heart attack age 31

[magzs1112]

My brother passed away last night, he had a heart attack.  He was only 33 years old.  Last week he was complaing of constipation., went to doc they told him he was fine, take these meds, etc. He has a epilsey for 20 years now, and seizures have been under control. His girlfriend found him this morning in his apt. He had no heart problems, and was healthy.  What could of lead to his attack?  the docs told my family that even paramedics were there, that there would have been nothing that they could do, he was alreay dying.  the autopsy is set for tomorrow, just looking for some answers now so i can sleep.  he was so young, and will be missed.  this is my first death, not really handling it well. any thoughts? thanks

[magzs1112]

Thank you everyone for responding.  I havent read these since i posted earlier.  it means a great deal to me that you all gave your input.  we havent got the autopsy results yet, probably next week.  when my brother was first dignoised with epilspy, he also had a brain tumor.  he was 17, and was sent to the mayo clinic to get it removed, he was a miracle because he wasnt supposed to live through that.  his seizures had been pretty much under contol, but when he felt one coming on, it was a grand mal seizure.  I remember the first time he had one, my mom was in tears b/c she couldnt help him. There is no heart disease in the family, but i will definally let my fanily know what everyone has suggested.  yesterday was the first time i went to his apt, it was very say to see all of his things,  he has a beautiful cat, and my sister will be taking care of him now.  Again thank you so much for your replies, it has eased my pain alittle.  he has son that is 2 now, and he was SO proud to be a father.  It make me sad that his little boy will never really know his daddy.   I know  he is in heaven with grandpa and my aunt, he will be my guardian angel now.  

[heart_of_mine]

I am so sorry about your brother and along with my sympathy I want to offer some help. I don't mean to frighten you or cause you anymore stress than you are dealing with but I feel I have to mention this to you. There is a hereditary electrical heart disease called Long QT Syndrome that can mimmick Epilepsy in that it causes seizures when the heart goes into an arrhythmia because the brain is without oxygen during this time. Many people with this disease were wrongly diagnosed with Epilepsy only later to find out they actually had Long QT Syndrome. This is an uncommon disease but not a rare one but is very hard to diagnose except by an experienced Electrophysiologist (heart rhythm specialist). There are genetic tests available as well.  I am sure that if the autopsy does not show any causes of death that Long QT Syndrome will be considered, but it could take quite a while for this to be determined. In the meantime you and any other close relatives could probably have ECGs to rule out this disease. Just ask your family doctor to have a cardiologist measure the QT intervals closely. There is a group called SADS (Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndrome)  that have websites and people you can contact for info on where to find doctors in your area who can help you. Long QT Syndrome is very treatable and most people live normal lives with the proper treatment plan.
Again, I am so sorry for your loss and hope you can find some answers for your family.
Please take care of yourself and allow yourself time to grieve.

[lulama]

Just want to add my sympathy for you.........I'm much, much older than you or your brother, but I well know how I felt when I lost each of my brothers........to lose one's brother at such a young age I'm sure is even much more  painful.......I do hope that the kind thoughts from the nice people on this site help you in some way

[tjsmemaw]

I am truly sorry for your loss I know how it feels to lose a sibling my brother was murdered 10 years ago for no good reason this guy was a drug addict(no excuse) and decided to play God.I had to go to counseling to get help and I talked to other people with the same problem also my exhusband was 34 and fell over dead with a heart attack and had been to the hospital that day they told him he had pneumonia.Sometimes it is very hard to detect  a bad heart.I had been checked in my doctors office the day I had my heart attack even had an ekg .The doctor scheuled me for a stress test which would have killed me but God did not let that happen.I know my brother is in a better place along with my mom and I know we will all be together someday.I will pray you find peace.

[Twilight_Princess]

I am also so sorry about the loss of your brother. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I agree with Michelle you should also get checked out to be on the safe side. My mother died of her first heart attack at the age of 39 and I was checked out when I was in my 20's. I too have high BP like she had.

Also, I think anyone that loses a family member can take as long as they want with dealing with a death. It's not easy and I know this for a fact, so it's ok to grieve for ever how long you have to. I too hope you find the answers after the autopsy.

Please take care

Kathy

[momtofourboys]

I am so very sorry about the loss of your brother. I agree with Ireneo please don't let anyone tell you you should be over your loss. it can take a year or two. Anything can cause a heart attack at any age. I hope you can find the answers you are looking for.

Just a thought, I would also get checked out now since you lost your brother to a heart attack  I am not trying to scare you, chances are things are gong to be okay.
again I am so sorry

michelle

[ireneo]

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. Death is never easy to face so give yourself time. don't let people tell you that you should get over it in "X" number of weeks or months. Trust me, any good memories you have or others can share will help.

I don't have any answers to this. Whether there was a fatal arrhythmia or a clot that caused the MI should be answered by the autopsy. Perhaps then they can explain how it all worked together (if there's any connection to the epilepsy). Again, I'm so sorry.