| Jenny's Story |  |  My mother suffered a massive stroke and the consultant said there was no hope of recovery because the brain scan showed so much damage. Because my mother was unconscious, the doctor asked my sister and me about feeding her. Although my mother did not have a Living Will, I knew from what she had said to me that she did not want to be kept alive. Even though she was a Catholic, I knew she wanted to be allowed to die.
Therefore I said my mother should not be peg fed. Peg feeding is where a tube is put through the stomach wall. The doctor did not agree with my decision and peg fed my mother for the next 4 months.
My mother was a diabetic and they could not get the peg feeding right- the food would just go right through her. She had diarrhoea. She couldn't speak. I cannot put into words how I felt or still feel, knowing my mother's views.
Eventually the consultant listened. Her feed was reduced and after a few days her diarrhoea got better, but she died ten days later. Her body could not take anymore. By this time she had gangrene in the right foot from an infected bedsore and suspected MRSA. My mother was a smart little lady and you could see in her eyes how much she was suffering. When she died she had suffered in hospital for over 4 months.
I now understand that the doctor does not have to listen to the wishes of the next of kin. The only thing they are obliged to do is follow the wishes of the patient if they are set out in a Living Will. If only my mother had had a Living Will she would have been able to take control of how she was treated medically and let the doctor know what she wanted through her Living Will. |
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