Former Flatline guitarist Randy Weitzel recently underwent emergency surgery. His wife gave The Metal Den an update on his condition: Randy and I want to thank everyone for all of their thoughts, prayers, meditations, emails, facebook messages, texts, calls, card and flowers. The outpouring of love that came to both of us during this scary time was amazing and we will be forever grateful. First and foremost, know that he is doing well, healing, recovering and really looking forward to getting back into the studio soon to record Three Thirteen's FULL TILT. His sessions were postponed because of this crisis, and I know that getting back to work on the album is going to be the best healing therapy he could have. He had a closer call than any of us originally thought. What began as merely a sore throat, turned, within hours to a life-threatening situation involving emergency surgery and a few days in ICU. The amazing doctor who ultimately saved his life, told Randy and I that we basically experienced "the perfect storm." All minor situations came together to form a major one.
Randy somehow contracted a bacterial infection that attacked his throat and vocal chords. The infection attacked him so rapidly and was taking over so quickly that the pain became excruciating, indicating a more severe problem than we originally thought. Emergency room doctors were unable to alleviate any pain (even with 2 morphine doses back to back) or reduce what appeared to be swelling in his throat and around his voice box. An Ear, Nose and Throat specialist and an anesthesiologist were called in and Randy was subsequently rushed into emergency surgery. Adding to the severity of the situation was that his epiglottis (which acts as a flap valve in the throat, protecting the airway when people swallow) is shaped like an omega sign (or a horseshoe), rather than the normal flat shape, and was rapidly swelling and cutting off his oxygen. By the time he was in the OR he was unable to talk. I'll spare you the gory details, but they told us he was about 2 minutes away from dying, and they were preparing to give him a tracheostomy had the intubation not worked on the first try. - read more here
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