Re: Doctor accused of upping morphine for dying patient

Dear MJ,

Thanks much for posting this. The government dictating medical care once
again, which might not be a bad thing if they didn't just plain SUCK at it.
A error obviously occurred, doing the patient favor, ending the suffering a
this poor man, his family, his health insurance provider, and allowed him to
die with a little dignity. What the hell were they thinking?
How can we be so humane and loving with our pets, yet deny that final act of
dignity, that humane act that supposedly makes us human, and force one
another to leave this world with a last memory of pain, lying in a pool of
our own vomit, urine and excrement. It takes a lot of hypocrisy for us to
call each other human with out the guts to be truly humane. Now they've gone
one more step away from being a society that cares for the ill, and every
remaining physician treating terminal patients will now withhold pain
management across the board. If the patient can find the strength, if they
aren't restrained, they'll find a way to manage their pain, all right. Tie
their O2 lines or IV's around their necks, slash their wrists (no offense to
anyone but hitting that call button for a nurse, if they change their mind,
they'll have plenty of time to bleed out ) there's got to be a zillion ways
for a determined patient to take themselves out. If they were given a
tylenol with codeiene, It's a drug abuse related death.
I feel bad for "Mr. Morris E." and his famiily and friends and now isn't the
time, but I sure hope they continue to stand by Dr. Luke and when they've
grieved enough (not that you ever can, only get used to the idea) and get
involved in this fight. ' Mr.E" is no longer in pain and I hope he felt
dignity and peace as he went, surely more than he'd have had otherwise.
Maybe these folks will even be granted an audience with Das Gubernator in
defense of this doc and whether a wrong was done or not.
You know I just re read this article again,the more idiotic and
sensationalist it becomes:
The patient handled the dose for 10 days before he died. Overdoses happen
about 30 seconds after the injection.
The family approved of the care, so no beef there.
And the nurse gave him his shot and he OD'd an hour later?? I know you folks
on the West Coast are laid back and life might be a little slower compared
to the loons on this coast, but do your drug take longer to work out there
too? Do they last longer, if so my bags are packed.

What in the name of any common sense, deity, or whatever folks pray to, did
this MD guy do wrong? Death by Narcotic overdose is not a ten day process,
not even 10 minutes. Even he guys writing movies and TV shows know better
than that. Medical Authorities in California are idiots, and if they're the
"best of the best", I wouldn't let one cut a toenail.
Dr. Luke I hope you sue the hell out of everyone from the hospital to
Ah-naa-ld.

Thanks again, MJ. This is one of the stupidest ones I have seen come by my
way in a looong time.But why is it the stupid ones always scare me the
most?-og








"Juba" <juba@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:dg770d$2c8$0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
> September 13, 2005
>
> REDLANDS - The state medical board is poised to take away the license of a
> doctor it claims hastened a dying patient's death by giving him a massive
> dose of morphine.
>
> But pain-management advocates - and the dying man's children - have
> rallied behind Dr. Harold Luke, who says he was simply trying to make his
> 76-year-old patient, identified only as "Morris E.," more comfortable.
>
> "The state of California should focus on better things," said Lori
> McCorry, 47, one of the patient's three children. "What they're doing to
> Luke is wrong."
>
> State Deputy Attorney General Samuel K. Hammond, who tried the case before
> an administrative law judge, said Luke acted "without medical necessity."
>
> "Given the fact that the bulk of his practice involves taking care of
> terminally ill patients, the judge felt . . . the only way to protect the
> public was to revoke his license," Hammond said.
>
> Luke's case highlights the controversy over prescribing painkillers to
> dying patients. Although morphine eases pain, it can be fatal if
> administered in high doses, according to medical experts.
>
> "Morris E." was near death when he was admitted to Redlands Community
> Hospital in September 2002, suffering from kidney and heart failure,
> emphysema, nerve damage and pneumonia. After a few days, authorities said,
> Luke increased his morphine dose tenfold. The patient died within an hour.
>
> The Medical Board of California on Aug. 4 approved an administrative law
> judge's recommendation to pull Luke's medical license for "gross
> negligence." Luke, who has practiced medicine for 32 years, is appealing
> that ruling.
>
> --
> Juba
> www.masterjuba.com
>


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