After three weeks he was still completely unconscious, and the tube caused him to have a constant, painful sore throat. I talked to his four grown children and told them I thought we should insert a tube directly into his stomach through a small hole so he could be fed without so much pain. I also told them, "I can remove the tube and just let him swallow whatever he can. Chances are he won't live long, but he won't be in pain." No one wanted to take the responsibility for permitting an operation, yet no one would give permission to stop feeding the patient entirely. As a result, the poor man continued on for nearly three more months with a painful throat and frequent bleeding caused by sores in the mouth.