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Aug 17, 2023 · Thomas Odulate / Getty Images. Pain is a common symptom experienced near the end of life, although it can vary from person to person. Pain is not only determined by medical conditions that cause pain, like cancer or lung disease, but also by factors like emotional distress, interpersonal conflicts, and the non-acceptance of one’s own death.
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- Causes a Rattling Sound
- Summary
- Introduction
- How Starvation Works
- How Dehydration Works
- Accounts from End-Of-Life Care
- Confounding by Pain Relief
- My Experience with Basically Not Eating For Two Months
- How Painful Is Death from Heart Problems?
- Footnotes
This piece explores the question of how painful it is for wild animals to die of starvation or dehydration. Since we know more about the subjective experiences of humans than non-human animals, I focus on accounts of human deaths from Voluntary Stopping of Eating and Drinking (VSED). While many pro-hospice accounts of VSED are positive, most pro-li...
It's commonly said that predation is important because otherwise prey will overpopulate and starve. I once heard someone claim confidence that starvation is much more painful than being eaten alive. How true is this? More generally, how bad is death by starvation? One example where this information might be useful is if you find a fly trapped in yo...
This articlesays that This pieceexplains: This pagesays about animals: "An initial loss of body fat is followed by muscle loss and atrophy and, ultimately, organ failure. In long-term starvation, degeneration of the liver, cardiac changes, anemia, and skin lesions may develop."
This pagesays: This articleexplains that fluid loss disrupts electrolyte balance. "The brain, which relies on chemical signals to function properly, begins to deteriorate. So do the heart and other muscles, causing patients to feel lethargic."
VSED is used by some people to end their lives. Unfortunately, discussions of starvation/dehydration in hospice are very polarized. Pro-life groups tend to claim that the experiences are awful, while pro-hospice groups tend to claim that dying by such means is nearly painless.
Since hospice patients may be given pain relievers, reports of the painfulness of starving or dehydrating may sound less severe than what an animal would experience without the luxury of pain relief. This article says "death by VSED is described as a peaceful and comfortable death, and terminally ill patients dying of dehydration or starvation do n...
In 2002, I developed a condition known as esophagitis for an unknown reason. I described the ordeal more here. When the esophagitis first developed, I felt excruciatingly nauseous for a few hours after eating, such that I could only squeeze my chair and pace around my room for hours on end waiting for the pain to subside. I soon learned to basicall...
Given that starvation typically kills "by cardiac arrhythmia or a heart attack", we should ask how painful death is by those means. Cardiac arrest and heart attacks are different. With cardiac arrest: "a person becomes unresponsive, is not breathing or is only gasping. Death occurs within minutes if the victim does not receive treatment." In contra...
Many pages, like this one, confirm the claim that moaning is probably not painful: "At any time there may be an audible sigh or moan. These sounds are caused by air passing over the relaxed vocal c...This is roughly the weight loss one would expect from eating almost nothing for ~2 months. Assume a basal metabolic rate of ~2000 calories per day. One pound of fat has ~3500 calories. So pounds lo...- Prediabetes and Diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition where the body may not produce enough insulin, or as in the case of type 2 diabetes, doesn’t utilize the insulin that already exists efficiently.
- Hypoglycemia. After eating, glucose will enter your bloodstream and make its way into the cells with the help of insulin. You may experience hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels, for many reasons, including not consuming adequate carbohydrates.
- Hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar levels, may occur when your body is unable to produce or use insulin efficiently or when glucose production and release into the bloodstream exceeds your body’s capacity to mobilize and metabolize it.
- Hyperthyroidism. Thyroid dysfunctions may have significant effects on body weight and appetite. The thyroid interacts with the hypothalamus and other endocrine centers through the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis to regulate food intake and energy output.
- Diabetes. Your body turns the sugar in food into fuel called glucose. But when you have diabetes, glucose can't reach your cells. Your body pees it out instead and tells you to eat more.
- Low Blood Sugar. Hypoglycemia is what you have when the glucose in your body drops to very low levels. It’s a common concern for people with diabetes, but other health problems can cause it, too.
- Lack of Sleep. Not getting enough rest can affect the hormones in your body that control hunger. People who are sleep-deprived have a bigger appetite and find it harder to feel full.
- Stress. When you're anxious or tense, your body releases a hormone called cortisol. This amps up your feeling of hunger. Many people under stress also crave foods high in sugar, fat, or both.
- Kelly Roper
- Behaviors of a Dog Before Death. In some cases, an aging or sick dog dies very suddenly and there's no time to realize it's happening. In other cases, death comes slowly with some signs that are obvious if you understand what to look for
- Dog Dying Process and the Moment of Death. Once you've identified that your dog is dying, the process can take as little as 30 minutes to a few hours or possibly days.
- End of Life Pet Hospice Program. If your pet has significant health issues such as cancer, kidney failure, another terminal illness, or a debilitating medical problem, your veterinarian may talk to you about an end-of-life pet hospice program.
- Are There Any Pet Loss Support Groups? Pet loss support groups can help you get through the grief following and even before a beloved dog's passing. There are several to choose from, including
Jun 20, 2017 · Some symptoms, like the death rattle, air hunger and terminal agitation, appear agonizing, but aren’t usually uncomfortable for the dying person. They are well-treated with medications.
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Nov 12, 2020 · As the organs of the body shut down, the circulatory system prioritizes available blood to the heart and brain, even at the expense of the rest of the body. Decreased circulation to the hands, arms, legs, and feet is common. The extremities of the body may feel cool to the touch. The skin may take on a slightly bluish-mottled hue.
