Featured Image Credit: Sean Anthony Eddy/Jessie Casson
Topics: Health
Callum Jones
A medical expert has shared the key signs that someone could be months or even days away from death.
It's never a nice conversation to have with a friend or a loved one, but knowing the signs that someone's life is coming to an end may prepare you better.
Physician Carol DerSarkissian reviewed Web MD’s list of symptoms that signify a person may be pass away.
Symptoms are very much based on the age of the individual who is nearing the end of the life.
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While dozing off frequently plus eating and drinking less may be obvious signs within the older generation, it's a bit different for someone that's a bit younger.
Younger people and children might actually start becoming chattier, which you'd think would tell the opposite story.
However, as an end-of-life nurse recently revealed, one-in-three patients will experience the 'rally' on their death bed.
Explaining the 'rally', Julie, 'Hospice Nurse Julie' on YouTube and TikTok, said: "This is when someone is looking really sick, almost close to actively dying, and then suddenly, they get better."
As for more standard symptoms, a person might also ‘feel tired and drained all the time, so much that they don't leave their bed’, according to Web MD.
Changes in appetite, heart rate, bowel movements and breathing are also common, while people suffering from terminal illnesses might also start experiencing more pain as they approach the final days and weeks.
Confusion and even hallucinations can also start to set in and palliative care experts stress that the presence of loved ones is of the utmost importance at this stage.
Another sign that someone is nearing death is ‘bluish-purple’ skin around the knees, feet and hands.
Terminal illness charity Marie Curie notes: “They may not respond when people talk to them or touch them. Even if someone does not respond to you, they may still be able to feel or hear you and be comforted by you being there."
The charity’s website also advises the loved ones of people suffering from terminal illnesses not to panic about when the right time to say goodbye is, but instead ‘do what feels right for you’.
"Some people get worse more quickly than expected. So if there is something you want to say to your family member or friend, it's important to say it,” Marie Curie advises.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677