Life Support Spinoff.... POLL!!!

[Cd4u_2]

No, don't plug the pull if there is a chance of someone recovering. Like car accidents. Especially if the patient have little ones. It took my aunt 3 months or so to get out of coma. She was on breathing machine for awhile, but not long. She is at her normal self today.

If it is a disease that will get worst or if you absolutely sure there is no hope, yes.


I picked: Yes, I want the plug pulled, but after a certain amount of time.

I should also add that if you are firm believer to pull the plug right away, it is better not let doctors to put those machines on you in the first place. Because those machines is meant to see if there is any hope of you recovering.

[graceforme]

Well, I guess each situation warrants careful consideration. My Mom passed away in Sept, of 2005. I took her to the Dr. on Wed. for what appeared to be a sinus infection. On Thursday, my Dad had to call an ambulance for her because she couldn't breathe. By Thursday night she was in intensive care. I took Dad to see her on Friday - at lunch time she was doing much better. By Friday night she was on a Bi-Pap to breathe. On Saturday, she was put on a ventilator, went into a coma, had two massive strokes. On the following Friday night, the Dr. told us there was nothing more that could be done. We had to make the decision to have the ventilator removed and also the IV that gave the drugs to regulate her heartbeat. We did have them leave the IV that provided morphine for her to make sure there was no pain. It was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to do, and given the same set of circumstances, I don't think I could make the decision again. I honestly felt like we murdered her, even though we knew there was no chance for her recovery.

My Dad was terminally ill when Mom died, and only lived for 5 months after she passed away. He had massive cancer tumors in both lungs that constricted his esophagus and he couldn't swallow at all. He refused a feeding peg, and had us draw up a DNR and living will for him.

If there is any comfort when dealing with someone who can't swallow, let this be an encouragement. My Dad, who was 85, went for 10 days before he died and wasn't able to swallow anything during that time. He dropped to about 80 pounds in no time, but he was awake and alert during that time, and he vowed that he felt absolutely no pain, and that after the first two days, he didn't even feel hungry anymore. The doctor told us that the part of the brain that sends pain signals out shuts down during the starvation process and the person doesn't feel pain. I was so thankful for that. It was a hard time for all of us. I sat and held him till he passed. I don't think I'll ever get over that. All I could do was hold him and tell him how much I loved him. It was a horrible 3 hours. I'm crying now, just thinking about it.

I've got to go. Many blessings to all.

[redeemed]

Well, I guess each situation warrants careful consideration. My Mom passed away in Sept, of 2005. I took her to the Dr. on Wed. for what appeared to be a sinus infection. On Thursday, my Dad had to call an ambulance for her because she couldn't breathe. By Thursday night she was in intensive care. I took Dad to see her on Friday - at lunch time she was doing much better. By Friday night she was on a Bi-Pap to breathe. On Saturday, she was put on a ventilator, went into a coma, had two massive strokes. On the following Friday night, the Dr. told us there was nothing more that could be done. We had to make the decision to have the ventilator removed and also the IV that gave the drugs to regulate her heartbeat. We did have them leave the IV that provided morphine for her to make sure there was no pain. It was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to do, and given the same set of circumstances, I don't think I could make the decision again. I honestly felt like we murdered her, even though we knew there was no chance for her recovery.

My Dad was terminally ill when Mom died, and only lived for 5 months after she passed away. He had massive cancer tumors in both lungs that constricted his esophagus and he couldn't swallow at all. He refused a feeding peg, and had us draw up a DNR and living will for him.

If there is any comfort when dealing with someone who can't swallow, let this be an encouragement. My Dad, who was 85, went for 10 days before he died and wasn't able to swallow anything during that time. He dropped to about 80 pounds in no time, but he was awake and alert during that time, and he vowed that he felt absolutely no pain, and that after the first two days, he didn't even feel hungry anymore. The doctor told us that the part of the brain that sends pain signals out shuts down during the starvation process and the person doesn't feel pain. I was so thankful for that. It was a hard time for all of us. I sat and held him till he passed. I don't think I'll ever get over that. All I could do was hold him and tell him how much I loved him. It was a horrible 3 hours. I'm crying now, just thinking about it.

I've got to go. Many blessings to all.

:hug What a very sad thing to have to go through. May God grant you peace.:pray

[Angyl]

PULL THE BLASTED PLUG!!

I can't tell you what a debate Terri Shivo caused in our house. My wife's all about keeping the breathing corpse around, even against my wishes if it came down to it, so I gotta go over her head and give my mother the power should that happen to me.

If it happens to her...she's gone the minute doctors tell me there's little or no chance of recovery, and I don't care about the hypothetical "What if she woke up..." stuff. NOTHING is better than where she'd end up a few seconds after I 'pulled the plug.'

To me it's a matter of faith: If you TRULY BELIEVE in the better Heaven after this life, you've no excuse for hanging on to a body and leaving someone stuck twixt here and there.

[graceforme]

Terri Shivo's situation was a little different. She wasn't on life support. She was breathing completely on her own. The only thing was that she had a feeding peg. They literally starved that poor woman to death. It would be different if she was on life support ..... then I would say, yes, pull the plug and let her go. What a horrible thing - for her to know and realize that they were going to kill her by starvation! I can't even imagine how she felt knowing that her husband thought so little of her.

My heart went out to her parents, whose hearts were broken because of what her heartless husband did to her, all so he could move on to his newest girlfriend.

And, yes, it was a sad time for my family. My Mom had just died, and without having time to mourn her, we had to kick into high gear and take cae of my Dad around the clock. When he died, it was just like losing both of them. My comfort and peace is in knowing that they are both with the Lord, and suffering no more, along with my brother, who passed away in 2002.
Thank you, redeemed, for your kind words.

[professor h]

What a horrible thing - for her to know and realize that they were going to kill her by starvation! I can't even imagine how she felt knowing that her husband thought so little of her.


The medical consensus was that she hadn't had an active thought since her initial cardiac arrest in 1990. We can be thankful and pretty sure Terry had no idea what was happening, nor did she feel any pain.

And Celtic, I read that she was in fact, Roman Catholic, not Jewish. One of her parent's claims was that she would not want to violate the Catholic Church's teachings on euthanasia by refusing nutrition and hydration.

[angelwings88]

I am unsure.

[tenn4ever]

If a feeding peg/tube had not been inserted in my mother she would have starved. The doctors did tell us that it is painful but they could administer morphine and the person would basically just be asleep the last days before they die. We couldn't starve our mother to death. I think the fact that she had pneumonia three times before she died and recovered from it with only antibiotics was a sign to us that we made the correct decision with the feeding tube.

Our mom never seemed to be in pain those three years and seemed comfortable. All of us learned lessons in love and service during that time.

[Kem]

Just way too many different scenarios for me to give a definitive answer on this one. I've selected my oldest son who was a paramedic for 20 years before he started going blind, to decide any case for me. Hopefully he will do it in conjunction with my best friend who is also an RN. I don't want to be kept alive if there is little to no hope of recovery but I want folks who love me to make that decision.