A reminder to ALWAYS listen to your patients.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Nov 14, 2004

I agree with you........whenever a patient tells me "something's wrong", I jump right on it, because otherwise it's likely to bite both of us in the butt at some point, usually sooner rather than later!

I also pay close attention when someone says they're going to die soon....9 times out of 10, they're right.

abundantjoy07, RN · Nov 14, 2004

Has any patient ever explained how he or she felt before they die? Is it a malaise type feeling or something else? As a nurse, can you just look at them and tell (not reading labs)?

Trauma Columnist · Nov 14, 2004

I hate that. I had a guy a couple of years ago (I work ED) who told me, "please don't let me die." Well, he had a AAA, it dissected and out the door he went. I always believe patients.

Audreyfay · Nov 14, 2004

I had a patient who started saying "I'm going, I'm going" as a coworker and I were inserting a feeding tube. Yup. He died. He was a no code.

I had a guy in his 70's who asked me after I took his blood pressure if he was going to live. He was joking around, appearing very chipper. He was in the hospital for some elective surgery. 'Nothing wrong with you!" I joked back. About 30 minutes later he coded. He did make it, but now I never tell anyone stuff like that.

I had another guy in his late 30's who came in for diabetes education. His lipids were through the ceiling and his blood sugars were a close second. I told him that I was real concerned that he could have a heart attack. We need to work toward getting him back into better health. He came back to see me about 2 months later. He told me that the day after he saw me, he had a heart attack and had undergone emergency bypass surgery. He was doing quite well. I decided I'd never say that again either.

Am I superstitious, or what?

proudmommielpn · Nov 14, 2004

Here is one, this is when I was working as a CNA, I went in and told this resident I would be back in to help her get ready for a shower, I left towels and washcloths and she said "Do I really have to take one today?" I told her it was her shower day and I would be back in about 30 minutes to help her. She told me, I am not taking one today, I left the room and another CNA came into the room I was in about 10 minutes later and said the lady in 148 just died. This isn't really funny but I often wonder if one of the last things that she thought about was, "I told her I wasn't showering today" That was weird.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Nov 14, 2004

I can't comprehend that feeling... knowing that you are at the edge.

obeyacts2 · Nov 14, 2004

I can't comprehend that feeling... knowing that you are at the edge.

I believe that pts do know when they are going, especially the hospice pts. I had one lady with CA, not (supposedly) near checkout time,, who did this. The CNA leaving said something like "Well, I wont be back to Monday, so take care and Laura will be in my place" The pt said (hugging the CNA) "Thank you for all you've done, but I wont be needing you by then. Im leaving 8:00 Saturday night". We were all shocked. as she was still ambulatory and beating me at Scrabble (former English teacher, LOL). Two days later, it was Saturday and the on-call scheduling coordinator called me as I was getting ready to go to work. I said "Mrs B just passed, didnt she?" She did, within a few minutes of 8:00.

Laura

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Nov 14, 2004

Wow! I'm getting "Thin Red Line" refferences all day today!

I wondered what it'd be like when I died, to know that this was the last breath you was ever going to draw. I just hoped I could meet it with the same calm she (Mother) did. Cause that's where it's hidden. The immortality I hadn't seen.

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Nov 14, 2004

It gives me the creeps when a pt. told me that. I always believed them. And when i was an aide, i would tell the nurse if a res. told me that, and they would laugh at me. Unfortunately they would be proven wrong.

And every single time the code blue alarm goes off at work, i get goosebumps.

mariedoreen · Nov 14, 2004

My grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer in the hospital, given 3 months, and discharged home on a Sunday. He was bed bound because he was weak but otherwise doing okay. On Tuesday he asked when the grandkids were coming to visit. When my grandmother and mother told him we would be there that very weekend he said, "No, that will be too late." My grandmother and mother totally disregarded what he said because the doctor said 3 months and he seemed to be doing so well. He passed away the next day.

My father was also diagnosed with terminal cancer and I travelled to visit him every weekend for months. He asked a nurse on a Friday how long she thought he had and she said he was doing fine and it could be months yet (according to the doctor's orignial estimation it was still about 8). He was doing so well that weekend, same as always it seemed like. On Sunday I'd hugged him good bye and was turning to leave when he grabbed my hand hard, and said, "Take care sweetie, you have a good life, okay?" On Tuesday he made my mom bring him the phone so he could call his family and friends and say good-bye. Then he slipped deep into that morphine induced stupor and was uncommunicable except for a few words a few more times. The last words I heard before he slipped into a final coma were, "I'm almost dead now," and then "I'll miss you.

They know, they definitely know.

StNeotser, ASN, RN · Nov 14, 2004

I'm always amazed at the ability of some patients to hang on to wait for that last family member they want to see fly in from the east coast. It seems once they've seen everyone they want to see, then they go. People do know but I've never had anyone be able to describe the feeling to me.