Jahi McMath case in California

[Arete]

Another reason this should never have been allowed to drag out this long. Now the political charlatans are moving in to get their gain from this tragedy.

[fun2beme]

I really wish someone could stage an intervention for the mom. As others commented, she seems to be slipping away from reality at this point. I understand how she would desperately cling to whatever shred of hope she can find, no matter how futile it is, but I truly fear for her mental health unless she receives professional attention soon.

[bionicmlle]

I really wish someone could stage an intervention for the mom. As others commented, she seems to be slipping away from reality at this point. I understand how she would desperately cling to whatever shred of hope she can find, no matter how futile it is, but I truly fear for her mental health unless she receives professional attention soon.

Yes,and what a fucking shame that she is spending so much time and energy (and money) on futile attempts to find a placement for her daughter's body when she has been given so much time to say her goodbyes.

[Stephanie66]

This place in NY seems odd...run by a cosmetologist?

I have sympathy for the mom, but it is waning.

[AmericanAmigo]

Someone on another thread commented that the next time something tragic like this occurs the doctors might be less likely to appease the family etc. While I believe most professionals will proceed as they usually do in these cases it might be in the back of their mind. My daughter's life was saved at Oaklands Children's Hospital. I also know that doctors can make mistakes but we do not know any of the particulars in this case. Nothing is guaranteed. I do not have a judgement on Jahi's mother. She is beside herself but I do not like or approve of their lawyer. I wish someone within their family would step up with appropriate help in this sad situation. My daughter was hit by a car and received a settlement. All the money went to her. My husband and I wanted it that way. It was blood money and only she deserved it. Perhaps the money raised for Jahi's transport will go to a good cause or to pay appropriate expenses. They still have time to decide and I wish the best for this family.

[salex]

http://www.latimes.com/la-me-oakland-gi ... z2pazNiDSj

Well, the family has moved her, on a respirator via ambulance to someplace they say they can have feeding tubes, etc put in, then transfer her to the east coast.

I honestly doubt they will get her that far, but who knows.

didn't break link because LA Times.

[bionicmlle]

http://www.latimes.com/la-me-oakland-girl-20140105,0,5779486.story#axzz2pazNiDSj

Well, the family has moved her, on a respirator via ambulance to someplace they say they can have feeding tubes, etc put in, then transfer her to the east coast.

I honestly doubt they will get her that far, but who knows.

didn't break link because LA Times.

I am shocked and I really want to know where she is going and if doctor caring for her body has CA medical license.

[Beammeup]

Terri Schaivo's family has jumped into the fray as well. It's making me ill.

[FrancineFishpaw]

I'll bet the hospital is glad she's gone. I KNOW the nurses are! We had a similar experience w/ a family who wouldn't let Daddy go. He was pegged and trached, did not respond to stimuli. Dr. Daughter wondered why we weren't giving him probiotics. FFS. Moved him to a facility almost 500 miles away AFTER lingering w/us for 4+ months where he died soon after. SMH.

We had another instance where family did not want to let Daddy go but were JW and refused any type of blood products clearing tying our hands. Of course they sued and said we never offered blood, but it was recorded all over pt's chart. They even brought in literature about giving pig's blood instead. How is THAT ok Jehovah?

[Ralar]

This place in NY seems odd...run by a cosmetologist?

I have sympathy for the mom, but it is waning.

I believe it is run by a cosmetologist and an UNDERTAKER!

[Mary C Doates]

I believe it is run by a cosmetologist and an UNDERTAKER!

There doesn't seem to be any residential component, so no license to provide inpatient care and no medical staff. It's an outpatient therapy program at best. This sounds like a complete scam.

[sparkles]

There doesn't seem to be any residential component, so no license to provide inpatient care and no medical staff. It's an outpatient therapy program at best. This sounds like a complete scam.

New Beginnings is outpatient only. However, they're currently trying to raise funds for an inpatient facility. It's purely coincidental that they've stepped forward now , in the midst of a media frenzy, to offer a service that they're completely ill-equipped for. Purely coincidental.

Oh, and you can now buy New Beginnings Hair care products too!

[starfish]

Yes,and what a fucking shame that she is spending so much time and energy (and money) on futile attempts to find a placement for her daughter's body when she has been given so much time to say her goodbyes.

Anyone else think she's trying to hold on to Jahi's SSI?

My sympanthy went out the door weeks ago. This is gruesome and ridiculous.

[Terrie]

Anyone else think she's trying to hold on to Jahi's SSI?

My sympanthy went out the door weeks ago. This is gruesome and ridiculous.

I'm cynical, but I'm not that cynical. I think she's just irrational with grief and her delusions are being fed by people who see it as a chance to get in front of cameras. Besides, she legally dead. SSI ends no matter what happens in the case.

[Coconut Flan]

You can't exactly get SSI after the death certificate is issued. Mom seems irrational and being aided and abetted by people with an agenda that is not her mental health. Her church doesn't seem to trying to help her see Jahi is gone but rather praying for a miracle healing.

[Alice_Fraggle]

I'm cynical, but I'm not that cynical. I think she's just irrational with grief and her delusions are being fed by people who see it as a chance to get in front of cameras. Besides, she legally dead. SSI ends no matter what happens in the case.

I agree with you - especially the bolded. Jahi's mom cares and is grieving, everyone else is just trying to make a buck!

[lilwriter85]

Terri Schaivo's family has jumped into the fray as well. It's making me ill.

In a previous post, I mentioned having mixed feelings on them, but their involvement is also making me ill.

[Becket70]

I'll bet the hospital is glad she's gone. I KNOW the nurses are! We had a similar experience w/ a family who wouldn't let Daddy go. He was pegged and trached, did not respond to stimuli. Dr. Daughter wondered why we weren't giving him probiotics. FFS. Moved him to a facility almost 500 miles away AFTER lingering w/us for 4+ months where he died soon after. SMH.

We had another instance where family did not want to let Daddy go but were JW and refused any type of blood products clearing tying our hands. Of course they sued and said we never offered blood, but it was recorded all over pt's chart. They even brought in literature about giving pig's blood instead. How is THAT ok Jehovah?

When my father was on life-support, I touched his foot and it moved. I was so excited and I mentioned it to the nurse, who was also at his bedside, as proof positive he was aware. The nurse explained to me, in the kindest way possible, that the movement was autonomic and not purposeful. After all the discussions with the physician, hospital lawyers and the hospital social worker, it was this nurse who convinced me of the futility of the situation. After talking to her, we signed the papers allowing the vent to be removed. Her empathy for our situation was amazing. Bless her.

[starfish]

My thinking is that Mom doesn't understand that.

I think there's genuine grief there, but it's getting absurd.

It reminds me of the movie Princess Bride, where they proclaim that Wesley is just "mostly" dead and blow the bellows in him

[penguinagogo]

Doctor here. Tonsillectomy is a common, simple surgery. Doctor had to be either stupid or drunk to fuck that up. He or she deserves any humiliation he or she may incur.

I've seen one done. It is stressed to find all the important arteries before proceeding. Looks like a case of hubris on the doctor's part. That pompous, old-timer, "I can do this with my eyes closed, wanna see?"

Despicable. I know all docs make mistakes (myself included) but it takes a special kind of hubris or stupidity to mess up a tonsillectomy. The a-hole doc deserves what's coming.

seriously, listen to yourself, listen to your own 'ahole hubris' and then get some education about the Dunning Kreuger effect

youve seen one? so that makes you an expert now, and you can make all the sweeping assumptions above

yes, simple tonsillectomy is common surgery, often a daycase procedure, but this patient appears to have had another procedure, her third for sleep apnoea - much more likely to be a more complex procedure eg uvuloplasty, palatal, adenoidal surgery, in a patient who may already have scarring/abnormal anatomy from previous surgery.

Tonsillar bleeding is one of the most common issues post tonsillectomy and all patients will have the risks of that discussed prior to consent. Its an operation on a delicate, vascular and friable part of the body that sits quite close to some major vessels. Postop bleeding can either be early eg from the cut vessels (which are either sutured or sealed with diathermy, both techniques acceptable and still some debate on which is preferrable) which produces variable levels of fresh blood or late bleeding (days later) due to infection in the area eroding the tissues. Infection is common as the oral cavity is obviously not sterile. Post surgical bleed is not necessarily related to surgical skill or technique, more to anatomy and individual risk factors. It could be a minor ooze neatly treated with adrenaline soaked swabs held to the tonsil or a significant arterial bleed that can have a patient compromised in 10-15 minutes.

You might have seen one tonsillectomy - I anaesthetise for them on a regular basis and have managed the airway in several major tonsillar bleed cases (2 early, one late)- its terrifying, its one of the emergencies we know off by heart and hope not to face very often. In a child the danger of an acute bleed is even greater as the lower blood volume means less loss overall is needed to produce compromise, so you have little time to manage the situation, and have to anaesthise the pt secure the airway through the bleeding area, fluid and blood rescusitate to maintain their cardiovascular system and organ perfusion as quickly as you can. Like any other catastrophic blood loss situation eg trauma, childbirth, ruptured spleen or aorta, there is always the potential for the rescue/rescusutation to fail and the patient to suffer morbidity or death, no matter how good the team are.

I would never deny that doctors can and do make mistakes but your assumptions of surgical negligance are ridiculous.

[salex]

By the way, any of you who might know.

In the very first articles, it said

The family of Jahi McMath says that the 8th grader had sleep apnea, was overweight, could not concentrate and had problems controlling her urination.

http://www.lasvegasworldnews.com/13-yea ... omy/15179/

While I can see that the surgery that she had would be helpful for the apnea and that might help with the concentration, what would it have had to do with controlling her urination?

Anyone with medical info on this--opinions please?

[Terrie]

The urination was probably a symptom of her sleep apnea. From www.sleepfoundation.org/article/sleep-r ... -and-sleep:

Until recently, nocturia was thought to be caused by a full bladder, but it is also a symptom of obstructive sleep apnea. According to Michael J. Thorpy, MD, and Jan Yager, PhD, authors of The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Sleep Disorders, relief of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome will alleviate the nocturia.

[salex]

The urination was probably a symptom of her sleep apnea. From http://www.sleepfoundation.org/article/ ... -and-sleep:

Thanks

[bionicmlle]

Sleep apnea can also worsen cognitive function and depression.

At work and can't look at the news -- any info on where she actually IS? Because I am highly doubtful that the NY cosmetologist will really be able to provide housing...

[Cleopatra7]

Sleep apnea can also worsen cognitive function and depression.

At work and can't look at the news -- any info on where she actually IS? Because I am highly doubtful that the NY cosmetologist will really be able to provide housing...

CNN is saying that Jahi has been moved to an undisclosed location, because the family is receiving death threats. I just saw Terri Schivo's brother being interviewed by Don Lemon, and he claimed that people can sometimes "wake up" from brain death. Actually, they don't, because the part of the body that regulates things like "sleep" and "awake" is gone when you are brain dead. The Schivos need to go away, because they are misleading the public on this issue.