Most of us have heard this term. It is the noisy rattling sound that a dying person makes that can be very disturbing to hear. Death rattle happens when secretions gather in the throat because the person is too weak to swallow. The gurgling sound happens when air passes through the secretions upon exhale. This doesn’t necessarily mean the person is having trouble breathing.
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Below is an article in the Dallas morning news (12/31/09) that chronicles the lives of 9 families as they deal with the life-threatening illness of a loved one and the difficult decisions they must confront. At the Edge of Life: life and death in 21st century medicine is a 5 part series with videos and interactive tools. It is an excellent article that gives an in-depth look at the difference a palliative care team can make in the hospital setting. Keep in mind as you Death hurts our hearts no matter where it happens. We can feel supported losing a loved one no matter where we are. My preference would be to die at home; with candles and nice music and people I love around me, but who knows if I’ll get to die like that. My aunt’s mother recently died in an intensive care unit. She was surrounded by her family as she took her last breath. The nurse we had was wonderful, efficient and willing to help make this as smooth a transition as possible._ This was my first experience with a death in the intensive care unit. by Special Guest: Vincent Dodd The funeral was in the hill country, west of Austin Texas, on a very bright and hot Thursday afternoon. She had lived a long and loving life with many children and grandchildren and was devoted to various charities. She outlived a husband about which the kids still love to share of his goodness. She had fought the battle with cancer that ended with an acceptance of defeat—in time to prevent a prolonged and unnecessary period of pain and suffering. The family had also been accepting, at least outwardly, which had ‘Predicting’ someone’s death is an emotional topic. I’ll do my best to address it. Let me apologize in advance for my generalizations and for anything I may say that seems insensitive. And we all understand there will always be exceptions especially with this. “How could he have said that?” “You are not God.” “We’ve been told that the last 10 years.” “What if she doesn’t die and I have my family come from out of My uncle woke up first. I found out later it was 4:00am when I heard the shower running. My air mattress had long since deflated on the living room floor and I had moved to the couch which wasn’t quite long enough. One by one people woke up; I could hear the morning conversations about coffee and breakfast and people’s sleeping experiences. It
She died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
I was shocked but relieved. She made it through so many trips to ICU and long hospital stays. She had been living in the end stage of liver disease for over the last 2 years waiting for a liver transplant. This last year was rough. In my humble opinion they did well with most of her palliative care except for the nausea. I think they could have done better. |
AuthorIn fall 2014, I moved some old blog posts here that I had written years ago from 2007 to 2010. Hope they are helpful. Archives
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