A hospice nurse and TikTok creator has shared what a lot of people say as their last words before dying.
Julie, a registered nurse from Los Angeles, California, has worked in a hospice for roughly half a decade and has collected a wealth of anecdotes and knowledge in that time.
She aims to inform her viewers about the dying experience and also to debunk myths around hospice care.
Speaking to The Sun, Julie said: “The best part about my job is educating patients and families about death and dying as well as supporting them emotionally and physically.
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“Also, helping them to understand what to expect is another part of my job as a hospice nurse.
“There is something most people say before they die and it’s usually ‘I love you’ or they call out to their mum or dad — who have usually already died.”
Julie has a bunch of videos discussing hospice care and the dying experience, including a recent video talking about the "abnormal" things that happen at the end of life which are actually "really normal". These include changes in breathing, changes in skin colour, terminal secretions and fevers.
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During the "actively dying phase" (a few hours or even days before death), breathing patterns can change and extremities of skin take on new hues that appear "a little purpleish". She also mentions patients having a collection of saliva in the back of the throat that makes a rattling sound, also known as "the death rattle".
As concerning as these might seem, Julie reassures her viewers that they are not indications that the patient is uncomfortable or in pain.
In another video, Julie discusses unexplained common occurrences when people are dying.
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She says that about a month before a patient dies, they start seeing relatives, friends and pets who have passed on as well as "spirits and angels" who are visiting them which only the patient can see and hear, being told phrases such as "we're coming to get you soon" or "don't worry, we'll help you".
However, Julie claims that these are usually comforting to the patient and medical professionals cannot explain why this happens.
Featured Image Credit: TikTok/hospicenursejulie