Fairbanks nurse says deathbed COVID patients often panic because they can't breathe

(Update: Fairbanks Memorial Hospital reported Tuesday morning that 3 more people had died within the past 24 hours of COVID-19)

One-third of the people hospitalized in Fairbanks, nearly all of them unvaccinated, are in the COVID-19 sections.

Deaths have become a daily ritual as the virus sweeps through the community. Outside the hospital walls, many people pretend there is nothing alarming happening. But inside the hospital, patients are struggling to breathe. And dying.

Fairbanks Memorial Hospital posted a powerful video of a Fairbanks nurse talking about what it’s like to care for those who are dying from this disease.

She has cared for dying people for 12 years on 2-South, part of a skilled team with the resources to help people suffer as little as possible in the final days of life.

This disease is different, she said. It is sometimes impossible for a death to be a peaceful one.

“Even before end-of-life care, we are using morphine to alleviate a symptom we call ‘air hunger.’ This is a severe state of breathlessness. It’s very distressing and it’s very common,” she said.

Patients often transition quickly and without warning from being OK to losing the ability to breathe.

“They start to experience a state of panic and air hunger that is very difficult to manage and causes severe anxiety. The medications that we usually use for our patients at the end of life don’t help as much with COVID-19 patients when they’re dying, and so what we’re seeing are deaths that are not only isolated, but they’re also very traumatic.

For the families left behind? There is anger, sadness, guilt and regret. She’s been there with kids saying goodbye to a parent and spouses making their final farewells.

“What I want you to know about what’s going on in the hospital with COVID-19 is this is not an experience that you want for anyone you love.”

Everyone should hear what she has to say.