Terri Schiavo (the brain dead woman)

[violette829]

This is a sad situation, but it reminds me of my friend Armond, who died of cancer years ago. He was 21 and had a VERY strong heart. One night, I called him and his brother told me he was at UCLA hospital and that he wasn't doing well. My friends and I spend EVERY day and NIGHT outside the hospital, sleeping on benches, because we couldn't stand to be home. He was on life support and the parents didn't wanna pull the plug. I begged and pleaded to go and see him, and when I finally did, the nurse told me something VERYYYYY chilling. The doctors don't mind keeping someone on life support. The stay for 3 weeks had already earned them about a $1million, and still counting. She pulled the sheets off his feet, and all I could see was his feet that had already shriveled and turned brown. They were torturing him ALL BECAUSE they didn't wanna have to deal with his loss. WTF? His brother in law said "I don't care if he's a vegetable, as long as I know he's alive". At that point, I got so upset that I just started cussing at him. I think it's so selfish to allow a young man, with so much energy, be subjected to a life of no control and no substance. If God forbid this ever happens to me, I wouldn't want to live 1 more minute in that pain. Just let God do what he was meant to do.

[Siggie]

That's another thing these people are saying that "god gave her more time" blah blah... Uhh... did he also give her a feeding tube? It makes no sense.

[ArmoBarbi]

That's another thing these people are saying that "god gave her more time" blah blah... Uhh... did he also give her a feeding tube? It makes no sense.

Any time the word "God" is used in one of these situations it is a sure sign that someone is milking it for publicity.

Medics and technology have kept her alive this long. Naturally she would have simply died long ago. "God" has nothing to do with it.

The reason we go against nature and save/cure people is so that they can return to society and be contributing members. This woman cannot do that. Let her go with dignity.

[CatWoman]

Oh come on you guys... you think everything is a cover up? Everything has to do with the war in Iraq? lol WHY? Siggie you think people will forget about the 9 BILLION missing because of Terri's case? Of course not. Have you gotten deep enough into this case to know what really happened? I don't think any of you have. It shouldn't matter what we want, what matters is what Terri's parents want and apparently they think not enough effort has been made in their daughter's recovery process and they can't watch her die knowing there was more they could have done for her but didn't, because of her husband!


Here are my main concerns:

1-What exactly caused her to collapse some years ago causing her brain injury? No one knows for sure, the husband might have as well beat the hell out of her, she can’t talk and no investigation was allowed so we’ll never know. An abusive man can beat his wife to a vegetative state, use his legal pass as next to kin to prevent the evidence from recovery, make money on insurances and doctors and after the checks are cleared suddenly remember that his wife expressed a wish to die in a similar situation.

2- Her husband prevented Terri from getting proper rehab, while he spent the rehab money he received on God knows what, probably the woman he lives with and the kids he has by her… WHY did he not let her receive the therapy doctors said she needed? And this man should be allowed to make the decision over her parents who gave her life? Something doesn't sound right here...

3- And lastly, by removing the tube, she’ll die from starvation… The most inhumane way to kill someone.

(ps I LOVE cats and I read somewhere that her husband killed Terri’s sick cat!!!!!! Soooo I don't like this man )



Maybe you guys should read what Carla Sauer, a nurse at Terri's hospital, said about all this:

1. My name is Carla Sauer Iyer. I am over the age of eighteen and make this statement of my own personal knowledge.

2. I am a registered nurse in the State of Florida, having been licensed continuously in Florida from 1997 to the present. Prior to that I was a Licensed Practical Nurse for about four years.

3. I was employed at Palm Garden of Largo Convalescent Center in Largo, Florida from April 1995 to July 1996, while Terri Schiavo was a patient there.

4. It was clear to me at Palm Gardens that all decisions regarding Terri Schiavo were made by Michael Schiavo, with no allowance made for any discussion, debate or normal professional judgment. My initial
training there consisted solely of the instruction "Do what Michael Schiavo tells you or you will beterminated." This struck me as extremely odd.

5. I was very disturbed by the decision making protocol, as no allowance whatsoever was made for professional responsibility. The atmosphere throughout the facility was dominated by Mr. Schiavo's intimidation. Everyone there, with the exception of several people who seemed to be close to Michael, was intimidated by him. Michael Schiavo always had an overbearing attitude, yelling numerous times such things as "This is my order and you're going to follow it." He is very large and uses menacing body language, such as standing too close to you, getting right in your face and practically shouting.

6. To the best of my recollection, rehabilitation had been ordered for Terri, but I never saw any being done or had any reason at all to believe that there was ever any rehab of Terri done at Palm Gardens while I was there. I became concerned because Michael wanted nothing done for Terri at all, no antibiotics, no tests, no range of motion therapy, no stimulation, no nothing. Michael said again and again that Terri should NOT get any rehab, that there should be no range of motion whatsoever, or anything else. I and a CNA named
Roxy would give Terri range of motion anyway. One time I put a wash cloth in Terri's hand to keep her fingers from curling together and Michael saw it and made me take it out, saying that was therapy.

7. Terri's medical condition was systematically distorted and misrepresented by Michael. When I worked with her, she was alert and oriented. Terri spoke on a regular basis while in my presence, saying such things as "mommy," and "help me." "Help me" was, in fact, one of her most frequent utterances. I heard her say it hundreds of times. Terri would try to say the word "pain" when she was in discomfort, but it came out more like "pay." She didn't say the "n" sound very well. During her menses she would indicate her discomfort by saying "pay" and moving her arms toward her lower abdominal area. Other ways that she would indicate that she was in pain included pursing her lips, grimacing, thrashing in bed, curling her toes or moving her legs around. She would let you know when she had a bowel movement by flipping up the covers and pulling on her diaper and scooted in bed on her bottom.

8. When I came into her room and said "Hi, Terri", she would always recognize my voice and her name, and would turn her head all the way toward me, saying "Haaaiiiii" sort of, as she did. I recognized this as a
"hi", which is very close to what it sounded like, the whole sound being only a second or two long. When I told her humrous stories about my life or something I read in the paper, Terri would chuckle, sometimes more a giggle or laugh. She would move her whole body, upper and lower. Her legs would sometimes be off the bed, and need to be repositioned. I made numerous entries into the nursing notes in her chart, stating verbatim what she said and her various behaviors, but by my next on-duty shift, the notes would be deleted from her chart. Every time I made a positive entry about any responsiveness of Terri's, someone would remove it after my shift ended. Michael always demanded to see her chart as soon as he arrived, and would take it in her room with him. I documented Terri's rehab potential well, writing whole pages about Terri's responsiveness, but they would always be deleted by the next time I saw her chart. The reason I wrote so much was that everybody else seemed to be afraid to make positive entries for fear of their jobs, but I felt very strongly that a nurses job was to accurately record everything we see and hear that bears on a patients condition and their family. I upheld the Nurses Practice Act, and if it cost me my job, I was willing to accept that.

9. Throughout my time at Palm Gardens, Michael Schiavo was focused on Terri's death. Michael would say "When is she going to die?," "Has she died yet?" and "When is that xxxxx gonna die?" These statements were common knowledge at Palm Gardens, as he would make them casually in passing, without regard even for who he was talking to, as long as it was a staff member. Other statements which I recall him making include "Can't anything be done to accelerate her death - won't she ever die?" When she wouldn't die, Michael would be furious. Michael was also adamant that the family should not be given information. He made numerous statements such as "Make sure the parents aren't contacted." I recorded Michael's statements word for word in Terri's chart, but these entries were also deleted after the end of my shift. Standing orders were that the family wasn't to be contacted, in fact, there was a large sign in the front of her chart that said under no circumstances was her family to be called, call Michael immediately, but I would call them, anyway, because I thought they should know about their daughter.

10. Any time Terri would be sick, like with a UTI or fluid buildup in her lungs, colds, or pneumonia, Michael would be visibly excited, thrilled even, hoping that she would die. He would say something like, "Hallelujah! You've made my day!" He would call me, as I was the nurse supervisor on the floor, and ask for every little detail about her temperature, blood pressure, etc., and would call back frequently asking if she was dead yet. He would blurt out "I'm going to be rich!" and would talk about all the things he would buy when Terri died, which included a new car, a new boat, and going to Europe, among other things.

11. When Michael visited Terri, he always came alone and always had the door closed and locked while he was with Terri. He would typically be there about twenty minutes or so. When he left Terri would be trembling, crying hysterically, and would be very pale and have cold sweats. It looked to me like Terri was having a hypoglycemic reaction, so I'd check her blood sugar. The glucometer reading would be so low
it was below the range where it would register an actual number reading. I would put dextrose in Terri's mouth to counteract it. This happened about five times on my shift, as I recall. Normally Terri's blood sugar levels were very stable due to the uniformity of her diet through tube feeding. It is medically possible that Michael injected Terri with Regular insulin, which is very fast acting, but I don't have any way of knowing for sure.

12. The longer I was employed at Palm Gardens the more concerned I became about patient care, both relating to Terri Schiavo, for the reasons I've said, and other patients, too. There was an LPN named Carolyn Adams, known as "Andy" Adams who was a particular concern. An unusual number of patients seemed to die on her shift, but she was completely unconcerned, making statements such as "They are old - let them die." I couldn't believe her attitude or the fact that it didn't seem to attract any attention. She made many comments about Terri being a waste of money, that she should die. She said it was costing Michael a lot of money to keep her alive, and that he complained about it constantly (I heard him complain about it all the time, too.) Both Michael and Adams said that she wouldbe worth more to him if she were dead. I ultimately called the police relative to this situation, and was terminated the next day. Other reasons were cited, but I was convinced it was because of my "rocking the boat."

13. Ms. Adams was one of the people who did not seem to be intimidated by Michael. In fact, they seemed to be very close, and Adams would do whatever Michael told her. Michael sometimes called Adams at
night and spoke at length. I was not able to hear the content of these phone calls, but I knew it was him talking to her because she would tell me afterward and relay orders from him.

14. I have contacted the Schindler family because I just couldn't stand by and let Terri die without the truth being known.


FURTHER AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.
signed
CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N.
The foregoing instrument was acknowledged before me this 29 day of August,
2003, by CARLA SAUER IYER, R.N., who produced her Florida's driver's license
as identification, and who did take an oath

[ArmenianKid]

Oh come on you guys... you think everything is a cover up? Everything has to do with the war in Iraq? lol WHY? Siggie you think people will forget about the 9 BILLION missing because of Terri's case? Of course not. Have you gotten deep enough into this case to know what really happened? I don't think any of you have. It shouldn't matter what we want, what matters is what Terri's parents want and apparently they think not enough effort has been made in their daughter's recovery process and they can't watch her die knowing there was more they could have done for her but didn't, because of her husband!


Here are my main concerns:

1-What exactly caused her to collapse some years ago causing her brain injury? No one knows for sure, the husband might have as well beat the hell out of her, she can’t talk and no investigation was allowed so we’ll never know. An abusive man can beat his wife to a vegetative state, use his legal pass as next to kin to prevent the evidence from recovery, make money on insurances and doctors and after the checks are cleared suddenly remember that his wife expressed a wish to die in a similar situation.

2- Her husband prevented Terri from getting proper rehab, while he spent the rehab money he received on God knows what, probably the woman he lives with and the kids he has by her… WHY did he not let her receive the therapy doctors said she needed? And this man should be allowed to make the decision over her parents who gave her life? Something doesn't sound right here...

3- And lastly, by removing the tube, she’ll die from starvation… The most inhumane way to kill someone.

(ps I LOVE cats and I read somewhere that her husband killed Terri’s sick cat!!!!!! Soooo I don't like this man )



Maybe you guys should read what Carla Sauer, a nurse at Terri's hospital, said about all this:

they do know what cuased the brain damage. a stroke, and the complications that followed lead to her being brain dead.

and the husband, by terry's will is the sole caretaker. i read up on this very thouoly, i am usaly pro-life but in this situation there is a barley a life involved. she isnt even walking dead, the only thing she can do is breath.

[loseyourname]

Cat, when the tube is removed, Terry will die of dehydration weeks before she would have died of starvation. Of course, if euthanasia wasn't illegal, she could simply be given a dose of pottasium chloride that would stop her heart immediately.

[rabinovich]

Oh come on you guys... you think everything is a cover up? Everything has to do with the war in Iraq? lol WHY? Siggie you think people will forget about the 9 BILLION missing because of Terri's case? Of course not. Have you gotten deep enough into this case to know what really happened? I don't think any of you have. It shouldn't matter what we want, what matters is what Terri's parents want and apparently they think not enough effort has been made in their daughter's recovery process and they can't watch her die knowing there was more they could have done for her but didn't, because of her husband!


Here are my main concerns:

1-What exactly caused her to collapse some years ago causing her brain injury? No one knows for sure, the husband might have as well beat the hell out of her, she can’t talk and no investigation was allowed so we’ll never know. An abusive man can beat his wife to a vegetative state, use his legal pass as next to kin to prevent the evidence from recovery, make money on insurances and doctors and after the checks are cleared suddenly remember that his wife expressed a wish to die in a similar situation.

2- Her husband prevented Terri from getting proper rehab, while he spent the rehab money he received on God knows what, probably the woman he lives with and the kids he has by her… WHY did he not let her receive the therapy doctors said she needed? And this man should be allowed to make the decision over her parents who gave her life? Something doesn't sound right here...

3- And lastly, by removing the tube, she’ll die from starvation… The most inhumane way to kill someone.

(ps I LOVE cats and I read somewhere that her husband killed Terri’s sick cat!!!!!! Soooo I don't like this man )



Maybe you guys should read what Carla Sauer, a nurse at Terri's hospital, said about all this:

Why would you care in the first place? There's so many people dying around the globe, there has been a whole genocide going on in Sudan. But no, Americans discuss only what's on their news, even if it's a trivial hospital case that probably happens to thousands, if not to millions worldwide.

[violette829]

Cat, when the tube is removed, Terry will die of dehydration weeks before she would have died of starvation. Of course, if euthanasia wasn't illegal, she could simply be given a dose of pottasium chloride that would stop her heart immediately.

I don't understand why people have to suffer. Look at what they're doing to Dr. Kevorkian. He only wants to help people in their most desperate times. This f*cking country will allow doctors to use cancer and aids as a means of population control, but won't allow someone, who is suffering and is going to die a painful death, the right to end it in a painless way.

[ArmoBarbi]

Yeah, it is very sad. This woman deserves a better death than this.

[CatWoman]

Why would you care in the first place?

I don't know, maybe I got feelings and I see what's happening, and I don't think it's fair??

There's so many people dying around the globe, there has been a whole genocide going on in Sudan. But no, Americans discuss only what's on their news, even if it's a trivial hospital case that probably happens to thousands, if not to millions worldwide.

And what exactly is it that you want me to do about the people dying around the globe? This is the topic of this thread, we're discussing it. Don't play smart with me....