Patients dying

[nesje30]

a few years ago, nursing a dying patient, I experienced the weirdest thing: The patient, barely conscious the last week, suddenly opened her eyes, climbed straight in the bed until she was on her knees and looked at a corner of the room. Then she said; they are here for me, coming to get me.

She calmed down and was gone only a few hours later.

I wondered, have some of you experienced similar things?

[EmergencyNrse]

Nope...

[Anna Flaxis, BSN, RN]

Yes. When I worked in an inpatient unit, I took care of patients on palliative care on a semi regular basis. I noticed that many of them (not all) would "rally" anywhere from a day to a few hours before they passed.

In the ED, no.

[Munch]

In my personal life yes. In 2002 four days after I turned seventeen I lost my father to Pancreatic cancer. We all know how terrible of a disease pancreatic cancer is. During his final days my father had dropped down to about 140lbs(on a 6'2 frame) was jaundiced right into the whites of his eyes and pretty much slept all day(he was on fentanyl TDS, valium and oxycodone for BTP. Maybe it was all the medications(he was very opiate naive) or maybe it was something else but on the day he died after waiting for my sister to call(she was away at summer sleep away camp as she was only fourteen at the time and we all thought it would be better if she were away) he got up off the couch(he hadn't been on his feet in about six days) because the angels were sitting on his legs. He went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, got a beer(my dad loved his beer) sat down at the kitchen table, drank it then came back onto the couch, gave me a kiss and took his last breath. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. They do say that the dying kind of hang on until they hear from their loved ones, my sister had called THAT day just a few hours before his passing, she hadn't called in days...like I said he was on the couch for six days before his little trip to the kitchen. I don't know..somethings can't be explained...

[Ruthiegal]

Yes, years ago when I was a CNA one lady kept putting on her light, and asking us to close her drapes, we finally closed them all the way and asked her if everything was ok, She said she was ok, but the Angel of Death was looking in the window at her.... about 2 hours later a woman in the room next to hers passed..... it kind of freaked us all out!

[KimICURN]

Yes, but he didn't say anything just sat straight up and looked. Died about an hour later. When the family asked for an explanation I had nothing to offer except death is as unique as birth, we all have a different experience. But I did make me curious as to why, there are no good answers.

[missy--kay]

Oh yes. I work for an inpatient Hospice unit and see some amazing things. I have realized that death is universal, but the path of which they take is so individual. Many patients "rally" and the family thinks that they are on the mend, only to be gone a short time later. Just tonight, I had a patient that said "the gates are open for me... I need to go". Wow... what an amazing job I have.

[Hospice Nurse LPN, BSN, RN]

Not strange at all!

I've seen pts do some amazing things in the last few hours of life. One man, after sleeping or 4 or 5 days, woke up and told his family how wonderful they were and how much he love them then died an hour later.

I've had pts "waiting for a bus" then die shortly after the "bus" arrives.

I've had pts talk about beautiul white buildings, after sleeping for a few days, then die within an hour or so.

My DH had been mostly sleeping for 2 days. I was sitting on the side of his bed and he woke up, told me he loved me and then died.

Like a PP stated, death is unique, just like birth. We all do it, just do it in our own way.

[merlee]

Yes, yes, and yes again. The day before my grandmother died, she aroused enough to say she was coming soon to see her husband - deceased many years. And the day before my dad died, he was pretty snowed on morphine, would not arouse enough to talk to us, but suddenly sat bolt upright in bed, opened his eyes, and reached his arms straight out in front of him, then fell back and went back to sleep.

The next morning I awoke to go to the bathroom at 6:15, and felt compelled to call the hospital to check on him. I was told the nurse would call me back. About 20 min later we received the call that he passed away at 6:20. They were in his room pronouncing him when I called. I have always felt he was letting me know.

There are many stories about people hanging on until something significant happens, or waiting until everyone has left the room to pass away quietly.

[evolvingrn, BSN, RN]

Usually a mild rally is not considered uncommon. and we consider seeing others and making statements like she did to be called 'near death awareness' and symbolic talking and we consider it a sign that death is approaching in hospice.

[nerdtonurse?, BSN, RN]

In the ICU where I used to work, it was a "U" shaped unit. One patient on the end of one of the arms of the U suddenly sat up and started screaming "That dark man! Stop him, he's going to hurt that person, stop him!" The nurses ran in to calm her down (NSTEMI, sitting up screaming is contraindicated), and she kept telling them she saw this person all in black going into one of the other rooms. Nobody was in the room, but about a minute later, the patient in the room who'd had the "dark visitor" suddenly coded and died. Freaked everyone out for days....

[Biffbradford]

In the ICU, if you're taking care of a gravely ill patient that suddenly turns the corner you might think: "oh good!" :) At the same time, the seasoned nurses are saying: "oh oh! :uhoh21: This could be it."

My Ma (89 yo) was very confused in her last few years, so when she started saying "I want to go home." one day, I kept reassuring her that she is home.

"No, I want to go HOME!".

Now I know what she meant, and she is Home. :)