Signs of death?

Question

what are the signs of people dying besides being very sick?

Answer 1

Yikes. I've got all those symptoms, I'm off to the doctors.

Answer 2

Signs of death are absence of pulse, respirations, and rigor/lividity, transection, and/or decapitation.

Signs of dying can be numerous.

Organ failure (such as kidneys shutting down. Increased restlessness, confusion, agitation, inability to stay content in one position and insisting on changing positions frequently. Withdrawal from active participation in social activities. Increased periods of sleep, lethargy. Decreased intake of food and liquids. Beginning to show periods of pausing in the breathing (apnea) whether awake or sleeping. Patient states that he or she is dying. Inability to heal or recover from wounds or infections, increased swelling (edema) of either the extremities or the entire body. Blood pressure dropping dramatically from patient's normal blood pressure range. Patient's extremities (such as hands, arms, feet and legs) feel very cold to touch. Cyanosis, (bluish or purple coloring to the patients arms and legs, especially the feet and hands). Patient's body is held in rigid unchanging position

Answer 3

I have been a minister for many years. This is merely an observation, but someones who has been ill and suddenly gets very well, or an Alzheimer patient suddenly has a clear mind and remembers everyone can be a sign of imminent death. I call it 'dying grace'. The grace to have a dignified death.

Answer 4

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/ca...

The dying process is as variable as the birthing process. The exact time of death cannot be predicted, nor can the exact manner in which a person will die. However, people in advanced stages of a terminal illness experience many similar symptoms as they approach the end of life, regardless of their illness.

Several physical and emotional changes occur as death approaches, including:

Excessive sleepiness and weakness as periods of wakefulness become shorter and overall energy declines.

Breathing changes, such as periods of rapid breathing alternating with short episodes when breathing stops.

Visual and hearing changes, such as seeing people or scenes that others do not (hallucinations).

Decreased appetite as your metabolism slows and you no longer have the same interest in food.

Urinary and bowel changes, such as dark or red urine and hard stools that are difficult to pass (constipation).

Temperature changes, such as running a high temperature or feeling very cold.

Emotional changes, such as becoming less interested in the outside world and being less socially involved with others

Pain

Whether a person suffers from physical pain in the days before death often depends on the illness. Some terminal illnesses, such as bone or pancreatic cancer, are more likely to be accompanied by physical pain than others

Pain and other symptoms can be so feared that a person considers physician-assisted suicide. However, pain associated with the dying process can be managed effectively. Any pain should be reported to your family and your health professional. Many medicines and alternative methods (such as massage) are available to treat the pain associated with dying. Do not hesitate to ask for help. Have a loved one report your pain if your illness prevents you from communicating with your doctor.

You may want to protect your family from your suffering. However, it is important to tell them if your pain level is not tolerable so they can promptly inform your doctor.

Spirituality

Spirituality refers to a person's sense of meaning and purpose in life. It also refers to a person's relationship to a higher power or an energy that gives life meaning.

Some people do not think of spiritual matters often; for others, spirituality is a part of daily life. Facing the end of your life may cause you to confront your own spiritual questions and issues. Organized religion provides comfort to many people as they face death. Others may find solace in exploring nature, through community involvement, by strengthening existing relationships, or by developing new relationships. Think about what provides comfort and support to you. What questions and concerns do you have? Don't hesitate to ask for support from friends, family, hospice, or spiritual advisors

Caring for a dying loved one

The dying process can be a time for growth. It offers the dying person and his or her family and friends a time to mend relationships, share memories, and say their good-byes. If you are a caregiver, it is important to communicate openly with your dying loved one. Also, seek support from others and take care of yourself so you don't become physically and mentally exhausted

http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/tc/ca...

This is a 6 page article on things a person needs to make in advance of his/her death:

1. an advance directive, which documents your health care preferences--how you want to be treated, etc. (like, do you want to be brought back to life should you stop breathing, etc)

2. A living will, which is a legal document that expresses your wishes for medical care if you become unable to speak or make decisions for yourself. When considering some of the more difficult end-of-life decisions, it may help to think about what kinds of medical procedures you would or would not want.

3. A medical power of attorney (or durable power of attorney for health care), which allows you to legally appoint a health care agent (also called a health care proxy) to make medical treatment decisions for you, not only at the end of your life but any time you are unable to speak for yourself. You can and should make decisions about your medical treatment for as long as you are able to make and communicate them. However, when this is not possible, your health care agent can use both the written information in your living will as well as what he or she knows about you personally to make decisions about your medical treatment

4. Organ donation--After your death, you may be able to donate certain organs depending on their condition. Talk to your doctor about whether your illness allows you to be an organ donor. Your donation would, in a way, allow you to "live on" as you save someone's life.

These are just a few items in this article.

Answer 5

As a Registered Nurse, I can say that Circleof12 is right.  Also, it is my experience that unless something like a heart attack occurs that causes immediate death, that the body dies in "stages".  Those different stages are a decrease in circulation which can be evidenced by feet and legs that are cold to touch, pale in color, even if the person is still awake and talking; kidneys begin to fail as evidenced by less urine output as well as changes in urine appearance.  It gets less and less clear yellow and more and more tea-like colored.  They go in to a deep slumber........not really a coma........just a deep, unresponsive sleep.  Their breathing slows down and may change in character (breathes less breaths a minute than the normal 18-20 and each breath is not a "normal" breath).  All these things can take several days to occur.  A person can litterally die a little at a time over days or weeks so that at any given moment they are only partly dead and partly alive.  Death is not always an all-or-nothing situation where you are 100% alive one minute and 100% dead the next.  By the way, the ceasing of brain activity is the last stage, and within that, the hearing is the last sense to go.  Even when a person is all gone but a little brain activity, they can still hear.  I tell people when they are looking at their loved one and thinking they are gone except for some very few shallow breaths, that they need to talk to the person........that they can still hear and understand you.  Knowing that helps people in that they can still say "I love you" to a person.  Also, many times people will try to "hang on" to life beyond the point that the doctors feel like they should have passed.  When that happens, consider that there may be someone missing in the room............someone who should be there and is not, and the dying person is trying to wait until that person gets their and has a chance to say their final goodbyes.

This is not some long, drawn out cut-and-paste answer from a website.  Anyone can do that, as has already been proven, and you can easily do internet research yourself for that kind of clinical stuff.  What I gave you here is real-life experience that I have witnessed as a nurse time and time again, and is more emotional than cold clinical facts.