A hospice nurse has revealed the scary things that may happen to your body when you’re about to die – while detailing the various items you should have on-hand if your loved one is about to pass.
Julie McFadden, 41, is a registered nurse based in Los Angeles who specializes in hospice care – and has built a social media following of millions by sharing insights to help destigmatize the process of ‘death and dying.’
Most recently, she took to YouTube to open up about the things that happen to the body as your heart stops beating.
In the viral video, Julie detailed why people tend to poop, foam at the mouth, and yell in their final moments of life, before sharing the various things you should have if you’re staying by your loved one’s side.
She said: ‘The body can do some strange s**t at the end of life, which can scare a lot of people so let me explain why it’s happening and what we can do about.’
The hospice nurse explained that there are various things in your body that help keep fluids down.
‘So we all have sphincters in our body that keep fluids down, so basically in our stomach there are a lot of fluids that are help breaking down food those things are still being produced while someone’s dying.
‘It does slow down a bit but depending on someone’s disease – what they’re dying from – sometimes it’s produced more,’ she explained.
Julie noted that when you’re about to die, the sphincters begin opening, causing fluids to come up.
‘And that’s why when people take their last breath and die, some people will have a bowel movement,’ she explained.
Julie added: ‘Another thing people may see coming from someone’s mouth and nose is foamy saliva.’
She noted that if your loved one is foaming or releasing fluids at the mouth, you need to sit them at a 90-degree angle or turn them to their side.
The hospice nurse then listed out the various other things people do when they are about to die.
‘The ones I can think of are teeth grinding, growling, screaming or like a yell – one final yell, making a face that looks like they’re yelling but nothing comes out so like a silent scream,’ she added.
‘Death is messy,’ she said.
At the end of the clip, the hospice nurse shared the various items you should have on hand when sitting next to a loved one’s side when they’re near death.
She noted that you should have a sponge to clean their face – specifically around their mouths for the fluid – which she noted that doctors will supply you with, bed pads, and dark towels to clean up any messes.
This isn’t the first time Julie has opened up about ‘end-of-life’ tendencies she’s witnessed.
Last year, she dove into ‘end-of-life visions’ and how eerily ‘logical’ the exchanges around them can be.
‘They’re usually functional and logical and questioning me, “Why am I seeing my dead mom, do you see her?”‘ she said.
Later this year, Julie is also set to release a book titled Nothing to Fear, billed as a ‘comforting and informative guide that demystifies our end-of-life journey.’
