This post may includeaffiliate links.
Never really had any scary ones. Most of my work has been in cancer, and so they’ve either died in a relatively comfortable manner with palliative care or they’ve tended to go pretty suddenly.My favourite was a chap who was unresponsive for a few days, woke up suddenly and asked for a Cornetto (ice cream, not a croissant). A nurse popped to the shops and got him one, he ate it, and then closed his eyes and died. Dude just had to get one last cornetto in. Legend.
A few stay with me. (Paramedic for context.)“I think I’m going to die.”It’s happened on more than one occasion where a patient directly tells me they are going to die and seconds later go into cardiac arrest. It’s so common that ‘a sense of impending doom’ is a legitimate symptom.“Don’t let me die”He arrested as we arrived at the hospital. They didn’t get pulses back. Stable on scene but declined rapidly during transport. That family had no way to know that was the last time they’d see him alive.Me: “I’ll see you again!”Her, smiling: “No you won’t.”Hospice patient I had transported many times before. First name basis. We always said we would see each other again after I dropped her off. That time she replied with a simple “no you won’t”. It was the last time I ever saw her. Some people just know.That’s what is so sacred about the medical field, really. We have this image of giving our last words to friends or family. However for many of us our last words will be delivered to the ears of a complete stranger. In those last moments I’ll be whatever you need me to be. Your child, your spouse, your friend. Whatever you say will be heard, and carried with me to the end.
I was in the Army, and one of my fellow soldiers was able to call their parents on a sat phone during their death. Their last words were apologies for causing so much trouble as a teen and how they wished they could be back home to fix everything. The parents were in shock, and I had to take the phone to let them know their child was gone.I relive this scene on repeat in my nightmares.
Among the various responses, some stories stand out for their unsettling nature, while others are more emotional and touching. One hospice worker recounted a patient who, moments before passing, kept saying “Not until they’re all here! Not until they’re all here”, hoping to be reunited with her estranged son before her passing.Another healthcare worker shared a chilling experience when an elderly woman with dementia kept screaming “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, HELP ME, HELP ME”, leaving this nurse unsettled and feeling like she had failed at her job. Such experiences often leave medical professionals struggling with the mysteries of life and death, highlighting the profound and sometimes disturbing realities they face in their line of work.
Among the various responses, some stories stand out for their unsettling nature, while others are more emotional and touching. One hospice worker recounted a patient who, moments before passing, kept saying “Not until they’re all here! Not until they’re all here”, hoping to be reunited with her estranged son before her passing.
Another healthcare worker shared a chilling experience when an elderly woman with dementia kept screaming “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, HELP ME, HELP ME”, leaving this nurse unsettled and feeling like she had failed at her job. Such experiences often leave medical professionals struggling with the mysteries of life and death, highlighting the profound and sometimes disturbing realities they face in their line of work.
When I was 11 years old, going to school friends birthday party, saw a motorcycle rider wrap himself around a telephone pole. My dad, a Vietnam vet (3x tours), got out of our Surburban, held his hand. Prayed. Then told the man he would die. Not to be afraid. Think of his loved ones. Remember how strong they know he is. To die knowing he is loved. He is on his way to his next journey. He had a well fulfilled life of love and happiness…. my dad never met the rider. The rider believed every word. His last words were bubbles…
My dad had colon cancer. He said to me he didn’t want to go to sleep because he knew he wouldn’t wake up. He did die in his sleep that night.
According to anarticleon end-of-life rally, when a dying loved one experiences a sudden revival of energy or awareness, it can be a deeply confusing and emotional time for their family. This phenomenon, known as terminal lucidity, often gives families a fleeting sense of hope that their loved one is improving. However, it is typically a sign that the person is consciously preparing for their final journey. “Sadly, rallying is usually a hallmark pre-death sign. I have known manyfamilycaregivers, hospice aides, nurses and doctors who have seen their patients show ‘improvement’ before death. Some patients want to talk, while some become restless and act as if they need to start preparing for a trip,” the article relates.Knowing about terminal lucidity can help families brace for the complex emotions that accompany these moments. It offers one last chance for meaningful connection, though it can also lead to feelings of guilt and confusion when the inevitable end comes. Understanding this can help families cherish the time left, knowing it is a natural part of the dying process.
According to anarticleon end-of-life rally, when a dying loved one experiences a sudden revival of energy or awareness, it can be a deeply confusing and emotional time for their family. This phenomenon, known as terminal lucidity, often gives families a fleeting sense of hope that their loved one is improving. However, it is typically a sign that the person is consciously preparing for their final journey. “Sadly, rallying is usually a hallmark pre-death sign. I have known manyfamilycaregivers, hospice aides, nurses and doctors who have seen their patients show ‘improvement’ before death. Some patients want to talk, while some become restless and act as if they need to start preparing for a trip,” the article relates.
Knowing about terminal lucidity can help families brace for the complex emotions that accompany these moments. It offers one last chance for meaningful connection, though it can also lead to feelings of guilt and confusion when the inevitable end comes. Understanding this can help families cherish the time left, knowing it is a natural part of the dying process.
I have done hospice work, home health care, and worked in a nursing home. The best one was in a nursing home with an elderly man. We knew it was coming soon, but he has no family, so we were taking turns just being with him. He opened his eyes and smiled and said, “It’s such a lovey day. Don’t let this spoil it.” It really was a perfect Spring day; he passed about five minutes later.The saddest was a lady in hospice care. She kept saying, “Not until they’re all here! Not until they’re all here!” The family finally admitted she had a son that she had disowned many years prior. They tried to locate him, but weren’t successful. She died crying for her boy.
“Did you turn off the lights?”Me: “no, the lights are still on.”“That’s not funny. It’s really not fu-oh.”I spent over 30 days in and out of the hospital in 2018 for a medical issue I had. Most of the time I had to share a room. In one room, I was with this guy in his late 50s there for some kind of serious pneumonia with complications. He was morbidly obese and had diabetes and some other health issues. We were sitting there watching jeopardy, when he said the above. As soon as he said “oh” he kinda started having trouble breathing, some gasping, a bunch of alarms went off and then out of nowhere half a dozen doctors and nurses and such were in the room. Somebody wheeled my bed out to another room. I found out later he’d died of a massive heart attack. I don’t know why he thought everything went black first. The doctor didn’t know either though she had some ideas. The head nurse, this tiny Filipina lady, said “he was dying. You don’t die all at once. Some parts die first.”I think about that a lot. I don’t know if she’s right or not or if she meant it to be deeper than that, probably not. But “you don’t die all at once” sticks with me now.
Dying man to his daughter, “Honey I’m sorry but I have to go.”.
My grandpa’s brother’s last words were “I’m at the gate but they won’t let me in yet”. He was deeply religious, so I hope seeing those gates brought him peace.
“Help me, I have four kids. Help me. Don’t let me die. Please don’t let me die.”Edit: this was a Covid patient during the beginning of Covid before we intubated her.
I have worked in the medical field for almost 20 years but the one with most impact was from my grandma. She told me my grandpa was waiting for her, she wanted to be him but most of all she was tired of seeing me so tired and not having a life anymore (for context, I had to quit working and put my life on hold for over 2 years to take of her full time). So she asked for a DNR. I signed and she became unconscious shortly and subsequently passed.
According toexperts, the most common regret dying people have is not having the courage to be true to themselves and live the life they actually desire, but instead living the life that someone else expected from them.
One patient of my mom’s was an elderly man at the ER who was cursing out his wife with the final gasps of breath he could muster. His words were incoherent but you could feel they were full of anger.We later found out he was poisoned, and the wife was likely the culprit due to an insurance fraud case.
I was with my father in law when he passed. No words, just long gasping breaths like a fish out of water.He kept trying to pull the sensor leads off of himself and leave, but he just didn’t have the energy.He was 6’ 4” and 300 lbs of kind hearted grumpiness until the last year of his life when he must’ve weighed around 220. Cancer ate him from the inside out, slowly, painfully and relentlessly.Greg, you tough son of a b***h, I miss you every day.
I want to tell everyone everything but I can’tPanicked, pumped full of morphine.Not sinister, just too much left unsaid.
Elderly women was on the phone with her husband deciding on what her code status (whether or not to CPR) should be. She went into cardiac arrest mid sentence. We didn’t notice the phone when doing CPR until after she was pronounced dead. Husband listened to the entire thing.
“I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, HELP ME, HELP ME”This elderly women with dementia was air hungry but DNR/DNI & on comfort measures so we couldn’t do anything to “help” and the comfort measure supplemental oxygen we had her on wasn’t enough to sustain her & no matter how much pain medications (IV morphine) we gave she still screamed out in agony until her final breath…It still f***s me up sometimes when i remember her.. it was just awful. i felt like I failed as a nurse that day knowing she passed with so much fear and discomfort :’(.
Wasn’t his last word, because technically he couldn’t speak. But couple days before he passed, my dad was in the hospital on a ventilator, and he wasn’t getting better. We gave him his options, which neither were good, pretty much long term care on a ventilator, or hospice, and he wrote “I thought I had more time”. That broke me.
I volunteer with hospice and my patient had fallen and was not doing well. She wasn’t really fully awake and aware while I was there. When I went to leave she looked me in the eyes and was so “there” (not sure of a better word) and said I love you to me for the first and last time. She was just so sweet and I still miss her.
Something light hearted to share. I work in retail pharmacy and called one of our regular patients to tell him his meds (monthly pick up) are ready for pick up. He managed to answer his cellphone and told me he’s dying and currently at a hospice then he thanked me for always preparing his meds for him. I said you’re welcome and hang up on phone. A few weeks later… he showed up at our pharmacy to pick up. I had to ask my coworkers if they are also seeing what I’m seeing. Hahaha! That was 5 years ago. Wonder if he’s still alive….
See Also on Bored Panda
Had a guy one time tell me “in about an hour and a half I’m gonna quit” proceeded to code multiple times…. Ended up pronouncing him at about an hour and a half later. I think those who are alert and are going to die know it’s coming.
I work in palliative care, so have seen a lot of deaths - most of them have been very peaceful, people are not usually conscious for the last few days - like they’re asleep all the time. One that sticks out for me is a man getting the last rites, and just as the priest finished, there was an almighty boom and thunderclap and all of the lights in the hospice went out for a few seconds. The patient died minutes later.
Not a healthcare worker but I was at work and a guy had a heart attack. He fell over and was having some spasms and he said" I am going to die at work " he was gone before the ambulance got there and he passed on the shop floor with a wrench in his hand.
This isn’t really “scary” in the way you’re asking, but when I was an intern (20+ years ago now), I was discharging a patient I had a connection with from the hospital to hospice with terminal cancer. This dude had nobody in his life. I told him I’d come visit him, and his last words to me were “no you won’t.” But I actually did, maybe 3 weeks later. I went to the hospice house, and he had already passed away. I was wrecked. But it made me realize how fast things can change, and the impact of my last words to this dying man scared me and stuck with me.
My wife, about 10 hours before she died of stomach cancer that had metastasized to her lungs and was suffocating her.“No more!“They put her on benzos after that and she spent the last hours unconscious.
My dad’s last word was an answer to a question.“Hospice.“He suffered a spinal stroke that paralyzed him from the neck down and he could not breathe on his own, so he was on a ventilator for two months. We were told he wasn’t recovering like he should be and the term of care at the place he was at was coming to an end. We either needed to transfer him to a long term care facility, or go with hospice care. I wasn’t comfortable making the decision without his input, so we got him alert enough and got a device attached to his trach tube to let him speak a little. I explained the situation and asked what he wanted to do. That one word is all he even tried to say. He was just done with it all.I’m thankful to the nurse who helped us and him get through it all, but it’s kind of scary how easily a s****y situation can just destroy someone’s will to live.
Its quite common, It would have to be elderly dying patients crying out and asking for their mama. .
Maybe the scariest thing is that a lot of people don’t get a dignified “last word” like most of the time it’s traumatic and they don’t even get to speak before it happens.
Continue reading with Bored Panda PremiumUnlimited contentAd-free browsingDark modeSubscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited contentAd-free browsingDark mode
Unlimited content
Ad-free browsing
Dark mode
Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber?Sign In
My dad had to temporarily go into a care facility, while I was visiting he got a new roommate. The man was crying that he was going to die, the workere tried to assure him he wouldn’t. One told him his daughter was on her way. He cried “I’ll be dead before then!”I went home. Dad told me the man did die that night, and before his daughter got there.
Not scary but heartwarming yet sad. I was this gentlemen’s nurse for 2 days. He was having breathing issues d/t chronic lung problems. On my 3rd day with him he’s breathing harder but still okay. He talks with the doctor and decided he wants to go DNR, after the doctor leaves im helping him with his oxymask and he looks at me and says “I’m really glade your my nurse today.” His brother comes in and I leave the room so they can talk. Not even 10mins later the brother comes out of the room and says “I think he stopped breathing.” I go inside and sure enough the gentlemen passed away peacefully. This happened 2 years ago and still to this day the one patient I remember the most.
I spoke with the medic who worked on my son. He said The last thing Sage said was “I think I did something really stupid.” Then he went to sleep and never woke back up.
Paramedic here. Went on a lift assist last year. Tried forever to get this woman up off of her bathroom floor. She was a very large woman, so we had to call the fire department for help. She had been weak for the past couple of days so I convinced her to go to the hospital for evaluation. While wheeling her out to the ambulance, she told her son “I’ll call you when I get there.” From loading her into the ambulance to when I climbed in, she went into pulseless V-tach and died. It was so surreal.
My dad just passed last Tuesday in hospice. He had dementia and was sleeping all the time at home.I went in and all of sudden he kinda sat up and his eyes were wide open. He hadn’t opened his eyes for days. He sat up and stared at me. I was panicking. He tried to gasp for air 2x then fell back. Eyes shut. I knew he was gone. But witnessing him trying to get air was absolutely horrible. I just hope he was not aware of what was going on.
My grandpa’s last words, as he was being settled into a nursing home bed for rehabilitative care: “I’m so damn uncomfortable.”He passed not five minutes later. I’ve often wondered if he’d have lived a little longer had we brought him home, instead.
Modal closeAdd Your Answer!Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Modal close
Add Your Answer!Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Not your original work?Add sourcePublish
Not your original work?Add source
Modal closeModal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Modal closeOoops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.UploadUploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermarkChangeSourceTitleUpdateAdd Image
Ooops! Your image is too large, maximum file size is 8 MB.
Upload
UploadError occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermarkInstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermarkFacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
Error occurred when generating embed. Please check link and try again.
TwitterRender conversationUse html versionGenerate not embedded versionAdd watermark
InstagramShow Image OnlyHide CaptionCropAdd watermark
FacebookShow Image OnlyAdd watermark
ChangeSourceTitle
Curiosities
