If someone close to you was going to die would you want to know? I have thought about this many times within the last month and a half seeing as there has been two deaths and one hospital visit in my family.
First. My grandpa (my mom's dad) was diagnosed about a year ago with Alzheimer’s and also with Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy Body is like Parkinson's, it can result in rigid muscles, slowed movement and tremors. He went down hill very fast. At one point my grandma had such a hard time taking care of him she put him in a home for those with Alzheimer's. He was only there for about 6 months because of money issues. He came home the end of September. I think he was happy being back home with my grandma and decided it was ok to go because once he was home he got worse every day. When he got home he was feeding himself, walking, and talking, though not always coherently. It got to where we had to help him walk, feed him soft foods, and if he said something, it was mumbling. Tuesday, October 12Th we were told he was going to go within the next 3 days and that he was what they call "actively dying". Actively dying is when you can literally watch them die, skin changes color, eyes sink back, veins get dark...etc. I was lucky enough to see him 4 hours before he passed. I held his hand and said my goodbyes. He died at 4:30 AM on October 14Th. This is a time I am glad I knew he was going because I got to say goodbye and I really needed that with my Grandpa.
First. My grandpa (my mom's dad) was diagnosed about a year ago with Alzheimer’s and also with Dementia with Lewy Bodies, Lewy Body Dementia. Lewy Body is like Parkinson's, it can result in rigid muscles, slowed movement and tremors. He went down hill very fast. At one point my grandma had such a hard time taking care of him she put him in a home for those with Alzheimer's. He was only there for about 6 months because of money issues. He came home the end of September. I think he was happy being back home with my grandma and decided it was ok to go because once he was home he got worse every day. When he got home he was feeding himself, walking, and talking, though not always coherently. It got to where we had to help him walk, feed him soft foods, and if he said something, it was mumbling. Tuesday, October 12Th we were told he was going to go within the next 3 days and that he was what they call "actively dying". Actively dying is when you can literally watch them die, skin changes color, eyes sink back, veins get dark...etc. I was lucky enough to see him 4 hours before he passed. I held his hand and said my goodbyes. He died at 4:30 AM on October 14Th. This is a time I am glad I knew he was going because I got to say goodbye and I really needed that with my Grandpa.
Second. The same day my grandpa died, my dad went to the ER because he was having chest pains. They thought he was having a heart attack and admitted him into the heart and lung center and the Intermountain Hospital. After doing an angiogram, an echocardiogram and many Many MANY other tests, they told us he didn't have a heart attack but he had fluid in the sack around his heart and if he would have waited 3-4 more hours he most likely would have had a heart attack and died because the pressure from the fluid would have stopped his heart. They put a catheter in the sack around his heart and drained all the fluid. Even after doing all the tests they don't know what caused the fluid. They said it could have been from a virus but that is still a guess. After keeping him in the ICU for a couple days and doing more tests, they put him in a regular room until they let him leave on Saturday (October 17Th).
Last. My cousin Laura and her husband Nick were starting their own little family. She was due New Years day. When they found out they were having a girl they named her Jamie Elizabeth. Laura's sister Lisa told me I had to take a ton of pictures of Jamie and send them to her because she was leaving October 14Th for the MTC and wouldn't be here to see Jamie. We were all so excited. Nick would wake up for work and talk to Jamie and wake her up then would leave for work leaving Laura unable to go back to sleep with Jamie moving all around. They had the baby shower November 7Th and loved everything they got. The next day Laura was having contractions so Nick took her to the doctor and when they checked Jamie she had no heart beat. When they delivered her there was no fluid in the amniotic sack and the umbilical cord got smaller and smaller the closer it was to Jamie. The smallest part was as thick as a pencil. They aren't sure why there was no fluid or why the umbilical cord was the way it was. They had Jamie cremated and the memorial is still to come.
Would you want to know if you were going to lose a loved one? Would it make any different whether it was a grandparent, a parent, or a child?
