Dads cause of death?

Question:

My dad died unexpectedly a few days ago and we have no idea why. It was a normal day, he went to work, came home and mowed the lawn, watched a movie with mom, and went to bed. Mom woke up to hear him moaning like he was having a nightmare. She shook him but he wouldn't stop. His eyes were open and "hazey". His body started to curl up and get real tight. Then he started having breathing issues. Eventually he just went limp and died. He was 62, a healthy active construction worker with no heart problems or anything. He did have diabetes but it was only a pill now and then when needed. He had that under control. I just can't understand what happened. I hope a doctor happens to read this and offers an opinion, or perhaps someone has known of a death similar to this one and can tell me what the cause of death was.

Answers:
First of all, I am sorry to hear of your father's death - it sounds like it was very traumatic for you and your family.

It is difficult to have an opinion about what you describe, since there is so much missing information. These are my impressions, based upon the little I know:

No one has diabetes that only requires a pill "now and then." While I don't want to be disrespectful of your opinion, I am concerned that his diabetes was not controlled. Also, while I am glad he didn't suffer from many diagnosed health problems, I worry that he might have had undiagnosed heart and or lung disease. Pt.'s with diabetes frequently have related complications.

Some questions I would ask are - was he a smoker? Had he been immobile for a long period of time recently - like travel, or in bed a lot? What did his parents die of? What medications was he on? What did the EMT's say when you called 911? Is there any chance he was exposed to a toxin, like fertilizer/weed killer?

Based upon the symptoms you describe, it sounds like he might have had a massive heart attack, a stroke, a seizure, or a pulmonary embolism ( a blood clot in his lungs). Also possible are a rupture of his aorta (the main artery leaving the heart), as the responder above has said.

I would definitely request an autopsy. Good luck to you and your family.

So sorry to hear about the untimely passing of your father. I think it would be hard for anybody, even a doctor, to determine what happened based on the information you provide. Have you considered having an autopsy performed? I know for some it's unsettling to think about but would like provide some answers to your questions.

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Dads cause of death?

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