Just got update on Scott. Kidney and liver both failed. Family all on the way to France now. In very serious condition and Dr. is worried about it having affected his brain. Keep a fellow triathlete in your prayers.

Oh man....when I first saw the post, I thought he may have lost control of the bike and went into a ravine, as this would be really easy to do.

The Promenade is scorching hot.....much hotter than Kona due to the intensity of the sun reflecting off the beach, and all the buildings. On the kidney failure front, I hope there was no ibuprofen used as part of the race day pain management strategy....I've heard of pretty bad things happening when dehydration, low sodium and NSAIDs being used at once. On the IM France course it is really easy to get very dehydrated on the long climbs because it takes almost 1 hour between a couple of aid stations and you're profusely sweating riding at barely 15 kph with no air flow and scorching sun radiating at you as you pass above the tree line.

Please pass on my best to him and family. Ironman is just a game and challenge for most of us.....we don't want to put ourselves in any danger and I hope this is all temporary and comes back and makes a full recovery.

sincerely

Dev

Thoughts and prayers.

Here is the update from Scott Thompson's brother...

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers for Scott and his family.

My Mom and I landed in Nice at 5:20pm local time. Ulya met us at the airport and took us straight to the hospital.

Scott is still in critical condition in a medically induced coma. His kidneys are working, but they are very concerned about his liver. He is currently considered "stable", but if his liver does not improve (or declines) they will place him on the high priority list for a liver transplant. He was transferred to this hospital in Nice due to their expertise in liver transplants. Because of the urgency of his condition, he will be placed at the top of the liver wait list for France. They believe he would have a liver within 48 hours.

There are a number of issues related to his failing liver. The one that seems to have them most concerned is that a symptom of liver failure is more brain swelling. He has already suffered some brain swelling due to the heat stroke, so they are very concerned about additional swelling.

We are meeting with the doctors tomorrow at 1:00pm to discuss his care in greater detail. Its a little challenging in that the doctors and nurses speak very little english.

I've been in contact with the Army. The are prepared to medivac Scott to a military hospital in Germany as soon as he is safe to move.

I've also been in contact with the local Bishop. They have been very helpful. Ulya, my Mom, and I will stay with them for the next week.

Please keep Scott, Ulya, and their family in your prayers.

Thank you very much for the update. There are plenty of folks on here who speak french very well if any of you need assistance with translation etc.

I am glad he is at the top of the list for a potential liver transplant. We do this sport for fun and no one wants to hear about this type of stuff happening to a fellow athlete. This sport is certainly not without risk. Thanks for the reality check!

All the best!

Dev

fastinnerhtml!

that is horrible.I hope and pray he recovers.I was there too,and it was indeed hot.not just the run,but beginning with the bike.usually,in an ironman,one can drink a little extra during the bike leg,ahead of the run.but in nice,with all the climbing,it's easy to get dehydrated already during the bike.

FYI, I got pretty dehydrated last year on the climbs at Nice and only realized once I started the descents that it was impossible to rehydrate. Did some damage to my large intestine that I am still dealing with a year later. That course is really bad if you don't know that you have to do all your nutrition on the uphills....very easy to arrive at T2 completely dehydrated. I was literally cooked on the bike from the sun too (using the aero helmet compounded the problem as there is very little airflow climbing at 15-20 kph) and then used an entire bottle of SPF50 to make it through the run. Zero shade on the run course

Anyway, prayers for Scott. Not a good place to be. I was going to write an article about how to ride and fuel on that bike course, but ran out of time. I'll make sure I do this for next year. Even if it helps the race of one person it is a good thing.

Sorry to hear about Scott and wish him well. I just got back from IMF and this was my first full IM. I really dont have any other reference points but many say it was hotter than last year and that may have contributed to the number of people (20%+ DNF) who appeared to be in trouble. At some points in the run there were medical triage setup with people laying around in what shade they could find (light poles) but more shade at the Airport turn around where there were some trees. Many people in this area just laying in the shade in the grass. Was very tempting.

No need to hijack the thread but hope Scott gets the needed attention and I am confident that the very capable French Medical staff will do all they can for him. Great Country and People.

Here's a quick update I received from a friend stationed in Germany that knows the family well:

Dustin Miner
Update on Scott Thompson;

On Sunday while competing in the Nice Ironman Scott collapsed around mile 20 of the run portion. His temp. was 43-44 c (110 f) his kidneys and liver shut down. He has been in a medically induced coma and on Life support since sunday. I believe on Tuesday they moved him to a better facility (comparable to landstuhl) also sometime around then his kidneys stated working. As of 30 Jun at 2200 his liver has started regenerating and currently sits at 34%. With all of the treatment he has been given he has developed an infection in his lungs, however the doctors say it is pretty common given the treatment he has had and have given him antibiotics to treat it. The level brain damage is still unknown. He is still in critical condition, however things have been getting better.

update on the Family;

Ulya, Scotts brother and Scotts mother are currently in Nice staying with the local bishop. They have translators from the church and the american consulate if needed. Their van to get to and from the hospital as needed. The kids are with Ulyas mom at home in Germany. All of the programs the church and army have are in place and functioning. The have dinners coming in at least through next Saturday, vouchers to use at the commissary, the kids have unlimited access to cys, school programs, library, pool, and just about everything else here at Garmisch. They are in touch with the consulate in Nice and receive updates on Scott from them. Also here on Garmisch there is a retired french general who has the doctors cell phone numbers and can make things happen if needs be.

The family is very appreciative of all the help they have received. Make Scott and his family part of your prayers and your fast on Sunday.

As I get updates I will pass them along, and if you hear anything keep me updated.

Miner

Will you please tell Ulya we are thinking of her and Scott and their kids. We are so sad to hear what happened to Scott and we are praying for them along with so many of their friends here in Spanish Fork. Please tell them we love them.

Thank you so much

Judd, Heidi, Afton, and Lucy Messenger

Hi - I belive Scott's family is reading this board and appreciate the words and prayers. Here is the update as of yesterday from Scott's brother Steve:

Hello,

We are only able to see Scott during visiting hours that are scheduled twice per day from 1:00pm to 3:00pm and 6:00pm to 8:00pm. The primary issues continue to be related to his kidneys, liver, and lungs.

Kidneys: Scott's kidneys had improved and were working well on Thursday. By end of day Friday it appears that the kidneys are struggling again. His urine production has dropped significantly and for the first time the doctors are suggesting that he may need kidney dialysis.

Liver: There was no change to the condition of his liver by end of day Friday. If a healthy liver is at 100%, Scott is at 34%.

Lungs: As noted in my last update, Scott has ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome) - basically a bacterial infection in the lungs. If I understand correctly, a normal healthy person (you or me walking down the street) requires oxygen levels at 21%. By end of day Thursday Scott's required oxygen levels were 100%. We really needed to see a reduction in the amount of oxygen he required. Scott's oxygen level had dropped to 70 by the time of our first visit on Friday which was good news. By the conclusion of our final visit on Friday the oxygen level had dropped to 66. So it seems that his lungs are healing.

The doctors continue to be very cautious. His condition is still very critical. We are all hoping that there will be significant progress by Monday. The doctors have told us that his progress over the next couple of days is critical. Please continue to pray for Scott and his family. We need to see marked improvement with lungs, kidneys, and liver by Monday.

Special thanks to each of you for your concern, emails, phone calls, and text messages. We really appreciate the support. We have also been blessed to receive incredible help and support from the members of the Nice ward and friends we have met in France (accommodations, food, transport, translation).

Thanks for your support.

July 3rd update from Steve:

We just finished our first visit of the day (Sunday) with Scott.

He is making great progress.

FiO2 oxygen level is now at 40 - down from 100 3 days ago. Normal is 21. He is now breathing with very little help from the machine.

Liver continues to improve - now at 44% (it was 8% when he came in and 34% two days ago).

Kidneys are week, but functioning.

The doctors have also started the process of waking him up or taking him out of the medically induced coma. This will enable them to do some additional brain scans. Its also a good sign meaning that he is stable enough that they can wake him up. It maybe tomorrow or Tuesday before he wakes.

The doctor told us there were a total of 3 (including Scott) severe heat stroke cases from the Ironman. One man has been released from the hospital and the other is in worse condition (hard to imagine that) then Scott.

I will send out another update end of day today.

Thanks

any recent news on Scott's condition?

Update as of the morning of July 4th from Scott's brother Steve. As soon as I get a more recent update, I'll post here.

They will only allow one visitor in the room with Scott today, so Ulya has been with him through visiting hours.

However, I did speak with the doctor.

Liver continues to improve. Kidneys are very weak, but they are reasonably confident they will heal completely. It may take 3 to 4 weeks for kidneys to be 100%. The lungs also continue to improve. Oxygen levels are still at 40%, but he is now breathing on his own with little help from the machine.

The doctors feel that he will wake up on Tuesday or Wednesday. They will then run the various brain scans.

Once he wakes they will remove the breathing tubes and, assuming all remains on track (organs and brain scan) they will clear him for medivac to the US Military hospital in Germany. It will be VERY GOOD news once we reach this point.

I've discussed the potential move with the military, tricare international (a liaison group between the French doctors and the military), and the US consulate has also been involved. Military support has been excellent. Ulya will be able to travel with Scott via airplane. My Mom and I will drive Scott's car from Nice to Germany.

Thank you for the payers and positive thoughts.

I'm so glad to hear that he's improving! Thanks for the updates!

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http://aclockworkmango.com

Thanks for the updates on his condition....all the things in bold are exciting! Sound's like he is out from playing defence in his own red zone and marching downfield....this is awesome. 110F core temp was crazy!

Here is today's updated note from Steve:

Here is an update on Scott's condition as of end of day July 7th:

The doctors continue to be concerned with the condition of Scott's lung's. They took x-rays yesterday and found a large amount of infection in his right lung. They are now using some "targeted antibiotics" to fight the lung infection. They are optimistic that his lungs will heal because he is young and was in good shape prior the heat stroke. They told us today that it may take 3 to 4 weeks for the lungs to heal. They will not "wake him up" until the lungs are strong enough for him to breathe on his own.

Kidneys are working, but not as well as they should. The doctors indicated that unless there is improvement in the next day or so that they will put him on kidney dialysis. They feel confident the kidneys will recover.

Liver. Still stable, making slow progress. They continue to tell us it will take time.

Brain. Scott has a brain edema (brain swelling). They are treating this by controlling his blood pressure and by keeping him on the ventilator. The ventilator helps his lungs and ensures he gets enough oxygen into his blood stream. This helps the brain also as it needs oxygenated blood. They have told us this will also take time.

Please continue to remember Scott in your prayers.

Please keep the updates coming! I really hope Scott makes a complete recovery! I was on the course and it was HOT!!! There was no shade from the sun, so it was a TOUGH day.

Scott and his family are in my prayers!

Hang tough Scott and family. These are hard times, but he went in with a healthy body and it sounds like he is in good hands.

I am glad to hear he is receiving great medical care in Nice. All the best in the recovery.

Update end of day July 8th from Scott's brother Steve:

We were able to see Scott twice today.

Scott was put on kidney dialysis today. We hope that will help his kidneys heal more quickly. I am not sure how long he will be on the dialysis machine.

The liver appears to show slow, but steady improvement.

We have been told the lungs are making progress. His breathing certainly appeared to be smoother today (its been "jerky" and labored in over the last few days).

On a positive note, I think Scott could hear us today. When I went to see him this afternoon his right eye was closed and the left eye was about half way open. While standing on this left side, I said "Scott, can you hear me?" and his eye fluttered. He did that twice. I then when to the right and did the same thing. He opened his right eye and it fluttered too. I am choosing to take this a good sign.

Due to great support from IBM friends in France, we found some housing for Ulya and her mother for the next 3 to 4 weeks in Nice.

Thanks for your continued support.

Hello, July 10th update from Steve Thompson.

We had a good meeting with the doctor today due to the help of one of our French friends (the doctor did not speak a single word of English).

Scott is making great progress, especially if you consider his condition just two weeks ago.

His kidneys are at 20%, but the doctor is confident the kidneys will heal to 100% - it will just take time (probably 3 to 4 weeks).

His liver is now at 70% - a significant improvement from last week.

There is still some concern with the infection in his lungs. He has been on antibiotics, but his progress is slow. A "infection specialist" will see Scott tomorrow. The doctors hope he will be able to prescribe some antibiotics that will be more effective in fighting the infection. That said, the doctor is pretty confident the lungs will recover. According to the doctor, his system wide health has improved greatly in the last 10 days. That alone will help his body work to heal his lungs. The doctor felt he maybe at a point where he can be moved to Germany by the end of this week. We would love to see that.

Scott was more alert today. He can communicate by blinking his eyes, moving his hands, and legs. He should continue the process of "waking up" each day. We expect he will be even more alert tomorrow. Once his lungs are strong enough they will take him off the ventilator and stop the medication that keeps him somewhat sleepy (to help with tubes in his throat) - at that time he will be able to speak to us.

We will have more news tomorrow.

Tough day for Scott today. Please continue to remember him in your prayers.

Kidneys continue to improve - no apparent issues.

Liver appears to be fully recovered.

There was some real problems with his lungs today. Apparently, he has had some type of reaction to the antibiotics they were using to fight the lung infection. He is now in very critical condition. To aide in his recovery, he as been put back into a medically induced coma. The doctors have told us it will be 48 hours before they have a better understanding of the nature of the infection and how to best fight it. They stressed that his condition is very critical.

They are treating him with a very broad arsenal of antibiotics right now in an effort to fight the infection. Once they have the test results, they will be in a position to focus the treatment. He was placed on dialysis again today, not for the kidneys, but for the lungs. The dialysis will help purge his system of the drugs that caused the reaction. His immune system is very weak due to his condition over the last 2 weeks. As a result, he has been very susceptible to infection.

We are very concerned. Please continue to support Scott with your positive thoughts at prayers.

I've been following this thread and am praying that Scott will recover. Stay strong.

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