I worked in hospitals and nursing homes for many years and saw many deaths, and none had anything like death throes. It’s just anecdote, but a pretty large sample. I’ve never tried to even guestimate how many deaths I saw. I was an orderly for a year, then a respiratory therapist for 20 years, though not always full time.
I doubt that the death throes last 7 years. Unless this is a literal zombie thread.
I’ve been presents at a couple deaths and have not observed such movements. Mom had been pretty comatose for a couple days, but my husband was awake and aware only a brief time before he died. In neither case was the person heavily sedated or anything.
No pooping at the deaths I was present for, and I was around both bodies for 4-5 hours afterwards and still no pooping. However, neither had eaten much, if anything, for a couple weeks prior and probably had little in their system anyhow.
While both convulsions and pooping can happen with human deaths they are certainly not universal.
Years ago I used to do “removals” part time for the mortuary I worked at the front desk for. My friend (who at the time had done it for 7+ years) and I would strive to be on site within an hour of the call. Since we were called primarily for terminally ill patients, we could be on site within 2-3 hours after death.
I went on ~20 removals of this type and sometimes the person would be really supple (we would always cross their arms over their chest) and other times they would be really stiff. It’s probably due to rigor mortis, but my friend’s theory was that those who were supple passed painlessly and those that weren’t, suffered until the end.
In every case, the person defecated and usually urinated. The odor isn’t noticeable until the person is turned (to tuck the wrapping sheet under them).
Also, their body temp would rise like they had a fever. Again, noticeable when the person is turned (they were usually on their back) as we would wrap our arms around their back and legs to prepare for the sheet.
The very first time I did a removal, I was guiding the gurney near the top and I heard a distinct snore! I looked at my friend and he didn’t flinch, so I waited until we were in the van to ask him about it. He explained that it was trapped gas being released. Thankfully, it never happened again!
He told me that he once had someone sit up on the gurney at the hospital morgue and it took him a while to calm down enough to push the person back down.
Well Good info folks, but I’m surprised the Dope doesn’t recall how not too long ago we had quite a bit about 1920s-style Death-throes. Hmmm.