An end-of-life nurse has opened up about the three most surprising things she’s learned about death.
Julie McFadden - who goes by @hospicenursejulie on TikTok and YouTube - is a registered hospice nurse based in Los Angeles.
The nurse, who has spent years providing end-of-life care, uses her social media platforms to share insight into people's final moments in the hopes of destigmatizing death.
Back in June, McFadden posted a YouTube video about the three most surprising things that happen to the body before someone passes away.
"Here are the most surprising things I've learned about the end of life," she said in the clip, which has been viewed 105,724 times, as of this writing.
Watch her video below:The first shocking point the healthcare professional made was that people on the brink of death can still "hear us," even when they're unconscious.
"When someone is unconscious and not responding to us we do believe they can hear us," she explained. "There have been studies done where people were dying and they had EKGS on their brains which showed that the hearing sensor was the last to shut down."
She encouraged us to talk to patients "like they can respond back," rather than speaking about them like they are already dead.
“Say the things you need and want to say. And don't talk about your loved one like they aren't there," she shared. “As a hospice nurse, I always try to speak to the patient like they could answer me back.”
The expert revealed that during her time as an ICU nurse, she's seen many patients come out of coma and say they could still "sense" what was going on around them.
“They would tell us that they could hear certain things, they could sense people in the room,” she added. "They knew somewhat what was going on. We do think that is the same for the dying person. So really, at the end of life, it's just about being present, it's about creating an atmosphere and an environment that's comforting to them."
The second most surprising thing McFadden learned is "deathbed phenomena," which is a term that describes the "unusual experiences reported by dying persons and those around them in the days".
Some patients might inform their family or friends that they saw a dead relative member or are about to go on a trip, which Julie has described as "visioning".
She also recounted treating patients who got a "surge of energy" before passing away. This process is called terminal lucidity, and it can often bring an unexpected return of consciousness and mental clarity.
“[These things] were mind-blowing to me as a new hospice nurse it still is mind-blowing to me when I see it now, eight years later," the doctor added.
The third and final surprising fact the nurse learned is that dehydration "helps people have a more peaceful death".
She explained: “Why? Because a dying body cannot handle the hydration that like a living well-body can. If we try to hydrate a dying body at the end of life they'll become overloaded with fluid."
"The body can't handle the fluid... it won't stay in the person's veins or arteries, it'll seep out and cause swelling and then eventually cause respiratory distress," she continued. "The more I saw that as a new hospice nurse the more I was amazed about how our bodies really help us die."
McFadden said our bodies "will start helping us be more dehydrated because the body knows that the more dehydrated you are the better you're going to feel," adding: “You're going to go into ketosis [if you're dehydrated] and your body will release endorphins that actually will give you a euphoric feeling and help start dulling pain and make you actually feel good.”
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