Piano World Home Page Forums Restricted and Archives The Coffee Room Terri Schiavo: Starving to death as we speak...

My best friend's mother had MS. She signed a living will that stated if she couldn't swallow she didn't want to live by heroic measures (feeding tube). Well the time came and it was obvious she wasn't happy with it, but she couldn't feed herself or do anything at that point. She was gone within a week.

The way I see it none of us know if Terri Schaivo expressed similar feelings to her husband. My wife has said as much to me. This woman's level of consciousness is imperceptible or barely so. If she expressed that she wouldn't want to live that way why second guess the husband? I understand the parent's viewpoint no parent wants to bury a child, but maybe it's time to let go? As far as I know the husband never cheated on her while she was whole. The other woman only came into the picture after his wife was incapacitated.

So what would you want if it was you in that bed? I wouldn't want to be a burden on my wife. We've got two kids and raising them is optimally a two person job. She deserves at least conscious companionship. If it was me I'd say let me go back to God so you can get on with your life.

Blessings,

I just changed the thread title.

Her feeding tube was just removed:

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050318/D88TJO280.html

Misfortunately, this poor sould has technically been dead for 15 years. What's going on now is like clutching a bouquet of dead flowers. Smart musicians know when to hang up the career - well, most of them do - it's time to know when to say goodbye...

Did she have a DNR?

When a person has Alzheimer's they slowly lose the ability to do things that are nearly autonomous responses - like swallowing. As a result, one of the things that kills many Alzheimer's patients is, in effect, starvation. Should we be sticking feeding tubes down all of those dying peoples' throats?

Terry Schiavo is no different. Her brain is complete mush. There is no EEG activity. She will *never* regain consciousness. She has a smile frozen on her face which has been exploited by her parents and the media. This smile is the *only* reason so many people have gotten up in arms about his case - because it appears that she is conscious. She isn't. For those who believe in a soul, it probably left her body years ago. And, her body would haved died years ago, but for extraorinary medical intervention that wasn't even available a few of decades ago.

Best to get that in writing, or you could find yourself in a similar situation as this family. Even without siblings who might want mom alive at any cost, someone (read: congress) could step in and muddy the waters of your mothers wish.

This is a sad case indeed, for everyone involved. But I don't understand why congress decided to stick their nose in this. The women has been in this state for 15 years and at the last minute they want her to appear before congress? Why is the quantity of life so much more important than the quality of life?

Put yourself in the shoes of this woman for a moment. What would you want your spouse to do? Obviously, there is more than one correct answer. But the correct answer for me may not be the correct answer for you. So why should I be required to defer to your truth or you to mine?

(Jesus, I can't believe I'm agreeing with Cindy on this. I'm off to check the temperature in heck. Think I might need a winter jacket. )

You couldn't be more wrong.

No, she hasn't been on life support. She's been on a feeding tube. She breathes and her heart beats all on it's own.

No, Auntie Lynn, she did not have a DNR. THat's the problem, because they courts were left to second guess what she would have wanted. THe husband maintained that she would have wanted life support removed. The court believed him. And then Jeb stuck his big Red nose in.

"Sorry, but if we are heartless enough to kill her now why would waiting a bit longer make any difference."

Whatever Terri's condition, it's just sad. If she's in a persistent vegetative state, it's sad that her parents fighting for years to keep her alive, to satisfy their own desire to get their daughter back. And if she's conscious but totally unable to respond ... unable to move, to communicate, to do anything at all ... well, that sounds an awful lot like heck to me.

By the way, 89th, on the subject of her smiling .. there was testimony in court from the nursing staff that her facial muscles make that same approximation of a smile at nighttime, when no one is in the room.

A feeding tube is life support, LD. So is an IV. Doctors make the call on this all the time. In many cases with the elderly, families end up fighting the opposite battle - to have the feeding tube and IV put in. I've never heard of a doctor charged with murder for making that call.

By the way, on the issue of the Congressional subpoena, there's a wrinkle that isn't getting much press attention ... yet.

The subpoenas were not validly issued.

As I understand House rules, to issue a subpoena, there has to be a properly called meeting of the committee in question, and that meeting never happened. The chairman simply issued the subpoenas on his own, perhaps with the concurrence of Republican members of the committee, but without a meeting of the full committee. Again, as I understand it, no meeting, no valid subpoena.

That's why the Senate "invited" her, rather than subpoenaing her. They, at least, were following their own rules.

If it were me, I would want the tube removed and my husband and kids to go on to live a happy life without me.

This reminds me of another case. A woman in a coma while pregnant. She was kept on life support to bring the child to term as her husband had said she wished. The courts overruled him in an attempt to take the baby early...He fought, based on her wishes, lost, c section performed early and both mother and child died...

I love my parents dearly, but my husband knows my inner most thoughts and feelings. In the end, he is the one who knows what to do....

89th....do YOU have a living will in writing? This woman suffered her heart attack while in her 20's......

I wish Terry Schiavo a peaceful end.

Beelady: Her end won't be peaceful -- perhaps Dr Moonlight can fill us all in on what happens as someone dies of dehydration.

It is disgusting -- the loving husband is shacking up with another woman and has a serious financial interest in Terri's death. She is low level responsive, not in PVS, and will undoubtedly feel pain as she dies because she is not getting liquid and nutrition.

What a country we live in.

I agree in principle but there seems to be considerable doubt as to whether she really is in a persistent vegetative state. None of the tests usually run to make such a determination have been run and her husband refuses to allow them to be run. At least, that is what is being reported. If someone can show me different I might have a change of heart but there is something deeply suspicious about this man's behavior by all accounts I have seen.

"None of the tests usually run to make such a determination have been run and her husband refuses to allow them to be run."

If that's true, I would find it deeply suspicious too. However, I don't think Judge Greer is in Schiavo's pocket, so I wonder why he reached the determination that he did (and how Schiavo managed to line up so many medical witnesses) if that were true.

The courts have made a decision based on the available evidence. Congress is butting in to score political points. Who do you trust?

Part of the problem is that PVS is misdiagnosed approximately 20% of the time. Since the trial began, there has been new technology introduced that is much more definitive in the testing. However, as the technology has been released only recently, when approached regarding it's use only a month or two, the judge denied it. Why? I don't know. I also doubt he's in Schiavo'spocket, however, it wouldn't hurt to delay things for another couple of weeks and allow second opinions.

Your point is well takem. However, did Judge Greer make his determination based on medical testimony or was it based on his finding that the state could not interfere with Mr. Schiavo's rights as sole guardian?

I'm betting that that 20% does not involve cases in which the person has been in PVS for 14 years (like Schiavo), but rather 6 months or less. From what I've read, the latter are the "iffy" cases.

I'd like someone to answer my question about the Alzheimer's patient who has stopped eating and signed no advanced directive. Forced feeding tube?

Oh, stop it! I usually agree with alot of your opinions, but come on! You can hardly say the guy is "shacking up" with this woman, or truly even being unfaithful. You and I might disagree with his decisions, and might have behaved differently ourselves, but without being in that situation, going through life without our wives for years, and we might have done the same thing. And financial interest? Do you truly believe that any of the money from that lawsuit 10 years ago is left? Even at minimum levels, the managed care for his wife over this time would be unbelieveable in cost. I think that he is handling things poorly, I think he may be wrong in being so sure of his wife's condition, but I can't believe this man has any other motivation than what he feels is best for Terry, even if he is mistaken.