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Why was morphine needed . . .
if she feels no pain, like the pro-death people claim?
posted by
WriterofLight
on March 29, 2005 at 7:37 PM
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Writeroflight,
whenever I use Morphine on a dying patient, I never use it to hasten death; rather, I use it for comfort. However, in the process of giving Morphine, it is not uncommon for a patient to relax in such a way that death comes sooner because of that relaxed state. Morphine can also lower blood pressure and obviously when a BP gets too low there will be inadequate perfusion of the body, thereby hastening death. I pray they are not using Morphine to hasten her death. But anymore, one never knows.
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 28, 2005 at 10:01 PM
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An awful perspective on the morphine
I heard that the morphine drip is really there to hasten death. Think about this - the pro-death people have been making excuses that she feels no pain. If this is som then why would morphine be administered? I agree. Jane. God help us all, especially when Ms. Schiavo's death opens the floodgates of euthanasia like Roe vs. Wade did for the baby killers.
posted by
WriterofLight
on March 28, 2005 at 7:41 PM
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Thank you, Ukie, for your comments,
your affirmation of life, and the beautiful prayer! God bless.
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 28, 2005 at 6:40 AM
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I agree with Jane!
Teri must have...
a will to live, otherwise she woud have died shortly after they removed life support. I understand how painfulit is to see others suffer. Those lonely souls need love too, no matter how little time they have before they die. I
I've seen horrible deformed and disabled children in VietNam, who are just surviving without any nurturing. Even though, they have some hospice care...there just aren't enouigh hands and hearts to go around. It's amazing how far a smile, kind word or hug goes. Spending moments with these "trapped" children, is monumental to the well being of their souls. My point being, is these people have one miracle everyday. That miracle is life. Life is breath and that breath is given and taken by our maker.
No mater how much any of us try, none of us can play God, sucessfully that is!
We can Pray God...worship and honor Him. In America, we trust in God, right? Please take a moment, set aside your preconcieved notions and join us in prayer for Teri and may I add all those who suffer tragedy.
Intercessory prayers for Teri Schivo here:
I pray that the suspect, superstitious and fearful will be void, rendering the enemies efforts to whence they came: which is the pit of hell. Heavenly Father, we ask you to put your healing hand on Teri. Lord touch her and make her new. Please comfort her and relieve her from pain. Be her sustenance and strengthen her, not just physically, but emotional, mentally and spiritually. We thank you for the gift of life and praise Your holy name, the name above all names, Jesus Christ. Amen
posted by
QuailNest
on March 28, 2005 at 12:26 AM
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RedStatesMan and Sean (CCN)
I agree with you 100%%%%%%%%%%%%%% in all that you've both said. Thanks for your comments. My sentiments exactly. If it's not a painful death, why is she requiring Morphine??? Well, Kooka would tell you that she's been essentially dead for 15 years and cannot feel a thing and therefore the Morphine is unnecessary. He says only her brain stem is functioning. Obviously he has no clue as to how the brain functions, and as usual I completely disagree with him. But that's nothing new.
I believe she was a living, feeling, to some degree sensing, brain damaged woman who deserved to live. As such, I am quite certain she has suffered terribly over the past 10 days. Symptoms she may have experienced (besides the obvious of severe thirst and hunger) include seizures, severe headaches, chest pain and generalized pain/severe muscle pain. Eventually, if it hasn't begun already, she will probably go into kidney failure and develop uremic poisoning. As that happens, thankfully, she will suffer less. Essentially, what happens is that toxins not disposed of by the kidneys (due to kidney failure) will circulate around her brain and somewhat anesthetize her brain, thereby decreasing pain. As well, with severe dehydration and kidney failure, her potassium level will climb to an extreme causing cardiac arrest. (Initially, with dehydration, the heart pumps faster d/t decreased fluid volume but as the potassium climbs, the heart will slow down and stop.)
I am less familiar with the effects of extreme starvation, since I have been fortunate not to see this in my work as a nurse. Death by starvation is rare in this country. We see malnutrition d/t bad diets, but not starvation. I would venture to guess that the bleeding they've mentioned (skin, eyes, mucous membranes, etc) is from a variety of reasons -- low albumin levels, severe dehydration, acidosis leading to coagulopathy--extreme thinning of her blood, etc.
You know, people have talked about how this happens on a regular basis at hospitals across the country, and have questioned the difference between this daily event vs Terri's pending death. The major difference is that a choice is made not to put a PEG tube in, and to let the person die a natural death. For whatever reason, hypothetically speaking, that person was hospitalized and is ill. Let's say your elderly mother has a massive stroke. She requires the assistance of a ventilator to breathe, along with parenteral nutrition (i.e. through an IV or central line). You hem and haw and struggle with the decision and agonize with your minister or other support network -- to place a PEG and trach and keep her alive, or to extubate her and let nature take its course. You decide that she would not want to live out the rest of her life in such a way and so you extubate (remove the breathing tube) and let her die. The difference here is that she was already very much acutely ill (Terri was NOT), and her death (your hypothetical mother's) would very likely NOT include dehydration. Instead, she would be extubated, maintained on a small amount of IV fluid of some sort, as well as (usually) oxygen, and almost always Morphine. The only time I have seen a patient die WITHOUT fluids is when their death was imminent, and they were fluid overloaded. Sometimes it actually helps to slightly dehydrate a patient -- too much circulating fluid (i.e. congestive heart failure) makes breathing far more difficult for a dying patient, so stopping the fluid will provide some relief.
Anyway, forgive me for rambling on. What I am trying to say is that there is NO JUSTICE in Terri's death. It is essentially unprecedented to remove a healthy woman's feeding tube and let her starve to death and then to justify your actions by saying she looks more beautiful than ever and so very peaceful (Felos).
What I find incredibly amazing is the extraordinary will this dear woman has. SHE WANTS TO LIVE! She's still conscious; it's as if she is fighting this death with every ounce of strength. May God have mercy on us all and America as we watch this woman suffer and die a completely unnecessary and unjust death. Mightn't there be some correlation between her death and the Christians in Germany who had to have known about the concentration/death camps, the 24/7 gas chambers but did nothing? And yet we feel so damned impotent and helpless because we are at the mercy of judges who rule at whim.
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 27, 2005 at 8:39 PM
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Jane, if Terri's husband really cared he would have considered the
other docs who have testified that starvation is not only very painful but akin to torture. And to switch his words around to claim it's not starvation is like saying I'm not having an abortion I'm merely exercising my reproductive options. It's justified self-centered smoke and mirrors.
Sean
posted by
itisdone
on March 27, 2005 at 8:00 PM
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Gee, I'm Glad It's Not Painful...
to die by starvation! The following is from a Nightline transcript when they interviewed Michael Schiavo.Chris Bury was the host of Nightline that night.
BURY: Your wife's family and their supporters have been arguing in the most graphic terms that what you are going to allow happen on Friday, in their words, is in effect condemning your wife to a cruel death by starvation.
I'd like you to address that charge from them.
SCHIAVO: That's one of their soapboxes they've been on for a long time.
Terry will not be starved to death. Her nutrition and hydration will be taken away. This happens across this country every day.
Death through removing somebody's nutrition is very painless. That has been brought to the courts many of times. Doctors have come in and testified. It is a very painless procedure.
Gee, I wonder why they are giving her morphine? Can you answer this JanesOpinion? I thought it was going to be painless? If it is painless then why the morphine? Or is this just another lie from the killer? Also, I am certainly glad to know that she was not starved to death. She just did not receive nutrition and hydration. WHAT KIND OF EXCREMENT IS THIS? THE ONES OF YOU OUT THERE WHO BELIEVE THIS CRAP ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM IN THIS NATION!
posted by
RedStatesMan
on March 27, 2005 at 7:53 PM
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Morhpine will do the trick! I am glad she will not have to suffer any
more. This poor woman has been the subject of so much debate. I hope she goes peacefully.
posted by
sarooster
on March 27, 2005 at 5:32 PM
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Yes and I am glad for her
posted by
scoop
on March 27, 2005 at 5:05 PM
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Hi Scoop
I read one article earlier today (0730 ET) from AP via Yahoo.com. I went in search of it just now and could not find any mention of the Morphine (but read only one article so did not do a thorough search). Then, around 5pm (ET) I heard it mentioned on Fox news. Oh, I should clarify you're asking about the Morphine right?
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 27, 2005 at 5:01 PM
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JO I located it by searching thanks
posted by
scoop
on March 27, 2005 at 4:52 PM
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I ask the other blogger who wrote about this, can you show us the link?
posted by
scoop
on March 27, 2005 at 4:49 PM
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Thanks Taps, you dear lady. Happy Easter!
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 27, 2005 at 3:32 PM
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Thanks Passionflower --
short but sweet. There has been a lot of junk out there about this poor woman.
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 27, 2005 at 3:31 PM
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thanks holywarrior
for coming, seeing and liking! God bless.
posted by
JanesOpinion
on March 27, 2005 at 3:31 PM
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JanesO - Yes.
posted by
TAPS.
on March 27, 2005 at 3:14 PM
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Jane...
Thanks for writing such a moving piece on her situation. It was one of the better things I've read.
posted by
Passionflower
on March 27, 2005 at 1:59 PM
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Janes Opinion, I Came, I Saw, And I Really Liked Your Post
posted by
Feenix
on March 27, 2005 at 1:35 PM
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