What happens when they take your loved one off of life support.

An old friend of mine recently lost her father to liver disease. He was on life support in his final weeks, and had it removed at a scheduled time. It was my friend’s first experience with seeing someone removed from life support. If you’ve never had to go through this, consider yourself lucky. In case you were wondering what it’s like, or want to be prepared if you have to go through it yourself one day, here is what it’s like for the loved ones who’ve gathered to say goodbye to the patient:

Twice in my life I’ve been in the room when someone was taken off of life support and allowed to pass away. Depending upon your personal beliefs, what I witnessed could be described as either horrific or joyful… but not too peaceful.

If you’ve never seen someone in a coma transition from life to death, here’s what happens:

• The doctors ask the family to leave the room briefly, while they turn off the alarms on the machines and remove the patient’s breathing tube. Removing the tube causes a gargling sound and can trigger some reflexes in the patient that may make it look like they’re coming out of the coma. They are not.
• Once the life support has been turned off/removed, the doctors leave the room and invite the family back in. A nurse may remain with the patient to provide…