Terminal illness & feeding tubes?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 2Bcatholic
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
2

2Bcatholic

Guest
If a person has a terminal illness and has begun the natural dying process (no longer waking, eating, drinking) are the caretakers required to have feeding tubes put in if the Dr.'s think it’s only a matter of hours/days before death?
 
To add to my previous post…My friend’s mother was dying of COPD. She quit eating three days before she died. They kept her mouth swabbed with water and if she awakened and asked for food/water it was given to her but she got to the point she wouldn’t/couldn’t swallow it and didn’t want it.

They asked me for my opinion…Should they force her to eat and I didn’t know what to say so I repeated what the nurse told them and that was if she woke up and wanted something to eat/drink give it to her but if not let her rest…Is this wrong? Again, she died three days later
 
I dont exactly know how to answer your quetion, but I’ll try.
The question I think should be asked is, by or by not tube feeding, are you engageing in a form of uthanasia, which is rong?

And please dont freek out at that question, it is just how I would look at it.
 
2Bcatholic said:
To add to my previous post…My friend’s mother was dying of COPD. She quit eating three days before she died. They kept her mouth swabbed with water and if she awakened and asked for food/water it was given to her but she got to the point she wouldn’t/couldn’t swallow it and didn’t want it.

They asked me for my opinion…Should they force her to eat and I didn’t know what to say so I repeated what the nurse told them and that was if she woke up and wanted something to eat/drink give it to her but if not let her rest…Is this wrong? Again, she died three days later
Click to expand...
No. It is not “wrong”. Your friend’s mother was dying and her organs were shutting down. During the death process, pumping food and water into organs that can’t handle it can cause a great deal of pain and discomfort for the patient. In this case, as in most cases with a terminal disease, the advice of doctors (especially hospice) should be followed.

Your friends should be a peace.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top