A hospice nurse has opened up about what can happen to people's bodies 'immediately' after they pass away.
The nurse, who goes by 'Hospice Nurse Julie' on YouTube, uses her platform to talk about all things 'hospice care, death and dying' in the aim of educating, helping prepare people and overall 'decreasing the fear of death'.
But unfortunately, death sometimes comes with some pretty grim realities on the body.
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Dying is an uncomfortable topic and one many often shy away from talking about, however, it's important to be aware of certain realities that come with someone passing away so you don't get any unexpected, nasty surprises during what can already be a very emotional and challenging period to navigate.
And so licensed hospice nurse Julie has taken to YouTube to raise some awareness about what happens to the body 'after it dies'.
Well, 'immediately' after someone passes away, Julie explains the body 'relaxes' and this can lead to some pretty 'messy thing[s]' occurring.
Julie explains as soon as someone passes, their body 'relax[ing]' can cause that person to 'urinate, have bowel movements, sometimes have fluid come up their nose or out of their eyes or nose, ears'.
"All of the things in your body that are holding fluids, relax," she continued. "That's why death can be messy sometimes after someone dies."
The nurse clarifies this isn't 'always' the case 'sometimes the body relaxes so much it releases all of its fluid'.
But why is it so important we all know this pretty gruesome and quite alarming fact?
Well, Julie said: "I like to talk about it so people aren't surprised if that happens. Very normal and to be expected sometimes."
And the leaking of bodily fluids isn't the only thing which happens to a body when the person passes away either, Julie noting 'body temperature drops' too.
However, how fast this occurs after the person passes can differ, some people becoming cold 'immediately' and others taking a bit longer.
And depending on how long they've been lying there, you may notice the back of their legs and body develops a 'darker tone of skin' because 'all their blood is pulling down'.
Something else to be aware of is how quickly rigor mortis kicks in, causing the person to become 'stiff' - the time frame, once again, varying from person to person, sometimes stiffness beginning in minutes and other people taking longer.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact The Compassionate Friends on (877) 969-0010.
Topics: Health, Social Media, YouTube
Poppy Bilderbeck