Injury Report Prompted Schiavo Cremation Plans

#1. Link please to Wolfson stating his opinion before he ever took the case. I don't think you can produce such a thing.

#2. You see completely unaware that both families liked and trusted Wolfson. You will have to produce evidence otherwise.

"SHE WAS APPARENTLY IN GOOD HEALTH AND WAS FOUND BY HER HUSBAND ON THE MORING OF ADMISSION ON THE FLOOR WITH DIFFICULTY BREATHING AND GASPING FOR AIR. SHE WAS UNRESPONSIVE. THE PARAMEDICS WERE CALLED AND IT TOOK SEVERAL MINUTES FOR RESUSCITATION. SHE NEEDED TO BE DEFIBRILLATED SEVERAL TIMES AT HOME AND WAS ALSO SEVERLY HYPOTENSIVE."

I'm not a doctor. Is it just me, or doesn't this just sound wrong. 26 year old woman just mysteriously stops breathing.....I'm 30 years old...(march 18) when i was 26 I ran 4 miles a day at FT.Bragg....but I don't know

Have you read any court documents on this at all? The Wolfson Report is one that gives the most complete history; he was her guardian ad litem, one of four and both families liked him and trusted him.

And 26 year old women who lose 100 lbs in a short period of time, have severely low potassium and are bulimic most certainly do have cardiac arrest.

And one would think that the doctors who were sued for not diagnosing her low potassium would have used a better defense for themselves during the malpractice suit, which they lost. But they never even mentioned that perhaps Michael tried to kill her and so we shouldn't be sued.

Here's the Wolfson Report. The first few paragraphs are boring legalese.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-backroom/1370047/posts?page=1264#1264

I will go look for it it was in the tons of reading material I read about this case.

So are you going to answer my question.
Do you have a problem with Michael Schiavo saying two completely different things on the EXACT same question???
This is a defining moment in his life he should remember clearly, wouldn't you agree??
If he forgot specifics of that night when he was asked in 2000, why not just say so? Instead he said "I turned her over and said Terri Terri". That is a tad bit different than in 1992 when he said he found her on her back. Well which is it!!

>>And 26 year old women who lose 100 lbs in a short period of time, have severely low potassium and are bulimic most certainly do have cardiac arrest<<<

Where is your evidence she was bulimic?

Why hasn't she had a cardiac in the THREE times they have removed her tube since she is prone to it.

Where's the evidence? Court documents. Doctors who treated her at the hospital. Doctors who were sued and didn't catch her low potassium levels and bulimia.

Terri's medical discharge summary:
Please note: She had cardiac arrest, severely low potassium (3.7 is low enough to make you 2x more likely to have cardiac arrest (which is not a heart attack) hers was a 2.0).

She had no head injury,
she had a stiff neck "and all other muscles in her body were stiff"- which is is "normal" under those circumstances - in spite of the BS started by Hammesfahr about her neck (see below)
was in a coma, on a ventilator, and her tube was put in there at the hospital, NOT "at Michael's request for the convenience of the nurses"
- she was malnourished and low in calcium
- Classic profile of a bulimic, especially added to the fact that she faught a life-long weight problem, going from ~250 lbs at age 18 to 110-120 in '90's, and was seeing and infertility doc, and missing her periods. (the major malpractice suit of the 2 was for his not noticing the signs - he hadn't taken a blood chemisty)

Also note that bulimics lose up to 30% of their bone mass in a single year. Even Dr Baden, in the last few weeks, has said everything was consistent with bulimia. His earlier comments were based only on the bone scan... and he misread it at that, thinking it showed a head injury. It doesn't. (see link to greer and unedited bone scan deposition below)
Her knee x-ray showed nothing.

http://www.terrisfight.org/documents/Humana%20Discharge%20Summary%20050990.pdf

Report of Guardian ad litem Richard Pearse, who was relieved after a year, when it was discovered that he had a previously stated personal objections to legalizing the removal of patient feeding tubes:
Note that, while he recommended against pulling the feeding tube, citing conflict of interest for Michael Schiavo, he also found him to have gone above the call of duty in seeking the best care possible for Terri. He also agreed that she was PVS, and says he never once was able to elicit a response from her. He scoffed at Carla Iyer's claims about Michael.
http://www.hospicepatients.org/richard-pearse-jr-12-29-98-report-of-guardianadlitem-re-terri-schiavo.pdf

Greer's denial of bone scan - the doctors who actually saw Terri, and the radiologist who did follow-up x-rays saw nothing suspicious.
It only showed a compression fracture of Lumbar 1 (which many with osteoporosis (like bulimics) walk around with, and he said could have even happened when she collapsed), a possibly *bruised* femur (ditto), and multiple ribs showing signs of injury, which he said could be caused by CPR. The rest were common joint problems from Phys. Therapy and treated by her therapists.
http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/trialctorder11-02-scan.pdf

Greer's finding that Carla Iyer and others were not credible (See Pearse section above, and link to post):
http://www.terrisfight.org/documents/Order%20Denying%20Pet%20Immed%20Ther%20091703.pdf

Description of the complete 4 hours of video from which come the ~4 minutes we are shown:
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/10/Tampabay/Schiavo_tapes__snippe.shtml

Description of the testimony at the 2000 trial, including the reports of Terri's conversations on the subject.
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/11/08/Tampabay/Schiavo_s_wishes_reca.shtml

NATIONAL ENQUIRER 1998 featuring Dr. William Hammesfahr (he has ads there)
http://www.hnionline.com/national_enquirer_1998.htm

CT scan of Ms. Schiavo's brain.

Normal brain scan image. (If you have a larger one, I'd love a link to it.)

More links at http://abstractappeal.com/schiavo/infopage.html
and http://www.miami.edu/ethics2/schiavo_project.htm

I'll try to upload the transcripts of the 2002 trial sometime tonight or tomorrow.

She has had multiple EEGs, the latest in 2002, and all were consistent with PVS - the report stated "no recognizable cerebral activity" even upon inducing painful stimuli. Bambakadis disputed the term "no activity" and said he it as severely abnormal and typical of PVS.

(Note - I don't know if she is PVS or not - just showing why the judges ruled the way they have.)

*The only 2 doctors in the last 15 years (including 9 neurologists) who said she wasn't PVS after actually examining her in person were both alternative medicine docs hired by her parents:

- A radiologist, Maxwell(who couldn't accurately define PVS or distinguish it from coma in the trial)

- the neurologist, Hammesfahr, who said she wasn't PVS even before he examined her, and has very little credibility after his intentionally misleading claims of a number of things - like outright lying about being a Nobel prize nominee, for just one example. See below for more about this character.

When it comes to recovery, actually coma patients are much better off. They can wake up years later and have great recovery.

When someone comes out of a coma, but remains uncommunicative, the prognosis depends on the age of the patient, and what caused their injury. Children and those with traumatic head injuries have a better prognosis than those with an anoxic injury.

Patients who show no signs of consciousness after their eyes open usually fit the criteria for the vegetative state(VS). Persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a prognostic term that refers to a chronic condition in which basic arousal (i.e., wakefulness) and life-sustaining functions (e.g., respiration, blood pressure) are generally intact, despite the absence of behavioral signs of meaningful interaction with the environment. The American Academy of Neurology recently adopted the position that the VS should be termed "persistent" at 1 month, and considered "permanent" after 3 months following non traumatic causes of unconsciousness and after 12 months following traumatic injury [27]. However, rare exceptions to this have been cited. Merck
The longest documented is 3 years.

She didn't have a Heart Attack (MI).

Heart attack is myocardial infarction (MI). It can be diagnosed by measuring cardiac enzymes because they rise due to the destruction of heart muscle.

Cardiac arrest is a whole different thing, and it is diagnosed by the actual observance of the heartbeat. Her records clearly stated that she was in Cardiac Arrest, as Merck describes:

Absent or inadequate ventricular contraction that immediately results in systemic circulatory failure.

In ventricular fibrillation (VF), loss of coordinated global ventricular myocardial contraction leads to immediate loss of effective cardiac output, resulting in circulatory arrest. (Thus no oxygen to her brain) Although acute MI is often the underlying precipitant of VF in cardiac arrest, about 50% of victims have no evidence of MI on follow-up ECG and enzyme studies.

VF can also result from worsening of chronic ventricular arrhythmias (primary VF), low-voltage electric shock (110 to 220 volts for 2 to 3 sec), electrolyte imbalances (especially K* and Ca), hemolysis from freshwater near drowning, profound hypothermia (< 28° C [< 82.4° F]), and excessive sympathetic stimulation of ventricular myocardium sensitized by hypoxemia and vasoactive drugs (eg, dopamine, theophylline, epinephrine).--http://www.merck.com/

*K is potassium Ca is calcium. Low K, below 3.5, is called Hypokalemia.

Hammesfahr:
"World Renowned Nobel Prize Nominee" - He is neither of those things.
His reputation among his respectable peers is that of a quack and a fraud.
He has been confronted with this multiple times, and asked to cease and desist even by the congressman who wrote the letter! Yet, he dishonestly persists in claiming to hold that honor.

Upon what does he base this claim?

At the request of the VP of the Chiefs of Police group in Gulfport, FL, his local Congressman, Mike Bilirakis, wrote a letter asking them to consider him for a "Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine."

1. There there is no such thing as a "Peace Prize in Medicine"
2. Bilirakis is not even on the panel of people who can nominate anyone. Nor are Chiefs of Police.
( This is what it takes to nominate someone for the distinction he claims. )

Nevertheless, Dr Hammesfahr, who is an alternative medicine neurologist, continues to knowingly and fraudulently claim to be a Nobel Prize Nominee. He very recently pretended in a KGO radio interview to be surprised to discover that he wasn't an actual Nobel prize nominee, and unaware that his congressman's letter was meaningless.

But, he has been aware for years:

At the 2002 trial, he was asked to bring a the official letter of confirmation he claimed to have in his possession, along with everything else to support his claim. He claimed he forgot to bring it. The facts were very clear then as he was drilled on the subject - including his previous pretense that he would look into it.

He also said he just could not locate the records or remember names or details about the supposedly "numerous" people in Terri's condition he claims to have treated with success. No doubt, had he actually achieved the feat he claims he could achieve with Terri, he would have deserved a Nobel Prize. Too bad he forgot to tell anyone when or to whom he did it. "It" was impossible to get out of him under oath.
He would make Clinton proud. (I'll provide a link to the testimony Monday)

His claim that, if a patient can swallow saliva they do not need a feeding tube, is a lie. First of all, he knows Terri failed the swallowing tests taken in the first 3 years, while she was in the midst of good therapy. (The last one, after three years, said no more tests were necessary.) He also admitted on the stand that that swallowing saliva is very common even among PVS patients. Especially those whose heads tilt back like Terri's
(It is a common condition of neck spasticity called opisthotonus - a contraction of the neck muscles just like her other muscles - it goes along with her spasticity and seizures caused by the anoxic brain injury. I'll hunt down a link asap.)

His continual use of the "Terri had no heart attack" (he knows she had cardiac arrest), relies on peoples' ignorance of the difference to cast doubt on the cause of Terri's collapse. Once caught in that, he tried to say she didn't have cardiac arrest, because he doesn't think her heart "stopped". It didn't need to "stop".
This is all only part of the available evidence of his deceitful character. He's currently in the middle of a challenge to his medical license.

Even Glenn Beck, a major supporter of the Schindlers, ended his interview with him, apologizing to his audience for having him on, after he refused to be straightforward.
This "world renowned" doctor, who is listed at quackwatch.com and advertised in the National enquirer, has never published in any respected medical journal (check pubmed). He claims to have had his work "peer reviewed," yet the "peers" are a few friend$ who work with him. http://www.hnionline.com/results_peer_reviewed_and_publis.htm

His patent is merely the use of common vasodilators to increase blood flow to the brain. Though the medical community says it is hogwash, he gets away with it with the board by listing his treatment as experimental upfront. It has had anecdotal success in a certain segment of patients. The only thing close to a study he did was on whiplash and some other highly functional patients.
Yet, he touts this treatment as a cure-all for everything from ADD to PVS. He bases his claims of success treating ADD on his treatment of 2 adult sisters who said they improved after taking the pills along with doing other therapies that would improve them as well.

Here is a typical example of this man's deceitfulness. Remember - Terri, without doubt, had cardiac arrest (see above), which is different from a Heart Attack (MI). Cardiac arrest is 50% more likely to occur if potassium is as low as a 3.5 Terri's was a 2.0. Heart attack is a totally different thing. Keeping this in mind, read this section of a transcript

HAMMESFAHR: I'd like to go back to the potassium for a second, because he talked about the potassium and about the diet pills issue or some other drugs.

COLMES: Sure. Sure.

HAMMESFAHR: But the medical record clearly shows that there has never been a heart attack. Potassium causes damage by causing heart attacks, so we know the potassium is not an issue.
...
Right now we have a woman who had a collapse with no known cause. No evidence of infection, heart attack, respiratory failure or anything. The only thing found in the emergency room is a damaged neck.

Now, he is either totally clueless about common physiology, or he is making a concerted effort to deceive people into believing Michael strangled her.

I would also add, that if Hammesfahr only saw a stiff neck like Terri's in one patient, it only goes to more proof that he's lying about seeing many PVS patients - he never has brought forward any proof, though it was so critical he do so.

There was and is nothing about Terri's neck that was or is unexpected for anyone in her condition.

Quackwatch http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/tcd.html
2002 Trial Transcript
Multiple web sites investigating him
http://www.hnionline.com/nominating_letter_for_the_Nobel.htm
http://www.hnionline.com/nobel_prize_nomination.htm

First of all that is not evidence of anything.
It is all theory.

Also, Quackwatch is nothing more than a website set up by ONE person in which he expresses his opinions and throws around some articles to support his views. That website is setup by a retired Psychiatrist, Stephen Barrett, M.D..

The website is not a AMA website or a medical watchdog group website. It is ran by one man and they are HIS opinions and he is NOT a physician.

Also, give me some OFFICAL WEBSITE ran by an OFFICAIL ORGANIZATION in the medical field that watches over Doctors and show me any charges against Hammesfahr in which he has had his license suspended or revoked due to incompetence.

Does it seem a little ironic to anybody else, that NewsMax is running a prominent ad (it interrupts the paragraphs) for this story, titled:

What If Everything You Ever Thought You Knew About Women, Dating and Relationships Was Dead Wrong? And:

Are you in a relationship where your “needs” are not being met, and would like to get them “taken care of” discreetly without harming your current relationship?

I've given you a loooot of information about our Dr. H. but am not willing to do more homework for you.

Olga, Terri's favorite nurse- who defied Michaels' insanely controlling non-therapy orders - died in an auto accident. I have been hoping someone would post details about Olga's accident. Just so we know it was really an accident.

Without doubt, Olga's accident will be a key part of certain future investigations into this whole outrageous affair.

The Affadavit is absolutely heart-breaking.

AFFIDAVIT

STATE OF FLORIDA
COUNTY OF PINELLAS

BEFORE ME the undersigned authority personally appeared HEIDI LAW who being first duly sworn deposes and says:

1. My name is Heidi Law, I am over the age of 18 years, and make this statement on personal information.

2. I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Palm Gardens nursing home from March, 1997 to mid-summer of 1997. While I was employed at Palm Gardens, occasionally I took care of Theresa Schiavo. Generally, I worked the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift, but occasionally also would work a double shift, until 7 a.m. the following morning.

3. At Palm Gardens, most of the patient care was provided by the CNAs, so I was in a good position to judge Terri’s condition and observe her reactions. Terri was noticeable, because she was the youngest patient at Palm Gardens.

4. I know that Terri did not receive routine physical therapy or any other kind of therapy. I was personally aware of orders for rehabilitation that were not being carried out. Even though they were ordered, Michael would stop them. Michael ordered that Terri receive no rehabilitation or range of motion therapy. I and Olga would give Terri range of motion anyway, but we knew we were endangering our jobs by doing so. We usually did this behind closed doors, we were so fearful of being caught. Our hearts would race and we were always looking out for Michael, because we knew that, not only would Michael take his anger out on us, but he would take it out more on Terri. We spoke of this many times.

5. Terri had very definite likes and dislikes. Olga and I used to call Terri “Fancy Pants,” because she was so particular about certain things. She just adored her baths, and was so happy afterward when she was all clean, smelling sweet from the lotion her mother provided, and wearing the soft nightgowns her mother laundered for her. Terri definitely did not like the taste of the teeth-cleaning swabs or the mouthwash we used. She liked to have her hair combed. She did not like being tucked in, and especially hated it if her legs were tightly tucked. You would always tell when Terri had a bowel movement, as she seem agitated and would sort of “scoot” to get away from it.

6. Every day, Terri was gotten up after lunch and sat in a chair all afternoon. When Terri was in bed, she very much preferred to lie on her right side and look out the window. We always said that she was watching for her mother. It was very obvious that her mother was her favorite person in the whole world.

7. I worked side-by-side with another CNA named Olga and could tell that she and Terri were especially close. Olga took a definite personal interest in Terri, and Terri responded to her. I could tell that Terri was very satisfied and happy with Olga’s attentions to her.

8. When Olga was talking with Terri, Terri would follow Olga with her eyes. I have no doubt in my mind that Terri understood what Olga was saying to her. I could tell a definite difference between the way Terri responded to Olga and the way she reacted to me, until she got used to my taking care of her. Initially, she “clammed up” with me, the way she would with anyone she did not know or was not familiar or comfortable with. It took about the fourth or fifth time taking care of her alone, without Olga, that Terri became relaxed and cooperative and non-resistant with me.

9. Terri reacted very well to seeing a picture of her mother, which was in her room. Many times when I came on duty it would be lying face down where she could not see it.

10. At least three times during any shift where I took care of Terri, I made sure to give Terri a wet washcloth filled with ice chips, to keep her mouth moistened. I personally saw her swallow the ice water and never saw her gag. Olga and I frequently put orange juice or apple juice in her washcloth to give her something nice to taste, which made her happy. On three or four occasions I personally fed Terri small mouthfuls of Jello, which she was able to swallow and enjoyed immensely. I did not do it more often only because I was so afraid of being caught by Michael.

11. On one occasion Michael Schiavo arrived with his girlfriend, and they entered Terri’s room together. I heard Michael tell his girlfriend that Terri was in a persistent vegetative state and was dying. After they left, Olga told me that Terri was extremely agitated and upset, and wouldn’t react to anyone. When she was upset, which was usually the case after Michael was there, she would withdraw for hours. We were convinced that he was abusing her, and probably saying cruel, terrible things to her because she would be so upset when he left.

12. In the past, I have taken care of comatose patients, including those in a persistent vegetative state. While it is true that those patients will flinch or make sounds occasionally, they don’t do it as a reaction to someone on a constant basis who is taking care of them, the way I saw Terri do.

13. I witnessed a priest visiting Terri a couple of times. Terri would become quiet when he prayed with her. She couldn’t bow her head because of her stiff neck, but she would still try. During the prayer, she would keep her eyes closed, opening them afterward. She laughed at jokes he told her. I definitely know that Terri “is in there.”

14. The Palm Gardens staff, myself included, were just amazed that a “Do Not Resuscitate” order had been put on Terri’s chart, considering her age and her obvious cognitive awareness of her surroundings.

15. During the time I cared for Terri, she formed words. I have heard her say “mommy” from time to time, and “momma,” and she also said “help me” a number of times. She would frequently make noises like she was trying to talk. Other staff members talked about her verbalizations.

16. Several times when Michael visited Terri during my shift, he went into her room alone and closed the door. This worried me because I didn’t trust Michael. When he left, Terri was very agitated, was extremely tense with tightened fists and some times had a cold sweat. She was much less responsive than usual and would just stare out the window, her eyes kind of glassy. It would take much more time and effort than usual to work her hands open to clean her palms.

17. I was told by supervisory staff that Michael was Terri’s legal guardian, and that it didn’t matter what the parents or the doctors or nurses wanted, just do what Michael told you to do or you will lose your job. Michael would override the orders of the doctors and nurses to make sure Terri got no treatment. Among the things that Terri was deprived of by Michael’s orders were any kind of testing, dental care or stimulation. I was ordered by my supervisors to limit my time with Terri. I recall telling my supervisor that Terri seemed abnormally warm to the touch. I was told to pull her covers down, rather than to take her temperature. As far as I know, Terri never left her room. The only stimulation she had was looking out the window and watching things, and the radio, which Michael insisted be left on one particular station. She had a television, and there was a sign below it saying not to change the channel. This was because of Michael’s orders.

18. As a CNA, I wanted every piece of information I could get about my patients. I never had access to medical records as a CNA, but it was part of my job duties to write my observations down on sheets of paper, which I turned over to the nurse at the nurses station for inclusion in the patients charts. In the case of Terri Schiavo, I felt that my notes were thrown out without even being read. There were trash cans at the nurses stations that we were supposed to empty each shift, and I often saw the notes in them. I made extensive notes and listed all of Terri’s behaviors, but there was never any apparent follow up consistent with her responsiveness.

19. I discussed this situation with other personnel at Palm Gardens, particularly with Olga, and another CNA, an older black man named Ewan Morris. We all discussed the fact that we could be fired for reporting that Terri was responsive, and especially for giving her treatment. The advice among the staff was “don’t do nothin’, don’t see nothin’ and don’t say nothin’.” It was particularly distressing that we always had to be afraid that if Michael got upset, he would take his anger out on Terri.

20. I recall an incident when Olga became very upset because Terri started to get a sore spot, because it might lead to a bedsore. Michael was told about it but didn’t seem to care. He didn’t complain about it all, in fact, saying “she doesn’t know the difference.” When Terri would get a UTI or was sick, Michael’s mood would improve.

FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT

________________
Heidi Law, Affiant

STATE OF FLORIDA
COUNTY OF PINELLAS

Sworn to and subscribed before me this day of September, 2003, by HEIDI LAW, who produced a Florida Driver’s License as identification.

Notary Public

My Commission expires:

Have you heard that Felos has said that Michael is requesting an autopsy to lay the rumors to rest?

I've heard that and applaud it. I would insist on it and rather thought he would when he realized the conspiracy theories that are becoming urban legends.

Somehow I suspect that the judge's and Michael's "quality of life" will never be quite the same.

Just another issue Judge Greer will thwart.

I've heard that and applaud it. I would insist on it and rather thought he would when he realized the conspiracy theories that are becoming urban legends.

__________
Autopsy or no, MS, Felos and Greer will forever be guilty, in my mind of murdering this poor woman. "urban legend" be damned. She wasn't sick. MS IMO, is a treacherous bastard. Wonder what he will do with no more Schlinder's to torment. Write a book? Title it.. My Great Love for Terri? or How I suffered and only Received $300K? Or perhaps a tidbit on Recyling Jewelry and Making It Last, or
30 years from now when he if off the talk shows and no death doobie gives a ratsass, How I Legally Killed My Wife and Guess What Folks, she was there.

Perhaps Michael Schiavo, Robert Blake and OJ Simpson can grab a 4th widower and play a couple of rounds of golf or something, seek mutual solace in their grieving and all.....

I agree.

I read the doc where Michael Schiavo describes how he found his wife in 1992 and then again in 2000 and he completely changed the scenarios and I could not believe it.
I never called him a "murderer". You can look through all the other threads where I posted on this subject, and you will never see a post were I posted Michael Schiavo made Terri have brain damage.
UNTIL I read the information posted on this thread today.
I am not sure how much you know about police investigation but that sort of discrepancy makes antennas go up BIG TIME.

If an autopsy is capable of resolving some issues from 15 years ago, thats good.

However, nothing can explain this man changing his story about the way he found his wife that night in the hallway after she collapsed.

It is a damning contradiction to me.

I read through everything I could find.

I wonder if Felos approached Michael with a deal.....Michael would give Felos a disabled person to legally murder, thus setting precedent in the courts, and Felos and Greer would somehow insure that Michael could not be prosecuted for the abuse and attempted murder of his wife after she dies.

Felos, Greer, and Michael should be prosecuted for premeditated murder.

"However, nothing can explain this man changing his story .."

Truth is truth and unchanging. Lies change.