diff --git a/agent/consul/state/catalog_events.go b/agent/consul/state/catalog_events.go
index f04f9f60f..731a95d97 100644
--- a/agent/consul/state/catalog_events.go
+++ b/agent/consul/state/catalog_events.go
@@ -68,20 +68,19 @@ type nodeServiceTuple struct {
 func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event, error) {
 	var events []stream.Event
 
-	var nodeChanges map[string]*memdb.Change
+	var nodeChanges map[string]changeType
 	var serviceChanges map[nodeServiceTuple]*memdb.Change
 
-	markNode := func(node string, nodeChange *memdb.Change) {
+	markNode := func(node string, typ changeType) {
 		if nodeChanges == nil {
-			nodeChanges = make(map[string]*memdb.Change)
+			nodeChanges = make(map[string]changeType)
 		}
 		// If the caller has an actual node mutation ensure we store it even if the
 		// node is already marked. If the caller is just marking the node dirty
 		// without an node change, don't overwrite any existing node change we know
 		// about.
-		ch := nodeChanges[node]
-		if ch == nil {
-			nodeChanges[node] = nodeChange
+		if nodeChanges[node] == changeIndirect {
+			nodeChanges[node] = typ
 		}
 	}
 	markService := func(node, service string, entMeta structs.EnterpriseMeta, svcChange *memdb.Change) {
@@ -111,20 +110,11 @@ func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event
 			// we mark it anyway because if it _is_ a delete then we need to know that
 			// later to avoid trying to deliver events when node level checks mark the
 			// node as "changed".
-			nRaw := change.After
-			if change.After == nil {
-				nRaw = change.Before
-			}
-			n := nRaw.(*structs.Node)
-			changeCopy := change
-			markNode(n.Node, &changeCopy)
+			n := changeObject(change).(*structs.Node)
+			markNode(n.Node, changeTypeFromChange(change))
 
 		case "services":
-			snRaw := change.After
-			if change.After == nil {
-				snRaw = change.Before
-			}
-			sn := snRaw.(*structs.ServiceNode)
+			sn := changeObject(change).(*structs.ServiceNode)
 			changeCopy := change
 			markService(sn.Node, sn.ServiceID, sn.EnterpriseMeta, &changeCopy)
 
@@ -140,7 +130,7 @@ func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event
 				after := change.After.(*structs.HealthCheck)
 				if after.ServiceID == "" || before.ServiceID == "" {
 					// Either changed from or to being node-scoped
-					markNode(after.Node, nil)
+					markNode(after.Node, changeIndirect)
 				} else {
 					// Check changed which means we just need to emit for the linked
 					// service.
@@ -159,7 +149,7 @@ func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event
 				before := change.Before.(*structs.HealthCheck)
 				if before.ServiceID == "" {
 					// Node level check
-					markNode(before.Node, nil)
+					markNode(before.Node, changeIndirect)
 				} else {
 					markService(before.Node, before.ServiceID, before.EnterpriseMeta, nil)
 				}
@@ -168,7 +158,7 @@ func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event
 				after := change.After.(*structs.HealthCheck)
 				if after.ServiceID == "" {
 					// Node level check
-					markNode(after.Node, nil)
+					markNode(after.Node, changeIndirect)
 				} else {
 					markService(after.Node, after.ServiceID, after.EnterpriseMeta, nil)
 				}
@@ -177,11 +167,8 @@ func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event
 	}
 
 	// Now act on those marked nodes/services
-	for node, change := range nodeChanges {
-		// change may be nil if there was a change that _affected_ the node
-		// like a change to checks but it didn't actually change the node
-		// record itself.
-		if change != nil && change.Deleted() {
+	for node, changeType := range nodeChanges {
+		if changeType == changeDelete {
 			// Node deletions are a no-op here since the state store transaction will
 			// have also removed all the service instances which will be handled in
 			// the loop below.
@@ -269,6 +256,28 @@ func ServiceHealthEventsFromChanges(tx ReadTxn, changes Changes) ([]stream.Event
 	return events, nil
 }
 
+type changeType uint8
+
+const (
+	// changeIndirect indicates some other object changed which has implications
+	// for the target object.
+	changeIndirect changeType = iota
+	changeDelete
+	changeCreate
+	changeUpdate
+)
+
+func changeTypeFromChange(change memdb.Change) changeType {
+	switch {
+	case change.Deleted():
+		return changeDelete
+	case change.Created():
+		return changeCreate
+	default:
+		return changeUpdate
+	}
+}
+
 // serviceHealthToConnectEvents converts already formatted service health
 // registration events into the ones needed to publish to the Connect topic.
 // This essentially means filtering out any instances that are not Connect