Terri never had a bed sore in 15 years.

[jdj]

Sorry for another TS thread, but how many here have taken care of incapacitated relatives?

This fact to me is amazing. We had three adults taking care of my grandmother. We turned her and changed her and had therapists in, she had an special foam mattress at first and then wegot an adjustable air mattress. She had special padded boots she had to wear.

But still, she developed small pressure points which are the predecessors to bed sores. And my grannie was only bedridden for a grandtotal of SIX MONTHS. I keep seeing this guardian in defending Michael, and indeed if he was the one overseeing her care then they did a great job. It's something you can only appreciate if you've been through it

[tubbacheez]

1. The hospice workers said Michael was a "nightmare" spouse, meaning...

... he was constantly riding them about the care they gave Terri.

[NYC Liberal]

5. Look at this:

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11215317.htm

Those records show that Michael Schiavo and the Schindlers jointly supervised care for Terri after she collapsed. For the first 16 days and nights that she was hospitalized, Schiavo never left the hospital. Over the next few years, he was moved from the hospital to a skilled nursing facility, to a nursing home, to Schiavo's home and finally back to a nursing home, Schiavo visited Terri daily.

Once Terri was unable to help herself, Michael became a demanding advocate.

John Pecarek, a court-appointed guardian for Terri, described her husband as "a nursing home administrator's nightmare," adding, "I believe that the ward (Terri) gets care and attention from the staff of Sabal Palms (nursing home) as a result of Mr. Schiavo's advocacy and defending on her behalf."

Mary Schindler testified that, while her daughter was at one nursing home, her relationship with her son-in-law was "very good. We did everything together. Wherever he went, I went."

On Valentine's Day that year, he testified, he was in his wife's nursing home room studying. He wanted to become a nurse so he could care for his wife himself. He had taken Terri to California for experimental treatment. A doctor there had placed a stimulator inside Terri's brain and those of other people in vegetative states to try to stimulate still-living but dormant cells.

[tubbacheez]

6. Yup, even more evidence of Michael's good faith is in the GAL report. n/t

[goodboy]

2. that in and of itself, is a miracle...(nt)

[katinmn]

3. Yes. And I believe that ratty little nurse was fired because Michael

complained about her not being a good caregiver.

She was being vindictive and getting back at him. It was she that started all kinds of allegations back the first time the tube was removed. This could have been all over with three or four years ago!

[babylonsister]

4. Hasn't she been in hospice, or some healthcare

facility, for over 14 years? Besides her family, I imagine the employees helped with their knowledge of how to care for someone in Terri's shape.
What I'm curious about is hospice: when my mom was in hospice, 15 years ago, they never used heroic means to save someone. I wonder if the rules have changed or if this is really a nursing home type place. Anyone know?

Edit for spelling

[jdj]

7. other people have posted about this.

I don't know why she has a feeding tube in hospice unless it is a hospice/ nursing home. I thought nursing homes were where they kept you alive and took the insurance $$. no one has explained this yet.

But is is quite obvious from the testimony of the guardian ad litem that Michael leaned on these folks mightily to the point that they wanted a restraining order placed on him. That devotion, many families don't give a damn. One doctor wanted us to place my grandmother in a nursing home, told us that we couldn't take care of her, and we said hell no, because of the loss of supervision of her care that we would be faced with. But she did not have a brain injury. The lady across the street had to go to a nursing home, and fell there and broke her hip while in the home. To hell with that.

[babylonsister]

8. My family also took care of my mom

at home with the help of hospice, and they were invaluable. I'm glad Mom got to be at home, and we all were there to share in the burden and the goodbye. So we were all lucky.

[bluedog]

9. NUMEROUS PROBLEMS

but they has benn reported:......unknown to the "MEDIA"

NUMEROUS PROBLEMS

By the mid-1990s, Terri's physical therapy had been stopped, enraging her parents.

Court guardians concluded that Terri was cared for extremely well, but her condition still led to numerous complications and hospitalizations. She suffered from bile stones and kidney stones, according to court papers, and had to have her gallbladder removed. She has ''drop foot,'' where her foot twists downward, and the ensuing pressure resulted in the amputation of her left little toe. She frequently developed urinary tract infections, diarrhea and vaginitis. Several cysts were removed from her neck. Several times, her feeding tube got infected................When Felos, Michael Schiavo's lawyer, asked Bob Schindler if he thought Terri would be tormented by her current state, he replied ''Yes,'' but added, ``she's not that cognizant to be aware of it.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/11215317.htm

[babylonsister]

10. Unreal! This is the first I've seen this, and

as a news junkie, I've never heard this on the tube, not surprisingly. Thanks for the info. God, so sad.

[jdj]

11. none of those problems can be said to be from caregivers.

it's actually amazing to me that she didn't have more care related issues.

My grandmother developed swelling in her legs intermittenly, which was very painful, and we were told it was from her immobility, she was very much at risk from a blood clot (this was the cause of death of the DUer Kephra, apparently) forming in her leg and traveling to her brain. In fact, all of the problems you listed were probably dietary and circulation related. Most of the population have gall stones, that is no biggie, and most women have a urinary infection/ yeast infection/ vagintis in the span of 15 years, in fact most probably have more. I'm guessin the drop foot was neurological, not surprising since the woman had a brain injury.

If you have ever cared for someone with dehabilitated, you know that you fight stuff like bed sores and contraction and DVT's every day. If you've gone through it, you can appreciate it.