Feeding tube removed from woman after 13 years

[Pam]

Is anyone familiar with the story of Terry Schiavo? She had a massive heart attack 13 years ago which temporarily cut off oxygen to her brain and she has been in a semi-vegetative state ever since. Story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/10/15/coma.woman/index.html

I think what bothers me the most is the little video snippets that I have seen of her on TV. She certainly does seem to have awareness of her surroundings regardless of what is being said. Somehow the idea of pulling a plug on a person on a respirator with a flat EEG seems to be in a different realm than what we have here although both are dreadful thoughts. Gosh this whole idea of making these types of life and death decisions just makes me shudder. In essence this girl will be starving to death.

I have spent much time in convalescent centers for the past two years and can attest to the fact that there are at least 2 people whom I have seen who might fall into Terry's category. It makes one wonder, who is next?

The dilemma is that we have made so many advances and are able to keep people alive who otherwise might have passed on their own away in times past.

Your thoughts?

[captain]

I am really not certain what I would do. I do know that I would NOT want to be kept alive this way, my parents and my husband know that too......... but when I look at the reverse happening, what if I had to make the decision concerning one of them ......... I might put my own selfish wants and hopes in front of their wishes.

I would really, really need to be sure that there was NO HOPE at all ...... and that everything I could possibly do was done, before I decided ........ but I would not let anyone starve to death ...

Of course, I am going to have a good think about this know, and will probably come back and edit this ......

[Twisterdog]

I know if that were me, lying there for thirteen years, I would not want to do it any longer. You can't even really call that "life" ... how very sad.

I don't think she should be kept alive any longer. It's not life, it's existance, and barely at that. However, I think it's terribly sad that she also has to starve to death over a period of weeks. That's the best we can come up with? And we like to think of ourselves as so civilized and advanced ... and the best we can do for a comotose woman is to let her starve to death? That is even more sad.

[CathyBogart]

Let her STARVE?! How horrible! While I agree that I would not want to be kept alive in such a state, an overdose of anesthetic is MUCH preferable to STARVING to death!

[curiosityrats]

Originally posted by WolfChan
an overdose of anesthetic is MUCH preferable to STARVING to death!

Ah, but in the realm of humans, the former is murder and the latter is just taking away "life support." In our warped little world, the former is "unethical" while the latter is "okay."

The opposite holds true when dealing with our pets... I wonder which set of ethics are actually "ethical..."

[Tonya]

I believe that it should be up to God. If he wants the person to stay alive, they'll survive when the feeding tubes are removed.

Thirteen years is far to long. If there is hope right around the corner, that is a different story.

My biological father was on life support in 1979. My poor mom was only 22 years old and had to make that decision. My grandmother wanted to keep him alive, but my mom chose to take him off. I think it was a good decision. My dad wouldn't want to be a vegetable the rest of his life.

[stacwase]

I don't know a whole lot about this lady you're talking about, but I do have a lot of experience with people dying. I hope you don't mind if I put in my two-cents worth.

There was a study recently done on people who starve themselves, instead of participating in physician-assisted suicide.

These were people who were terminally ill and ready to go. Surprisingly enough, they had extremely peaceful and good deaths compared to people who passed in other ways.

I'm an ICU nurse, so I've seen many, many people die. I've watched people die from lack of food and water, because they refused to eat and refused a feeding tube. They just sort of gradually slipped away and didn't appear to suffer.

There is a law in medicine which says that we can give as much anesthetic as is necessary to relieve a person's suffering, even if it hastens the person's death. For example, if a person is dying from lung problems, we can give enough morphine to ease their respirations so they don't feel like they're suffocating. The morphine reduces their desire to breathe and theoretically can cause them to die. That's perfectly legal. So physician and nurse assisted suicide actually occurs quite regularly and is legal.

Anyway - the people I've seen die through anesthetics haven't died any more peacefully than the people I've seen starve themselves to death, although I know that sounds unlikely.

It's not like it is with you and I - we have such a strong desire to live, and we have healthy bodies with normal appetites. If you don't have a strong appetite then starving is not bad at all, from what I've seen. I fully intend to go that way if I'm ill for a long time before I die.

[2kitties]

I wouldn't want to live that way and I wouldn't want any of my loved ones to live that way. Keeping her alive would be just plain selfishness. I think she deserves the dignity of death. Sometimes, science can be as cruel as it is merciful.

[ramanth]

I neither do not want to live that way if anything were to happen to me. I actually plan to have it put in writing that if I were in a vegetable state, to just let me go.

That way there would have to be no court battles.

I hope she goes soon and peacefully.

Thanks for the explination Stacey. It's good to hear opinions of those that have been there.

[curiosityrats]

Originally posted by Tonya
I believe that it should be up to God. If he wants the person to stay alive, they'll survive when the feeding tubes are removed.

Yes, God can do anything, BUT if someone gets no food they will die... If you stop feeding a baby or a housecat (or anything/anyone that cannot get food on their own), they will die...

Not saying that is bad in this particular case, but she's not going to survive without food.

[Denyce]

Except for the fact that when her parents told her what her husband was attempting to do in the courts...to pull her feeding tube she made an attempt to get out of bed. She is aware...perhaps not enough to be able to feed herself or to speak but she is aware. And her actions on face value seem to warrent that she does NOT want to die. There was also reports that she had injuries at the time of her "heart attack" that were consistant with strangulation. There is also the matter of the life insurance policy that her husband has on her along with the fact that he started dating almost immediatly and is now living with a woman and the two children he has had with her. I find his motives to be EXTREMELY suspect and I think this is nothing more than court sanctioned murder.

If she had NO awareness and was unable to even breath on her own it would be a different matter entirely. But then did anyone read about the man who was in a coma for over 20 years and managed to come out of it?? It was in People a few months or so ago.

Denyce

[captain]

WOW Denyce ....... didn't know that!!! How awful.

I agree with you, it does sound suspect ......

[micki76]

Everything that I've heard or read states that the woman has been certified as having virtually no brain function. There is no evidence to indicate that any of her responses are any more than the body's reactions to stimuli. She doesn't react (with respect to brain function) in anyway when presented with any of her family members. Her physical reactions to people are that of a newborn infant. The doctors think that she doesn't even know that she's looking at people, just like a newborn.

She told numerous friends and family members that she would never want to live her life that way, and to disrespect her wishes is disgusting to me. I don't care if her husband did it to her; she didn't want to live in a vegetative state and expressed that, just as I have. She's not in a coma and is not going to improve. She hasn't in almost 13 years. She irreparable brain damage. It cannot be reversed. And even if there was a discovery, she'll likely be to old to be a viable candidate for it in the far distant future when it would be available.

I pray that my family would never allow me to exist in that way and would do the right thing and let me die.

[Cookiebaker]

I JUST barely saw this on CNN.com and Mark & I were talking about it. I am so very horrified by this whole deal, at least from the slant of the news cast that I saw.

They said that it could take up to two weeks for her to die. How is that not MURDER any more than giving an overdose on a pain killer. That sounds very slow and painful. Furthermore, they said they would give pain killers if she was in pain. But they won't give food.

I'm just burning up inside over this news item. I agree with Pam, " Somehow the idea of pulling a plug on a person on a respirator with a flat EEG seems to be in a different realm than what we have here although both are dreadful thoughts."

All I can think is what if, just WHAT IF she does have awareness of what going on, and her whole brain is screaming out to make them stop, but she can't communicate her will to live.

And one other thing....according to the news, her husband is the one who really wants to end this ordeal. Who's to say that he doesn't have ulterior motives?? Such as just wanting to get on with his life, or get remarried??

I'm going to be praying for her parents that they might find peace through this whole ordeal. It just doesn't seem fair that they have no say in what happens to their daughter, but that somebody else is going to try and end their daughter's life.

It's all so upsetting!

[wolfsoul]

We were talking about this in my psychology class yesterday. Everyone explained that if something were to happened, and we were left as a "vegetable," then we would just want to be let go. I don't think anyone would want to live like that. Your family has to pay for you to be kept alive, and people have to change you, and turn you over so your back doesn't get sore, etc.

She told numerous friends and family members that she would never want to live her life that way, and to disrespect her wishes is disgusting to me. I don't care if her husband did it to her; she didn't want to live in a vegetative state and expressed that, just as I have. She's not in a coma and is not going to improve. She hasn't in almost 13 years. She irreparable brain damage. It cannot be reversed. And even if there was a discovery, she'll likely be to old to be a viable candidate for it in the far distant future when it would be available.

I agree.