Artificial feeding-Terri Schiavo

Nurses General Nursing

Published

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...........

It angers me that Terri's husband could be so cruel at the last moments of her life. To deny her parents the opportunity to be with her as she took her last breath....

May she rest in peace and god be with her parents during their difficult time!

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.

I think having her cremated and buried in the Schiavo family plot is just cruel. Not just to the Schindlers, but to his girlfriend, who presumably will become his wife now that Terri's gone, and their children. Are they all meant to share the Schiavo family plot? That's just strange, IMHO. You really can't help but feel there he's doing this to be mean, just like denying her parents the right to be in the room at the time of her death. Whatever feelings he may claim to have still had for Terri, the fact that he has had two children with another woman makes it hard to accept him as holding Terri closest to his heart. He should have let the people who love her deeply and truly have been there to say goodbye. Shame on him.

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God rest her sweet soul. I just have this huge lump in my throat thinking that over the weeks and months to come, all of the unsavory details of this whole episode are going to come out bit by bit and shed light on all of the procedural irregularities and conflicts of interest that were involved in this fiasco. There are just too many passionately committed people involved at this point to think for a minute that it is a closed book. I've been reading excerpts from Felos's book and have already started hearing about connections between him and various associates of the court being traced back to this hospice. What if, at the end of this all, we learn that the whole thing was orchestrated by a euthanasia movement? What do we say to Teri's parents? Ooops? Sorry?

OK, so it wasn't the parents writing the book...it was their lawyer! Sorry.

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I don't think you will ever see that. This was just a mother and father trying to take control. It is a sad sad situation that became sader as the schindlers made it a circus. What about the rest of the families in the Hospice? How would you like one of your family members there? God rest Terri and shame on the Schindlers taking away all her privacy and dignity.

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Yes it should be about Terri. A woman who was likely first physically, abused by her husband to the point that she was brain damaged. Then that same man was allowed to slowly murder her while the band of zombie like Americans played on to the dirge of "well I wouldn't want to live like that." Today, America came one step closer to the type of Orwellian nightmare society referenced by Huxley and attempted by Hitler. All of those who said "never again" after World II today have reason to shudder.

May God bless Terri and the Schindlers, but may he also let appropriate justice befall her bastard husband and the rest of us poor slobs who did nothing.

WHOA! Where is the evidence that he abused her to the point of brain damage???

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We had a family take their mother out of hospice and tube feed via NGT because they were afraid they weren't doing the right thing by putting her in hospice. They made reference to Terri Shaivo. Their mom of course still died even with the tube feedin within a couuple of days. The legacy of this situation is indeed going to be interesting.

As with Karen Quindlen. I was fresh out of nursing school..Some of my friends worked in ICU. EVERYONE was kept on the vent, no matter how old, even 93 yr olds. That was the initial fallout, which we still feel today. Our resp floor has had immediate fallout, with people wanting all the stops..."NO matter what". Which is fine, but, there is no where to send them to live after "everything is done". We can't find enough facilities to take thhese "high tech" patients. I am afraid it will get worse.

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Specializes in Public Health, DEI.
OK, so it wasn't the parents writing the book...it was their lawyer! Sorry.

Felos is Schiavo's attorney.

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OK, so it wasn't the parents writing the book...it was their lawyer! Sorry.

The book to which I was referring was Litigation as Spiritual Practice written in 2000 by George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho.

May she rest in peace,,

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This situation will set back hospice care, big time. I am still fuming over Mr. Schaivo suggesting that hospice personnel would intentionally OD Terri on MSO4; as a former hospice nurse, I am offended for myself and my hospice collagues.

And unless someone has direct evidence that Terri's husb. was abusing her, it is irresponsible and unprofessional to even suggest that. Even heard of a little thing called slander? (You can be sued for it.)

Terri's brother-in-law has been getting death threats from so-called supporters of Terri...really great. :uhoh3: (So much for being pro-life.)

1. Perhaps putting Terri Schiavo in a hospice when she was not actively dying is part of what has "set hospice back." I presume further that when you say "Mr. Schiavo" you are meaning to say "Mr. Schindler." The only "Mr. Schiavo" in this situation is Michael Schiavo; Terri Schiavo's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Schindler. Those making accusations against these grieving parents would do well to at least get their names right.

2. "Direct evidence" includes, but is not limited to, eyewitness accounts. We have those. We also have the testimony of neurologist Dr. William Hammesfahr, who testified to the following, on Sept. 12, 2002, regarding his examination of Terri Schiavo, completed at the Second District Court of Appeal:

"The neck exam was abnormal. She had severe limitation of range of motion in the flexion, and to a lesser degree in extension. Indeed, I was able to pick up her entire torso and head and neck area with pressure on the back of her neck in the suboccipital region. These findings of cervical spasm and limitation of range of motion are consistent with a neck injury. No bruits were identified."

3. I think that there are a great many people who would welcome a slander lawsuit from Michael Schiavo. Such a suit, of course, will never be filed because it would, among other things, open him up to oath-bound testimony about what happened to his wife, which, of course, he has been so far free from.

4. Do you have evidence of "death threats" against Terri Schiavo's brother-in-law? What kind of evidence? Could you provide it to us?

5. Assuming you have such evidence, what evidence do you have that it is from "supporters of Terri"?

6. And further, what evidence do you have that it is from anyone in the pro-life community?

Jim Huffman, RN

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Here is what I consider to be the evidence that Michael Schivavo abused his wife:

1. There was a bone scan which conclusively showed a history of multiple, previous fractures and traumas.

2. Friends, family and coworkers of Terri said that Michael S. was very controlling going to the point of checking Terr S's odometer.

3. The paramedics who arrived on the scene when Terry S. collasped said found the circumstancs to be suspicious and referred the situation to the police. Terri was found face down with her fists clinched.

4. Tests at the hospital showed no signs of cardiac arrest such as elevated cardiac enzymes.

5. One of the nurses at Mrs. Schiavo's at the LTC facility (nurse Iyer) filed a police report when she discovered Michael alone in the room with Terri who was sweating and had highly depressed blood glucose. She also found an insulin vial in the trash and needle marks under Terris breasts and in the groin area. She was fired the next day.

6. Michael S. did not ask that Terri be cremated until the bone scan became public about three years ago. It was almost immediately after the bone scan became public that he asked and received permission from the court to cremate Terri.

7. Friends and co-workers of Terri at the time of her collaspe say that Terri had been in a big arugment with Michael the night before her collaspe.

8. One of Michael S's girlfriends (after Terri but before the current one) reports that Michael stalked and threatened her.

9. There have been other cases of intimidation reported by family and friends concerning Michael. Nurses testified that he had an explosive, threatening demeanor when he visited Terri on many occassions.

Yes, I believe with all my heart that Michael murdered Mrs. Schiavo. Hopefully, the parents will sue him for wrongful deal in a civil court.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

:sniff:

Here is what I consider to be the evidence that Michael Schivavo abused his wife:

1. There was a bone scan which conclusively showed a history of multiple, previous fractures and traumas.

2. Friends, family and coworkers of Terri said that Michael S. was very controlling going to the point of checking Terr S's odometer.

3. The paramedics who arrived on the scene when Terry S. collasped said found the circumstancs to be suspicious and referred the situation to the police. Terri was found face down with her fists clinched.

4. Tests at the hospital showed no signs of cardiac arrest such as elevated cardiac enzymes.

5. One of the nurses at Mrs. Schiavo's at the LTC facility (nurse Iyer) filed a police report when she discovered Michael alone in the room with Terri who was sweating and had highly depressed blood glucose. She also found an insulin vial in the trash and needle marks under Terris breasts and in the groin area. She was fired the next day.

6. Michael S. did not ask that Terri be cremated until the bone scan became public about three years ago. It was almost immediately after the bone scan became public that he asked and received permission from the court to cremate Terri.

7. Friends and co-workers of Terri at the time of her collaspe say that Terri had been in a big arugment with Michael the night before her collaspe.

8. One of Michael S's girlfriends (after Terri but before the current one) reports that Michael stalked and threatened her.

9. There have been other cases of intimidation reported by family and friends concerning Michael. Nurses testified that he had an explosive, threatening demeanor when he visited Terri on many occassions.

Yes, I believe with all my heart that Michael murdered Mrs. Schiavo. Hopefully, the parents will sue him for wrongful deal in a civil court.

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