St. Francis hospital - mercy killing attempt!

[HoneySuckle]

I was witnessing the beginnings of a move to "help" my sister die on the 7th August.  

I walked in around 4:45 p.m. to visit her, and saw the nurse giving medication.  I am in the habit of asking what meds are being given and was told that it was Ativan (very large dose).  She told me that my sister had "agreed" to this medication.  I asked her how someone who is so heavily drugged up all the time on pain meds could "ask" for a different type of medication.  The nurse said she was asked if she wanted it and had agreed.  About 20 minutes later my sister cried out begging me to ask them to "stop" the medication.  I couldn't get her to tell me which one, so I ran out to the nurses desk and informed them. The nurse came in and checked and told me that the Ativan would help her relax.  What I saw for the next 25 minutes was my sister being more agitated, startling, grimacing and opening her eyes in panic.  She cried out once more to stop the medicine and I told the nurse.  When the oncologist came by about an hour later, I reported this.  They put a "stop" on the Ativan.

Now my sister is terminal, and she has a blockage in the colon.  She was admitted since the 14th July but no surgery was done because her cancer came back they said.  The oncologist that evening talked to my sister who was "heavily" doped up and asked her if she wanted to have a strong dose of meds that would put her to sleep...she told her that she'd feel no pain, and eventually her lungs would collapse and other organs and then she'll die.  No joke.  I heard this with my own ears.  How I wish that I had the video recorder with me and was recording this one-sided conversation!

I left that night with a heavy heart knowing my sister would die soon and called other family members to get in town quickly.

When my sister who lives in Europe heard what was happening, she made some calls to people she knows in higher places.  A call was put through to the Diocese in Rome, Rome called the Catholic Advocate office in Washington DC, DC called the Diocese in Oklahoma City, and OK City in turn called the Diocese in Tulsa.  Calls were then made to St. Francis Hospital, and the very same institution that said nothing more could be done, began to DO something.

Cat Scans were ordered, my sister received a blood transfusion, she was no longer on the "overdose" pain meds they were using, and she's being monitored.

I shake everytime I realise that I was witnessing mercy killing attempts in action...what if I hadn't told anyone in the family?  What if I wasn't there on the 7th?  How many patients go "before their time" in our hospitals?

Please, please make sure you have a Living Will.  Make sure you have an advocate.  Make sure you always have someone in the room with your loved one.  And the thing I didn't do, but will do from now on, have a legal pad with you.  Write all names of nurses and doctors who tend to your loved one.  Write the date and time of each med they give them.  Be vigilant.  Be watchful.  You cannot trust these people to give the care they took an oath to do.

My sister will die from this cancer, but since she has not accepted she will die, or wants to die, I believe the doctor (oncologist) has NO right hurrying the process unless my sister requests this.

Yet Dr. Kervorkian was persecuted for what he was doing openly?  Geez.  We have mercy killing doctors right here at home...at St. Francis Hospital!

[HoneySuckle]

St. Francis hospital is now doing all they can for my sister. From the top officials in admin to the nurses on her floor, everyone is scared stiff of a law suit or this story getting in the media.

Be very, very careful with your loved ones and hospitals.  Speak up and not be intimidated by medical folks.

[sgrizzle]

Keep us updated. Also might be worth digging further into why your sister was reacting the way she did when they gave her Ativan since that is supposed to basically knock her out. Maybe they cut off some other meds or something.

[brunoflipper]

well thank god you and the church "saved" her...

a "very large dose" of ativan? are you moonlighting now? benzodiazepines are all over the map and tweaked based upon the patient, their metabolism, disease process, previous exposure and other meds on board... based on her reaction the dose did not cut it; she may have had just enough to disinhibit her behavior... "overdose pain meds"? unless you're referring to something else, you're mistaken about the ativan being a pain med... but all of that is neither here nor there.... because, obviously, they were trying to euthanize her...

what gives? why is she still in the hospital? that has got to be pricey... if she is "terminal," why is she not in hospice care? why is she not at home? what about the beach?

so she lays up there in st. francis and continues to suffer, to what end? if it is "terminal", why wouldn't you want her as comfortable as possible, in familiar surroundings? it escapes me...

get a "living will"? yeah get a "living will" and put in there you want them to use every machine, medication and artificial support until your very cells themselves begin to disintegrate... and for the love of god, don't let them keep you "doped up" when you're in pain, on your way out...

[rwarn17588]

I'm glad you chimed in, Bruno. Something about that story didn't ring true, and your expert opinion cemented my hunch.

[cannon_fodder]

HoneySuckle:

I'm glad that you are still taking such an active role in your sister's illness.  Many people would have been burned out by now.  I appreciate your concern about her treatment.

I am not a medical expert, however, if they really were attempting to euthanize your sister it is not likely they would have messed with it while you were there, nor told you what they were doing.  A doctor telling a patient how she is going to die is not an unusual conversation.  I'm sorry you have to go through this, but remembering the state of concern you are/were in - was there anything the doctor indicated that suggested the medicine was going to be the cause?  

I'm not discounting your story and I sympathize with your situation.  But the hospital has nothing to gain from killing a patient (especially a nonprofit) so I remain skeptical.  I'm sorry you have to go through this.

[HoneySuckle]

The hospital made an about turn and are now doing all they can for my sister!  This is the same hospital (and doctors) who wanted to stop all testing, and only shoot her up with mega doses of pain killers and tranquilizers.

They barely had her room cleaned, sheets were messy for more than a week, and she was never given a sponge bath.  After all the reports on them, they had her room cleaned, have been cleaning her up every day, and now are giving her electrolytes, chemo, and blood transfusions.

It pays to speak up!

[HoneySuckle]

quote:Originally posted by brunoflipper

well thank god you and the church "saved" her...

a "very large dose" of ativan? are you moonlighting now? benzodiazepines are all over the map and tweaked based upon the patient, their metabolism, disease process, previous exposure and other meds on board... based on her reaction the dose did not cut it; she may have had just enough to disinhibit her behavior... "overdose pain meds"? unless you're referring to something else, you're mistaken about the ativan being a pain med... but all of that is neither here nor there.... because, obviously, they were trying to euthanize her...

what gives? why is she still in the hospital? that has got to be pricey... if she is "terminal," why is she not in hospice care? why is she not at home? what about the beach?

so she lays up there in st. francis and continues to suffer, to what end? if it is "terminal", why wouldn't you want her as comfortable as possible, in familiar surroundings? it escapes me...

get a "living will"? yeah get a "living will" and put in there you want them to use every machine, medication and artificial support until your very cells themselves begin to disintegrate... and for the love of god, don't let them keep you "doped up" when you're in pain, on your way out...

I am quite aware that Ativan is a tranquilizer and not a pain medication.  She is in the hospital because of the IVs.  I walked in on them when they were upping her meds and added the Ativan.  It should have calmed her and not had the effect it had.

Yesterday she was lucid and aware of everything and everyone around her.  The care they were giving was what should have been done from the beginning.  You were not there to see or hear her, so you can have your doubts about my story.  I don't mind that.

I spoke to her about having something in writing, or at least having the doctor, a nurse, social worker and family member around so she can say exactly what should be done in the event she's not conscious.  They switched her pain meds and the pain is under control without her being barely conscious.

[HoneySuckle]

quote:Originally posted by cannon_fodder

HoneySuckle:

I'm glad that you are still taking such an active role in your sister's illness.  Many people would have been burned out by now.  I appreciate your concern about her treatment.

I am not a medical expert, however, if they really were attempting to euthanize your sister it is not likely they would have messed with it while you were there, nor told you what they were doing.  A doctor telling a patient how she is going to die is not an unusual conversation.  I'm sorry you have to go through this, but remembering the state of concern you are/were in - was there anything the doctor indicated that suggested the medicine was going to be the cause?  

I'm not discounting your story and I sympathize with your situation.  But the hospital has nothing to gain from killing a patient (especially a nonprofit) so I remain skeptical.  I'm sorry you have to go through this.

They do have something to gain...another bed freed up.

[brunoflipper]

quote:Originally posted by HoneySuckle

quote:Originally posted by brunoflipper

well thank god you and the church "saved" her...

a "very large dose" of ativan? are you moonlighting now? benzodiazepines are all over the map and tweaked based upon the patient, their metabolism, disease process, previous exposure and other meds on board... based on her reaction the dose did not cut it; she may have had just enough to disinhibit her behavior... "overdose pain meds"? unless you're referring to something else, you're mistaken about the ativan being a pain med... but all of that is neither here nor there.... because, obviously, they were trying to euthanize her...

what gives? why is she still in the hospital? that has got to be pricey... if she is "terminal," why is she not in hospice care? why is she not at home? what about the beach?

so she lays up there in st. francis and continues to suffer, to what end? if it is "terminal", why wouldn't you want her as comfortable as possible, in familiar surroundings? it escapes me...

get a "living will"? yeah get a "living will" and put in there you want them to use every machine, medication and artificial support until your very cells themselves begin to disintegrate... and for the love of god, don't let them keep you "doped up" when you're in pain, on your way out...

I am quite aware that Ativan is a tranquilizer and not a pain medication.  She is in the hospital because of the IVs.  I walked in on them when they were upping her meds and added the Ativan.  It should have calmed her and not had the effect it had.

Yesterday she was lucid and aware of everything and everyone around her.  The care they were giving was what should have been done from the beginning.  You were not there to see or hear her, so you can have your doubts about my story.  I don't mind that.

I spoke to her about having something in writing, or at least having the doctor, a nurse, social worker and family member around so she can say exactly what should be done in the event she's not conscious.  They switched her pain meds and the pain is under control without her being barely conscious.

"IVs"? still not a reason for a "terminal" patient to be in the hospital... hospice care and home health routinely manage "IVs"... i'll take my "IVs" with me to the beach, thanks...

"It should have calmed her and not had the effect it had"...it should have but it did not... i already highlighted the potential for disinhibition but beyond that, paradoxical reactions- including anxiety, agitation, hostility, aggression and hallucinations are well known as a potential side-effect of any of the benzos...

i'm sorry for your family's trials and your sister's illness... but i'm afraid you're too close to the situation to approach it objectively and i completely disagree with your conclusion that they were trying to kill your sister... and if you really think that, you should call the police and the medical board...

my living will says to unplug me and get me the hell out of there- a nice beach, my friends, several bottles of tequila and an IV cocktail that would scare keith richards- that is my idea of hospice...

like i always say- start my wake a day early, i'll be pissed if i miss it...

[Conan71]

Honeysuckle.  Bruno's got the right idea.  If it's truly a lost cause, and they are strictly down to palliative care, you owe it to your sister and yourself to get her onto hospice and out of the hospital if the Dr. will sign off on it.

Tulsa is fortunate to have quite a few choices in hospice care.

[HoneySuckle]

quote:Originally posted by Conan71

Honeysuckle.  Bruno's got the right idea.  If it's truly a lost cause, and they are strictly down to palliative care, you owe it to your sister and yourself to get her onto hospice and out of the hospital if the Dr. will sign off on it.

Tulsa is fortunate to have quite a few choices in hospice care.

I am very much pro-hospice care.  I've read a lot about them, and heard enough first hand stories to know that they do wonderful care.  However, my sister and the oncologist have agreed to blood transfusions and chemo.  Sis was walking around the nurses' station yesterday and sitting up quite a bit. She was also having physical therapy as well.

The change from a week ago to today is shocking! Her pain meds were changed and now her pain is under control but she's able to chat with everyone and ask for what she wants.

[cannon_fodder]

I'm glad she is doing better.  I hope you can keep reporting good news.

[Conan71]

Has she had a 2nd or 3rd opinion?  Any chance of getting her down to M.D. Anderson?

[HoneySuckle]

Sgrizzle, I really was puzzled by the effect of the ATivan.  As much as she was drugged up, she was able to muster whatever consciousness she could to beg them to stop it.  There was also a very strong pain med as well, so maybe that caused a reaction with the Ativan?

I'm truly amazed at how well SFH has responded to the complaints, and the care she is receiving now.  It's such a shame that so many organisations had to intervene to get them to buck up, but it's a lesson learned for us all...family, patient, doctors, nurses, techs and hospital.

Sis is doing quite well though she can't eat, but with chemo and the blood transfusions, she seems a lot stronger.  I know this is only buying her a little time, but life is important to her, so regardless of the suffering, she still wants to hang on and that is her right.