Duture, lack of hunger or thirst, dry and bluish skin, noisy breathing … The arrival of death can be marked by a series of signs and know how to identify them is one of the keys of a more fluid and more fluid end.
Duture, lack of hunger or thirst, dry and bluish skin, noisy breathing … The arrival of death can be marked by a series of signs and know how to identify them is one of the keys of a more fluid and more fluid end.
If death is the only certainty we have in life, attention attracts a widespread lack of knowledge of what really happens when the end is close.
Palliative care experts listened to by the BBC News Brazil say that doctors and other health professionals often do not know how to act at this moment and appeal to superfluous procedures, which disturb the help more.
The process known as the active phase of death takes place in the last few days or last hours of a person.
Obviously, it is not the same for everyone – and is generally related to long -term diseases such as cancer and dementia, in which the person spends months or even years, taking treatments, to the point where the organisms and systems that make up the body are no longer able to maintain life forward.
Understand below what are the most common events of an imminent death, because they happen and what can be made so that this event is fluid, with few annoyances and significant for you (and also for those who remain).
Or closed by the earth
Dr. Ana Claudia Quintana Arans, a reference in the studies on aging, palliative care and death in Brazil, makes a didactic analogy, almost poetic, between the final stages of life and the four classic elements of nature: earth, water, fire and air.
Following his line of reasoning, the first phase of active death is symbolized by the earth, a representation of the material, physique, of what we play and in step.
“The earth is the first element that disappears. It gives a strange tiredness, which weighs the eyes,” says the expert, author of the book Death is worth a day that is worth living (Editore Sexting).
“There is also a weight in the body. However thin, you cannot move an arm, you cannot turn to bed. You need help, and when this help arrives, it realizes that this body, even if fragile, even small, weighs a lot, as much as the world”, also plays at the Israelite hospital Albert Einste in Sao Paulo.
It is therefore common that the person is more secluded, sleepy and enters a state of unconsciousness for some moments.
Here, his body is starting to disconnect slowly, so some organs or systems work more slowly and are no longer relevant.
The doctor Arthur Fernandes, general secretary of the National Academy of Palliative Care, compare this moment when eraseing the lights of a building or dismissal of the machines that make up a factory.
One of the first parts of the body to obtain this minimum is the digestive system.
The person who entered the active phase of death naturally has less need to eat or drink water. And he is no longer hungry or thirsty as before.
With this, the need to go to the bathroom also decreases slowly.
Another typical sign right now is the change in the skin, which becomes more and more pale and cold, as well as suffering from swelling.
The skin can also obtain a bluish or purple tone, especially at the ends, like hands and feet, in addition to the lips. This is normal and indicates that blood circulation has also entered a slower pace.
Even if the person is sleepy, the doctors encourage family and friends to have moments to speak and gently touch the hands and arms of the loved one.
Studies indicate that meanings such as hearing and touch remains active and this contact can represent a source of comfort.
The water that vanishes
Following the Arans’ reasoning line, the second wave of transformations that occurs in the body is related to water.
“The body dries, then the eyes, the lips and the mouth are dry. The saliva, scarce”, lists the doctor.
According to the expert, most of the time it is not necessary to apply the serum on the vein to rehydrate the body.
But it is possible to increase the comfort and well -being of the person who is about to leave with some basic measures, such as wetting the lips with cotton or a damp cloth, apply eye eye drops and moisturizers on the skin.
It is important that these care are always discussed with healthcare professionals, so that everyone is aware of what is done.
Another common concern during active death has to do with pain. Do you die wounded?
Experts say that some people have a worsening of physical discomfort and some used drugs stop working as before.
“In the last hours of life, this pain can decominate and the patient is agitated. In addition to the discomfort, there may also be lack of breath, illness, vomiting …”, replies to Fernandes.
But health workers can prescribe stronger drugs, such as morphine, which give relief.
That is, pain is a possibility in the end. But medicine has ways to face it.
“Both health workers and the family must know these possibilities and organize everything, how to have the doses of drugs and know the best ways to apply them, to avoid very unpleasant symptoms,” adds the doctor.
The improvement of death
There is also an active death phase that can be symbolized by the fire.
This is the moment when the flame of life makes its last breath.
This is a period commonly called “improvement in death” or “health visit”.
Here, the symptoms that the person felt usually improves, with surprise of those who follow the situation.
He leaves that state of lethargy and unconsciousness, communicates again, he wants to eat and seems more lively, as if the image had improved suddenly.
But Fernandes relate to this change is not a water for wine: a patient in bed will not walk again for a long time again, for example.
But the return of a slightly stronger flame can represent a unique opportunity.
“The patient who has eaten very little now can eat more. He can try a food he likes very much, to taste. He leaves that sleepiness to review a loved one,” says the expert.
“This could be the moment when he can say goodbye, say he loves, receives forgiveness and sorry for someone,” he adds.
Often, family members and the health team itself want to use this moment to take exams or interventions in an attempt to expand that person’s life.
But, according to Arantes, these measures are generally superfluous and occupy the precious time that would be used for meetings and bodies.
“This time it should be used to exercise authority, the autonomy of leaving your brand, the way you are in the world, for the people you love,” he underlines.
“This is time to make a declaration of love. Ask for forgiveness, forgive. And recognizing that it was not always possible to do what you wanted to do.”
“This is the possibility of expressing its essence without any reserve”, reflects.
The improvement of death usually lasts a short time – and the flame soon becomes weak again.
The breath of life
To close the list of elements developed by Arans, it is time to understand how the air adapts to this story.
And it symbolizes one of the most obvious changes in the body at the time of death.
Breathing comes out of the model we are used to. Sometimes it becomes fast and short. So long and stopped. Sometimes it seems that the person has stopped breathing.
Other common events at this stage are to remain open, relaxing the muscles that retain the jaw and a very noisy breath, as if the strong roller coaster.
This is because, in that process of dismissal of vital functions, the body accumulates some fluids in the throat, which generate noise when the air passes.
This sign can also be uncomfortable for those who are seeing that scene, but, according to doctors, does not necessarily represent a flicker for those who are on the point of death.
In some cases, health workers may indicate the aspiration of these fluids or use medicines that improve this air flow and exit.
Arantes reflects that when we were born, the first thing we do is breathe or pull the first air of air that fills our lungs.
And one of our latest acts in life is to make the opposite movement only: return the air in a final deadline.
“You can deliver this sacred breath that was given to you when you were born. If you made good use of this breath, if you had a life that was worth living, this last deadline is a gift”, believes.
“So that breath ceases. And you have a silence,” says the doctor.
In the seconds after the last deadline, the heart stops beating. The brain erases. And the cells of the body that were still active have slowly closed.
The life of that individual is over.
Arantes advises people who have witnessed this moment to inform health workers if they are not around, but there is no need to do everything quickly.
“It remains for a moment at this sacred moment, which seems out of the normal time,” suggests.
“That person you love has stopped breathing, is free from matter. It stops existing in that body and comes to live in the heart of all those who love her.”
For Fernandez, the final part of life should not be treated as something such extraordinary – and it is essential that we talk more about it.
“It is important that people speak of this topic at home, in order to build more and more a culture that embraces life without excluding death”, thinks.
“Because death is not the opposite of life. Death is the year of a process that we call birth.”
“Life is all that is included at this beautiful moment when we have to live,” he concludes.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
