When I was in nursing school, 2008, I had an instructor who dedicated a lot of her nursing career to palliative care. Something she said really resonated with me–often cries of “I just want to die” and begging to be “put out of their misery” were the result of unimaginable pain and suffering. She went on to explain that these pleas are fleeting and in-the-moment. My bedside experience solidified her teachings that once we get our patient more comfortable, those desires to die will lessen.

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