Follow up:
Clarification by falnangl4u on Mon 14, Dec 2009 03:43am:
Thank you for your answer, it is very informative but still the thing which bothers me the most is the time
frame of things. This started around 1:00 a.m. the last phone call at 9:00 p.m. She was very sleepy and hard
to talk to at that time, but it was 13 days before she could be found. My problems are in that which I so
terribly need answers to. Do you thing she would have fallen into a coma the first nite and her body took
several days to die or would she have suffered just waiting to die for days??? As I stated there was no vomit
nor had she had a bowel movement when found if that means anything. Also if you wouldn't mind adding to
this, how would a tox report be affected with the 13 days wait? Would her body have continued to filter the
drugs throughout the time? I requested an autopsy mainly for a time/date of death even willing to pay for it
but was refused. Thank you so much for your help, I have gotten more for you at this point from anyone
throughout this.
Request for Clarification by Dr Bhupinder K, MD on Mon 14, Dec 2009 07:59am:
Hi,
Thanks a lot for clarification and giving further details of the same. Honestly speaking, it’s extremely
difficult to assess the time of death without an autopsy but some idea can be had from the temperature of the
body as it tends to decrease after death (by measuring the core temperature) but this is possible only during
the first 24 hours. Secondly, it can be done by seeing the rigor mortis (which is due to the stiffness of the
muscles) but this is also possible only during the first 36 hrs as the muscles tend to relax after that.
There’s a possibility of your mother going into coma and the person can remain alive for many days as the
metabolism of the body significantly slows down and thus the requirement of calories and energy also
decreases. The chances of a person remaining in coma for a longer time when the outside temperature is towards
the lower side is also high as that also tends to lower the body metabolic rate. Overall, it’s extremely
difficult to predict the exact time of death but if significant decomposition of the body had not taken place,
there’s a high chance of your mother remaining in coma for a long time before dying. I sincerely hope that
helps. Take care.
Request for Clarification by Dr. A. Srivastava on Mon 14, Dec 2009 08:25am:
Hi, Dr. Bhupinder has already explained all the causes of death in very accurate manner. However, I would like
to only add that without the autopsy reports no doctor can be precise about timing/cause of death. In autopsy,
doctors usually take samples of viscera (stomach content, liver part etc.), urine sample to reach at probable
cause of death. If she would have been entered in comatose state due to drug overdose ( as we can just suspect
it) the body becomes unable/ slow in filter-up drugs in body and only life saving vital functions takes place
thereby aggravating the coma state and can lead to eventual death. Other factors such as body temperature
changes, decomposition (late in cold) and rigor mortis (stiffening of muscles) will be important determinants
in finding out the probable time of death. Therefore, only investigators can be more precise about the
cause/timing of any suspicious deaths. Hope this helps.
Clarification by falnangl4u on Mon 14, Dec 2009 08:47am:
I thank you so very very much, but am still left with the question that with the pills taken in your opinion
do you think that she would have went into the coma on that very night of taking them? I apologize for being
such a pain, of the original question I have much more on the symptoms it would have caused than I expected to
recieve. I understand that a time or date is impossible, but I still am left with the wonder of would that
combination of pills have put her into a coma probably that night sometime?
Again I thank you more than you could possibly know for your time!
Request for Clarification by Dr Bhupinder K, MD on Mon 14, Dec 2009 10:36am:
Hi,
I can understand the turmoil of emotions and questions that are going in your mind at the moment. There is a
high chance of your mother slipping into coma the same days or the next day because of the number of pills of
each drug that she had consumed. Take care and God bless.
Clarification by falnangl4u on Mon 14, Dec 2009 07:08pm:
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS!!!
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