The following article was published in 2003 by CNSNews.com. It has a detailed description of death by dehydration and starvation - the death that Judge george Greer and Michael Schiavo seek for Terri. Michael Schiavo and George Felos claim that death by dehydration is painless and peaceful. On the contrary, this is the most painful and inhumane death that a human can go through.
Christian Medical Expert Disputes Secular Views in Schiavo Case
http://www.townhall.com/news/politics/200310/CUL20031017b.shtml "What will probably kill Terri is dehydration because it's much quicker than starvation," Stevens said. "To starve to death takes eight to 12 weeks. You can die of dehydration in anywhere from three to five days to two weeks."
Stevens said the amount of fluids in Terri's system when her gastrostomy or "feeding tube" was removed and whether she receives any fluids by mouth will determine how long she lives.
Initial effects of the lack of hydration will include:
Extreme thirst;
Nausea and cramping;
Dry skin, becoming wrinkled as fluids are drawn from the skin to hydrate the organs.
"She's likely to become dizzy and begin to have cramping in her arms and legs. That's because her electrolytes, her sodium, potassium and other electrolytes in her blood start getting out of whack because of lack of fluids."
Terri's body will experience other effects due to the forced dehydration that many might not have been considered.
"She'll see decreased secretions. If she tries to cry, she won't be able to make tears very well, if at all," Stevens said. "Her mouth will become dry and saliva thick. You can have cracking of the [mucous membranes] of the mouth and lips as they dry out."
Those external symptoms of dehydration are accompanied by internal effects, as well.
"People often get headaches, then [become] lethargic and finally go into coma," Stevens continued. "It actually can cause seizures.
"As it progressively gets worse, what happens [are] the physical signs. Her blood pressure will drop, her heart rate will pick up. She'll actually, ultimately go into shock," Stevens explained. "You just don't have enough fluid to keep your blood pressure up, and it drops so low, and that sometimes can be a terminal event, or an arrhythmia of her heart.
"Her blood will get thicker," Stevens continued. "Sometimes, people who are severely dehydrated will actually have strokes just because the blood gets so thick that it clots. It's not a pretty picture."
Which of these symptoms Terri experiences and to what degree will depend on whether the hospice staff makes any attempt to hydrate her by mouth and whether she is offered any pain medication.
"If they sedate her, she could be semi-conscious or unconscious while this is going on," Stevens said. "It's not a very pleasant experience, unlike what the Hemlock Society and other groups try to make you believe."