A HOSPICE nurse has shared the ‘mind-blowing’ reason why she doesn’t fear death.
Julie McFadden, 41, is a registered nurse living in Los Angeles who specializes in end-of-life care, so she spends much of her time with people who only have months or weeks to live.
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Far from making her apprehensive, caring for people as they die removed any fear of dying from the nurse’s mind.
“Truly seeing how the body helps us biologically at the end of life was mind-blowing for me and made me not fear death,” Julie said in a statement. recent video posted for her Youtube channel.
The hospice nurse shares insights from her work with the goal of alleviating “the fear and stigma surrounding death and dying,” according to her website.
Shedding light on the parts of life that many of us are afraid to face appealed to Julie – known as Hospice Nurse Julie on social media – millions of followers on TikTok and other platforms.
Many people’s fear of death stems from the idea that it can be uncomfortable or painful.
But Julie explained how our bodies are actually biologically programmed to lead us to death and make the process more comfortable.
“Biologically, our bodies are built to live, built to survive first, and built to help us die,” the hospice nurse said.
“I saw this firsthand – and still see it firsthand – as a hospice nurse,” she added.
When you are dying a natural death, as you would in hospice, mechanisms in your body kick in to help the process.
1. You sleep more
The first thing that happens is that your body’s calcium levels increase as you reach the end of life.
“When your calcium levels increase, you start to sleep more,” Julie explained.
“What it is Cool. People say ‘I want to just fall asleep and die’.
“That’s what could happen gradually.”
2. You are less hungry and thirsty
As you get closer to death, Julie said your body will know it’s close to the end and will “start to shut down.”
According to Julie, it will “little by little start to activate the mechanisms to turn off the feeling of hunger, the feeling of thirst”.
“You will start not eating and drinking more and more,” the hospice nurse added.
“The body is doing all this for us.”
3. Your pain is numb
When you sleep more and drink and eat less, Julie said a process called ketosis will eventually be activated in your body.
This process “releases endorphins, which make you feel good and relieve pain,” the hospice nurse explained.
“The body does all of this naturally, without us doing anything as medical professionals.”
Julie said seeing this process over and over again as a hospice nurse was “fascinating” and also “comforting.”
SIGNS THAT THE END IS NEAR
Julie also shared outward signs people can look for in their loved ones that indicate when someone is close to death.
These are specific to whether “a patient is choosing to pass away at home, in hospice,” the nurse said. a clip posted on his YouTube channel.
Here are 12 signs and symptoms you’re likely to see:
- A decrease in food and water intake
- A decrease in functional mobility
- An increase in sleep
- Intermittent confusion or disorientation
- Talking to or seeing deceased relatives
- Changes in breathing
- Changes in skin color
- Fever
- Glassy or watery eyes
- Reaching for things or looking away
- Unrest
“All of these things are normal in death and dying,” Julie observed.
The hospice nurse previously shared six unimaginable phenomena that occur when someone is near the end.
And she described why death can be beautiful.
It comes after palliative care doctor Dr Christopher Kerr revealed what people see in the days before they die and why there is no reason to fear.
What is end-of-life care?
End-of-life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their lives.
It should help you to live your last days in the best possible way and to die with dignity, in accordance with the National Health Service.
Depending on your needs, different health and social care professionals may be involved in your end-of-life care. These may include hospital doctors and nurses, your family doctor, palliative care or social care staff, chaplains and physiotherapists.
End-of-life care can last a few days or months, or sometimes more than a year.
Although it is not always possible to predict, people are considered to be approaching the end of their lives when they are likely to die within the next 12 months.
This includes people who may die imminently, as well as people who:
- Have an advanced incurable disease, such as cancer, dementia, or motor neurone disease
- They are generally frail and have co-existing conditions that mean they are expected to die within 12 months
- Have existing conditions if they are at risk of dying due to a sudden crisis in their condition
- Have an acute, life-threatening condition caused by a sudden catastrophic event, such as an accident or stroke
If you are approaching the end of life, or caring for someone who is, and want to find out more about the care and support available, the first step is to speak to your GP or call the number your health professionals provided you.
They can help you understand the services available locally.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
