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Nurse shares devastating symptom everyone has days before death

Nurse shares devastating symptom everyone has days before death

Wales Online3 days ago
Nurse shares devastating symptom everyone has days before death
Nurse Julie McFadden has spent years working in end of life care, and says one of the most psychologically taxing parts of her job is when patients suddenly appear to get better
Nurse Julie gave details about terminal lucidity, visioning, death stare and reach, and shared death
(Image: Getty)
It's not unusual for terminal patients to show signs of improvement just before they pass away, following extensive treatments.

This brief resurgence offers a ray of hope to their families, who witness moments of clarity and vitality, often mistaking these episodes as indicators of recovery.

Nurse Julie McFadden from Los Angeles has discussed this emotionally challenging occurrence, which is among the most perplexing and distressing signs of impending death, in a YouTube video.

The nurse, who boasts an impressive 600,000 followers on the platform, shared a detailed 10-minute video essay on the six most extraordinary deathbed phenomena she has encountered throughout her extensive experience in palliative care – her field of expertise, on which she has also authored a book.
In the video, the 41 year old begins by describing what she terms terminal lucidity, a concept she admits was "really hard to believe actually happened", reports the Express.
"You may know this as the rally or the surge," she says. "This happens when suddenly someone who looks very ill will suddenly get a burst of energy and look like they're getting better. What is it? We don't know what it is. We do not know why.

"There are theories as to why. Some people say there's a burst of cortisol and that's why they perk up. Maybe it's hormones. We don't really know why, but there are theories as to why this is happening, as it happens very often. About one in three of all of our patients will have terminal lucidity."
Nurse Julie in her YouTube video about the 6 weirdest behaviours she's witnessed before death
(Image: Nurse Julie on YouTube)
Terminal lucidity, which is often only recognised in retrospect, can profoundly impact the patient's family and friends, according to Nurse Julie, who believes they should be informed about the potential for such an occurrence.

"If you are with a loved one who looked like they were going downhill and suddenly are having a really great day, you'll be able to know that maybe this is terminal lucidity and just know to enjoy it. Enjoy it and expect that maybe they will die soon after because that's the kicker with terminal lucidity."
Julie elaborated on how the behaviour manifests: "They're suddenly hungry. They're suddenly able to walk again. They're suddenly very alert and oriented. Then shortly after, usually a day or two, they will die."
However, she points out that not every improvement in health indicates terminal lucidity: "If your loved one does look like they're going downhill and then suddenly they get better, but then they're better for weeks on end, that is not terminal lucidity."

Furthermore, Nurse Julie mentioned other peculiar signs that are commonly observed in people who may pass away soon.
One phenomenon is visioning, where patients experience comforting hallucinations before passing. "It's wild. I have seen so many people have delirium, have hallucinations, ICU psychosis, but visioning is different. It's always comforting and the person can be up and having normal conversations, sitting in a chair, talking to their family and saying they're seeing their dead father standing in the corner who is smiling and telling him he's coming to get him soon and not to worry."
She expressed her incredulity, admitting she wouldn't believe it if she hadn't witnessed it herself on numerous occasions.

Another common occurrence is choosing when to die. "I've seen people say 'Tonight's when I'm going to die I know it, I can feel it,' and they do," she said, noting how some individuals choose to pass away surrounded by family and friends, while others prefer solitude, waiting for loved ones to leave the room.
Some even hold on until after significant dates like birthdays or weddings—"almost [like they're] kept alive just because they want to get to that date".
The death reach—when a patient lying in bed reaches upwards as if seeing or greeting someone—and the death stare—fixating intently on a corner or side of the room—are often observed together.
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And finally, she describes what she believes to be the "most impactful" behaviour: the shared death experience—or when someone who is not dying senses, sees, or understands what the patient is experiencing.
"It's kind of like the dying person gives you the sensation of what they're going through. There may have been some times where that's not a good thing, but from my experience and all the stories I've heard it's usually a good feeling," she elaborated.
"It was like the person was giving me these feelings of freedom and joy and kind of telling me that they were okay and basically they couldn't believe how amazing it was again."
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"These social media trends or videos that go viral and are seen by loads of people. "It's a concern, it's always a concern. They're being marketed with cartoon characters, GTA imaging on the outside of canisters. "They're obviously being marketed to appeal for young people and not for its intended use." I think young people just see it as a bit of fun at first but then use it for self-medication for depression and anxiety Dan Gibbons Fiona, a member of the government's advisory council on the misuse of drugs, added: "Things that come from the states and social media, there can be so many influences in terms of the decisions young people make. "The exposure that young people have to drugs on social media is something I am concerned about." Dan Gibbons, from UK-based solvent abuse charity Re-Solv, told The Sun: "Galaxy Gas has not come across our radar as much in the UK but you can get it here. 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"Her whole life had become derailed due to her addiction to this drug." Another sister, Kathleen Dial, told the BBC: "She didn't think that it would hurt her because she was buying it in the smoke shop, so she thought she was using this substance legally." Meg's family has now filed a lawsuit against the manufacturers of nitrous oxide and seven Florida smoke shops to stop retail sales of the drug. Galaxy Gas is named in the lawsuit. Drug addiction counsellor Kim Castro said that she's had four clients who have died from nitrous oxide poisoning. She told Boston 25: "You really don't know when you'll stop breathing, when you'll lose consciousness, when your body will stop functioning. It's pretty scary." In March, the FDA released a warning advising consumers not to inhale nitrous oxide products, including Galaxy Gas and other brands. 17 Discarded canisters of nitrous oxide piled up at Glastonbury festival at Worthy Farm Credit: AFP 17 In the UK, nitrous oxide is commonly used by inhaling balloons filled with small metal cartridges 17 Recreational nitrous oxide has been banned in the UK Credit: Instagram Dr Saltz said that sucking laughing gas to get high is not a new phenomenon, but there's been a surge in the past three to five years thanks to a "new twist" in the market. She said: "The new addition in recent years is flavours, which has made it more appealing to younger and younger people. "It seems like it's being literally marketed to this group of people. It makes it seem not dangerous and more innocuous." The doc agrees that social media has supercharged the spread of the drug amongst youngsters - allowing it to be glorified, but also popularising "challenges" involving the gas. She also warned of the danger of "copycat companies" who have "caught onto the fact that young people will buy this and use it for abuse". The doctor insisted there are some obvious ways to fight back against the gas falling into teens' hands. She said: "Selling to underage individuals is something that is frequently abused - and that of course shouldn't be happening. "We should be putting more warnings on the packaging so that the adult who is buying it is warned - because they may not realise what their teen is actually asking for. "And I wish that the companies would not be able to market to young people. "Once you've identified something as used for abuse, governments should have the ability to say to a company: 'This is what you can do, this is what you can't do.' For the greater societal good." Dr Saltz also explained that laughing gas is "easier to hide than abuse of many other things". She said: "It has no smell, it seems innocuous because it can be used for food preparation. It's not expensive, and the high is short."

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