I know exactly how you feel Andy. When my father went into the hospital, for what would be his final time, I made sure that he signed a DNR because the LAST thing that he wanted was to be put on a ventilator. I PROMISED him that signing the DNR would protect him from that happening to him. We then left the hospital to get some sleep.
About four hours later we got a call from my brother saying that he took a turn for the worse.
When we got there, I experienced both horror and rage! They had put him on a ventilator! I lost my mind right there in the emergency room! To this day I am VERY suprised that I didn't get arrested. Apparently, they couldn't find the DNR.
I will NEVER forget the look of horror and helplessness in my father's eyes. They had restrained his hands, but he still was trying to remove the tube. When they finally got the doctor on the phone, he had the balls to tell me that "if his hands HAPPEN to come loose and he pulls the tube out, then we can't put it back it."
This ASSHOLE screwed up, and was telling me in a round-about way to loosen my father's restraints so he could die! I then calmly told him that if I ever met him in person, I would kill him where he stands. My father passed away a few hours later, but that god-damned respirator kept running even after he had taken his last true breath.

Andy, I truly pray that she gets better and doesn't remember any of this.

....sorry for the long read....

<font color="#cd6600" size="1">[ August 08, 2006 12:47 PM: Message edited by: Nomalas ]</font>