Does anyone have a story about an event that happened at the time of a pt's death ?

Published

For instance ....you how it is never a good sign for a patient to see a relative, or call to their mother, or most certainly not to say ... I see the light !!! But you know I have had many patients that I know have seen and or heard someone or something just prior to death.

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Specializes in SICU, EMS, Home Health, School Nursing.

I have seen patients that were very confused suddenly become unconfused right before they code. Or a patient that says "I am going to die"...

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Specializes in surgical, neuro, education.

The best death I ever was a part of was my father-in-law. He had an open and close surgery in August and 2 weeks later was in hospice. He held on to meet his newest grandson (my Sean) reached up and touched him and we all got to tell him how much we loved him and would miss him.

My MIL was gone for 1 hour setting up funeral and he waited til she came back, We all sat at his bedside (with Catholic channel on one tv and Golf on other as he took his last breath.

I watched the Tammy Faye interview and truly believe that last tv interview was what she needed to be at peace and move on.

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Specializes in ER, ALF.

One bad sign, that I've seen quite a bit: A pt coming in with Cardiac related complaints saying, "I have to poop." Also, same patients becoming extremely anxious right before they code.

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Specializes in Utilization Management.

I've seen dying patients reaching for people who were not there, talking and smiling with them. Others have dreams in which they see a relative who's passed on, and who will tell them that they'll be together soon. I have seen people who will suddenly - after being unable to eat only bites of food for months - eat an entire dinner and appear to be getting better.

All within 48 hours of death.

I've also worked at hospitals that will not take the patient to surgery if that patient has a death premonition.

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Specializes in Psych, Med/Surg, Home Health, Oncology.
The best death I ever was a part of was my father-in-law. He had an open and close surgery in August and 2 weeks later was in hospice. He held on to meet his newest grandson (my Sean) reached up and touched him and we all got to tell him how much we loved him and would miss him.

My MIL was gone for 1 hour setting up funeral and he waited til she came back, We all sat at his bedside (with Catholic channel on one tv and Golf on other as he took his last breath.

I watched the Tammy Faye interview and truly believe that last tv interview was what she needed to be at peace and move on.

The story of your Father-In-Law is beautiful!

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I've seen dying patients reaching for people who were not there, talking and smiling with them. Others have dreams in which they see a relative who's passed on, and who will tell them that they'll be together soon. I have seen people who will suddenly - after being unable to eat only bites of food for months - eat an entire dinner and appear to be getting better.

All within 48 hours of death.

This happened to my Grandmother...Unable to speak or eat, dazed for days, sat up in bed to eat a big lunch and spoke everyone's name and said she felt some better. Died within two hours after saying she was tired and needed to rest now.

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Specializes in Geriatric and now peds!!!!.

I once had a new resident who repeatedly kept telling me she was going to die. I checked her vitals and they were all normal, and her o2 sats were in the high 90s. she had copd, and eoth dementia. She had only been in our facility for one day. The next day after repeatedly saying this to other nurses, the nurse called the dr and got the ok to send her out to the hospital. As ems walked into the room, she coded.

Also, if you have an unresponsive pt suddenly become alert, they are preparing for celestial discharge.

Wendy

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My Dad grabbed me by the arm one day while we were standing in his kitchen and he looked me in the eye and said, "I just want you to know that even when I am not here anymore, I will always be with you." It threw me off. I replied "I know that but youre not going anywhere for a while anyway so stop talking like that!" Ten days later, his wife found him dead on the bedroom floor. He had also been talking to his dead sister, and told my cousin at her wedding that he was glad he got to see her and her children one last time, because he would not be here at the end of the week. He died on May 4 of this year and I miss him everyday.

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When I worked in LTC as an aide, I had a resident ask me if I could see the black carriage that was outside to pick her up. She died the next day.

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Specializes in Case Management.

I see you are new. Welcome to allnurses!

here is a good link with some great stories!

https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/whats-your-best-nursing-ghost-story-108202.html

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It was on a Friday several years ago when I started feeling this impending doom. I knew someone was going to die, maybe me. I kept wondering what it would be like to be the first of my siblings to die. I kept telling my husband, something is not right, something is going to happen soon, someone is going to die, I can feel it. I became depressed and very sullen.

My mother (who lives out of state) called me that Monday morning and told me one of my 1st cousins had just died unexpectedly (she was only 34).

That is about the only premonition I've had that amounted to anything, unless you count the abandoned pool hall down the road from us that I used to joke with my husband was going to be turned into a strip joint (which the chances were about zero because this is a rural county where the churches outnumber resident homes). Low and behold, a couple of years ago someone bought it and that is exactly what they did with it (and it does a booming business).

Anyway, I've been around a few dying people in the nursing home and such, but unfortunately I have not seen them make any kind of statements or show any behaviors that indicated they saw "the other side." One of the aides I worked with did say she heard this woman who passed on my shift say shortly before "I seen him" and she smiled.

I would like to think she really did see him.

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