Posted on 01/06/2013 12:00:02 AM PST by MacMattico
Please say a Prayer for my mother.
I don't think I've ever asked some one to pray for some one else before, but she's in a tough spot. If it is her time to go it will hurt terribly, but as Catholics and the fact that she is the most caring, loving person I have ever met, I know we will meet again in a better place.
I'm also extremely upset with the hospital, and I don't want this to happen to others.
On the day after Christmas, my mother was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with Pneumonia. They also told us her kidneys were not functioning very well, but not end stage or where she needed dialysis or anything like that. Her lungs had a lot of fluid in them. Fast forward four days and they said the fluid was gone as well as any sign of infection. But my mother was still mostly unresponsive and wanted to sleep all of the time. My sisters and I have been able to wake her on occasion and she will talk with us for a few minutes before going back to sleep. When she had the fluid in the lungs, they did not provide hydration as they said she couldn't handle it, antibiotics were intravenously given. So, obviously, at least to me, when they said the fluid was gone and infection cleared up, I expected to see the IV fluids begin, but they didn't. I demanded hydration be started and every excuse was given to me: she didn't need it, she woke up and drank enough,( not true, my sister and/or I were there hour after hour and she wasn't drinking). I asked the doctor if he were trying to kill her -- it was going on 3-4 days with no adequate fluids. I told him my mother was Catholic and would not want to die from dehydration and starvation-- that was her biggest fear. He then said she couldn't handle it. I said I was going to speak with an attorney if she didn't have IV hydration when I came back in an hour. I came back in an hour and she had three bags of fluids and basically sugar water hooked up to her IV. She has been on this ever sense, no problems. And of course her kidney function improved with fluids, obviously. You can't urinate without fluid!
Now we are well over a week and my mother has barely eaten. My family inquired into ways of feeding her, a tube through the nose, feeding tube, intervenously. The doctor absolutely refuses saying her organs can't handle it! I said if your telling us she's going to die anyway due to organ failure, we want some nutrition provided. He refused and said she can go without food much longer, but I reminded him she knows what is said to her, responds, and I had called the nursing home where she had been staying (because she had trouble getting around and making meals and taking her medication on time), and they said she wasn't eating well for approximately two weeks. So we're going on three weeks with little to no food intake! The hospital refuses to feed her ! My mother is weak and has diabetes-- I can't see how trying nutrition after all this time could hurt her any more! I argued with the doctor and he refuses to follow our wishes-- a nurse even tried to change her DNR which only indicated she didn't want CPR! I caught her and threatened her with calling the police as the whole family has seen the dnr and knows what's on it. I guess the doctors argument is because she is on oxygen at night it would make it easier for her to bring up any liquid in her stomach and choke to death and that her organs can't handle it-- yet he keeps saying "maybe next week" like she's going to get better! I really think he just wants her to die as quickly as possible, and it's killing me she is not being fed. He almost went ballistic when another doctor checked her out and she knew it was January, her name and that Obama was President-- she even rolled her eyes at the name Obama! He wanted to tell us she was brain dead or close to it, I honestly think. I don't know what to do. He's says she may choke at night with the intense oxygen mask they give her and her organs can't take food right now, yet the nurses had me trying to feed her from a tray yesterday! She took only one bite and fell asleep. I don't know what to do! The doctor acts like a feeding tube will be torture, I think starvation is. There are no family members that disagree with me. Our family Priest has says she has a right to hydration and nutrition, the doctor says no nutrition "in her condition" which he constantly changes. She is on Medicare (although with the best supplemental money can buy) and I think the death panels have begun.
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Please read MacMattico's account of his mother's situation. May God protect her!
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Please read MacMattico's account of his mother's situation. May God protect her!
If she is at Crouse or Upstate, get her out of there. Take her to St. Joe’s!
Gerish seems to know the hospitals. Take her to St Joe's. The Catholic Hospital!
We're all still praying. All things good come from Him.
Prayers sent for Mac and his mother.
May God comfort you.
I like your tagline.
I was at Crouse recently and received quite different care and quite a different attitude.
However, I am still reasonably young and we’ve got good insurance through mr. mm’s job.
Nevertheless, that is disturbing as those are THE hospitals to go to.
I would also like to know which hospital it is, although I fully understand not wanting to divulge personal information that could possibly compromise a person’s screen name.
Prayer’s up for you. I really don’t have any advice to add, but thew rest here seemed to have provided a lot of good advice. All I can say is it seems to me the doctors and the rest are walking a fine line that is easy to cross into the world of murder and manslaughter and I see Bronco Bamacare and Mengelecare doing the same thing. Yes, we all pass on, it is life, but it is up to God to decide not doctors or bureaucrats.
I don't know about NY, but in many States hydration is considered medical care, thus bypassing the purpose of a Living Will. According to the National Right to Life Committee, the laws of all but twelve states may allow doctors and hospitals to disregard advance directives when they call for treatment, food, or fluids. If your mom is able to express her wishes and sign anything, you need a WILL TO LIVE. You can download one, legal for your State RIGHT HERE.
This Death Panel thingy has been going on for a little while now. Last year, one of my husband's Sunday school class members died of cancer. He was a veteran in his 70s. They found a few spots in his lungs, treated them with radiation and everything was fine. A year later they found another spot. The doctor said "it was not safe to give him any more radiation" and sent him home to die.
Amen.
A Catholic hospital would be excellent.
I am praying that GOD’s will be done here for your mom and your family and the cause of life.
Take notes after converstations like you are a court reporter in case you end up suing the doc for murdering your mom so you might be able to help others. Have witnesses if you can.
The death panel’s mentality has yet been tested in court.
Do contact Terry’s brother and see what they say. Do replace the doc if you can. Do consult other docs to see if withholding nutrition makes sense in treating her...rather than killing her.
No matter what, your mom is in the hands of Jesus, so don’t panic. You, too are in the hands of Jesus and He will guide you. You are like a pioneer in this new realm of liberalism’s authortarianism within the culture of death. Don’t be afraid about “hurting the doc’s feelings.” Challenge him. Get in his face. Get bottom line statments and record them.
Praying....praying....praying...
Crouse is in trouble financially. If you are not dying, you will probably receive excellent care there, but personally, I wouldn’t step foot in a hospital that does abortions i.e. it tells you alot about how they view life in general, and it is not a Catholic hospital! St. Joseph’s would never deny compassion or simply hydration for that matter. They are very dedicated to compassionate care.
For me, this has become simple. God said all men are evil. There is none good, no not one. The heart is evil, who can know it? Well, we took God out of the country years ago. We now depend on these people and their morals. Where did their morals come from with no God allowed? We are paying the price now. The seeds have been sown and now we are reaping that crop. Why are we so surprised that the towers fell, the economy collapsed, and Obama was re elected? When you give evil men power over you, why are we surprised when they seek to kill you. America is finished, we just haven't died yet. IMO, gun control will be the last nail in the coffin. We will officially be slaves to men led by Satan.
The doctors and nurses may seem perfectly kind to your face, but I assure you, they are having meetings daily to see who will literally die tomorrow. I don't want to go into it right now, but my wife literally saw and heard these discussions about her brother. He was gravely ill with no insurance. They spoke daily about moving him out where he would not be allowed to come back. We fought for a year against the hospital and he lasted a year. But they fought TPN the whole way because it was $800 a bag. He couldn't even swallow his own spit without throwing it back up. He had a suction on his stomach, but his nurses gave him pills to swallow. His meds went to his stomach and were sucked into his suction jar immediately. We showed the meds in the jar to his nurse and she just walked off. More than once we heard Dr Red Duke say he wanted him "outta here". He finally died after a year of neglect and active assault on his health. He was 45. It's about the money.
**Our family Priest has says she has a right to hydration and nutrition**
Absolutely. Can you get her into another facility?
The sleepiness could be due to the diabetes. Can you give her non-sugar pudding, etc.?
Find out if they are giving her morphine. If they are, ask that her pain be handled with vicodin.
Get her off the morphine. They will keep increasing it, until she dies.
Prayers and please also get legal advice!
I read at wiki that there are 3 Catholic hospitals in the Syracuse diocese, one (St Joseph’s) in Syracuse itself tho one google entry didn’t speak well of that hospital’s ER. You might ask your priest if a transfer to a RC hospital where she’d receive better care would be feasible. Or a nursing home run by the diocese, or even one he’d recommend.
Bumping your information for Mac
Good to know that the hospital that Mac’s mom is in does abortions. They don’t care about life. Get her to the Catholic hospital! ASAP
Prayers for your help.
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