I'm furious about the whole Terry Schiavo political circus - hence my first diary.
Dear Dr. Frist,
I'm appalled that a doctor would contribute to the circus surrounding the Terry Schiavo case. You, as a doctor, must have seen what I and many other doctors have seen.
People who are kept alive in a persistent vegetative state for years, never conscious, never aware, never "there". You must have seen the toll this takes on families. The ones who go from hope, to acceptance, to weary despair as the shell of their loved one lingers, a horrible contrast to the vibrant person they once knew. You must have seen the family fights, all too common, on what should be done.
You must have also seen family members who refuse to believe what you are sad to know so well - when someone is not going to improve. I have heard the family members who claim the patient talks only when they are alone, and beg for rehab to "try". Surely you have heard this, too. We all hear those pleas, when all the experts have concluded there is nothing left to rehabilitate.
If you involved yourself in this, as a physician you must want to know the medical facts - it would be the worst kind of hypocrisy if you didn't. From the courts' reports I have read, the CT scans show she has little or no cerebral cortex left. Doctor, how can such a terribly injured person recover? How is someone with no cortex able to think? How is someone with no cortex able to feel?
How can you be so cruel to the family?
If it is your position that no one, despite their condition, should have a feeding tube withheld, say so forthrightly. If you feel all possible medical procedures must be forced on people, despite the fact that they will contribute nothing to improvement, say so. If you feel every family disagreement on when to terminate care mandates congressional interference, say so. Put the true issues before the American people.
Be very clear, for all those who don't have our medical knowledge. The issue isn't whether Terry Schiavo will ever improve - you know very well she won't. The issue is who gets to make health decisions - the people or the Congress?