Posted on 03/27/2005 9:52:24 AM PST by churchillbuff
Edited on 03/27/2005 9:59:36 AM PST by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
After going more than eight days without food and water, starving Terri Schiavo looks "beautiful," the attorney for her husband, who appears to have won the battle to force her death, told reporters on Saturday.
"She looked beautiful," attorney George Felos said, emerging from a visit to her room. He claimed that Terri was "resting comfortably."
"In all the years I've seen Mrs. Schiavo, I have never seen such a look of peace and beauty upon her," he insisted. Felos's comments were sharply at odds with accounts from her family and their lawyers, who say her eyes are sunken, her skin is flaking and that she's bleeding from the eyes and mouth.
"It's like someone who is coming out of a bunker in Auschwitz," Terri's sister, Suzanne Vitadamo, told reporters Saturday.
"This is heinous what's happening, absolutely heinous - this is absolutely barbaric," her brother Bobby Schindler complained. "If she is in fact dying so peacefully and easily, why not allow a camera in there to videotape it?" he said.
Further belying Mr. Felos' claims that Terri is "resting comfortably," lawyers for her family say nurses have begun to administer morphine to ease the intense pain.
hmm..gee...it seems all too clear now........
*****
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1371099/posts
Circuit Judge George Greer biography .
Main Entry: nec·ro·phil·ia
Pronunciation: "ne-kr&-'fi-lE-&
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin
: obsession with and usually erotic interest in or stimulation by corpses
- nec·ro·phil·i·ac /-'fi-lE-"ak/ adjective or noun
- nec·ro·phil·ic /-'fi-lik/ adjective
The democrat media and Felos tell us ovber and over Terri is "euphoric," "beautiful," "at peace," "suffering absolutely no pain," etc. etc.
Where do I sign up for this heaven on earth execution?
Why is this man not wearing an orange jump suit?
And it isn't even a fart in a hurricane when you compare it to Hillary or watergate or any other political scandal....
so what? He was still ELECTED by the people in Pinellas....it isn't a Clinton thing, that is, unless you are saying that there was VOTER FRAUD IN FLORIDA. You wouldnt be saying that now would you? hhmmmmm???
Good point. If she's PVS and numb,i,e, so bad everything is reflex and she can't feel anything at all, why are they offering morphine for her "peaceful, euphoric" agony?
Felos is one sick puppy.
He's figured out how to be a serial killer, get paid for it and have no prosecution.
Any body that enjoys watching the dying of any other human is disturbed.
Actually, even as she is being murdered, the soul of the innocent martyr Terri IS beautiful, shining magnificently in the hellish death pit surrounded by evil fiends like Felos, Schiavo, and their agents.
Yeah, right.
I did not mention the Clintons. You missed the point. Forget about it.
Doubt if the RNC will claim this piece of debris (Greer). As a lifelong Republican, I want to barf at the thought of this POS in the party. His church dumped his sorry butt, now the RNC can do likewise.
I've never seen a person wax about the dying process as obscessively as Felos sounds that didn't have an erotic interest in it...he would put some of the death obsessed necrophiliac serial killers to shame over his love of death...
I think Anne Rice captured these sentiments in her Vampire series of books as well.
I want to know if there is any possible way there could be a thorough investigation of all this, hopefully a forced autopsy too........her husband and Felos are going to get away with murder if there isn't.
"America speaks to us about human rights, but witness what they do to their own people! Those Vipers! Those hypocrites! "
Patient Care Notesxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Hospice
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOf The Florida Suncoast
Date
4/19/01xxxxxxxxxxxxxClinical Pharmacy
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxRe: Medication review and symptom management
Pt. is a 37 yo woman in a vegetative state with no apparent signs of distress. Enteral tube-feeding to be discontinued on 4/20/01.
Current Medications:
1. antacid suspension 1-2 tablespoons prn [prn = "as needed"]
2. Naproxen suspension 375 mg Q8* prn menstrual cramps. [Q8* prn = "every 8 hours as needed". Naproxen is a pain-relieving and anti-inflamatory drug. ]
3. Vitamin liquid daily.
Upon discontinuation of enteral feeding the following signs/symptoms may or may not occur. The following is a brief list of symptoms for which to monitor and recommended interventions.
1. d/c ["discontinue"] antacid. d/c Naproxen suspension.
2. d/c Vitamin liquid
3. Monitor symptoms of pain/discomfort. If noted, medicate with Naproxen rectal suppository 375 mg Q8* prn.
Wait a minute! George Felos, Michael Schiavo, and all the other advocates of feeding-tube removal have been saying repeatedly that dying by denial of nutrition & hydration is "peaceful" and "painless". They've both said so in interviews and press conferences, such as on Larry King Live. So if dying by denial of nutrition and hydration is, as Michael said, "painless and probably the most natural way to die", then why is medication needed for pain and discomfort?
4. Signs of compromised skin integrity — continue vigilant skin care, provide moistener to lips, consult wound-care specialist if needed.
As the body dehydrates, the skin loses its tone and dries out. Left untreated, this will lead to cracking and bleeding. The lips are even more sensitive in this respect. "Vigilant skin care" is the liberal use of lotions and moisteners to mask these symptoms. The lips must be continually swabbed with special moisteners, and have lip balm applied to them. In the last stages, though, in spite of such measures, skin breakdown often occurs. Because of the body's debilitated state, normal healing mechanisms do not function. Hence the need to consult wound-care specialists to deal with ulcers and open sores.
5. Signs of dehydration
(A) dry lips, mouth. Swab saliva substitute inside mouth prn. (see next page)
After a few days without water, the body stops producing saliva, necessitating the use of a "saliva substitute" to avoid ulceration in the mouth, and a characteristic foul odor on the patient's breath. The cessation of salivation also leads to other complications which appear in the "pulmonary" section.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx00039
Patient Care Notesxxxxxxxxxxxxx The Hospice
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxOf The Florida Suncoast
Date
4/19/01xxxxxxxxxClinical Pharmacy Note — continued
xxxxxxxxxxxxxSigns of dehydration — continued
(B) decreased urinary output - no change in care plan.
While there may be "no change in care plan", one of the effects of dehydration is incontinence. The patient's diapers or "chux" pads will need to be changed more frequently, until such output ceases entirely.
6. Pulmonary
(A) Inability to clear secretions - reposition and swab mouth, consider scopolamine patch behind ear every 3 days.
Dehydration causes the natural mucus secretions of the mouth, nose, and throat to thicken, as the body struggles to protect these delicate membranes. The lack of saliva exacerbates this problem, preventing the normal swallowing of these secretions. These thick deposits can interfere with breathing. The use of the scopolamine patch promotes drying of these secretions, which prevents their build-up, but hastens the breakdown of the tissues.
(B) dyspnea ["difficulty in breathing"] — nebulize low dose 2-5 mg morphine sulfate Q4* prn.
In the last stages of dehydration/starvation, the patient's breathing will become difficult and labored. He or she may even begin gasping for breath, as even the lungs' ability to effect transfer of gases is compromised. Morphine nebulized into a fine spray relaxes bronchial passages and relieves these symptoms. However, because of the resultant decrease in respiratory efficiency, this may hasten death.
7. Multifocal myoclonus or terminal agitation (sometimes caused by electrolyte imbalance). Consider diazepam rectal administration 5-10 mg. May repeat in 4 hours if not resolved then daily - twice daily as needed.
Myoclonus is twitching or spasm of the muscles. Multifocal means "occurring in many different parts of the body". This is usually the result of imbalance in electrolytes, the chemicals, such as salt, potassium, and calcium, which make your bodies internal electrical "batteries" work. Nerve impulses and muscle contractions are governed by electro-chemical reactions utilizing these chemicals. Dehydration causes these chemicals to be out of balance, interfering with normal nerve and muscle function. This can result in nerves and muscles "firing off" uncontrollably, causing spasm. The patient will writhe and become extremely agitated. If you have ever had muscle cramps resulting from strenuous exercise (especially when you have sweat profusely), you have some idea what this feels like. Imagine having this happen all over your body, repeatedly. Diazepam (more commonly known as Valium) is a muscle relaxant
8. Grand Mal seizure, which is highly unlikely given current conditions and lack of contributing factors (meds). Recommend diazepam 15 mg rectally as indicated in seizure management orders.
In the final stages of starvation and dehydration, the same electrolyte imbalances which can cause muscle spasm can also lead to uncontrolled firing of neurons in the brain, according to a similar mechanism. This results in seizures.
Thank you for the opportunity to collaborate regarding this patient's care.
I would observe, in conclusion, that most of the "treatments" described in this Exit Protocol are in fact not directed at easing the patient's true condition, but in masking the symptoms of dying by starvation and dehydration. These treatments are designed to create the appearance of a peaceful "slipping away", when nothing of the sort is happening. The medications hide the fact that the patient undergoes a lengthy and painful deterioration, in which his/her body wastes away cruelly. Remember this the next time you hear or read someone say that Terri should be "allowed" to die.
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