Patient Death - Have you ever....???

Published

I recall a death of a patient, his name was Herbie. Herbie was 95 and had nothing wrong with him. He was just old. He was on no meds, lived in a LTC facility, and was an interesting old man.

One day he requested someone come and get me. He had something important to tell me. This was on a Thursday. Herbie NEVER asked anything of anyone. I knew that it must be quite important if he wanted to talk to me. I went to his room immediately.

He asked me to sit on his bed, we had important issues to discuss. He explained that the following Tuesday he would become ill, go to the hospital, and die.

I responded in horror! I told him he had no real medical issues, not even abnormal blood tests! He was fine and he wasn't going anywhere. He became quite upset and told me I wasn't hearing him. He needed for me to listen. He repeated the story and explained he would die the following Tuesday.

It wasn't worth getting him this upset. I finally agreed to listen. I told him I didn't like discussing this but if he felt it was this important, I would listen.

He went on to tell me he wanted me to have his favorite item, his brand new color TV. :) How sweet. I told him I appreciated this and I would treasure it. Obviously, I would never take a patient's TV but he would have been quite irate had I not agreed to his requests.

After I left his room I really didn't think much more of it. Well, not until the following Tuesday. I was passing 7AM meds and Leonard ran up to me, told me Herbie fell and he thought he broke his hip. Leonard was Herbies roomie. I went running for Herbie's room. Suddenly it dawned on me, it was Tuesday!

I hit the doorway and knew instantly. Herbie was dead. I couldn't see him because he was laying on the floor between the bed and the wall. But as soon as I hit the doorway I knew. It just "felt" weird. I knew he was dead, not a doubt in my mind. I went to where he was and sure enough, he was dead. He never even attempted to break his fall. He hit the floor face first. It was later determined to be a massive stroke. I couldn't help but to think back to our conversation. He didn't become ill and go to the hospital, however it most certainly was Tuesday, just as he said.

My personal belief is that Herbie was still in the room. I don't know how it all works at the point of death, but I honestly believe Herbie was still there.

So the following are my questions. Have you ever had a patient (especially an elderly patient) tell you they would die and when? And have you walked into the room of a deceased pt and before seeing the patient you "felt" something odd and knew they were dead before you actually saw them?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
:o I have had so many instances of patients "knowing" when they will die that I really do listen! It happens to patients at all ages. I have also had some really strange instances when I get a "strange feeling" about a patient or even walking next to a door way to a patient room that is not my patient. That is another subject all together!
Up Vote Up Vote ×
:o I have had so many instances of patients "knowing" when they will die that I really do listen! It happens to patients at all ages. I have also had some really strange instances when I get a "strange feeling" about a patient or even walking next to a door way to a patient room that is not my patient. That is another subject all together!

Yep, I know EXACTLY what you mean.

For example, I had a patient that was quite healthy and similar to Herbie. NO real medical issues, no need for meds, everything looked good. Suddenly I had this odd feeling. I knew something bad would happen. I assessed him over and over and couldn't find anything wrong or out of the ordinary. I had our house doc check him over. Labs came back great, diagnostics were all good. Yet I knew something was wrong. Lucky for me we had a doc that his wife was an RN and he fully understood that weird sense we have. He checked this guy over from top to bottom, he couldn't find anything wrong. He asked me specifics. I told him I had none, I just had a gut feeling. He understood what I was referring to. He couldn't find anything to treat in this guy.

Three days later he was dead. Stone cold dead.

Never did get an absolute on cause of death, just that he was dead.

I know other nurses understand this, I would like to discuss this extre "sense" we seem to have. Where does it come from? How do we know this? It certainly isn't in our clinical training, it surely comes from experience.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

yeah...some of us have "it"...some don't. never ignore your gut feelings! :uhoh3:

suebird :p

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics/Alzheimer's.

I understand the sixth sense type of thing nurses seem to have. I had a patient in a LTC facility a year ago. I had this feeling that I needed to go check her CBG and it was 2 am, the thing is... she had good CBG's during the day. It just was this "feeling". So I went down to her room, with the glucometer. She was awake and said "I'm glad you are here, I feel strange." I did her CBG and it was 45.

What if I didn't get this feeling, she could have went into a coma. Instead we were able to give her a snack and it went up to 90 later that night. Thank goodness for that "feeling" I had that night.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

had a young male pt dying with leukemia and just about comatose for several hours---all of a sudden he was trying to climb out of bed yelling--"i have to go see st peter--i have to go see st peter" AND HE DID !!!!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geriatrics.

I had a lady who turned 102 on Jan 1. 2000. She said she wanted to live through the 1800's, 1900's and the millenium. She died one hour after New Year's Day. It really freaked me out.

Another lady was 99 and said after she turned 100, she was ready to go. She died a week after her 100th birthday.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics :).

For those who have this 'sixth sense', does anyone else in your family have the same sort of ability? I do believe there is at least some genetic component to this...my grandma has always told me about her grandma-who told her exactly when she would die (and of course she was right), but before she died, she also told my grandma when my grandma's mother would die. Again, she was right (down to the day). Now my grandma swears she sees her grandma when something has happened to one of her kids. She always knows before anyone tells her anything.

When my grandpa died, I was the only one with him. I knew I had to get back to him right then and there (I had gone to get some dinner)-I had the honor of spending the last few hours of his life with him, and was with him when he took his last breath.

I have never had a patient die on my shift, but I don't think I've ever been surprised to hear that they died recently.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ICUs, Tele, etc..

Just wanted to say I read this post last night right before I went to bed, and needless to say I wasn't able to sleep LOL...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC.

At my first job there was a guy on hospice and he started declining...the hospice people told the daughter he probably wouldn't make it through the weekend. I was off that weekend, but that Saturday I was sitting on the couch watching TV and said aloud, "Papa's dead." ("Papa" was what everybody called him cause that's what his daughter called him). It was almost as if the words were out of my mouth before they had even entered my mind. It was about 1 in the afternoon.

When I went back to work the following Monday, I found out that he had died around noonish on Saturday.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Reading about Herbie made me think of ol' Fred. He was similar to Herbie and in his 90's. He never told me when he was going to die (never had that happen, actually) but Fred was a character for sure, would say some of the most off color (but hilarious!) things and in front of no matter who.

He passed away not long ago.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Med/Surg, Hospice.
For those who have this 'sixth sense', does anyone else in your family have the same sort of ability? I do believe there is at least some genetic component to this.

My sister and I both have this sense, though she has more if it than I do.

Sometimes I sense that something will happen to someone I know, whether through a dream or an awareness of them when I wake in the night. (Alhough my "warnings" are usually accurate, I never tell these people about it ahead of time, but I do tell my husband about them.)

I also woke up at the very moment that my honorary "grandma" was dying, and learned later that I fell back to sleep at the same time that her daughter found her body on the bedroom floor. We had a very special connection and I believe that God woke me to pray for her as she passed.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion