Artificial feeding-Terri Schiavo

Nurses General Nursing

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I posted this here becaue I think this subject is something that we as nurses deal with on a regular basis.....Many many people state that they have a big problem with the feeding being stopped "allowing her to starve to death" The Vatican says " To starve her to death is pitiless" Most everyone agrees that it is one's right to refuse to initiate artificial feeding but somehow this situation "is different" How? The patient "starves to death " in both cases-so why has this one galvanized the WORLD? My husband read me a quote from the Bible -forgive me because I can't remember it in detail-it was something along the lines that a woman marries and leaves her father's house and her husband becomes her family....My husband is my POA I hope no-one in my family questions his motives -He KNOWS exactly what I want....I can't question her husbands motives-I know that some suspect foul play and state the results of a bone scan support this...That bone scan was obtained 53 months after she went into her coma-after her body suffered the effects of her eating disorders for a number of years.... Her present level of responsiveness does not pertain to this matter IMHO-she CAN'T eat naturally--she did not ever want to "be kept alive like that " and she can't state otherwise at this point...So- #1 can someone PLEASE make me see why this case is" DIFFERENT" and #2 How do YOU support your patients and their loved ones when they are agonizing over this decision? ONe thing I always ask is "Did your loved one ever give you any idea of what they would want if something like this happened" and if they did then I advocate that stance for that pt as much possible.......I believe that death is the last great trip we'll go on and we should PLAN it as much as possible.The greatest GIFT we can give to our loved ones is an itinerary...........

Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Steph, if their motives are anything other than wanting what Terry would have wanted, it doesn't matter to me if they are based in love or greed. I do believe they love her, but IF they are just keeping her alive because it's what THEY want and not what she would have wanted.... well, I fail to see how that's any better than them having a financial motive because the end result is the same (Terry's wishes taking a back seat). I know that's a big IF, but the suspicions of the husband are just as iffy. I would feel differently if he had been convicted of abusing her. But he hasn't been and if the parents really did offer him the money to leave and he didn't like they claim, that supports the notion that it isn't all about the money to him.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never believed it was "all about the money" when it came to the husband, but I do believe it is all about hurting her.

He has refused to allow her wheelchair to be repaired and has refused offers of a free new wheelchair.

He refuses to let light into the room and has demanded the blinds be kept shut.

He refused to allow anyone to take her out in the sunshine.

Why refuse to allow a Priest to visit??

He wants to have her cremated even though her religion is against it.

I have never believed it was "all about the money" when it came to the husband, but I do believe it is all about hurting her.

He has refused to allow her wheelchair to be repaired and has refused offers of a free new wheelchair.

He refuses to let light into the room and has demanded the blinds be kept shut.

He refused to allow anyone to take her out in the sunshine.

Why refuse to allow a Priest to visit??

He wants to have her cremated even though her religion is against it.

I've read those same things.

I found the article I was reading earlier.

Life or death in Florida

Chuck Colson (archive)

March 11, 2005 | Print | Send

You may remember a commentary I delivered in 2003 about Terri Schiavo, who is in a nursing home with extensive brain damage. Terri's husband, Michael, had gone to court to remove her feeding tube, and her parents were fighting to keep Terri alive.

Terri's life was spared after Governor Jeb Bush and the legislature of Florida took quick action. But just a year and a half later, Terri Schiavo's family is once again fighting for her life.

"Terri's Law," the law that Governor Jeb Bush pushed through the legislature, was overturned by the Florida Supreme Court. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Governor Bush's appeal. Now, Judge George Greer has ruled that Terri's feeding tube must be removed on Friday, March 18. Terri will be legally starved to death unless her family and supporters can stop it.

Fortunately, Terri's congressman and one of her senators may have found a way to do it. Florida Senator Mel Martinez ® and Representative Dave Weldon ® have just introduced the "Incapacitated Person's Legal Protection Act" in the U.S. Congress. The act is based on the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which states, "No State . . . shall deprive any person of life . . . without due process of law . . . nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." This act is designed to guarantee the constitutional right to life of Terri and others in her position. It would establish Terri's right to her own legal counsel and call for a review of her case in federal court.. . . . . . . .

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/chuckcolson/cc20050311.shtml

Specializes in NICU.

This may be naive, but -- if her husband is really into making her suffer, as it sounds like some people believe, wouldn't he want to leave the feeding tube in, not let her die? Just sayin'.

Specializes in Trauma ICU, MICU/SICU.

I'm going to play Devil's Advocate here...

If Terri is doing as well as her website claims http://www.terrisfight.org,

why are there no recent videos/pictures of her. I find it hard to believe that she is doing as well now as the videos on the website.

Perhaps she would have done better if Michael had allowed more medical intervention, but it is probably a moot point. The point now is what would Terri want.

If she is just lying there in a coma, I can't imagine she has good quality of life and I say let her go.

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I've expressed my opinion on the subject in the current event boards many times. I support the husband in his desires to carry out his wife's wishes and I'll leave it at that.

To the original question, as it pertains to my nursing practice, I support spouses and families with nonjudgement no matter what they do in cases like this. I taken care of patients on both sides of this issue, those in a permanent vegetative state that are kept alive with all kinds of heroics and those who have been allowed to finish the process of dying that their initial illness/injury started, which I think of a tremendous act of love and courage, not murder. This included the case of a 19 year old head injured boy who would have lived for 40 years on a tube feeding, but his parents cut it off and he died of dehydration.

I think any "Terri's Laws" that would present this option for families is dangerous territory.

Off topic. Terri's husband was on the radio the other day saying he got offered lots of money to keep her alive and drop his efforts. I wonder if this is true.

why are there no recent videos/pictures of her.

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The husband went to court to prevent it. No photos can be taken of her. The parents went against a court order.

Her teeth are rotting and a dentist has offered his services free of charge. Again, the husband has refused her to even have dental care. Which is why the State of Florida got involved because medical care is being denied.

If she is just lying there in a coma, I can't imagine she has good quality of life and I say let her go.

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I am a former coma patient.

I am all for "letting someone go" if they are on a machine. But she isnt. She needs no machine for her heat to beat and no machine to breath. She just needs help for nurishment.

There is an organization called Not Dead Yet made of former coma patients that are alive and well today. Some are disabled--most are. But not all of us. I have a great deal to offer.

Specializes in Education, Acute, Med/Surg, Tele, etc.

Ever since I found out about this case, I made it a goal to make sure that all my residents had a up to date POLST so this battle of family/spouces was minimized. I feel it is our responsiblity to learn from this very tragic set of circumstances and really advocate for advanced directives/POLSTS no matter how uncomfortable it can be...

IN a quest to 'do as I preach' I brought up the need for both of my husband and I to make out our POLSTS (very uncomfortable) and well...found out we have a LARGE disagreement in IV hydration near time of death.

Where as I work with the geriatric population and have seen people return from hospital after having IV hydration therapy, only to be sent home to die at our facility I have noticed that they linger days to weeks longer if they didn't have that therapy at all but put on hospice for comfort measures (we are talking people that can not take anything PO!). I was all for IV hydration till I saw this...then I changed my mind and chose NOT to have IV hydration at my time near death. My hubby, a paramedic, well IV's for everything in his job and will put me on IV hydration no matter what my wishes are...he believes like I use to..that dehydration is horrible and uncomfortable. I begged him not to think that way, that this was my wish...but if I can no longer speak for myself...one IV comming up. Now I have to figure out if this is worth a battle to find a way to override my spouse if he is to make a choice for me at death.

Of course mine is doing it for love, not greed, money or anything like that....just love.

Teri's story really gets you thinking of your patients and yourself...what we all can do to try to prevent this from happening to anyone else...very sad, very emotional, and very difficult...but very important.

Be an advocate, get those patients POLSTS/Advanced directives started for patients...(I know many hospitals give them out at admit, but our job..encourage them to actually fill them out!). And consider them for yourself as well...

Ever since I found out about this case, I made it a goal to make sure that all my residents had a up to date POLST so this battle of family/spouces was minimized.

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Good for you.

My family has always been very open about death. Not all families are like that.

My grandparents had a file (just as my parents do) that had on it "what to do if something happen". That file contained all financial information, where they wanted to be buried, living wills, ect. Their funeral was preplanned and prepaid. It was a blessing for my aunt and mother.

This may be naive, but -- if her husband is really into making her suffer, as it sounds like some people believe, wouldn't he want to leave the feeding tube in, not let her die? Just sayin'.

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It isnt just about making her suffer, it is also about making her family suffer.

When she dies, her parents want a Catholic funeral. He has refused. Now..if she is dead, it doesnt matter to her...but it is one last dig to her parents.

Families are supposed to make these decisions for their loved ones. My main problem with this case is that the parents are trying to take control for the husband and in our country spouses are supposed to take precedence over parents.

You know what, if it were my kids, I would fight for them with everything I had!!!

Think about it, when you marry, you are still someone's baby!!!

What if you had some joker telling you he was going to let your baby girl die!

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Now, that being said, I will say that we may have had to face a similar situation with my mother. We removed all life support and she continued to live. Absolutely the only supportive measures being used were tube feeding via NG, suctioning, cleaning and positioning. Absolutely nothing else. And it would not have been beyond consideration to DC the tube feeding. Fortunately she died before it came to that. She wasn't quite brain dead, but she was not far above brain dead. (D/T anoxia). And that would have been a family decision, not unilateral. It is different when you are faced with a vegetative loved one. I used to think without a doubt DCing tube feedings was wrong, but since we were almost faced with that, I now realize that it is certainly case by case.

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I wonder if they have tried to feed her by mouth. I think if I was those parents feeling as strongly as they obviously do, I would at least attempt oral feedings. They can't deprive her of that can they???

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