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I have a question. I have a older lady friend she's 84. Hospice and her family says she is dying 2 days ago hospice said she only has about 3 days. I was home health for 20 years and have witnessed APU loved ones pass. My friend hers is a little different than any I have ever done. My friend has COPD emphysema was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and she is a diabetic and also has high blood pressure. What has me confused is there was really no signs Awards this. Over the last eight months maybe up to a year she has fallen she broke her hip she broke her tailbone not sure but she might of fractured her shoulder. I haven't been in her life for the past 5/6 months so I'm not 100% sure of her daily changes. But the things that has been told to me doesn't add up 2 her being considered in her last days. I spoke with her Wednesday night she sounded great of course I had woke her up when I called her Thursday afternoon they said she was unresponsive that she had fallen and they were going to have the ambulance take her to her daughter's. Thursday she went in what I call a semi-coma the first 24 hours she would open her eyes a couple of times after that she never opened her eyes no more. She doesn't flinch when you touch her when you put a cold rag on her there's no reactions. Since Thursday she has started running a mid grade fever 102 hospice says it's normal and it can run up to 108. My problems with her supposed to be dying is her respirations is 11 per minute her vital signs has been anywhere from 120/80 and 142/70. Her heart rate has been very high don't remember all the numbers. On Thursday when the ambulance picked her up her blood pressure was70/40 but since then everything's been normal. My question is can a dying person have normal vital signs. She does have the gurgling and shallow breathing. I personally believe she has some form of an infection but I don't really know. Is there any advice that someone can tell me. Thank you. And I'm very sorry I do talk in circles. Hope this is understandable

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Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Yes, a dying person can have some or all normal vital signs. There is no 100% fool proof way to predict when death will occur

. Some go in a matter of hours and some linger on for days.I'm sorry for your loss. -spoken as an ER nurse who recently was a hospice nurse for an ER patient.

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Ty it's not what I wanted to hear but I guess I need to stop searching for a way to keep her and let God do his thing.

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Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

The moment of death can come without warning: it's not always preceded by a decline in vital signs, LOC, respiratory status, general state, etc. As far as hospice predictions of "has only 3 days", those are best guesses. Your friend may not make the three days, or she might hang on quite a bit longer than that.

I'm sorry.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

CAREFUL - too many specific details about this patient have been shared by OP.

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Ty ya was all right she passed this morning.

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Specializes in SICU, trauma, neuro.

I'm sorry for your loss. I wonder if she sustained a head injury during that Thursday fall...that would explain the sudden unresponsiveness and fever. Neurogenic fever from the autonomic nervous system being out of whack -- I've seen one as high as 109.5F!! but 105F isn't uncommon. Or she could have been 86 and her body was simply letting go. I'm just thinking not-out-loud...again, I'm very sorry for the loss of your friend.

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