[almostdiva]

Well, it's official now. The coroner of Pinelas County has released his findings. Jon Throgmorton announced that:

• Terry Shciavo's brain was consistent with permanent vegetative state and it showed profound atrophy; at 615 grams it weighed half of the expected amount of an adult human brain
• She was blinded as well as a result of the incident that led to her heart stopping (this refutes assertions by various people -- including "medical professionals" that she reacted to their presence)
• She could not have survived being fed food or water by mouth if her feeding tube was removed. There was no evidence of any abuse by her husband as was alleged by some.
• her condition was irriversible and no amount of therapy would correct it.

It would be nice if all the politicians who grandstanded around this lady for publicity would issue her family a public apology for taking actions that only inflamed their very difficult situation. I highly doubt that will happen though. It would also be lovely, now that these elected officials, "medical authorities" and other hangers-on who have egg all over their face admit that they were wrong. And learned a lesson :slap:
But I wouldn't bet on it.

[Ninong]

Perhaps in the future Dr. Frist will confine his diagnoses to patients he has actually physically examined rather than offering his "professional medical opinion" based on viewing video clips. And, as a cardiologist, it might be a good idea if he consults with a qualified neuro-ophthalmologist before he speculates on the visual abilities of a patient in a persistent vegetative state.

[Poseidon]

Still a sad story, but a least now it is OFFICIALLY over. The family, and the widower can get on with their lives.

[saltjunkie]

okay.. i been listening to this stuff for a while now.. i lve near pinellas Co.. work over there etc..
after she died.. it was reported on the news that the husband had her cremated before any autopsy could be done...there was a big fight over that to.. I thought...


But then again, i do not like nor do i lesten to the news all that often...What i get is from Snippets on Tv.. and I am an Avid
AM radio fan, and i listen to talk radio.
Glen Beck, Schnitt Show, and Jim Rome.. along with the more just Local am sports and news guys..
So i could be way off... apperantly I am..But for me to have this knowledge.. IT WAS SAID SOMEWHERE to the effect..

[Ninong]

A lot of things are said on talk radio by a lot of different people. A lot of what they say on talk radio is inaccurate.

Originally Posted by saltjunkie

But for me to have this knowledge.. IT WAS SAID SOMEWHERE to the effect..

It probably came from talk radio. It was inaccurate.

Plans to have the county peform a very thorough and complete autopsy were announced by her husband's attorney at the time of her death. You probably heard speculation from people who assumed that the only reason for the cremation would be to hide the truth of her condition. Obviously they were wrong.

[saltjunkie]

yeah. i talked to a few people today... who are more news knowledgable, and said to the effect that in a case like this it was the law to be done.... but the big contro, was that she was catholic and he wanted her cremated immediatly, and not burried..
so, my apologies fopr any confusion...

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by saltjunkie

...but the big contro, was that she was catholic and he wanted her cremated immediatly, and not burried..

Catholics are permitted to choose cremation. Her parents were insisting that her remains be turned over to them for burial. The court ordered that her remains be turned over to her husband for disposition. It also ordered him to advise her parents of his intentions in this regard. He advised them that he intended to have her remains cremated and then, at some later date, buried in a family plot in Pennsylvania. Her parents would have preferred that her uncremated remains be buried in Florida.

Michael Schiavo has not yet advised Terri's parents of the burial arrangements, so one can assume that the cremated remains have not yet been buried. There is the very real possibility that Terri's parents and their advisors, such as Randall Terry, will want to stage some sort of demonstration at the burial.

At the moment her parents are considering their legal options according to their attorney, who also reports that they do not believe the autopsy results. They still insist that they communicated with Terri and she responded.

In particular, they do not believe statements such as this one in the autopsy report:

6. What diagnoses can be made in regards to the brain of Mrs. Schiavo? (See attached neuropathology report.)
Mrs. Schiavo's brain showed marked global anoxic-ischemic encephalopathy resulting in massive cerebral atrophy. Her brain weight was approximately half of the expected weight. Of particular importance was the hypoxic damage and neuronal loss in her occipital lobes, which indicates cortical blindness. Her remaining brain regions also show severe hypoxic injury and neuronal atrophy/loss. No areas of recent or remote traumatic injury were found.

They, like Dr. Bill Frist, cardiologist and Majority Leader in the United States Senate, are convinced that she was responding and communicating with them right up until the time of her court-ordered "murder."