Working Funerals - Decomp

    Decomp is short for 'decomposed'.  It basically refers to what you think, a body that has gone 'off'.  This is a briefe post the aspects of a decomp body and how to deal with them.

<> This post might be a bit much for some people, but I have avoided the details or anything graphic, and there are no pictures.  There is nothing too bad in this post, but it does deal with a subject some find touchy or disgusting <>

    There are many different stages to a 'decomp' body.  But it basically comes down to the same thing.  A body that has or is becoming 'ripe'.

How to spot a decomp:

    The main ways to spot a decomp body (which is not hard):

    Smell - decomp bodies will almost always have a certain "off" smell to them.  This smell can be quite faint or it can be extremely strong.  It is usually strongest on bodies that spent time (a few days or more) outside of a fridge.  With bodies that decompose inside the fridge they tend not to smell too much.  I would describe the smell as like rotted meat.  Quite honestly it is a rather unlearnt smell with the power to penetrate through the body bag, fridge and into the mortuary.  There is little point in me describing the smell as it escapes words, but it is instantly recognisable.

    Colour - this is perhaps the easiest way to identify a decomp body.  They will be going green or have turned green "like the Hulk" as one guy said.  The 'greenness' starts in the stomach, this is where the body begins to decompose.

    Texture - a decomp body will also become bloated, damp and 'loose'.  The texture of the body is slippery and to be frank not very pleasant.  The limbs will be loose as there is no rigor mortis at this point.  The worst part is that the skin will feel damp and lose on the body.

    Bugs & Fungus - the bugs on a body are usually maggots and other similar looking small white things.  These bugs normally only start on bodies that have decomposed outside of a fridge.  However when bodies sit in a fridge for a long time they get a strange fungus, either bright orange or pure white.  But they do not get bugs.

    Weight - decomp bodies generally weight noticeably more or less than other bodies.  This is because they can bloat up and weigh more, especially if they decompose out of a fridge.  On the other hand decomp bodies can weigh less than other bodies.  They become smaller, there is less to them, this is especially the case with bodies which sit inside a fridge for too long.

How to deal with a decomp:

    Take a deep breath - this might sound odd and go against all desires but it is by far the best thing to do.  The smell is the worst thing about a decomp body, so getting rid of it makes everything else so much better and easier.  The fastest way to get rid of it is to adapt to it, this is done by breathing in the smell.  One or two deep and long breaths later the smell is nowhere near as strong.  After a few more minutes the smell might be completely unnoticeable.  Trying to keep the smell "out" of your nose will only make it last longer.

    Poly bag - the main and best thing to do with decomp bodies is "poly bag them".  'Poly bag' is simply putting the body in a special bag then sealing the end with an iron.  The bais made of a clear and mostly stiff plastic which is air and leak proof.  This is the best thing to do with a decomp body, especially if there are bugs or fluids as it will keep in the bugs and fluids.  However, while the poly bag does help reduce the smell it cannot completely contain or remove it in bad cases.

    Open slowly - when opening a body bag which contains a decomp body always do so slowly and carefully.  Quite often fluids will pool at the bottom of the bag and condensation will collect on the sides.  So open and close the bag slowly to prevent splashing any fluids about.

    Odour neutraliser - there are several products out there to reduce the smell of a body.  One of the best according to the embalmer is a product called something like VM3.  It is an all natural product which significantly reduces or completely removes smells.  Further more it has no real odour of its own.  Another great option is baking soda (aka sodium bicarbonate).  Mix it with some water and it will make a great odour neutraliser.

    Mints - eating a mint shortly before or while working with a decomp can make the job a little more pleasant.  This will reduce what you smell and make everything slightly nicer.

    Kerosene - putting kerosene on bodies with bugs is an old trick.  The kerosene will kill most of the bugs overnight.  It will even kill many of the bugs inside the body, not just the ones on the surface.  This will not kill everything.  Unfortunately this is something one can only do in the mortuary.  On the transfer you will have to suffer the bugs as bug sprays will not kill the things inside the body.

    Masks - some people wear masks when handeling decomp bodies.  This can help, and more importantly it makes the whole adventure appear nicer or safer.  However they do not actually make much difference in terms of safety or pleasantness.

    Double glove - this is more a safety measure which can be used on transfers or in the mortuary, but with decomp bodies one should wear two gloves on each hand.  Doing this not only makes it less likely for something to get through the gloves but also means that if the outside pair get 'dirty' you can take them off and still have gloves on.

    Aprons - in the mortuary one should wear an apron when handeling a decomp body.  This prevents any unwanted 'bits' getting on your person.  Unfortunately this is rarely available or practical on transfers.

Things to watch for:

    Skin slip - this is rather unpleasant.  It is basically where the skin or flesh of the body slips as it is picked up or moved.  It can happen with elderly bodies, however it is much more likely and much more unpleasant with decomp bodies.  So watch how you hold these bodies.

    Smell - the smell can almost literally hit you when you first encounter a decomp body.  If going into a room or opening a bag that contains a decomp body prepare yourself for the smell.  It can hit hard but will fade fast (especially if you let it in).  The first few moments are the worst but after that it becomes better.  The worst thing about the smell is how it can penetrate and cling.  It can get through a body bag and a fridge then will stick to your cloths.

    Bugs - they are very unpleasant.  But there is little to nothing one can do to manage the bugs outside the mortuary.  As with smell the best you can do is know about it ahead of time and mentally prepare yourself.

    Fluids - this is exactly what it sounds like.  Bodily and other fluids can pool and accumulate, especially in body bags.  Be aware of this when dealing with decomp bodies.

Some last words:

    In the end you can do what a lot to manage a decomp body.  Yet it will never be a pleasant job and will often be difficult, physically and mentally.  Decomp bodies can be heavy, they can be lose and there can be fluids.  But in all honesty decomp bodies are not always as bad as they sound.  Yes they can be extremely unpleasant but generally it is not too bad and often down to personal taste.

~~

The Best Funeral Ever; With a Dwarf

    This was perhaps the most unique and strange funeral I have and probably ever will see.  It started when I was sent to the coroners to collect the body.  We arrived to find our paperwork was incorrect.  Long story short we had to wait about half an hour to get the correct papers faxed over to the coroners.  Once that was settled we headed in to collect the body itself.  Once inside I see the ID tag sitting neatly on top of the body bag.  Now this was a bad sign indeed.  To explain, the ID tag is a wrist tag with the deceased's name so one can never confused the bodies.  And it is always tied to the wrist.  So for it to be outside of the body bag meant the body was in a bad condition.  Not a bad condition as in injured but as in 'ripe'.  Rotted in other words.  The coroners see a lot of this sort of thing regularly, so for them to be hesitant about touching the body is a really bad sign.

    I opened the bag and yes, the poor body was quite ripe but not unbearable really.  Definitely not suitable for viewing (as the family had asked) but not too bad to the experienced funeral director.  The deceased would not even to be poly bagged (a special vacuums sealed body bag to keep fluids, smells, etc in).   Back at our mortuary we find that he is covered in urin.  And the deceased would need to be dressed.  Just wonderful. However this did not really matter as I would not be involved in dressing the body.  Which I was honestly most grateful for.

    Now for the funeral itself.  There would be just three of us on a direct to the crematorium.  Upon arriving at the crematorium we find that our contact family member was a dwarf.  Not just a dwarf but also a strange person.  Just a little odd, the way they moved, talked, interacted.  We took the coffin into the crematorium before the service was due to start.  The dwarf and celebrant then followed the coffin in and locked us out so they could perform a private service.  We naturally went around to the office where, little did the family know, there are monitors watching everything that goes on in the crematorium.  What we saw was really strange, leaving the funeral staff and the crematorium staff glued to the screen.  The dwarf and celebrant changed into long flowing white robes, which honestly looked more like thin sheets than clothes.  They then performed some ritual, which involved dancing, before turning the coffin on the catafalque three times and finally dancing again.  They finished with some briefe words and then opened the doors for the rest of the family and us.

    By now the conductor was fascinated.  The conductor and I inside and sat up the back by the sound system.  There were not many family and friends, perhaps 15 people at the most.  They were all nice people and most gave eulogies, some of the better eulogies I have heard.  The service itself started with a prayer from the celebrant.  Neither the conductor or I could pick the religion.  It was Christian with Anglican and Catholic imagery as well as something Germanic and some Druidic/Celtic themes.  The celebrant then asked what the family and friends liked to call the deceased, their nick-name in other words.  The celebrant then went on to ask "so what was the deceased last name" obviously having no idea who the descend was or what they were called.  One younger guy was giving his eulogy halfway through the pack.  He said how he had watched the deceased becoming less mobile and in more pain.  Life was becoming very difficult and uncomfortable for the deceased in the final days.  The speaker then went on to say how he was glad he had helped the deceased "on the final journey".  Both the conductor and I looked at each other, unsure what to make of this.  Had the guy helped the deceased to die?  Had the guy helped the deceased while they died?  It was quite surprising and yet none of the family, friends, or even celebrant batted and eye.  On went the service, unhindered by the ambiguous statement.  The last speaker was the dwarf, who gave their eulogy ty interpretative dance.  I will never again see a dwarf give a eulogy at a funeral solely through interpretative dance while wearing a white sheet.  And it was actually quite a good eulogy, better than many others I have seen.  It surprisingly conveyed their happy relationship and sadness at the death.  This will probably be by far the best eulogy I will ever see.  Not only was it different, a dance rather than speech, but it was very descriptive and well done.

    Later we discovered that the dwarf was the sole inheritor of the deceased's estate.  Not a massive inheritance, but a decent amount all the same.  So obviously the guy who had 'helped the deceased on their final journey' had nothing to gain financially.

    I will say that I am not alway the most politically correct.  But I do not mean any harm or disrespect by this, or any other post.

~~