What do they teach you about death & dying in nursing school?

Mandarella · Jun 30, 2004

It's not strange nor coincedence. It happens all the time. I have countless stories dating back to when I was little I could tell you. I have always seen these things, heard things and have had preminitions. Science can't explain it. Period. They want too, and try but can't. Some people are more sensitive to these things than others, I think everyone has the ability but are closed off to it. Most people will think you are just crazy. That's ok. It's real it does happen. PM me if you want to talk more about it or have any questions. :saint:

....and what are your own personal beliefs?
My mom died of breast cancer a year and a half ago. She has visited my sister and I in our dreams many times. Just this morning, my sister called me to tell me the weirdest thing.
As she was waking up, she felt a very strong prescence in her bedroom. When she looked over her shoulder (she was sleeping on her side), she saw a woman with short black hair and sweatpants walking out of her room!! She couldn't see the front of her, but only the back. My mother had short brown hair and often wore sweatpants! My sister believes she was checking in on her. Lately, she has been going through some very personal hard times.
The strangest coincidence is what happened this past week. I have been reminiscing how our mother used to check in on us while we were going to sleep or just waking up. Sometimes, we could just feel her there. But by the time we opened our eyes, she would already be walking out of the room. We would only see the back of her (short brown hair and sweatpants).
Pretty cool, huh? How does the medical profression explain these things? What do you personally believe what happens to us after we die? Have you or any one else you know, ever experienced these types of things?
Thanks :)
Jules

SugarMagnolia · Jun 30, 2004

I took Hospice training before I went to nursing school & found that to be very helpful. While I was in school we did a clinical rotation with Home Healt& Hospice. Before I was in school I worked as a CNA where I am currently a nurse & I worked with several terminally ill children. One child who stands out in my mind in relation to your post is a boy who had Muscular Dystrophy & had cognitive deficits. Somehow he knew he was going to pass away & he would talk about it by saying he was going to fly away in his spaceship & he would invite me to come to visit him. I think in his mind,through no coaxing from us, he felt like there was more to life than life as we know it. I do feel like there is an afterlife after we pass. Just my own opinion. Feel free to email me if you want to talk further. Peace, Pam

Euskadi1946 · Jun 30, 2004

I took Hospice training before I went to nursing school & found that to be very helpful. While I was in school we did a clinical rotation with Home Healt& Hospice. Before I was in school I worked as a CNA where I am currently a nurse & I worked with several terminally ill children. One child who stands out in my mind in relation to your post is a boy who had Muscular Dystrophy & had cognitive deficits. Somehow he knew he was going to pass away & he would talk about it by saying he was going to fly away in his spaceship & he would invite me to come to visit him. I think in his mind,through no coaxing from us, he felt like there was more to life than life as we know it. I do feel like there is an afterlife after we pass. Just my own opinion. Feel free to email me if you want to talk further. Peace, Pam

Hi Pam;

I too believe that there is life after death and I know in my heart that my parents and my brother are watching over me and my family. I'm the oldest of 10 kids and had a brother who had alot of problems with drugs throughout his adult life and did some prison time. He even forged my mother's name to a credit card application and caused my mother alot of heartache and grief but before my mother died he want to her and asked her to forgive him for all of that which of course she did. Twice more after she died he was back in prison for drug problems. When I moved back to Utah, he wrote to me from prison and asked me if I could help him when he got out. The rest of my family turned their backs on him. While he was in prison he had been visited by a Mormon Elder and was considering joining the LDS Church. I told him that my door would always be open to him and I would help him out but under the condition that he stay clean and ABSOLUTELY NO DRUGS IN MY HOUSE!!!. My family was appalled but I know in my heart that my parents would have wanted me to help him so I did. He stayed with us for almost a year, got a good job and helped out with the rent and always had dinner on the table for us. Unfortunately, he went back to his old habits and I had to ask him to leave. He moved to another town here in Utah and really started to clean his act up and was doing good for awhile until this past February when he died of a hemorrhagic stroke possibly caused by too much speed. To this day I still mourn him, but you know what? For 6 months I was out of a job and had alot of financial problems. Then in January 2004 I got a job with the Utah Department of Health. He died a month afterwards. Every since he died my luck has completely changed. For some reason or another I always seem to be able to pay my bills and seem to always have some extra money left over!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's not just because I'm working. I know my brother and my parents are our guardian angels and in his way he is thanking me for opening my door and my arms to him when he really needed a big sister.

SugarMagnolia · Jun 30, 2004

CeCiRN, I'm sorry for your losses & particularly that of your brother. I agree with you that we are somehow watched out for. I'm sure that your brother is looking out for you just like you did for him while he was here when he had nowhere else to turn. He was blessed to have you for a sister. Pam

Euskadi1946 · Jun 30, 2004

CeCiRN, I'm sorry for your losses & particularly that of your brother. I agree with you that we are somehow watched out for. I'm sure that your brother is looking out for you just like you did for him while he was here when he had nowhere else to turn. He was blessed to have you for a sister. Pam

Well Pam we do have to look out for each other. That's basically what nursing is about. Thanks so much.

Ceci

Krissy NY · Jun 30, 2004

My mother has been gone five years now. I have not had any "experiences"...but what I do know is if I (I am a Catholic) say my prayer to St. Jude and throw in "hey mom can you put a good word in" I usually get my wish.

My boyfriend once told me he had a dream that my mom asked him to look out for me...and boy does he...don't mess with an irish new yorker (just kidding)

But..I miss her terribly as I am sure you do as well with your mom.

The morning of her death I saw a rainbow, which I never see. Every once in a while I will see one and I know it is her telling me she is ok. I remember marching into a grocery store one day in the worst mood, and you know how NYers are never friendly, well this guy turned around out of a crowd and looked right at me and said "hey, look at that rainbow" I looked up to see the most beautiful rainbow that stretched throughout the whole sky... when I looked to find him he was gone.

leslie :-D · Jun 30, 2004

hi jules,

what a wonderful feeling to know that mom is there.....

as for nursing school, they will teach you the stages of dying but no, they do not touch upon the afterlife. that is something that you don't teach, but you live, you experience...and as you already know, it's a very personal experience....but there are certainly websites and research that has been done, but not in nursing school (not in mine anyway).

peace to you and yours,

leslie