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."
/sorryhadtodone ;-)
That anyone who wants to see her killed by the state of florida, simply on the unsubstantiated claim by her husband that she wants to die, is insane.
I will never allow any family member to be placed under the care of any hospice whatsoever. They are Hitler's goons dressed as caregivers. Any one who works for them must be crazy or the devil incarnate.
Dave, I think this is directed at you.
Phase 1 having been completed with the killing of 45 million unborn, now engrained in our culture as a "right", we move to Phase 2. Here we inculcate the population with the idea of the graciousness of murder. Not by a quick bullet or sedative or injection of lethal drug, but by dehydration. These notions will pick up speed and more followers as the MSM gives us the party line of the Hemlock Society.
Euphemisms are powerful if repeated enough...the best example being "the right to Choose"....but wait they did not finish the thought......"the right to Choose to kill another human. This new euphemism of "mercy killing" will grow and be adopted by million.
I have freeped for years now that we will see clinics pop up all over the country as "Euthenasia Clinic". The eugenics of the old, infirmed, mentally retarded,physically disabled is not a new concept. It does not take a lot of research to come up to speed on its basic tenents and origins. Now Greer, the high priest of eugenics, makes way a tiny trail whick will grow evermore wide unless it is stopped and crushed and reversed. No, it is not applied to races, but to a certain portion of the spectrum of the human race. Use the term of your choice, but the results will be the same. It will take on proportios and qualities such as "This is a state interest issue due to the limited resources of the state and therefore the state is charged, for utilitarian purposes to judiciously exercise that option". Can't you see Justice Kennedy or Bader Ginsberg writing such insanity. This is the charted course folks.
Preview is there for a reason, so I'm told. Typos often provide some of the best humor.
Did anybody wake up this morning or in the middle of the night with that gross dry mouth? Has Terri had any water in 2 DAYS!!! I've seen, as I am sure many of you have, a person who is severly dehydrated. The inside of the mouth at that point is not a pretty sight. And not peaceful.
Are you sure you are not guilty of a little projection?
"That anyone who wants to see her killed by the state of florida, simply on the unsubstantiated claim by her husband that she wants to die, is insane."
He's said the exact opposite too. See the following, a sworn statement from a girlfriend of the estranged husband:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Regarding that alleged conversation [that Terri supposedly said she would want to die in such a situation] -- Cindy Shook said that Michael Schiavo said:
"How the hell should I know, we never spoke about this, we were young."
http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:yzE5tNjKsYMJ:ottawa.indymedia.org/en/2005/02/628.shtml+schiavo+how+the+hell+should+i+know&hl=en
And for me to think that you were actually pontificating on whether or not death by starvation is peaceful. Sorry, I guess I presumed too much when I thought you were capable of thought.
Why do you think you know more than the Doctors? I have never seen such hubris as I've seen on these boards. You're all expert lawyers, judges, Doctors. You know all about eating disorders, brain scans and best of all, you're all mind readers in that you all know what Terri really wants. It's just incredible. You all should take your act and go on the road.
The SPCA raids horse farms once in a while and takes the animals to better homes where they will be fed and watered.
You really have to wonder about anyone giving the thumbs up to starving a human being while saving animals. I even feed the birds at many feeders throughout my property. I cannot believe we have people following the word of a man that dumped his wife years ago for another while still married. He wants everyone to believe that insisting his wife starve to death is soemthing she wanted. Ya sure it is, and the current gal pal and kids may not want to share retirement, pension and life insurance either
Notice how they only mention the "advanced" state? There's no mention of the pain, hunger or thirst felt before a person reaches the "advanced" state.
How ignorant must you be to fail to understand that life is always the better choice than death? You stand with the Wexlers, Waxmans, Jim Morans and other in the democrat death camps.
Yes, once he got the money from the settlment, he changed his tune. I guess this is too much for our friend Dave S to appreciate. Dave, stick to your friends in the pro-death wing of the democrat party.
No, it is not euthanasia. I can see circumstances where euthanasia would be a beneficent act.
This is murder, pure and simple.
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