Friend from nursing school died from heart defect

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I have a 25 year old friend that I met in nursing school 2 years ago. She died Friday from a defect that was in her heart. Something about the arterial valve sticking open? What causes this and I wonder why it was not detected??? She had been to the doctor recently about bad bad pain in her legs, not sure if this was related. From what I gather she called the Ambulance for bad heart palpitations and when she got there she coded and they had to shock her several times. They brought her back many times and life flighted her but a clot ended up going to her brain.

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this is rough...sometimes patients are asymptomatic when in for an office visit and they fall through the cracks...really rjough when it happens to someone young with so much to offer the world

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this is rough...sometimes patients are asymptomatic when in for an office visit and they fall through the cracks...really rjough when it happens to someone young with so much to offer the world

Yes it is :crying2: She leaves behind a 2 year old son also. Could that have caused her leg pain?? She thought she had a clot in her leg but didn't.

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Specializes in ER.

I think too often, the complaints of a seemingly healthy person of your friends age, get ignored or not taken seriously. If she had come to the ER with palpitations, she probably would have gotten an EKG which may or may not have shown anything serious. At the doctors office, she was probably sent home with reassurance and admonished to stay away from caffiene. I am sorry for your loss.

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I think too often, the complaints of a seemingly healthy person of your friends age, get ignored or not taken seriously. If she had come to the ER with palpitations, she probably would have gotten an EKG which may or may not have shown anything serious. At the doctors office, she was probably sent home with reassurance and admonished to stay away from caffiene. I am sorry for your loss.

Yes, this is exactly what I figured too. Had she been older it may have been taken more seriously.

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The curse of the young... You can't possibly know love, pain, hardship, or be really sick... Medicine too often forgets that humans are individuals...not machine pressed clones.

I am so sorry for your loss and for her family's loss.

-Alyssa, RN

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I am so sorry you lost your friend and that a little boy lost his momma. she will be in my thoughts.

Kris

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Specializes in Hemodialysis, Home Health.

How very, very sad. :o

Truly sorry to hear this. Scary, too.

Please accept my heartfelt condolenses for the loss of your friend.

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Specializes in Alzheimer's, Geriatrics, Chem. Dep..
I have a 25 year old friend that I met in nursing school 2 years ago. She died Friday from a defect that was in her heart. Something about the arterial valve sticking open? What causes this and I wonder why it was not detected??? She had been to the doctor recently about bad bad pain in her legs, not sure if this was related. From what I gather she called the Ambulance for bad heart palpitations and when she got there she coded and they had to shock her several times. They brought her back many times and life flighted her but a clot ended up going to her brain.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{April}}}}}}}}}}}}}} I'm so so sorry. Something similar happened to a friend of mine in High School and you never forget!

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Specializes in SICU-MICU,Radiology,ER.

This happened to an up and coming actress a couple of years ago. Came home with her sister and fell in the entry way with sudden death. They found a heart defect. Same thing with Hank Gathers who was a very good college basket ball player and would have gone on to play pro.

I wish theyd do more echos on young people, or people period.

Sorry for the loss of your young friend-

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