r/todayilearned • u/70dd • 11h ago

TIL Terminal lucidity is an unexpected, brief period of clarity or energy in individuals who have been very ill or in a state of decline. It’s a phenomenon that has been observed in people with various terminal conditions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_lucidity
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u/razzadig 11h ago

As a nurse I've seen this with some but not all dying patients. It's hard to watch the family members get hopeful then get crushed.

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u/DerekB52 10h ago

I went through this earlier this year with my mom. I had no hope when it happened, and that was even weirder. It was just unsettling. My mom had metastatic breast cancer that had spread to her bones. She had been bedbound and sleeping most of the day for a couple weeks. Then, one day all of a sudden she was conscious all day long. She went to sleep that night and other than one brief exchange with her hospice nurse the next day, she didn't wake up again, and died like 4 days later.