No lettuce roll for you.
Posted on 03/20/2005 8:45:07 AM PST by ClintonBeGone
Though the legal wrangling in the Terri Schiavo case has been loud and contentious, the brain-damaged woman's physical response to having her feeding tube removed is likely to be very serene.
"The process of starving to death seems very barbaric but in actuality is very peaceful," said Dr. Fred Mirarchi, assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia.
"The patient's experience is really pretty benign," said Dr. Joanne Lynn, a hospice physician associated with Americans for Better Care of the Dying, a group working for improved end-of-life care. "Overwhelmingly, what will happen is nothing."
Lynn, who has worked with numerous families facing end-of-life situations, said most patients who are removed from life support will die within a matter of a few days or weeks.
"Some people can last four or five days — some people can last 20 days," she said.
Schiavo's feeding tube was removed on Friday afternoon following a contentious battle between her husband, who said his wife would not want to live in a vegetative state, and her parents, who wanted her kept on live support.
Schiavo's feeding tube was removed twice before, in 2001 and 2003. The second time, the tube was replaced after six days when Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a hastily passed law allowing him to intervene in the case. "Terri's Law" was later ruled unconstitutional.
The Body Begins Shutting Down
The physical process of dying after life support is removed follows a pattern familiar to hospice workers. And the fact that Schiavo is in a vegetative state will likely make her death faster and less painful, Lynn said.
"It depends on whether she has the ability to swallow anything — and if that anything is offered," she said. "If she's unable to swallow anything, the course toward dying, so far as anyone can tell, is fairly comfortable."
Most patients who cannot eat or drink will enter a physical state known as ketosis. During ketosis the body begins to use fat and muscle as a fuel source.
In advanced cases of ketosis, the nervous system response is dulled, and patients rarely feel pain, hunger or thirst. There is also some evidence that ketosis can produce a state of well-being or mild euphoria.
Family members and friends are often surprised to find that a terminal patient's eyes will open and they will appear to glance around the room. "It's very confusing on an emotional level," said Lynn.
But Lynn explained that the part of the brain-controlling eye movement is actually very primitive and can remain active even after other parts of the brain appear to have stopped functioning.
Patients are also likely to experience irregular breathing.
"Cyclical breathing is very typical," Lynn said, adding that in some cases the patient will breathe very rapidly, then take just one or two breaths per minute.
Over time, the patient will become more and more dehydrated and will eventually develop kidney failure, Mirarchi explained.
"Patients at this point are uremic — filled with bodily toxins — and are unaware of their surroundings," Mirarchi said. "They develop electrolyte imbalances that eventually cause an abnormal beating of the heart."
In the final moments of life, the abnormalities in the patient's heart rate known as arrhythmia are common.
"The heart will then stop and the patient will die," said Mirarchi.
The efforts of caregivers may in some cases complicate the death of the patient. Giving a patient water, for example, may prolong the process. "Going without water makes it more gentle," Lynn said. "Allowing chemicals [in the blood] to cause arrhythmia is more merciful."
Why doesn't the good doctor show us by using himself as an example. If he would just starve himself he could then tell us first hand how peaceful it is.
The quality of the death is not the issue in this matter. The true issue being the judicial killing of a human being guilty of no wrong. Further, this killing is based upon the uncorroborated word of a "husband" with every motive to want her dead. This is a test case and if allowed will result in the killing of many "undesireables." The slippery slope argument can lead to a valid prediction. First abortions, then "vegatative states", then the "quality of life," then you do not vote correctly!"
Death ghouls!
I wonder if those people who were starving to death in the concentration camps of WWII considered it peaceful.
She will not die of starvation - she'll die of dehydration first. Dying of thirst is neither peaceful or pleasant. The florida judge and her "husband" are murderers. Hey all you old people in florida - you could be next, if a judge decides.
Since death by starvation is such a GOOD THING no need to worry about those famines in Africa or Asia in the future huh? Nazi Germany and Stalins Russia were doing a GOOD THING when they each starved their millions intentionally, huh? /sarcasm
I say we starve her husband to death and let him tell us if it is painful!Oh ,he cant tell us because he will be Dead! GOOD!
Thats fear mongering. If Terri had been a woman in her 60's or 70's no one would fight this hard to keep her alive is that what you are saying?
Personally as a Pro-Lifer I stand for life ages Baby to senior.
Liberals and there media's are the face of America’s real enemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health, for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse, in sadness and in joy, to cherish and continually bestow upon her your heart’s deepest devotion, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?
Cool Water: Frankie Laine.
All day I've faced the barren waste,
Without the taste of water:
Cool water. (Water.)
Old Dan and I, with throats burned dry,
An' souls that cry for water: (Water.)
Cool, (Water.)
Clear, (Water.)
Water. (Water.)
Keep a-movin, Dan,
Don't you listen to him, Dan,
He's the devil, not a man:
Spreads the burning sand with water. (Water.)
Dan, can you see that big, green tree, (Water.)
Where the water's runnin' free? (Water.)
It's waitin' there for me and you? (Water.)
The nights are cool, I'm a fool.
Each star's a pool of water.
Cool water. (Water.)
But with the dawn I'll wake and yawn,
And carry on to water. (Water.)
Water, (Water.)
Water, (Water.)
Water, (Water.)
Keep a-movin, Dan,
Don't you listen to him, Dan,
He's the devil, not a man:
Spreads the burning sand with water. (Water.)
Dan, can you see that big, green tree, (Water.)
Where the water's runnin' free? (Water.)
Waitin' there for me and you?
Cool, (Water.)
Clear, (Water.)
Water. (Water.)
Cool, (Water.)
Clear, (Water.)
Water. (Cool, clear, water.)
Since ABC has always supported the anti-death penalty groups, calling lethal injection,gas, electricity as cruel and unusual punishment. Is their position that inmates being put to death be starved. OR WOULD THAT VIOLATE A RIGHT.
I think this poster meant that if Terri is forced to die, others with different disabilities who cannot speak for themselves may be next. It's the next logical step for the libs.
I saw a doctor last night on Fox News state that the part of Terri's brain that creates personality is gone, but that the part that senses thirst, hunger, and other sensations is still there. But he contradicted himself by saying she wouldn't feel any discomfort by having the feeding tube removed. ????? I think the bottom line is that nobody knows what she will be feeling, but people are trying to convince themselves and others she won't be in pain to alleviate their own consciouses (not a real word, but what is the plural of 'conscious'?). Shame on them!
"Let's not forget that Terry is not "dying". She doesn't need assistance to breath, and food and water should not be considered "extraordianry measures". What will happen to her is an act of man, not God."
Precisely. This is court sanctioned euthanasia. Arguing vociferously about the constitutionality of federal action does not hide or change what is central here--euthanasia. Some Freepers arguing against feeding the poor woman apparently don't have the backbone to admit that they approve of euthanasia. At least call it what it is!
Another diversion is to argue about what Terri supposedly said. If she doesn't want to live this way, then that makes this assisted-suicide. This too is not permitted.........at least not yet.
And your medical opinion is based on what?
In advanced cases of ketosis, the nervous system response is dulled, and patients rarely feel pain, hunger or thirst. There is also some evidence that ketosis can produce a state of well-being or mild euphoria.
A couple of things here. First of all, the process of ketosis is not painless and comfortable. I've been through it a few times in my life when my blood sugars have been high for extended periods of time. You get violently ill. You vomit repeatedly and continue to have dry heaves after your stomach is empty. Your muscles ache so much that you feel like you want to die. Your brain does become sluggish and slow, but you still feel everything like you always do. While the end stages of ketosis might be painless and lead to feelings of euphoria, the process of getting there is terrible.
Most were gassed. Near the end of the war when they got the engineering down pat, they were executing people almost as soon as they got off the trains.
As with any number of issues lately, this one is proving valuable in smoking out the fascistic, misanthropic goofballs amongst us.
No lettuce roll for you.
Death is always peaceful. Whether by poison, lethal injection, hanging, electricution, strangling, the act of dying is peaceful by nature.
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