Anyone else getting creeped out by these 'death watches' ??
POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Wednesday, April 6, 2005 12:38
VIEWED: 2551
PAGE 2 of 2
When my dad died of pneumonia (secondary to Parkinson's), two days before he died they removed his antibiotics and his IV (fluids and nutrition). They kept his oxygen going (@15L by mask). This was in a Catholic hospital. The strange thing was that they were willing to hasten along his demise, but not willing to give him enough morphine to put him under (which he wanted, as he indicated by blinking). As the doctor said 'if I gave him extra morphine and he died a little while later, it would look bad.' So he died conscious and in distress.
We have some really perverse customs about medicine and death.
But I have to keep repeating the same issue. The decision to 'let someone go' - even someone who is mentally functional at the time of a medical crisis - comes down to witholding or withdrawing care. It might be a DNR, or a 'do not intubate' (one of the stupidest orders I've ever seen), or a 'comfort care only' order for people dying of cancer. But SOMEWHERE in the continuum of care, medical efforts get cut off. And it falls to somebody to decide.
You might quibble about the where and when, but you can't argue that it doesn't happen, or shouldn't happen. With our medical technology, it HAS to happen, and it happens all the time.
PS I was not in a legal position to do anything about the care my father did or did not receive, as I did not have medical proxy.
NOTIFY: N | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME
Quote:
Originally posted by rue:
When my dad died of pneumonia (secondary to Parkinson's), two days before he died they removed his antibiotics and his IV (fluids and nutrition). They kept his oxygen going (@15L by mask). This was in a Catholic hospital. The strange thing was that they were willing to hasten along his demise, but not willing to give him enough morphine to put him under (which he wanted, as he indicated by blinking). As the doctor said 'if I gave him extra morphine and he died a little while later, it would look bad.' So he died conscious and in distress.
We have some really perverse customs about medicine and death.
But I have to keep repeating the same issue. The decision to 'let someone go' - even someone who is mentally functional at the time of a medical crisis - comes down to witholding or withdrawing care. It might be a DNR, or a 'do not intubate' (one of the stupidest orders I've ever seen), or a 'comfort care only' order for people dying of cancer. But SOMEWHERE in the continuum of care, medical efforts get cut off. And it falls to somebody to decide.
You might quibble about the where and when, but you can't argue that it doesn't happen, or shouldn't happen. With our medical technology, it HAS to happen, and it happens all the time.
PS I was not in a legal position to do anything about the care my father did or did not receive, as I did not have medical proxy.
I've had 4 people in my family die slow painful deaths from cancer. My Grandmother who lived with me while she was sick, so I and my family could take care of her, was allergic to morphine, she had advanced bone cancer with approximately 13 inches of her spine completely disintegrated. She would moan and cry out for hours. It took approximately 2 months before she passed away at 56 years old. She begged me and my family to kill her several times. I'm a grown man and I cried like a baby because there wasn't anything I could do to help her. I'm an advocate for someone to have the right to choose to die. I'm an Advocate for Euthanasia , when someone requests to die with dignity.
However, I have a few issues with the Terri Schiavo case. *Note: I sided with Michael, until I did some research.
1) Michael Schiavo stated under oath that HE wanted to care for Terri the rest of her life. There was no mention in the Malpractice case or trial of her wishes "not to live that way". Quite the opposite.
2) Opening statements from that Malpractice trial state that Terri was there, just couldn't respond well. There were several doctors and nurses that came forward that claimed she could be helped. She was assessed as improving, before Michael removed her from Rehab. This is contrary to statements made shortly after Michael recieved his big payday.
3) Michael melted down her Engagement and wedding bands to make himself a ring , just a scant few months after the malpractice trial where he and Terri were awarded big dollars.
Q. What did you do with your wife's jewelry?
MS. My wife's jewelry?
Q. Yeah.
MS. Um, I think I took her engagement ring and her...what do they call it...diamond wedding band and made a ring for myself (Man thats a tough one, "What do they call it?").
My guess is he was about to go find himself a new girlfriend and lo and behold he did.
4) He didn't remain faithful to her in terms of marriage and had 2 children out of wedlock,(If we, the US, are going to be shits about maintaining the sanctity of marriage, then Michael clearly violated that rule and the judge didn't blink an eye at it. The hypocrisy of our system kills me.).
5) Terri didn't have a living will. She wasn't suffering. She had a family who wanted to care for her and get her rehabilitation for the rest of her life. This is HUGE in my opinion. You don't just give up on someone if there is even the remote possibility that they can be helped, IF they aren't suffering.
6) Because Michael obviously has some serious marital issues and is quite obviously a liar (based on his testimony and other contradictory statements)
NOTIFY: Y | REPLY | REPLY WITH QUOTE | PERMALINK | TOP | HOME