[Magdalen] RIP Sir Terry Pratchett

[Jay Weigel]

I've probably been at a whole lot more than you have, Margaret, and while
there's been some stressful moments in the hours preceding in a few cases,
in most cases they've been pretty doggone quiet. The most commotion has
been created by family members who were out of control. There have been a
few occasions where the patient has had seizures and that wasn't real
pretty, but those occasions weren't the norm.

On Fri, Mar 13, 2015 at 5:39 PM, ME Michaud <michaudme at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have attended several deaths, actually been at the bedside, and none
> of them was pretty or peaceful. Not one of these people left us quietly
> while someone was out of the room. People writhe, they moan, cry out
> sometimes. They fight the morphine given to calm them and ease
> their distress. They gasp and struggle to breathe.
>
> Some of us will be fortunate enough to clutch our head or chest and
> think "wha ?" A very few of us will wonder why that semi is so close
> to the guardrail. A very very few, like Marcia Deihl, will wonder why
> they're
> suddenly lying atop a filthy snowbank that's turning red.
>
> The telling of stories of dying is as full of code as real estate ads,
> where
> cozy means tiny and rustic means decrepit.
>
> We all, every one of us, will face this. It helps you prepare if you can
> peel away some of the romance. But YMMV.
> -M
>