A hospice nurse with close encounters with people in the last stage of their lives reveals the “most common” deathbed phenomenon and it has nothing to do with having visions.
The topic of death makes a lot of people squirm, which prompts the content creator and hospice nurse Julie McFadden to share her experiences with dying patients to bring more awareness to the life-ending process. In one of her YouTube videos, she talks about the most common occurrence she’s seen in people moments before passing away.
Hospice nurse reveals most common deathbed phenomenon
It’s a common belief that people have visions before taking their last breath. However, Julie says what actually happens just before dying is a phenomenon called “rally” or “terminal lucidity.”
It is when the person looks like they are very close to death, but suddenly get better or look like they get better. This supposedly occurs in one third of the patients when they suddenly experience a mental clarity, but die shortly afterwards.
The hospice nurse aims to educate families about the dying process so they do not end up devastated upon seeing their loved ones get better only moments before passing.
A case study00208-2/fulltext) by the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management notes: “While loved ones and even providers may consider this as a sign of clinical recovery, patients often die soon after the terminal lucidity event.”
While not all patients experience terminal lucidity at the end of their life, it’s not possible to determine which patients will.
Some of the patients experiencing this may suddenly regain their memory, feel hungry and even get up and walk, says Julie.
Some may experience ‘Cheyne-Stokes’ breathing
Another common end-life activity is ‘Cheyne-Stokes’ breathing – long deep breaths followed by a long pause.
While some people may be petrified by the “actively dying” phase, others assume it causes pain and suffering. But Julie says for people in the deathbed, this type of breathing is “totally normal part of death and dying.”
‘Cheyne-Stokes’ breathing is also seen in people who have heart failure and can occur during the sleep cycle. The condition is also associated with central sleep apnea, according to sleep foundation. Each cycle reportedly typically lasts 45 to 90 seconds.
Julie McFadden is a certified RN/BSN and author, who believes in educating people about “the dying process before they’re going through it with a loved one or themselves.”
She has been featured in several leading media outlets including Newsweek, New York Post, People, USA Today, BuzzFeed, and Daily Mail. Her YouTube channel boasts over 420,000 subscribers.
