hi my aunt called my grandad was agonizing, a doctor came home and he was dead by the time the doctor took his vitals. Since he is not connected to a monitor or stuff like that, im scared that he isnt dead and will wake up in yhe coffin or something. How do i know this isnt episodic? He wasnt diagnosed with any of that stuff but im scared
Comments
Well, the doctor will lose his medical license for one thing, if he falsely pronounced someone dead, so he is reasonably incentivized to make the correct call. That aside, this isn’t the 19th century, and unless you are in some sort of religious sect, we generally aren’t in a hurry to bury the dead. Indisputable signs of death will become evident long before he is buried. If he were still alive, the mortician is going to notice.
It’s in the doctors best interest in being absolutely sure your grandpa was dead. It’s very very very rare for something like Lazarus syndrome to happen. Your grandpa wouldn’t even have to be sick or anything to pass, some people pass without any noticeable health issues.
First of all, I’m sorry for your loss. Losing a grandparent is never easy.
When the doctor took his vitals they’ll have checked for signs of life, which can include (but isn’t limited to) checking for breathing, heart rate, and shining a light into the eyes to see if the pupils contract, to see if the brain is interpreting light. The doctor may have used a stethoscope to check for a very weak pulse. It’s only after the tests are completed by someone who is trained to declare death that someone can be declared dead. It’s very rare the declaration is incorrect.
Behind the scenes, in the days between passing and the funeral/ceremony, there’s more checks that are done to ensure that it’s definitely not a prolonged episode of unconsciousness or other similar case, before an autopsy would be done if it’s needed. I’m not sure on the full extent of those checks, but there’d be so many professionals involved that someone would notice any signs of life if they were there.
I understand the fear. I had the same when my grandad died. I kept thinking to myself that he would just wake up and it hadn’t really happened. Unfortunately, it’s very unlikely that that would be the case. Please don’t be afraid to reach out to your family and friends during this time. Grieving sucks, and it’s worse alone.
I pick dead folk up for a living and believe me if the Dr has been and gone then so has your grandad.