Possible Dead in Bed Syndrome

[ASMAESTAS]

This Febuary I found my girlfriend passed away in her bed. She had type1 diabetes. A month before she had open heart surgery. 5 bypasses and a valve repair. I visted her at midnight, she seemed to be doing fine. She has had night time lows in the past. Her sugar level was 295 at midnight. she was having highs all day. She used a insulin pump. basil was set at .5/ bolus 12 units at 10:00 pm. And a few more boulses in the evening.
When she didn't answer her phone at 10:00 a.m. I found her lying on her back arms to the side. I tried to revive her but it was too late. Pajamas were not wet bed was not wet no foam from mouth It happens with lows with her.
One thing was strange her legs were warm, but her upper body was cold. No covers were on her room temp was 65 degrees.  What are the
things to look for, when some one dies from a low sugar, or say a bloodclot from sugery? Also she was on dyalisis. It's been a mystery for me and a real heart ache for me.

[pookerjane]

My husband has had Type 1 for over 20 years but just in the last 8 years has he begun to experience lows.  I would say on a average of 4 times a year we have to call EMT and about once a month, I spend 30 to 45 min feeding him ice cream and them some juice to bring him back.  We have 2 daughters ages  13 and 17 and they continue to be scared to be alone with him in fear that if his sugar goes low and he never wakes up it will be their fault.  I have to admit that I never sleep throuh the night and wake up every few hours to check on him.  What can I do to make our lives less stressful.

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

Again I offer our condolences. This just shouldn't happen to people. But those of us who live with this disease know all too well how many issues can threaten our health. We feel grateful for each year and each improvement in the quality of care we recieve. And all of us hope that one day a real cure can be found so that today's newly diagnosed diabetics can be spared the fear of complications and the rigors of daily management. Thank you for supporting our cause.

[ASMAESTAS]

No autopsy was done The corner felt considering her health problems she had it was not needed. The blankets were off her when I found her. I forgot to mention that a doctor I talked to said if the lower is warm and upper body is cold could indicate a blood clot with the upper ventrical clotted then all the circilation was at the bottom.Yet maybe a low sugar may have cause this. Thanks  for your resopnse. Jenn was very involved in diabetic causes. She was involved with JDRF fund raising "Walk to cure diabetes" and FCYD camp program in Utah. She had many heath problems resulting from diabetes. I hope one day a cure will be found. I appreciate the efforts  that JDRF is doing. Thank You

[JDRF-Team-sgg]

I am so sorry for your loss. It sounds as if your girlfriend had several severe health problems going on. I am not a phsyician, and so cannot answer the question about what kinds of symptoms would have been evident if a clot was involved. Was an autopsy done? What was listed as the actual cause of death?

I have read that the dead in bed syndrome is rare, and is somewhat of a mystery because there is no way to get an accurate glucose number for what the glucose was before death occured. In most cases, it is THOUGHT that the death is due to a possible extended low glucose level causing the heart to malfunction after hours without relief. But no tests can prove this theory. Cause of death is usually listed as heart failure, but it is really impossible to show what caused the heart failure. Truly, at this point, the best answers you can get are from the autopsy report and her doctor's conclusions. In some of these cases there appears to be no evidence of anything wrong -- the person is lying in a peaceful position in their bed. You can do a Google search on "dead in bed syndrome" to find more writings on the topic.

I want to point out that since she did have the heart and kidney problems, other factors besides simple glucose levels may have been major factors. Since both of these vital organs were affected, her life was at risk if either one shut down completely, so she was fragile even in best conditions.

As for the legs being warm while the upper body was cold, the doctor probably could explain this. If she was covered at all by bedsheets or blanket, it would make sense that her lower body, which would be covered, would be warmer than her uppoer body. Even though you are not a next of kin, you may want to contact her parents or next of kin and ask what the listed cause of death was. Again, I am so sorry for this traumatic loss. My sympathies go to you now.