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My mom dies
On December 1st, 2015, my mother at age 56, died unexpectedly. We are trying to find out why but maybe someone can give me some knowledge. On August 28th, she was admitted to hospital for chest pain. It was determined she had a pulmonary embolism and was started on warfarin and INR. At the same time the hospital ruled out CHF or any cardiac concern through a Pro-??? Test and a CAT with contrast and ecgs. In early November, it was discovered she had hypothyroidism and began thyroxine. This medication worked quickly. On November 30th, after warfarin was dc'd for 3 days prior, she had a dental procedure in which the dentist removed 9 teeth and completed 6 bone grafts with Lodicaine local anastheyic only to start denture procedures. He gave no medicationa for infection it pain. She died that night in her sleep. The autopsy preliminary results are stating that her heart was 2-3x enlarged from normal, and that she showed signs of CHF including in her liver and kidneys. But no signs of clots or infection at all. Please help me understand!!!
Thank you! That's what we are thinking as well. It's so frustrating to wait for the results and make sense of what was going on. In the day she died, her Tsh (3.9) and T4 levels (1.1) were within normal range, whereas previously her TSH was 9 and her T4 .9. She had been taking 75mcg once per day. As well as 70mg a week of alendronate once per week for osteoporosis. This is all so confusing. When everything and everyone is contradicting themselves.
1 Comments
It depends on your cicumstances and on your feelings. I am not in favor of frivolous lawsuits, but you could have a consult with a 'wrongful death' attorney. I have seen this approach succeed, but I warn you that it can be expensive, and it will take time. Still, the fact is that your mother was relatively young, and judging from what you describe, this should not have happened to her.
It is not possible to say without seeing your mother's medical records, but it sounds as though something was missed or overlooked in your mother's first hospital visit. That mixed and contradictory non-diagnosis is just strange and needs to be explained.
Still, it doesn't sound as though she was dangerously ill at this time.
The next thing you describe is hypothyroidism, which was treated with thyroxine, to which your mother responded "quickly." That may be a key word, for in people over 50, thyroid supplements are started at a low dose and *very* gradually increased. Patients typically do not feel a "quick" response; usually it is a matter of many weeks. The reason for this is that too large a dose, too soon, can cause cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and death. Here is an article on how thyroid supplements are given and how they work:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levothyroxine
Within a month of the thyroid treatment, certainly not stabilized yet, an absolutely huge dental procedure was done on a woman with an already complicated medical history. Yeas, her doc "cleared" her for this, but common sense should have dictated a much more cautious approach.
From what you describe, it sounds as though your mother's heart, already a bit iffy due to something missed in that first hospital episode, may have been damaged by too-fast, unmonitored thyroid replacement therapy, and finally challenged too much by that immense dental work--all in the space of four months.
This does not sound like good medical practice, to say the least.
Still, it doesn't sound as though she was dangerously ill at this time.
The next thing you describe is hypothyroidism, which was treated with thyroxine, to which your mother responded "quickly." That may be a key word, for in people over 50, thyroid supplements are started at a low dose and *very* gradually increased. Patients typically do not feel a "quick" response; usually it is a matter of many weeks. The reason for this is that too large a dose, too soon, can cause cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and death. Here is an article on how thyroid supplements are given and how they work:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levothyroxine
Within a month of the thyroid treatment, certainly not stabilized yet, an absolutely huge dental procedure was done on a woman with an already complicated medical history. Yeas, her doc "cleared" her for this, but common sense should have dictated a much more cautious approach.
From what you describe, it sounds as though your mother's heart, already a bit iffy due to something missed in that first hospital episode, may have been damaged by too-fast, unmonitored thyroid replacement therapy, and finally challenged too much by that immense dental work--all in the space of four months.
This does not sound like good medical practice, to say the least.
She was seen and cleared for dental procedure that same morning by her primary care physician. In California, if you see you doctor within 30 days of death, an autopsy is waived and the doctor can give likely cause of death which was assumed to be a blood clot. We then had to pay for a private autopsy and there was no blood clot and they have not yet determined a cause of death
How though could she have been negative for CHF and heart have been of normal size only 90 days before she died?
Wow, ask the medical examiner if Myocarditis could have been a cause. It is rare, but it's known to kill people suddenly and certain dental work should not be done if you have it (I know this because I have Myocarditis). Enlarged heart is a symptom and CHF can occur as a result of Myocarditis. So sorry for your loss.
My condolences to you for the death of your mother.
I am not sure if I would try to find out what happened exactly.
What strikes me in your post, is that you only speak of preliminary results (enlarged heart and CHF), by now there must be definitive results?
Also you do not speak of a cause of death.
Surely the end report must give a cause of death?
I am not sure if I would try to find out what happened exactly.
What strikes me in your post, is that you only speak of preliminary results (enlarged heart and CHF), by now there must be definitive results?
Also you do not speak of a cause of death.
Surely the end report must give a cause of death?
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