John Lingenfelter update

[Mister HP]

Moderators - I know this isn't the correct forum for this topic, but I want everybody to be able to see this so please let it stay.

Members - Please follow this link for an update on John's condition.
http://www.lingenfelter.com/JLStatus.asp

I would like to thank you all for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Ed

 

[Tom and Vipers]

I sure would like to know the details of what happened during the 2nd operation. What drug, what is this "semi-comatose" state, and so forth.

I really am disappointed in doctors. Their schooling is almost with pharmcos in mind.

People don't realize the risk of anesthesia and nerve damage in operations. A simple operation can result in a nerve being nicked or severed and you could have terrible troubles for the rest of your life - especially anything regarding your digestive tract.

How many times does a good mechanic make a mistake and screw something up? It happens. And so it is with doctors.

Whatever did happen, you only hear what they tell you. Obviously, they don't confess if a foulup was made.

Anyhow, I never met John, however I believe he is the NUMBER ONE tuner in the USA. Period. End of story.

I sure hope he fully recovers.

Tom

PS. I went to the web site and could find no info regarding his condition, especially this last update.

 

[GTS Bruce]

Heart stopped.Blood and O2 flow to the brain stopped.A First time use major drug alergic reaction is not possible to predict.Sounds like the restart didn't happen soon enough.I'd rather be dead.I'm sure he and all of you would rather be dead than a vegetable.Let us hope and pray for a quick and full recovery or a quick and easy passing.Let us all go easy in our sleep.Drop dead and be gone before we hit the ground.Go out in a blaze doing someting we love.But please let us not get trapped in a functiong body with a vegetable brain or an alert mind in a prison cell of a body.My thoughts.I hope I haven't offended. GTS Bruce

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Yup, Dale Earnhart all the way...

 

[SUN RA KAT]

My prayers go out to John.

 

[Greg Good Cylinder Heads]

This is very sad news. All of us here that are so inclined must keep him in our prayers.

Greg Good

 

[SW]

I have been following this very closely since John is a friend. I haven't given up hope yet, but I'm really pi.. off at the so called "doctors". What a waste. I remember talking to John the week of the race, joking with him to keep all four wheels on the ground. He was at the shop dynoing one of the race motors and said it made too much power and he was going to have to turn it down to keep it together. We both laughed. Those of you that know me, know I live and breathe fast cars of all types. John didn't care who built what, he was always on a quest for making anything fast. I can't tell you how many times I've called him late at the house on my way back from the track, to give him a report. We always joked with each other about how we were going to kick each others butt at the track, man I sure miss just picking up the phone and talking to him...This *****..

SW

 

[DJ Self]

Guys if u belive in GOD .....keep praying and belive that the best thing will happen for John. What ever that my be GOD knows best..........but for me I sure hope he wakes up. I miss callin him every day and buggin him about my car.lol
John L. is such a good man/tuner and friend. My prayers are with him.

 

[Joseph Houss]

Our sincere prayers go out to John and his family.

 

[treynor]

This news brings tears to my eyes. The website is short on details, but reading between the lines I tend to agree with GTS Bruce's interpretation. I hope I'm wrong.

There is further information at http://www.nhrasportcompact.com/2002/news/lingenfelter.html ; the fact that they say (on the Dec 2 update) that his blood pressure and O2 sat was preserved during the cardiac incident is puzzling given the outcome. I'm now not as sure what to think of his condition.

 

[Doug Supercharged Vipers]

I can't tell you how difficult this is to accept with such a poor outcome when things we thought were going so well for John. We know very well the risks associated with the administration of drugs/anesthesia and surgery in common but I'm in a state of disarray as to why indeed he suffered the ill-effects that he did with a medical team on staff? I'm not insinuating wrongdoing on any party, just the available details are just TOO vague to hypothesize about his prognosis.

Hopefully soon we'll have more information so we won't prognosticate what went terribly wrong.

Please keep us abreast with details as they come in, thanks.

- Doug Levin

 

[Fastlane]

We also want to send our prayers out to John and his family. John is a stand up guy and an example for everyone in "the business."

 

[J DAWG]

Obviously, the main focus of this topic is John and updating his condition. I wish him and his family God's grace and hopefully he will recover.


However, I did read the article as most did and I think it is premature to place blame on the medical staff. I was not there but, I am involved in similar situations everytime I step in the hospital. To know how a pt will react to any med, we gain as much info. from that pt, family, or past med. hx. It is impossible to be 100% sure of anyone's reaction to any med or even an operation and that is explained in advance. As much as everyone tries to use the surgeon/mechanic analogy it is pathetic at best. Each have their place. But there is a world of difference. Who do you think parents with children suffering from cancers or people with congestive heart failure turn to. They expect the med. staff to heal and cure, because when you are dealing with life there are not many second chances. We are human as well. I also can guarantee you that the med. staff feels horrible about what has occured and those are feelings one doesn't have the luxury of checking at the door when they leave the hospital.


I continue to pray for John and the med. staff


No offense intended, just trying to inform.

 

[bad viper]

I'm no physican to be sure but.....If John was operated on previously and a certain anesthesia was administered with no adverse effect THEN WHY TRY SOMETHING HE HAS NO TRACK RECORD WITH???? The same type of operation i.e. a re-do so the same duration of anesthesia..
WHAT AM I MISSING HERE???? Some informed, educated Doctor please explain.....

 

[RedGTS]

Where did you get the idea that they used something different the second time around?

 

[bad viper]

Supposedly he had an allergic reaction.If that was the case wouldn't he have had an allergic reaction the first time a drug was used? If you are allergic to something ....aren't you allergic every time it comes in contact with you???????

 

[RedGTS]

I'm no physician either, but my understanding is no. In fact, in the case of some things that cause allergic reactions, the first time sensitizes you, and it is the second or later time that really gets you. Bee stings are a good example of this phenomenon. So even if they did use a different drug the second time, I wouldn't find that unusual. Reactions like that are rare to any anesthetic or preparatory drug, and I'm not sure it would be higher just because you used a different drug.

 

[treynor]

My wife speculated that it might have been malignant hyperthermia, which is a rare idiosyncratic reaction to specific anaesthesia medications. It cannot currently be predicted ahead of time, and it's catastrophic when it happens

 

[Jerome Sparich]

Did he not have the surgerys in 2 different hospitals???

Edit: spelling

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Usually an allergic reaction is found when the drug is administered.

However, allergists test for allergic reactions all the time w/o endangering a patient.

I would not be surprised that sensitivity could have been determined but is never done because of the rarety of the reaction.

Further, this testing could be not covered with health insurance.

Doctors give antibiotics w/o any testing to see if they will be effective. For some reason, there is no real concern about burning out a patients immune system with the use of the wrong antibiotics.