Medical facts}} Death Rattle For Those Who Witness a Dear One Dying
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| Mom and myself with a little peace before the process got her which was just a few hours after this pic. |
I am including this part of death because we all die and because many of us will witness the death of a loved one. This is a very hard experience to witness but it makes a difference to the dying person to know they are not alone. They might not be able to give you their attention because they are busy doing something in nature, reversing the process of being born. No one has answers as to why but we know it happens everyone knows of plenty of deaths in their families or around them.
I witness my mom dying which is why I'm writing this and as hard as that was I would not be forgiven myself if I was not there. My mom and I have gone through many things together. As a child, I was sickly, skinny, and asthmatic, inherited from my dad. Mom's oldest child and the youngest had different types of asthma but an asthma attack is just that, you can't breathe no matter what induced it. As an adult, I was accident prong.
What I wish I would have known is why mom was making this crackling sound and all I was told was that she was not feeling it and there was nothing to be done. After my mom died I wanted to learn all aspects of death. I wanted to understand to see how much my mom suffered if any and what I will suffer if nature assigns me to go for a natural death like mom. I do know I did all possible for mom and maybe I prolonged her suffering after deciding to have her intubated when her Doctor and the Doctors at the ICU said she will die soon if not done but is not an easy process to watch even after it was done. How could I let her go like that? However, when they allowed me to see her she looked like Christ on the cross (Im not religious but that is the way she looked like. She was tied on each hand and feel so we will not un-intubate her and also take her oxygen away) And breathing through her mouth which no one really seemed to care about the Staff at Bellevue Hospital ICU. At that moment it was harder than when I saw her leave this earth. I held myself responsible. It took a while to get a Doctor who had the time to tell me why that had happened and have her clean up or we did. I was told that she fought them furiously against the tube and usually they don't feel it because they are medicated but my mom's blood pressure was so low they were afraid her heart would stop. So she felt it and fought it and it scratched the inside of her mouth and that is the blood that I saw mixed in with her saliva. Had I known she was not going to be sedated I don't think I would have allowed it. I believed I was intubated once but not sure because I was so sedated.
Coming back to the rattle of death all I can remember was the death of president Franklyn Delano Roosevelt who had a very loud rattle, no I was not there, too young but had read it. It would have been nice if someone would have explained it to me. I can't understand people that see death every day and understand, why they can't explain what is happening to their loved ones. Isn't that part of a good bedside manner or does it stop when they figure there is no hope and the caring stops? That is what I saw and it hurts me even more. The way you see it on TV has nothing to do with reality. I wish that would change.
Thank you for reading it and if the people in charge of your loved one won't explain it to you maybe you will have a good idea of what is going on by reading this. Death is a subject I cover (more on the "Pages" at the beginning to f the main page).
As someone approaches death, their body begins to exhibit symptoms. The breathing patterns change and can create a rattling sound. This sound is known as the death rattle, and it is a part of the dying process.
A death rattle can occur when a person who is dying is no longer able to swallow, cough, or otherwise clear saliva and mucus from the back of the throat, and because secretions in the respiratory tract may be increased Trusted Source.
The sound varies. It may be a crackling, wet noise that is amplified as the person breathes. In other cases, it may sound like a soft moaning with each breath, or a very loud gurgling or snoring.
While the sound may be unpleasant, the person emitting the death rattle usually feels no pain or discomfort.
The death rattle signals that death is very near. On average, a person usually lives for around 25 hoursTrusted Source after the death rattle and the dying process begins.
What are the causes?
Woman holding the hand of dying partner in hospice bed to demonstrate death rattle.
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A person nearing death may be unable to clear secretions from the back of their throat, causing the death rattle.
The death rattle happensTrusted Source because the person can no longer remove secretions, such as saliva and phlegm, from the back of the throat.
People normally clear these secretions without any trouble, but a person nearing death may not have the strength.
Breathing patterns change as someone nears death and breaths may alternate from quiet to very loud.
A dying person may draw a sharp breath, then not breathe for several moments. This labored breathing may amplify the death rattle.
Symptoms
The death rattle is a sign that a person is approaching death. With each breath, a person may make trusted Source a moaning, snoring, or rattling sound.
The following can also occur as a person nears death:
confusion
lung congestion
incontinence
a change in the pattern of breathing or difficulty breathing
a difference in the odor of a person
dark bruising
cold and bluish extremities
agitation
sleepiness
drifting in and out of consciousness
mottled skin
The death rattle can sound like the person is choking. However, no evidence suggests that the dying person is aware of the sound or experiences any related pain or unease.
How is it managed?
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The death rattle is not painful. However, it may be upsetting for the dying person’s loved ones. A nurse may do the following to ease the sound:
turn the person on their side
raise the head so the secretions can drain
moisten the mouth with damp swabs
use suction to drain secretions from the mouth
limit fluid intake
administer medication to clear the secretions
Proposed treatments are unlikely to prevent a death rattle, emphasizing that it is a natural stage of dying.
Medical professionals caring for a dying person will explain the noise to any loved ones present.
Addressing the grief and needs of loved ones may help trusted Sources everyone to be more comfortable during the dying process.
How long do you live after the death rattle starts?
The amount of time that a person lives after the death rattle begins can vary based on many different factors.
However, one study found that the dying process lasted around 25 hoursTrusted Source on average was characterized by symptoms like death rattle, restlessness, and confusion.
According to the study, the dying process lasts slightly longer for individuals in hospice care than for those in the hospital. Additionally, the death rattle doesn’t occur for everyone.
In fact, the death rattle was only reported in about 40% of people during the dying phase and in about 35% of people during the last 24 hours of life.
Takeaway
The death rattle is a natural part of the dying process in many people who are terminally ill.
The noisy breathing can be distressing to family and other loved ones witnessing the death, but there is no evidence that the dying person experiences pain or discomfort.
While there is no way to prevent a death rattle, there are several steps that a nurse or clinician can take to reduce the sound and make the process more comfortable.
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