So, how long can someone in a PVS survive w/o a feeding tube?

[Craig3410]

And how long has it been since TS's was removed?

[CO Liberal]

1. It's Been a Week Now

So we shall soon see.....

[ohio_liberal]

2. One to two weeks

It's been 7 days since the tube was removed.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

3. With no food or water, any human will expire in approximately 2 weeks

PVS or no PVS

[Freebird12004]

4. I was told that it takes 21 days to starve to death.

I didn't ask for data to verify that.

[moobu2]

5. Hugh Finn died at a nursing home, eight days after

his wife had his feeding tube removed.

http://www.americamagazine.org/articles/ParisFinn.htm

[Freebird12004]

7. I did say I didn't check to see if she was right.

[moobu2]

11. Oh, I know, I just knew about the Hugh Finn case

I'm sure the period of time varies quite a bit.

[Freebird12004]

13. This is so sad that I don't even watch the news.

We have had several heated around my home regarding "health care proxies". Not everyone is strong enough to make the correct decision when it's about someone you love.

[TrustingDog]

6. you die of thirst before starvation.

[Freebird12004]

8. Either way is terrible

But then I believe in death with dignity and compassion.

[WalrusSlayer]

10. Actually, complications from dehydration, not "thirst"

Not meaning to be argumentative, but "thirst" is the sensation that is triggered by dehydration. Nobody dies from "thirst", but they do die from dehydration. And given the amount of atrophy in her cerebral cortex, she almost certainly hasn't perceived thirst in years.

Which is one of my pet peeves in all of this: despite how it is being framed ("starving her to death"), she is not suffering. Patients who stop eating/drinking as part of the end stage of terminal illness do not feel discomfort from the lack of food and water, even without factoring in the effects of PVS.

[TrustingDog]

14. yes, it's dehydration, not thirst.

[Selteri]

9. That actually depends on the type of PVS.

When in a PVS the 'limbic' or animal portion of the brain is operating, efffectively the hardest part of the brain to break overall.

It is similar to that of an alligator. In a PVS people can eat if they are fed. There are retarded people who are literally born and live thier life in a PVS state, able to eat like a baby does.

PVS state just means that the active section of the brain is the limbic system. It can be like a form of coma or can be where the 'thinking brain' has died. It covers a large range.

My uncle went into a Vegetative State as part of his fall through the funnel of dieing. First it was 'delerium' then he went into 'a light vegetative state' stating nonsense that made it sound as though he were concious even though it was closer to being in a waking dream, like some people do when sleepwalking or sleep talking. After that he went into a Coma and finally (thankfully) passed on. That was just from kidney failure, he was in hopsice and they did everything possible to make him comfortable. Hell, the amount of morphine they pumped into him would sell for a fortune on the streets.

[luvLLB]

12. When my mother was ill, she stopped eating and drinking

and passed away very peacefully after about 5 days....she slipped into a coma on the 5th day...until then I always asked her if she was in pain, or needed anything, and she just said no. It was all very quiet and dignified. Just the way she wanted it.