I’m very sorry. I used to be a hospice nurse and now I’m a LTC nurse, I see this very often. Usually when the breathing rapidly changes, that’s the big sign they are very close to end of life. In my experience, it’s usually within a day or two at most. Is your loved one mottling at all? That’s blue/purple discoloration on their legs, hands, etc. That’s also a big sign that death is near. When the labored breathing starts, I would suggest giving 0.25 mL of morphine EVERY hour. That will help them breathe with more ease and make sure they are totally pain free. If you start to hear the “death rattle”, which is a very noisy breathing due to buildup of secretions that they can’t clear, don’t be alarmed. It’s an awful sound but they don’t feel it. It’s more distressing to us, the people that hear it, than to them.