I know you don't want me to talk about it.
Hell, I don't really want to talk about it.
But it's everywhere.
Yes, it's Terri Schiavo I speak of.
I just want to offer up my opinion.
She is a human being. She can breathe without tubes, right? She just needs the tubes for food.
So, when they remove the tube, she will essentially starve to death.
Her husband has a new girlfriend and wants his current wife to starve to death.
And there are government officials saying that's ok.
What in the hell is going on here?
Do you really think Terri Schiavo once said, "Hey, if I ever go into a vegetative state, could you please starve me until I waste away and die in agony?"
I wondered how long it would take a human to die of starvation.
I went to Merck for an answer:
The basic metabolic response to starvation is conservation of energy and body tissues. However, the body will mobilize its own tissues as a source of energy, which results in the destruction of visceral organs and muscle and in extreme shrinkage of adipose tissue. Total starvation is fatal in 8 to 12 wk.
In 8 to 12 weeks, her organs will have shrunk, her muscles deteriorated, tissues shrinkage, etc..
This is not humane. It's disgusting.
Her family seem to think that she will get better if they will just keep feeding her. I am no medical expert but I'm sort of doubting that, however, starving her to death doesn't seem a viable option.
What would YOU do?
Posted by De at March 22, 2005 02:23 PMI TOTALLY agree with you. She wasn't dieing, she was living. She can't take in food like the rest of us so she needs help. Just because Terri can't speak or respond the way people want her to does not give them the right to starve her to death. Of course, there are many sides to this story but why not error on the side of life.
Posted by: Lon at March 22, 2005 04:45 PMThat timeline is for a healthy adult. Terri is estimated to last between 1 and 2 weeks. She doesn't have the bulk to support the prolonged wasting period and her other medical problems will cause her death much faster once exacerbated by the lack of nutrients to her core organs.
Posted by: Jim at March 22, 2005 07:03 PMDehyration is fatal usually after about a week or so. There is a wealth of evidence from end of life and hospice care that withdrawal of hydration and nutrition in not incomfortable. People (usually weakened by cancer or dementia) refuse food all the time at the end of life and report no discomfort. Good oral care prevents sensation of dry mouth. To watch a person in such a state is peaceful; progressive sleepiness. It is actually a natural part of how our bodies shut down when we are dying. In the old day, when there were no such things as hospitals and nursing homes, people died at home and it was not such a mysterious process. Even the children knew that once "grampa stopped eating" he was likely dying. Withdrawal of feeding tubes is VERY common in medical practice. This case is only unusual in its publicity.
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