Death rattle started. How much longer do they have?

I wished it was just "snoring sounds like a gorilla or octopus", but it wasn't...
not when the body is withering and clawing and convulsing to get a gasp of a bit of air.. No, that wasn't just "snoring". It was not good. Wiped the nose, and mouth, and again, the fluids would come out... and here we go, all night long...
SO ANYONE WHO IS READING THIS... YES... PLEASE PLACE PATIENT ON THIER SIDE SO FLUIDS WILL FLOW OUT OF BODY ONTO BEDDING,.. Hopefully to get a bit of relief.
DEMAND YOUR HOSPICE TEAM STAY WITH YOU ALL NIGHT LONG, NO MATTER IF THEY ARE YOUR TEAM, or a NEW TEAM MEMBER...
Even if you do not feel that is the night LO is going, and you just need support.. wish I had the option. But he did show up in the morning...THANK GOD!!!
Now my NEXT LO is getting a bit older. Her doctor FINALLY CALLED ME TONIGHT! I thanked him. He said he didn't feel she was ready although palliative care asked for an evaluation. I agreed with doctor. So I will call everyone tomorrow to tell them.. The "house" was saying to get "their" hospice team on board... They know all the nurses and care team...
But she still eats, and responds, and sleeps, and thumbs up, and all that good stuff. To me those motions show me she is not quite ready for hospice, and her doctor supports that. He says if anything changes, just call and we can discuss it again. So I am keeping her as is, palliative care and a close eye... :)

I'm sorry that you're going through this. If you don't have hospice, get it ASAP. The mucus builds up & causes the sound that's known as the death rattle. Meds can be given to decrease secretions & lessen the sound, but it usually doesn't go away. Death is usually imminent. Keep him comfortable. No one knows when death will happen, only predict.

1 day

Our hospice nurse told us that suctioning was only done to bring comfort to the family, it did nothing for the patient, and in fact often was uncomfortable and even cruel to them. She said the secretions and fluids making the sounds aren’t harmful or uncomfortable for the person who is dying, they are a bother to those listening to it. She would only suction if we insisted on it, and didn’t advise it at all. The reading I did supported what she told us. I’m sorry for all those walking through this, it’s so very hard

Death Rattle is something a full code would authorize suctioning its removal. A DNR blocks that .... meaning your relative is stuck with zero assistance to choke ... suffocate on their saliva .. So sorry that you're experiencing this harsh part of death. Forcing a dying person to lie on their back when a fetal position would be better, is awful. So sorry for everyone who goes through this, patient and families, etc.

I was told 3-4 days before my husband died by his hospice nurse that he had the "death rattle", so I was expecting him to die soon as from what I read death comes shortly after that, but in my husbands true fashion, he lingered longer, and the final 2 days he no "death rattle" at all. Things that make you go hmmm.....

I am sorry you are going through that. So, did I... I didn't realize it had a name...
It lasted way too long... It was the ultimate suffering and suffocation.. Hospice gal , new on my team, didn't believe me when I called... Angel showed up in the am.. I am so thankful for him..
I am so sorry for everyone who goes through this... on all sides...
Still I ask her to forgive me. the gal left me with directions on how to administer the morphine... she did not mention the ativan... had I had known, that rattling and suffocation may not have been so devastating. ativan would have let her body relax a bit... perhaps she would not have suffered so much.
Again, I am sorry.

Staci,

Clinically, there is an average of the death rattle lasting 23 hours.

However, like an average blood pressure reading of 120/80 for an adult, very few actually have that reading.

The experience will be different for each patient before they breathe their last breath. If hospice is present, they can give you more information.

If this is your loved one dying, my condolences on your impending loss.

Dear "staci123456,"

When my dad was dying, he had the rattling around mid-morning and passed away at 10:25 p.m. that evening.

If you are awaiting the passing of a loved one, I pray that God will give you strength during a very difficult time.

A death rattle means death is very near... maybe 1 day. It's caused by the buildup of mucus in the back of the throat that the patient can't clear. There is no pain involved. The hospice nurse can administer some suction to alleviate the sound but it doesn't extend the person's life. I'm sorry.