Can I contact the hospital to find out why he died?

[meerschweinchen]

I'm not really sure where the best place to post this is, or even if it makes sense.
My lovely Dad died a year ago, very suddenly. He was diagnosed with cancer, it came completely out of the blue, as I suppose it sadly does for many people. We knew it wasn't curable, but the hospital said they could offer trestment, chemo etc. He'd been in hospital for tests, which was when he was diagnosed, but then he was allowed home. A week after diagnosis, he died of pneumonia. The bit I don't understand is why it was so sudden. He'd been back to the hospital the day before he died, and they'd listened to his chest etc and said he was fine.
I just don't really understand what happened. I'm not trying to blame anyone, and in many ways people have said that at least it was quick, he was spared chemo etc. But it's still hard, and I still wanted him to have longer here.

So, my question is, can I get in touch with the hospital now and find out more? Or is there nothing more to really know? I know my Mum wouldn't want to ask more. After Dad died, she kept saying she'd ask the hospital, but never did, and I certainly didn't feel I could keep asking, when she was already so upset. But can I ask? Would anyone talk to me? Or is it too late or confidential information that can't be shared with just anyone who asks?

Sorry, I'm aware this is a bit of a ramble and long- winded, but has anyone been in this sort of situation or maybe someone who works in a hospital would know?

I don't want this ignored. I can't help with practicals, but I very much understand why you need to know and I hope you pursue it so you can get some answers to put your mind at rest.

When my mother died, one good thing was my brother was there and had had some relevant medical training so understood fully why the doctors & nurses were doing X & Y and what it all meant (my mother also had pneumonia, with a heart attack). Good luck.

I do think they should be able to tell you. Every hospital has a bereavement officer attached to the chaplaincy team. They deal with helping arrange funerals, paperwork, etc. this person might be a good start.

I'm sorry about your dad.

Same as Ragged. Don't want to ignore. I am sorry for your loss and I think you need to ask the question, as it doesn't sound like you can move on without. X

ps: pneumonia can flare up fast, has done for people I know. Does his death certificate state pneumonia as cause of death or as a contributor?

It may be worth getting in touch with the coroner first as his hospital records could be there, he'd have had a post mortum and the cause of his death would have been documented on the death certificate and they will go through it with you. Pneumonia can kill really quickly. My father died of COPD (breathing problems) and it was really quick.

I'm sure you could ask. However if it helps my granny died just before Christmas, she'd had Pneumonia and had recovered and seemed in good spirits, almost more well than she had been for a while, and then she died suddenly in her sleep when her heart gave out. We were told it is common - that when there is a lot of strain on a person's body due to age or serious illness, they can have a short period of seeming brighter just before they go.

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Can you ask your doctor to find out? Ours contacted the hospital after mum died, as it was completely out of the blue (keeping her in 'for observations', my arse). Fecking bastarding superbug (still angry after almost ten years).

Pheumonia does cut you down quickly if you are poorly to start with. It took dad in about 3 days start to finish.

Sorry about your dad - I've been there too and know how dreadful it is.

This thread talks about such experiences of patients seeming to recover for a few days before death. Other google searches bring up similar results, often hospice staff. Of course it is DigitalSpy so expect some smartarse comments but overall I think the thread is nice. forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=705672

Contact the hospital. I suggest the PALS (Patient Advice Liaison Service), Or if you know which Comsultant/team they were under then the secretary perhaps, although probably PALS first. number should be on the hospital website.From my experience they will be able to out you in touch with the right people to discuss things with.
I am a paediatric nurse, when a child dies, the family are routinely invited to come back to the hospital a couple of months later to discuss the care of the child and try and have any questions answered, so it is definitely possible that this could be set up for you.
Good luck.

Thanks so much for all the replies, and sorry to those who have also lost loved ones.

I guess what I'm struggling with is that he didn't seem ill. Sounds daft for someone who'd been given a terminal cancer diagnosis, but I saw him a few days before he died, and he seemed pretty much his normal self, apart from seeming in shock.

To answer a couple of questions: Death certificate states pneumonia as cause of death, with the cancer as secondary. And they didn't do a post mortem. It was discussed, but they decided it wasn't necessary, I think.

I don't live locally, so obviously contacting my own doctor wouldn't work. I do know the name of the consultant he was under, so I guess that might be a way..but how? Do I just email or phone the hospital? It seems PALS might be a good way to do it. It seems harder from a distance.

Thanks for all your help. I appreciate it.

I suppose that the very sad thing is that most people with cancer don't seem ill at all, the thing which makes them appear most ill is actually the treatment. Until a tumour is actually preventing normal function by pressing on the brain, nerves or other organs they can walk about perfectly normal and healthy, but it can have hidden costs, the biggest one being to the immune system. Many people discover cancer after a normal illness seems to go on for a longer time than usual. If he hadn't come into contact with any bugs before, it wouldn't have shown, but he was unlucky enough to come into contact with Pneumonia.

Sorry for your loss, if the cause of death stated was pneumonia, then there isn't a great deal left to literally tell you in terms of 'how' he died, his heart probably gave out or he had a problem with a lung/oxygen levels (sorry if this sounds insensitive) but they might be able to tell you if he went quicky, and painlessly to set your mind at rest. Didn't want to read and run x

The consultant will have a secretary ask to be put throughand leave your details if the answer phone is on they should get back to you within a few days memtion thatyoujust have a few questions that your would like to be answered. Good luck and im so sorry for your berevement its one of the hardest thing in the world.

My dh died in hospital last March and I had many unanswered questions. It took me a long time to feel strong enough to contact the hospital again and I went to see a solicitor first who helped me to draught a letter to the chief exec. PALS then rang me and have been very helpful. I had to consent to all of his previous medical notes being released and as we speak a full investigation is taking place.

I should have a full account of what happened by the end of this month. It won't bring him back but it should go some way to helping me and the kids understand why he died.

Leaking I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope getting the full picture brings you some small comfort

I'm wondering now whether Bertie and idon'tknow are right, and perhaps there is little point asking for more information - perhaps there is just nothing more to be told.

I was going to say start with PALS too. In my experience they have been brilliant. They always know who you should be talking to& they know their way around the system their phone number should be on the hospital website. My only question would be, can they tell you or would it have to be your mum?

My grandma died this month in A&E and im also struggling with how to find out exactly what happened but have no idea what to do about it. She took bad on the Monday, fell over, paramedics came out but she wasn't taken to hospital, they told her to get a doctor. Doctor came and took her off one of her water tablets. DM rung an ambulance on the Wednesday at about 2 pm, we sat with her till 11.30pm whilst she was having a blood transfusion, they said we are just waiting for a bed she should feel better once she has the blood. !st set of doctors said she was possibly bleeding from somewhere due to anemia at 4pm. She was moved to assessment where a second set of doctors came at about 8pm but seemed to have no idea and didnt mention the bleed, i had already told them about her just coming out of remission for bladder and breast cancer and he went oh well thats useful information and could explain a lot?? i told the other doctor this at 4pm but surely they should know from her notes. She kept repeating over and over help me move my back my back, we thought it was from the fall, i tried to move her on 3 occassions but couldn't and asked the nurses to move her but they wouldn't. They were booking her in for a scan on Thur morn, said she would feel better once she had some blood so we left her as there was nothing they said which suggested to me she was at risk of dying although she was 89. At 2am the hospital called my DM said please get here, it doesn't look good, shes took a turn for the worse. We got to the hospital in 7 minutes and the doctor looked shocked, said that was quick do you llive nearby. We were took to the relatives room where they told us she passed away from a possible heart attack. At this point another doc slipped in she had died before he called my mam. She had a postmortem and died from an aortic aneurysm.

I, too, got a phone call from the hospital to say my aunt 'had taken a turn for the worse'. When I saw the time of death, I realised she had, in fact, died before they'd made the call.

(She was in hospital for end stage heart disease and had a heart attack. She had seemed all right in the afternoon, but, given her condition, could have died at any moment.)

I'm not sure why they do this. Perhaps they want to tell relatives face to face so there is someone there to help their distress?

No idea, they said in the room it looks like a massive heart attack, postmortem, her heart was fine, the aortic aneurysm killed her. I have so many question's as so much of it seemed wrong, one doc was fab and on the ball, the second one seemed to have no idea what the first doc had said or done. I would love to know what went on from us leaving her until a few hours later when she died. I have a horrible sense of guilt i left her but there was nothing to suggest she would die, just that she was very poorly and ABC would be done tomorrow

Thymeout where would the time of death info be shown? on the post mortem results?

I think the time of death was on the document I was given by the Bereavement dept to take to the Register Office for the death certificate. She didn't have a post mortem because she'd been in hospital for several days and her condition was well documented.

I'm so sorry you've had this experience. It does sound, though, that they couldn't have done anything to save her. I know someone who died of an aortic aneurysm when she collapsed in the street. She was in her 50's and had appeared to be in perfect health.

Could you ask the Bereavement dept if you could speak to one of the nurses who was looking after her?

OP I'm sorry about your Dad, you sound like you have given this a lot of thought. As your Dad died at home, and not in Hospital, you might be able to talk to his GP who could explain things to you.

I'd definitely ring the hospital and ask for this patient liaison department. They will be able to help, and this type of query is common. Write down a list of all the questions you want to ask, so you do 't forget any, but I think it's a really good idea and will give you some closure, for want of a better word. I'm so sorry for your loss. Xx

Sorry if this is no help but a few years ago, I went from perfectly healthy on Monday night to almost dying of pneumonia on the Thursday. It's horrible how fast it can tàke you over. And I was young, strong and very healthy.

I hope you ge the answer you need. I am so sorry for your loss.

My dad died over 20 years ago and I still feel unclear so I would urge you to find out now OP. It's too late for me to get closure but I still wish I had.

My dad went into hospital unwell, he was only 54. He had lots of tests and they didn't show anything up. I visited and he seemed fine. He had MS I'm not sure if that was relevant.

I went back home, days later I got a call to say that he had lung cancer and I should get back up to see him. He was up North and I lived in London. I arrived the next day and he didn't recognize me and had deteriorated massively.

I still don't get why it took them so long to find out he had cancer and how he died within a couple of weeks of going into hospital.