Since Terri's death, is there anything that made you reconsider your thoughts on wish to die in cases like that?
Starvation and dehydration can be painful without pain relievers but controversies continues on whether people in coma or PVS can feel pain or not. What bothers me the most is Kate's testimony saying that when she had a brain stem stroke, she was literally "locked in" and was totally aware of whats going on and the doctors operated on her and she could feel every second of it. When she was unplugged, she starved painfully. She just couldn't do anything with her body. For me, that's hell!
Miraculously, she regained her body but what about patients who were stuck in their paralyzed bodies for many years? I sincerely hope Terri's not aware of what's going on - I just can't imagine 15 years being trapped in a paralyzed body.
I had one friend who told me that he remembered hearing people talking about putting him in a home when he was in coma for a few months. I asked him several questions and his experience distrubed me. He said he "wakes up" a few times but couldn't do anything and quickly slips back to the state of unconsciousness.
But you see, the big problem you all need to understand is that the laws in all states don't allow active euthansia meaning that doctors cannot give you a lethal overdose if you're in coma or PVS, don't expect them to give you poison and die quickly. If by any chance that you do become conscious yet "locked in", you are going to experience painful death. Solution? I think doctors should make sure that all patients get potent painrelieving sedatives to help them sleep through painful phases. I just realized that virtually all people whom I stood by died with tons of pain killers in their bodies.
But another real problem is just when is it time to let a patient go? Do you want them to give you a month or a year or forever to see if you can recover or not? Can you entertain the idea of being "locked in" and doctors say there's no hope to rehabilitate you meaning you'll be "locked in" - silent but screaming for attention - forever?
-jeff
Starvation and dehydration can be painful without pain relievers but controversies continues on whether people in coma or PVS can feel pain or not. What bothers me the most is Kate's testimony saying that when she had a brain stem stroke, she was literally "locked in" and was totally aware of whats going on and the doctors operated on her and she could feel every second of it. When she was unplugged, she starved painfully. She just couldn't do anything with her body. For me, that's hell!
Miraculously, she regained her body but what about patients who were stuck in their paralyzed bodies for many years? I sincerely hope Terri's not aware of what's going on - I just can't imagine 15 years being trapped in a paralyzed body.
I had one friend who told me that he remembered hearing people talking about putting him in a home when he was in coma for a few months. I asked him several questions and his experience distrubed me. He said he "wakes up" a few times but couldn't do anything and quickly slips back to the state of unconsciousness.
But you see, the big problem you all need to understand is that the laws in all states don't allow active euthansia meaning that doctors cannot give you a lethal overdose if you're in coma or PVS, don't expect them to give you poison and die quickly. If by any chance that you do become conscious yet "locked in", you are going to experience painful death. Solution? I think doctors should make sure that all patients get potent painrelieving sedatives to help them sleep through painful phases. I just realized that virtually all people whom I stood by died with tons of pain killers in their bodies.
But another real problem is just when is it time to let a patient go? Do you want them to give you a month or a year or forever to see if you can recover or not? Can you entertain the idea of being "locked in" and doctors say there's no hope to rehabilitate you meaning you'll be "locked in" - silent but screaming for attention - forever?
-jeff
