How does a person die of old age? Premonition of death. Psychological causes of death

If your close person is in the terminal stage of the disease, it is incredibly difficult to accept that he will soon be gone. Knowing what to expect can make things easier.

This article examines 11 signs that death is approaching and discusses ways to cope with the death of a loved one.

How to understand that he is dying

When a person is terminally ill, they may be in hospital or receiving palliative care. It is important for loved ones to know the signs of approaching death.

Human behavior before death

Eats less

As a person approaches death, he becomes less active. This means that it the body requires less energy than before. He practically stops eating or drinking as his appetite gradually decreases.

Those caring for a dying person should allow the person to eat only when he is hungry. Offer the patient ice (or fruit ice) to maintain hydration levels. A person may stop eating completely a few days before death. When this happens, you can try using a moisturizing balm on your lips to avoid drying out.

Sleeps more

During the 2 or 3 months before death, a person begins to spend more and more time sleeping. Lack of wakefulness is due to the fact that the metabolism becomes weaker. No metabolic energy

Anyone caring for a dying loved one should do everything they can to ensure that they sleep comfortably. When the patient has energy, you can try to encourage him to move or get out of bed and walk around to avoid bedsores.

Tired of people

The energy of the dying person fades away. He can't spend as much time with other people as he used to. Perhaps your company will also weigh on him.

Vital signs change

As a person approaches death, their vital signs may change as follows:

• Blood pressure decreases
• Breathing changes
• Heartbeat becomes irregular
• Pulse weak
• Urine may be brown or rusty in color

Toilet habits are changing

As a dying person eats and drinks less, their bowel movements may become smaller. This applies to both solid waste, and urine. When a person completely refuses food and water, he stops using the toilet.

These changes may be upsetting to loved ones, but they are to be expected. Perhaps the hospital will install a special catheter that will alleviate the situation.

Muscles lose their strength

In the days leading up to death, a person's muscles become weak. Muscle weakness means that an individual will not be able to perform even simple tasks that were previously available to him. For example, drinking from a cup, turning over in bed, and so on. If this happens to a dying person, loved ones should help them lift things or turn over in bed.

Body temperature decreases

When a person dies, his blood circulation deteriorates, so the blood concentrates in internal organs. This means that not enough blood will flow to the arms and legs.

Decreased blood circulation means that a dying person's skin will become cold to the touch. It may also appear pale or mottled with blue and purple spots. A person who is dying may not feel cold. But if this does happen, offer him a blanket or blanket.

Consciousness is confused

When a person dies, their brain is still very active. However sometimes those who are near death begin to become confused or express their thoughts incorrectly. This happens when a person loses control over what is happening around him.

Breathing changes

Dying people often have breathing problems. It may become more frequent or, conversely, deep and slow. The dying person may not have enough air, and the breathing itself often becomes confused.

If the person caring for your loved one notices this, there is no need to worry. This is a normal part of the dying process, and usually does not cause pain to the dying person. In addition, if you have any concerns about this, you can always consult a doctor.

Painful sensations appear

It can be difficult to come to terms with the inevitable fact that a person's pain levels may increase as they approach death. Seeing a painful expression on a person's face or hearing the groans a patient makes is, of course, not easy. A person caring for a dying loved one should talk to their doctor about the use of pain medications. The doctor can try to make this process as comfortable as possible.

Hallucinations appear

It is quite common for dying people to experience visions or Although this may seem quite frightening, there is no need to worry. It is better not to try to change the patient’s opinion about visions, to convince him, as this will most likely only cause additional difficulties.

How to survive the last hours with a loved one?

With the onset of death, human organs stop working, and all processes in the body stop. All you can do in this situation is just be there. Show concern and try to make the last hours of the dying person as comfortable as possible.

Continue to talk to the dying person until he passes, because often the dying person hears everything that is happening around him until the last minute.

Other signs of death

If a dying person is connected to a heart rate monitor, loved ones will be able to see when their heart stops beating, signaling death.

Other signs of death include:

• No pulse
• Lack of breathing
• No muscle tension
• Fixed eyes
• Emptying your bowel or bladder
• Closing the eyelids

After confirming the death of a person, loved ones will be able to spend some time with someone who was dear to them. Once they say goodbye, the family usually contacts funeral home. The funeral home will then take the person's body and prepare it for burial. When a person dies in a hospice or hospital, staff contact funeral home on behalf of the family.

How to cope with the loss of a loved one?

Even when death was expected, it is extremely difficult to come to terms with it. It is important that people give themselves time and space to grieve. Don't give up on the support of friends and family either.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO FEEL YOUR OWN DEATH

They call it a premonition of one's own death. anxious thoughts, coming as knowledge, as if from somewhere outside. This condition, although it is not customary to discuss it in small talk, is not uncommon and occurs in many people, especially women. Let's try to figure out what this means.

HOW THOUGHTS ABOUT IMMEDIATE DEATH COME Ordinary people describe this state as a depressing, heavy feeling that something terrible is about to happen. Depending on what you believe, this could be: a vague feeling of impending disaster that cannot be prevented; obvious signs coming as if from the other world; dreams promising imminent death; ghosts of the past, vague visions warning of future events; images of deceased relatives, parents, spouses in dreams, as if calling to them, etc. And although dreams with a plot about one’s own death (dying, seeing oneself in a coffin, grave, being at one’s funeral) are not its harbingers, they especially cause anxiety in people. But this time it's not about prophetic dreams, but about a feeling that comes in reality.

“My wife, who was only 20 years old, came home from work in the evening and casually said: “I’m so tired, maybe I’ll rest in the next world,” Grigory Doronin writes to us from Sergiev Posad. — The next day we got into a car accident. My wife died, but I survived...

“Last summer, I and my husband came to the city where I was born and raised to live with my parents for some time,” reader Inna P. from Samara says in her letter. “One day, standing on the balcony and looking at the landscape overlooking the Volga, he suddenly said: “Will you believe that I will die here?” Of course, I was surprised by this question - my husband was absolutely healthy. But a few weeks later he suddenly died of a broken heart.

There are many similar examples. American doctors William Green, Stefan Goldstein and Alex Moss, studying the phenomenon of death, examined thousands of case histories of patients who died suddenly. Their data shows that most people had premonitions of their demise.
True, their foresight did not consist in prophetic statements or advance preparations for the funeral, but in a special psychological state and often - in an effort to put their affairs in order.
It turns out that many people, shortly before death, experience a state of depression, which can last from a week to six months.
Doctors have suggested that this strange melancholy is caused by hormonal changes in the body.

And the psychological function of seemingly causeless despondency is to prepare the central nervous system to the inevitable death.

This version corresponds to the opinion shared by many researchers that death is simply a transition of consciousness to another form of existence, to the energy plane of existence. Otherwise, why does the body need such “psychological preparation”?
After all, it’s not just to find out: soon everything will stop once and for all?

Premonition of death in different cultures

The idea that it is possible to know the time of a person’s departure from life is closely related to beliefs in the immaterial world, ideas about an immortal soul that knows that it will soon have to leave its mortal body and go to God, ancestors, to other planets or to heaven - depending from religion.

And yet the most convinced atheists also experience something similar, only for them forebodings turn into a real nightmare. After all, with the death of the body, according to their ideas, their existence should also end - in every sense. It should be easier for believers in this regard, but still, such predictions and own premonitions they do not please, but frighten a person, no matter who he is and no matter what he believes.

Deep believers in the West and East differ greatly in their mood prior to departure to another world. The ideal of a Christian is to give his soul to God after confession, free from sins, which means that thoughts of imminent death prompt people of the Christian tradition to think about their sinful life and the retribution for it after death.

The ideal, for example, of a Buddhist, would be complete renunciation from the material world at the moment of death, so that nothing would prevent such a believer from merging with the Absolute. In the East, death is more perceived as rebirth, thus anticipating imminent freedom from suffering in this world.
Legendary enlightened personalities, whose cult still exists in ours and in Eastern civilization (saints, Buddhas, gurus), according to legend, met death at their own request.

As you can see, there are great cultural differences on this issue.
If you are a moderate believer, ordinary people, do not pretend to psychic abilities and you don’t notice in yourself the desire to break out of the wheel of reincarnation, then most likely, with thoughts of death, you will feel not the solemn thrill of an imminent meeting with God, but real panic and even horror.

What is the strange ability of people to anticipate death? The answer to this question is given by the Tibetan Book of the Dead. According to Eastern beliefs, man is a creature consisting of two types of matter: dense and subtle. Dense matter forms physical body person. The subtle forms his spiritual nature, in particular, the subtle body invisible to ordinary vision - a kind of shell of the soul. Death is nothing more than the separation of the subtle body from the physical body. The subtle body has its own aura, which clairvoyants can see. The radiation of this aura allows one to determine the state of a person’s health. Aurodiagnostics has long been used in psychic healing. People with astral vision can predict the death of a person by their aura.

But why is a person given this terrible premonition? Did nature put any meaning into this signal? There is one interesting hypothesis about this. Scientists have long known a fact discovered during laboratory research: before death, the cells of a living organism give off a sudden release of radioactive rays.

Polish physicist Janusz Slawinski suggested that this stream of waves, being quite powerful in nature, is capable of capturing information about the life of a dying creature, including preserving fragments of consciousness and memory. Isn't this the main purpose of the last signal of dying cells?

All spiritual teachings also speak about the continuation of life after death. The aura that disappears before death, like any type of cosmic matter, does not dissolve without a trace in space. Together with the human energy complex (subtle body), it transfers to another world all the information about the dying creature, in other words, its consciousness.

Only the physical body dies, but consciousness continues to exist as a clot of energy.

Radioactive radiation from biological tissue at the moment of death apparently gives subtle body final push

sending an immortal soul into the vastness of the Universe.

Do people feel their imminent demise? This question is asked by many people. And for good reason, people sometimes notice strange behavior of their loved ones a few days, and sometimes hours, before death. It also happens that a completely healthy person, for no apparent reason, suddenly declares that he will soon die. And there are also such deadly coincidences that you just can’t wrap your head around them. What do people who know they are going to die see and feel? It is extremely difficult to answer this question, because you cannot ask the dead! And yet, thousands of reports from eyewitnesses confirm that many feel they are dying.

Catherine. Yaroslavl region

My grandfather had a neighbor in the country, he often came to visit us, but I saw his wife only once. She didn't like visiting neighbors. An ordinary elderly couple. One day my neighbor had a dream that she would die in three weeks. And she believed in it so much that she washed the whole house, went through all the junk, and pulled out the things prepared for the funeral from the attic. And exactly three weeks later she died in her sleep from a stroke. And, as far as I know, it is impossible to predict a stroke in three weeks.

Elena. Kharkiv

My father had a friend, a military man, a colonel. And then one day this colonel ended up in the hospital. In the hospital, this soldier constantly repeated that he would die soon. Everyone there laughed at him; there were no prerequisites for this. Common gastritis! And it looks funny when a big guy, who is not even fifty yet, says that.

And then one day his wife came to him in the hospital, and he asked:

Did you bring what I asked for?

She takes out an ironed shirt, a suit from the dry cleaner, new shoes. The man went, washed, shaved, changed clothes and sat on the bed. And everyone around is rolling on the floor laughing. And he turns his head to the window and says calmly:

Oh, have you already arrived? I have already!

He lay down on the bed, folded his arms over his chest and died a few minutes later.

Ivan. Rostov region

The summer before last, my nephew and a friend climbed an old elevator. The ladder broke off along with the boys at a level of fifteen meters. The nephew escaped with two fractures, but his friend was unlucky - a heavy ladder fell on him and he died. I don’t remember why, I wanted to find the dead boy’s page on in social networks. I entered his first and last name into Yandex. And then I am given information that in the fifties, a man with the same last name and first name as the dead boy worked at this elevator. A man died at the same elevator.

The rhetorical question asked by the Apostle Paul is “Death, when will you sting?” – worries everyone to one degree or another. It’s not for nothing that the Gospel says: “You know neither the day nor the hour.” And yet there are people in the world who are able to foresee the timing of their transition to. The basis of this ability is the same multidimensionality of the human body...

A forty-year-old driver, who had never previously complained of health, unexpectedly told his wife that he felt death was approaching. He instructed her in detail how, in what clothes and where exactly he should be buried, what kind of monument should be placed on his grave. The frightened woman begged him to quit his job, afraid possible accident. But trouble came from a completely different direction: about two months after the conversations, the driver died of a massive heart attack right in his home.

A young woman, having arrived from the dacha and going to bed, somehow casually said: “Well, I’m tired. It’s okay, I’ll rest in the next world.” The next day, she and her husband had an accident: a truck hit their car. The woman died at the scene of the accident, and her husband died in serious condition taken to the hospital.

The famous German philosopher F. Schelling, together with his beloved wife Caroline, came to the city where he was born and raised to live for some time in the house of his parents. Once Caroline, standing at the window of the house and looking at the picturesque landscape, suddenly said: “Schelling, will you believe that I will die here?” Of course, the philosopher was amazed at the question of the young and quite healthy woman. However, a couple of weeks later, Caroline contracted a dangerous infectious disease and died, despite all the efforts of the best doctors.

French priest Bérengier Saunière, who lived in XIX century, unexpectedly invited the undertaker to his place and asked him to take his measurements to make a coffin. The undertaker shrugged his shoulders and fulfilled the order. A few days after the order was completed, Abbe Saunière suddenly died of apoplexy.

There are many examples of this kind known. Doctors from America W. Green, S. Goldstein, A. Moss and others, studying the phenomenon of death, examined thousands of case histories of patients who suddenly died. Their research showed that most people anticipated their death in advance. However, their premonitions did not lie in prophetic statements or advance preparations for the funeral, but in a special psychological state and a desire to put their affairs in order.

It turns out that a lot of people, shortly before death, experience depressive state, which lasts from a week to several months before sudden death. Some scientists have suggested that this depression is caused by hormonal change in the body, and its psychological function is that this depression seems to prepare the central nervous system to accept death. Be that as it may, these psychological changes indicate that, on a supernatural level, many people sense their impending transition to another plane of existence.

The changes that occur in the human body before death concern not only the sphere of his psyche, but also, first of all, the state of his energy complex.
It is no coincidence that in the Tibetan “Book of the Dead” it is said that before death a person’s auric radiation extinguishes and almost completely disappears. Observations by psychics in our time have confirmed the correctness of the conclusions of ancient teachings.

So, for example, in the book by A. Landsberg and C. Faye “Encounters with what we call death” there is a story of one psychic who, in his words, saw death while standing on one of the top floors of a skyscraper waiting for an elevator. When the elevator approached and the door opened, the psychic was horrified: all four people standing in the cabin had no aura. Another person entered the elevator from the landing, and immediately his auric glow disappeared. “This,” said the psychic, “I wanted to tell them to go out and wait for another elevator, but I knew that no one would listen to me.” When the elevator started moving, its cabin fell off and flew 22 floors: for some reason the emergency brake did not work. Of course, all five people in the elevator died.

Another well-known psychic in America, Alex Tanu, in his autobiographical book “Beyond Coincidence” also cited many cases made by him accurate predictions death outwardly quite healthy people weeks or months before their death.
Knowing how to “read the aura,” Alex Tanu advised one young woman not to marry the man she was engaged to: he had almost no aura. True, the psychic did not tell her the reasons for this advice - according to him, he did not have the spirit for it. A few weeks later, the woman wrote to Tan that her fiancé had been found dead on the floor next to his bed: he had died of a heart attack.

American researchers A. Landsberg and C. Faye brought next case:

“1970, December - Linda Wilson, a housewife from New Jersey, came to her neighbors for Christmas dinner and immediately felt something unpleasant. “I felt it,” she said. “I always felt that something was freezing in my nostrils, as if I was outside in the cold.” She found the smell disgusting, overpowering the scent of the Christmas tree and the delicious food on the dining room table. The husband of the neighbor who invited Linda to dinner had Parkinson's disease, but no one, including the doctors, expected him to die. Linda Wilson holiday dinner that day did not bring joy. “I didn’t take my eyes off Peter all evening. It was crazy, but I was convinced that he would die soon. He ate with voracious appetite, and he had a blush all over his cheek, but as soon as I cast a glance at him, I trembled. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.” A week later, Peter fell ill with pneumonia. 5 days later he died.

But here is a domestic phenomenon. Engineer Igor K. has had the ability to foresee the death of other people since his youth. Needless to say, this ability does not bring him any joy. It all started with the fact that when he was somehow with his family, one of his distant relatives began to talk about her health problems and that, perhaps, she would soon undergo liver surgery. At some point in the conversation, Igor looked at the woman - and everything inside him went cold. Instead of the face he knew, he saw a deathly mask - lifeless, greenish in color. The illusion was so strong that Igor, citing a desire to have a smoke, left the room. Of course, he decided that it was his imagination. After smoking a cigarette in the courtyard of the house, Igor again entered the house and sat down at the table. But as soon as he raised his eyes to his relative, the terrible vision repeated itself. Igor didn’t know what to think, but he didn’t tell anyone about it.
A couple of weeks later, his relative underwent surgery. But a few days later she died - the liver disease turned out to be much more severe than doctors thought.

A few years after that incident, a young worker joined the construction team led by Igor. A strong, healthy-looking man, talking with Igor, said that he wanted to quit his previous job in order to join his team. During the conversation, Igor’s gaze accidentally fell on the guy’s hands and... a familiar cold penetrated the engineer. Hand young man, lying on the table, suddenly seemed to him like the hand of a corpse - almost blue, as if ossified. "God! Again!" – thought Igor. But he immediately forced himself to throw away the dark thoughts.

Soon the young man completed the documents and began working. But he did not work in the brigade for long. The engineer's premonition did not deceive him. Literally two weeks later, an accident occurred at a construction site: a poorly secured multi-ton slab broke. At that moment, a worker who had recently been hired into the brigade was under the stove...

If you are dying or caring for someone who is dying, you may have questions about what the dying process will be like physically and emotionally. The following information will help you answer some questions.

Signs of approaching death

The process of dying is as diverse (individual) as the process of birth. It is impossible to predict the exact time of death and how exactly a person will die. But people facing death experience many of the same symptoms, regardless of the type of illness.

As death approaches, a person may experience some physical and emotional changes, such as:

Excessive drowsiness and weakness, at the same time periods of wakefulness decrease, energy fades.

Breathing changes, periods of rapid breathing are replaced by pauses in breathing.

Hearing and vision change, for example, a person hears and sees things that others do not notice.

Appetite worsens, the person drinks and eats less than usual.

Changes in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems. Your urine may turn dark brown or dark red, and you may have bad (difficult) stools.

Body temperature changes, ranging from very high to very low.

Emotional changes, the person is not interested in the outside world and individual details Everyday life such as time and date.

A dying person may experience other symptoms depending on the disease. Talk to your doctor about what you can expect. You can also contact the program for helping the hopelessly ill, where all your questions regarding the dying process will be answered. The more you and your loved ones know, the more prepared you will be for this moment.

Excessive drowsiness and weakness associated with approaching death

As death approaches, a person sleeps more and it becomes more and more difficult to wake up. Periods of wakefulness are becoming shorter and shorter.

As death approaches, your caregivers will notice that you are unresponsive and that you are in very deep sleep. This condition is called coma. If you are in a coma, you will be confined to a bed and all your physiological needs (bathing, turning, eating and urinating) will have to be supervised by someone else.

General weakness is a very common occurrence as death approaches. It is normal for a person to need assistance with walking, bathing, and going to the toilet. Over time, you may need help turning over in bed. Medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walker or hospital bed can be very helpful during this period. This equipment can be rented from a hospital or care center for the terminally ill.

Respiratory changes as death approaches

As death approaches, periods of rapid breathing may be followed by periods of breathlessness.

Your breath may become wet and congested. This is called the "death rattle." Changes in breathing usually occur when you are weak and normal secretions from your airways and lungs cannot be released.

Although noisy breathing may be a signal to your family, you probably won't feel any pain or notice any congestion. Since the fluid is deep in the lungs, it is difficult to remove it. Your doctor may prescribe oral tablets (atropine) or patches (scopolamine) to relieve congestion.

Your loved ones may turn you on your other side to help the discharge come out of your mouth. They can also wipe this discharge with a damp cloth or special tampons (you can ask for it at a help center for the hopelessly ill or buy it at pharmacies).

Your doctor may prescribe oxygen therapy to relieve your shortness of breath. Oxygen therapy will make you feel better, but will not prolong your life.

Changes in vision and hearing as death approaches

Deterioration of vision is very common in the last weeks of life. You may notice that your vision has become difficult. You may see or hear things that no one else notices (hallucinations). Visual hallucinations are common before death.

If you are caring for a dying person who is hallucinating, you need to reassure them. Acknowledge what the person sees. Denying hallucinations can be distressing to a dying person. Talk to the person, even if he or she is in a coma. It is known that dying people can hear even when they are in a deep coma. People who came out of comas said that they could hear the entire time they were in the coma.

Hallucinations

Hallucinations are the perception of something that is not actually there. Hallucinations can involve all the senses: hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting or touching.

The most common hallucinations are visual and auditory. For example, a person may hear voices or see objects that another person cannot see.

Other types of hallucinations include gustatory, olfactory and tactile.

Treatment for hallucinations depends on the cause.

ChangesappetiteWithapproachingof death

As death approaches, you are likely to eat and drink less. It's connected with general feeling weakness and slow metabolism.

Since nutrition is important social significance, it will be difficult for your family and friends to watch you not eat anything. However, changes in metabolism mean that you don't need the same amount of food and fluid as before.

You can consume small amounts of food and liquid as long as you are active and able to swallow. If swallowing is a problem for you, you can prevent thirst by moistening your mouth with a damp cloth or a special swab (available at a pharmacy) soaked in water.

Changes in the urinary and gastrointestinal systems as death approaches

Often the kidneys gradually stop producing urine as death approaches. As a result, your urine turns dark brown or dark red. This is due to the inability of the kidneys to properly filter urine. As a result, the urine becomes very concentrated. Its quantity is also decreasing.

As appetite decreases, some changes also occur in the intestines. The stool becomes harder and more difficult to pass (constipation) as the person takes in less fluid and becomes weaker.

You should tell your doctor if you have bowel movements less than once every three days or if your bowel movements cause you discomfort. Stool softeners may be recommended to prevent constipation. You can also use an enema to cleanse your colon.

As you become increasingly weak, it is natural that you will have difficulty controlling your bladder and bowels. A urinary catheter may be placed in your bladder as a means of long-term urine drainage. Also, the program for helping hopelessly ill patients can provide toilet paper or underwear (these can also be purchased at the pharmacy).

Changes in body temperature as death approaches

As death approaches, the area of ​​the brain responsible for regulating body temperature begins to function poorly. You may have a high fever and then feel cold within a minute. Your hands and feet may feel very cold to the touch and may even become pale and blotchy. Changes in skin color are called mottled skin lesions and are very common in last days or hours of life.

The person caring for you can monitor your temperature by rubbing your skin with a wet, slightly warm washcloth or giving you the following medications:

Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Ibuprofen (Advil)

Naproxen (Aleve).

Many of these medications are available in the form of rectal suppositories if you have difficulty swallowing.

Emotional changes as death approaches

Just as your body prepares physically for death, you must prepare for it emotionally and mentally.

As death approaches, you may lose interest in the world around you and certain details of daily life, such as the date or time. You may withdraw into yourself and communicate less with people. You may only want to communicate with a few people. This kind of introspection can be a way of saying goodbye to everything you knew.

In the days before your death, you may enter a unique state of conscious awareness and communication that may be misinterpreted by your family and friends. You can talk about how you need to go somewhere - “go home” or “go somewhere.” The meaning of such conversations is unknown, but some people think that such conversations help prepare for death.

Events from your recent past may be mixed with distant events. You can remember very long ago events in great detail, but not remember what happened an hour ago.

You may be thinking about people who have already died. You may say that you heard or saw someone who has already died. Your loved ones may hear you talking to the deceased person.

If you are caring for a dying person, you may be upset or frightened by this strange behavior. You may want to bring your loved one back to reality. If this kind of communication is bothering you, talk to your doctor to better understand what's going on. Your loved one may fall into a state of psychosis, and this may be scary for you to watch. Psychosis occurs in many people before death. It may have one cause or be the result of several factors. Reasons may include:

Medicines such as morphine, sedatives and painkillers, or taking too much of a medicine that doesn't work well together.

Metabolic changes associated with high temperature or dehydration.

Metastasis.

Deep depression.

Symptoms may include:

Revival.

Hallucinations.

Unconscious state, which is replaced by revival.

Delirium tremens can sometimes be prevented by using alternative medicine, such as relaxation and breathing techniques, and other methods that reduce the need for sedatives.

Pain

Palliative care can help you relieve physical symptoms associated with your illness, such as nausea or difficulty breathing. Controlling pain and other symptoms is an important part of your treatment and improving your quality of life.

How often a person feels pain depends on their disease. Some fatal diseases, such as bone cancer or pancreatic cancer, can be accompanied by severe physical pain.

A person can be so afraid of pain and others physical symptoms that he may be thinking about physician-assisted suicide. But the pain before death can be effectively dealt with. You should tell your doctor and loved ones about any pain. There are many medications and alternative methods (such as massage) that can help you cope with the pain of death. Be sure to ask for help. Ask a loved one to tell your doctor about your pain if you are unable to do so yourself.

You may want your family not to see you suffer. But it is very important to tell them about your pain if you cannot bear it so that they see a doctor immediately.

Spirituality

Spirituality means a person's awareness of the purpose and meaning of his life. It also denotes a person’s relationship with higher powers or the energy that gives life meaning.

Some people don't think about spirituality often. For others, it is part of everyday life. As you approach the end of your life, you may be faced with your own spiritual questions and challenges. Connecting with religion often helps some people achieve comfort before death. Other people find solace in nature, in social work, strengthening relationships with loved ones or creating new relationships. Think about what can give you peace and support. What questions concern you? Seek support from friends, family, programs, and spiritual guides.

Caring for a dying relative

Physician-assisted suicide Physician-assisted suicide refers to the practice of medical professionals assisting a person who voluntarily chooses to die. This is usually done by prescribing a lethal dose of medication. Although the doctor is indirectly involved in the death of a person, he is not the direct cause of it. On this moment Oregon is the only state to have legalized physician-assisted suicide. A person with a terminal illness may consider suicide with the assistance of a physician. Among the factors that can cause such a decision are severe pain, depression and fear of dependence on other people. A dying person may consider himself a burden to his loved ones and not understand that his loved ones want to provide him with their help as an expression of love and sympathy. Often, a person with a terminal illness will consider suicide with the assistance of a physician when their physical or emotional symptoms are not addressed. effective treatment. Symptoms associated with the dying process (such as pain, depression or nausea) can be controlled. Talk to your doctor and family about your symptoms, especially if your symptoms bother you so much that you think about dying.

Control of pain and symptoms at the end of life

At the end of life, pain and other symptoms can be managed effectively. Talk to your doctor and loved ones about the symptoms you are experiencing. Family is an important link between you and your doctor. If you yourself cannot communicate with a doctor, your loved one can do this for you. There is always something that can be done to relieve your pain and symptoms so that you feel comfortable.

Physical pain

There are many painkillers available. Your doctor will choose the easiest and most atraumatic drug to relieve pain. Oral medications are usually used first because they are easier to take and less expensive. If your pain is not severe, painkillers can be purchased without a doctor's prescription. These include drugs such as acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen. It is important to stay ahead of your pain and take your medications as scheduled. Irregular use of medications is often the cause of ineffective treatment.

Sometimes pain cannot be controlled with over-the-counter medications. In this case, more effective forms of treatment are needed. Your doctor may prescribe painkillers such as codeine, morphine, or fentanyl. These medications can be combined with others, such as antidepressants, to help you get rid of your pain.

If you cannot take the pills, there are other forms of treatment. If you have trouble swallowing, you can use liquid medications. Medicines can also be in the form of:

Rectal suppositories. Suppositories can be taken if you have trouble swallowing or nausea.

Drops under the tongue. Just like nitroglycerin tablets or heart pain sprays, liquid forms of some substances, such as morphine or fentanyl, can be absorbed by the blood vessels under the tongue. These drugs are given in very small quantities - usually just a few drops - and are effective way pain relief for people who have trouble swallowing.

Patches applied to the skin (transdermal patches). These patches allow painkillers, such as fentanyl, to pass through the skin. The advantage of patches is that you instantly receive the required dose of medication. These patches provide better pain control than pills. In addition, a new patch must be applied every 48 to 72 hours, and the tablets must be taken several times a day.

Intravenous injections (drips). Your doctor may prescribe treatment with a needle inserted into a vein in your arm or chest if your pain is very severe and cannot be controlled with oral, rectal, or transdermal treatments. Medicines can be given as a single injection several times a day, or continuously in small quantities. Just because you are connected to an IV does not mean your activities will be limited. Some people carry small, portable pumps that provide small amounts of medication throughout the day.

Injections into the area of ​​the spinal nerves (epidural) or under the spinal tissue (intrathecal). For acute pain, strong painkillers such as morphine or fentanyl are injected into the spine.

Many people who suffer from severe pain fear that they will become dependent on painkillers. However, addiction rarely occurs in terminally ill people. If your condition improves, you can slowly stop taking the medicine to prevent dependence.

Painkillers can be used to manage the pain and help keep it at a tolerable level. But sometimes painkillers make you drowsy. You can only take a small amount of medications and, accordingly, endure a little pain in order to remain active. On the other hand, maybe weakness doesn't matter to you. of great importance and you are not bothered by drowsiness caused by certain medications.

The main thing is to take medications on a specific schedule, and not just when “the need arises.” But even if you take medications regularly, you may sometimes feel severe pain. These are called "breakthrough pain." Talk to your doctor about what medications you should always have on hand to help manage breakthrough pain. And always tell your doctor if you stop taking your medicine. Sudden cessation may cause serious side effects and severe pain. Talk to your doctor about ways to relieve pain without using drugs. Alternative medical therapy may help some people relax and get rid of pain. You can combine traditional treatment with alternative methods, such as:

Acupuncture

Aromatherapy

Biofeedback

Chiropractic

Imaging

Healing Touch

Homeopathy

Hydrotherapy

• Magnetotherapy

• Meditation

For more detailed information, see the Chronic Pain section.

Emotional stress

While you are learning to cope with your illness, short-term emotional distress is normal. Depression that lasts more than 2 weeks is no longer normal and should be reported to your doctor. Depression can be treated even if you have a terminal illness. Antidepressants in combination with counseling from a psychologist will help you cope with emotional distress.

Talk to your doctor and family about your emotional distress. Although feelings of grief are a natural part of the dying process, this does not mean you have to endure severe emotional pain. Emotional suffering can make physical pain worse. They can also have a negative impact on your relationships with loved ones and prevent you from saying goodbye to them properly.

Other symptoms

As death approaches, you may experience other symptoms. Talk to your doctor about any symptoms you may experience. Symptoms such as nausea, fatigue, constipation or shortness of breath can be managed with medications, special diets and oxygen therapy. Have a friend or family member describe your symptoms to a doctor or emergency program worker. It can be helpful to keep a journal and write down all your symptoms.