releases damaging proteins into the blood, possibly damaging the kidneys. In extreme cases, it can also cause death.

Thankfully, Jared is expected to make a full recovery. He says he plans to get back to the gym soon, but his family hopes others will be aware of this illness.

ABC 13

Judy shared, “If he hadn’t caught it, if he hadn’t told me, if we had just gone out of town about our way, I can’t even imagine. And I don’t want to, about what could have happened.”

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