Terri Schiavo: What Would You Have Done?
346675
I think both sides really wanted what they thought was best for Terri.  It must have been absolutely horrible to experience this from all sides.  I would not want to live like Terri was living.  The important lesson is this:  we all need an Advanced Care Directive, so if this happens to us, our family will know our wishes.  You can download this simple form from websites, such as this:\n\nhttp://www.pamf.org/preventive/PAMF_AdvanceDirective.pdf#search='advance%20health%20directive'\n\nhttp://www.justice.qld.gov.au/guardian/forms/health.pdf#search='advance%20health%20directive'
669562
I was a volunteer Firefighter/ETT for awhile and my first medical response was an auto accident victim. I went to the hospital to meet the ambulance and help offload the patient and give the EMTs some support. The ambulance arrived, the rear doors opened, and I was stunned at what I saw. But the training kicked in immediately.\nWe transferred the patient to the emergency room and everyone did everything they could. There was no hope.\nI still remember giving chest compressions and looking unto the patient's brown eyes and praying "God help us help this man".\nThe doctor told me to stop compressions and I felt so helpless. It was over.\nI didn't sleep that night. I still see his eyes.\nYou won't forget what you saw. But your neighbor is gone.\nYou're okay, you're safe. Just cherish and appreciate life.
691895
Tell that to the doctors that told me in December that my husband was going to die, that there was nothing that any of the medications, doctors or anyone else could do for him.\n\nask the same surgical team who could not understand why my husband was not on life support and was breathing on his own, oxygenating at 98% on 3L of oxygen when it should have been a vent breathing for him.\n\nThe same doctor that told me there was nothing that modern medicine could do saw my husband in the month of February for his check up and told him point blank that he KNEW my husband had a miraculous recovery.  Believe what you want about who you want, and respect the right of the born again to believe what they want...you won't change us, nor will you break our faith.
1112910
haha... well thats simple. Live life to the fullest. You got a second chance at life so you might as well try things that you couldn't do while you were doing treatment. Like maybe sky diving, or swim somewhere exotic. Go see the 7 wonders. anything really.. just make sure youre not putting yourself in any real danger.
332407
FIRST OF ALL I'M SORRY THAT SHE IS GOING THROUGH THIS AND YOUR A GREAT GUY FOR GIVING HER YOUR SUPPORT. NOW I THINK THAT SHE SHOULD GET X-RAY'S NOT A CHIROPRACTOR. THE CHIROPRACTOR WILL JUST TRY TO CONTINUE TO GET MONEY WHILE THE X-RAY'S WILL SPOT THE PROBLEM AND TAKE CARE OF IT THEN IF SHE NEEDS THE CHIROPRACTOR THEN LET THE X-RAY DOCTOR TELL HER THAT. I FEEL THAT SHE SHOULD NOT TAKE IT UPON HERSELF TO MAKE A MEDICAL DECISION LIKE THAT SHE COULD BE MAKING IT WORSE THAN WHAT IT IS. I REALLY HOPES THAT SHE FEELS BETTER AND GET SOME X-RAYS BECAUSE THAT CAN LOOK AT THE BONES AND THE ORGANS.
179617
well what did you do?
22071
(pause here for deeply bitter laugh)...What an excellent question! Let's see, this is a poor woman? An immigrant? Not a middle class white woman?A woman whose family is not being torn to shreds over an agonizing decision about which they don't agree? This isn't an election year? The Shrub is in enough hot water with the public without having this situation getting the same headlines that Schiavo's case garnered? In any case, while I agree whole heartedly with your implication that the "Culture of Life" folks are a bunch of politically motivated hypocrites, I find that I am a little grateful that this lady was permitted to die without being at the center of a terrible storm of public controversy played out among people who don't even know her.Cold comfort, but it's all I have some days. I'm very grateful she had family with her, shame that compassion moved no one to wait for her mother.
301912
This was recently an enormous issue in Britain, in the last 4 weeks; the doctors wanted to 'unplug' and the parents did not.  Search the news archives.  You kight also look for the various links which popped up during the Terry Schiavo fracas.
161715
Childbirth.\nDue the the ineptitude of the Dr's treating me they waited until the very last minute to do a crash c-section.  My son was delivered fine but I almost died several times that night from complications of that surgery.  Since they had to repair the incision in a hurry I was also left with permanent painful and disfiguring scars.  My son will be 15 in June.
99158
I was having congestion problems really bad, runny nose, weak, hard to breathe, and it was the week before Christmas.  I knew if I waited to see if I would get better I would be in trouble, because most of the family doctors would be on vacation.  Ha, they all were anyway.  And I ended up at an emergency clinic.\n\nI didn't know it, but I had pneumonia.  I'm asthmatic, anyway, and know how to breathe when my lungs tighten.  So I was reading, waiting for my turn, and suddenly I realized I couldn't breathe at all.  Not an asthmatic attack, just no air coming in.\n\nI walked up to the receptionist.  I told her I couldn't breathe, passed out, and on the way down I heard some jerk on the list before me with a twisted ankle belly aching, "What some people won't try to get ahead of someone else."\n\nThe receptionist just stood there, a nurse came out to see what caused the commotion, ran and came back with a doctor.  He straightened me on the floor and the nurse came back with an oxygen tube.  The receptionist was still standing there, holding her PEOPLE magazine, and the doctor screamed at her to call an ambulance, they didn't have the equipment to save me.  And she stood there.  He told her again to call an ambulance, and she walked away toward the phone, no urgency at all, and it was then, when I was angry with her, that I realized I was watching all this from outside my body.  I was standing at my own head watching the doctor trying to resuscitate me and the nurse was very urgent, and starting to cry.\n\nThen I was sucked into this blue light.  I couldn't see anything anymore, but I could hear voices.  Someone I understood to be my guardian said I was in holding, that I could either go with him, or go back.  I figured I was already dead, anyway, and thought I would just go, but he asked me what would happen to my dog if I went.\n\nI didn't live with my parents, I rented a house.  But even though Trinket was in my will and I had a guardian for her, my parents had told me if anything happened to me, she was going to the pound, that they wouldn't even take her to a humane society.  I had rescued Trinket from a shelter's death row, she was a senior canine, and the thought of her going in the animal control truck to be killed, and her knowing where she was going when she was within earshot of the pound was enough to bring me back into my body.\n\nI still couldn't breathe, but now I fought for the oxygen, and I finally managed a sip from the tube.  I was seeing the doctor from my own eyes again.\n\nHe later told me I was his Christmas miracle, that my skin had turned bluer than my eyes, that if my heart hadn't been strong, I would have died.
1031974
I am about to have a tumor the size of a cantalope removed from my body this Friday.  I also have a mass on a kidney.  I would be leaving behind three great little kids.  I care if you live.  You don't know what you have until there is a threat that it will be taken from you.  When I was younger I admitted myself to a psych hospital for three weeks because I didn't see any more reason to live.  Back then I really couldn't see any future for me.  If I had only known all the good things that were down the road.  Life is a gift and the best is yet to come.   Even if things are tough now, believe me, better days are ahead.  I care very much.  I don't want to die, and it hurts me to think of someone not understanding what they are throwing away.  Please seek help if you are serious.  Your are worthy of a wonderful life.  You deserve good things.  I don't know you, how old you are, what your situation is or if you are just bored and typing this question to see what people say but no matter what your reason for writing, I can assure you as someone facing some scarey stuff, I care very much that you CARE that you live.
235168
Well this is a loaded question. My mother passed away last Sept. from breast cancer that had metastasized to her lungs and esophagus. My father died two years ago from cancer also. Both did chemo and all it did was make their last days on earth awful. I had thyroid cancer last year. I personally will never do chemo. I sincerely think that in 20 years or so we will speak of how barbaric it was. If you are not too far advanced, I would say eating as healthy as you can, no meat or dairy. Alternative medicines and such would also be my choice. I think it is up to the individual though. You have to remember that doctors make money off of chemo and the like. Research, research research!!!
684506
I told a guy with a heart condition that if he had a heart attack in front of me, I'd just stand there and watch.\n\nYes, he deserved it. He was the most arrogant bloody bastahd.
319993
I'd dip her dog in my coffee like it was a biscotti. Then I'd take a large bite and throw it in her face.\n\nI'd then take the chair and dine casually with my friend.
115117
I think perhaps God should make decisions like those. Medical Science is great and all but God has power over all things. Choose your child. From the mother's stand point what better way to die, than by giving another life. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. (I think baby relatives count too.) From the father's stand point what better way to show God you totally trust him? A friend of mine was told about six months ago that she should abort her child because he would never breathe on his own, his skull would not be formed,his facial features would be distorted, and the child's brain would be in essence.... dead.Pam and Mike were basically told to kill their unborn child because a medical test "proved" it would be for the best. Rather than putting their faith in medicine they put their faith in God and  today a miracle happened. Pam gave birth to a basically healthly child. He is breathing just fine all by himself, despite some minor physical abnormalities he is a beautiful healthy child. Praise God for this precious life! If Mike would have put his faith in science, or Pam had chosen instead to have her baby aborted because something might be wrong.... well the world would have missed out on this brand new perfect life. The real question is not who can I save? But, in whom can I put my faith? You have no control over life or death, which means YOU can NOT Choose who lives. ie. If the father decides "choose" to abort the child who is to say that during the procedure the mother would not also die? It has happened. an abortion requires a serious, though minimally invasive, surgical procedure.It's called a Dilitation and Curretage more commonly refered to as a D&C.(not only for decicive abortions, a D&C is commonly done on women who have had a spontaneous abortion or miscarriage to prevent uterine infections)I personally have seen (working on a surgical floor) women who have nearly died from complications of this "minimally invasive" procedure.If you put your faith in God he will direct your path.
794754
I think she shouldn't have pressured him into returning so quickly. I know she thought she was helping him, but it was too soon after such a traumatic experience. I think she should have just told him that it didn't matter if he was "DR. BURKE" she would still love him no matter what.
1127901
i think you'd throw up first. the body is good at protecting itself from the stupitidy of the mind. :)