End-of-life nurse reveals the ‘worst’ diseases to die from – and the most peaceful ways to go
AN END-of-life nurse has revealed some of the “worst” diseases to die from as well as the most peaceful ways to pass away.
As a hospice nurse Julie McFadden has seen it all and is now sharing her insights on social media to open up the conversation about death and dying.
Sharing her thoughts on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, Julie is hoping to make people less afraid of discussing these subjects.
Appearing on the Problem Solved podcast, Julie told host Jeff Guenther – known as Therapy Jeff to his followers – about why it’s important to face the prospect of death head on.
“People knowing what death actually looks like can really help them prepare for the moment, so they don’t associate what they’re seeing with suffering,” the hospice nurse explained.
“Generally speaking, if you don’t know what dying looks like, it can feel very, very scary, heightened, chaotic.
“I think the better we prepare for that and really know what it looks like and why things are happening, we can be a little more present and less in a ‘flight or fight response’.”
‘Worst’ diseases to die from
Her host asked a question many of us would be afraid to ask but might secretly want to know the answer to: “What’s the worst thing to die of and what’s the best thing to die from?”
Julie hesitated, saying she always “feels bad” addressing these kinds of questions.
But she answered nevertheless, saying: “To me there are a couple diseases that are the worst.
“I think ALS is one of the worst.”
ALS – which stands for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – is a fatal type of motor neuron disease that causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, leading to muscle cramping and weakness, paralysis, trouble breathing and swallowing.
There’s currently no cure for the devastating condition, which is often called Lou Gehrig disease after a famous baseball player who died from it.
Julie shared: “If I ever got ALS, I think I would take medical aid in dying.”
Another “tough” disease to die of is a fast growing type of brain tumour called glioblastomas, the hospice nurse said.
Julie said they usually occur in young people.
“It’s just hard because it’s your brain and you brain does a lot of stuff and when there’s tumours there, it messes things up.”
According to The Brain Tumour Charity, glioblastomas is the most common high grade primary brain tumour in adults.
They’re likely to grow quickly, spread into other parts of the brain and can come back even if they’re treated.
Some symptoms include headaches, personality changes, trouble with memory and speaking, depression, seizures and sight problems.
‘Best’ ways to die
Julie also delved into kinder and more peaceful ways of passing away.
“End stage kidney disease is pretty gentle,” she shared.
This is a long-term condition where the kidneys do not work as well as they should and is often associated with getting older.
“Now the thing about that is that you have this long-standing, chronic illness, so that’s not good because you’ve had to be on dialysis three days a week for 10 years.”
Dialysis is a treatment that replicates the kidney’s functions and may be necessary in advanced stages of kidney disease.
“That’s a long road and it can be difficult, but the end for that is pretty nice because you stop dialysis and you go to sleep and then you die within like seven days,” Julie said.
The hospice nurse observed how many people say they “want to fall asleep and die”.
“That’s how it is for kidney disease.”
The end-of-life nurse has previously revealed how the body is programmed to shuttle us smoothly towards death.
“To truly see how the body biologically helps us at the end of life was mind-blowing to me and totally made me not fear death,” Julie said in a recent video posted to her YouTube channel.
What happens in the moments before you die
JULIE has shared external signs people can watch out for in their loved ones that indicate when someone is near death.
These are specific to if “a patient is choosing to pass away at home on hospice”, the nurse said a clip posted to her YouTube channel.
Here are 12 signs and symptoms you will likely see:
- A decrease in food and water intake
- A decrease in functional mobility
- An increase in sleep
- Intermittent confusion or disorientation
- Talking about or seeing dead relatives
- Changes in breathing
- Changes in skin colour
- Fever
- Glassy or teary eyes
- Reaching for things or staring off into the distance
- Agitation
“All of these things are normal in death and dying,” Julie noted.