Hospice nurse reveals the ‘mindblowing’ reason she doesn’t fear death – and 12 signs that the end is near
From feeling less hungry to a cocktail of endorphins surging through you, how your body eases you into death
A HOSPICE nurse has shared the ‘mindblowing’ reason behind why she doesn’t fear death.
Julie McFadden, 41, is a Los Angeles-based registered nurse specialises in end of life care and so spends much of her time with people who have just months or weeks left to live.
Far from making her apprehensive, taking care of people as they die has eliminated any fear of dying from the nurse’s mind.
“To truly see how the body biologically helps us at the end of life was mindblowing to me and totally made me not fear death,” Julie said in a posted to her .
The hospice nurse shares insights from her work with the aim of alleviating “the fear and stigma around death and dying”, according to her website.
Shedding light on the parts of life that many of us are too scared to confront has garnered Julie – known as on social media – millions of followers on TikTok and other platforms.
Many people’s fear of death stems from the idea that it might be uncomfortable or painful.
But Julie explained how our bodies are actually biologically programmed to ease us into death and make the process more comfortable.
“Biologically, our body is built to live, built to survive first and built to help us die,” the hospice nurse stated.
“I saw that firsthand – and I still see that firsthand – as a hospice nurse,” she added.
When you’re dying a natural death as you would in hospice, mechanisms in your body kick in to help the process along.
1. You sleep more
The first thing that happens is that your body’s calcium levels rise as you reach the end of your life.
“When your calcium levels go up, you start sleeping more,” Julie explained.
“Which is nice. People say ‘I want to just fall asleep and die’.
“That is kind of what can gradually happen.”
2. You’re less hungry and thirsty
As you near death, Julie said that your body will know that it’s near the end and will “start shutting down”.
According to Julie, it will “slowly start kicking in the mechanisms to shut 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 that all for us.”
3. Your pain is dulled
When you’re sleeping more and drinking and eating less, Julie said a process called ketosis will eventually be activated in your body.
This process “releases endorphins, which makes you feel good and dulls pain”, the hospice nurse explained.
“The body does this all naturally without us doing anything as medical professionals.”
Julie said that seeing this process over and over again as a hospice nurse had been “fascinating”, as well as “comforting”.
SIGNS THE END IS NEAR
Julie has also shared external signs people can watch out for in their loved ones that indicate when someone is near death.
These are specific to if “a patient is choosing to pass away at home on hospice”, the nurse said posted to her YouTube channel.
Here are 12 signs and symptoms you will likely see:
- A decrease in food and water intake
- A decrease in functional mobility
- An increase in sleep
- Intermittent confusion or disorientation
- Talking about or seeing dead relatives
- Changes in breathing
- Changes in skin colour
- Fever
- Glassy or teary eyes
- Reaching for things or staring off into the distance
- Agitation
“All of these things are normal in death and dying,” Julie noted.
The hospice nurse has previously shared six unimaginable phenomena that occur when someone is close to the end.
And she’s described why death can be beautiful.
It comes after palliative care physician Dr Christopher Kerr revealed what people see in the days before they die and why it’s nothing to be scared of.
What is end of life care?
END of life care is support for people who are in the last months or years of their life.
It should help you live your last days as well as possible and help you die with dignity, according to the .
Depending on your needs, different health and social care professionals may be involved in your end of life care. They can include hospital doctors and nurses, your GP, hospice or social care staff, chaplains and physiotherapists.
End of life care can last a few days or months, or sometimes more than a year.
Though it isn’t always possible to predict, people are considered to be approaching the end of life when they are likely to die within the next 12 months.
This includes people who might die imminently, as well as people who:
- Have an advanced incurable illness, such as cancer, dementia or motor neurone disease
- 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 from a sudden crisis in their condition
- Have a life-threatening acute 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 you want to find out about the care and support available, your first step is to speak to your GP or to call the number your healthcare professionals have given you.
They can help you understand the services available to you locally.