Cause of death not determined?

[CoolBreeze]

OK... who wants to guess as to the cause of death?

[lastone]

Blood clots in the legs are extremely dangerous. When they break loose, they often travel thru the heart and into the lungs causing death or, if large enough, block the heart.

She probably should have been (or may have been) on blood thinners.

There are many things that can cause instant or nearly instant death.

[CoolBreeze]

Point is that NO ONE in that shape should be doing any kind of stressful, fast moving, heavy work. Emergency Services are hard on people who are FIT, and can kill those who aren't.

[Hoosier Daddy]

She died of a smoking-related illness.

[EZ103.3FM]

EMT's probably do a lot of sitting in their vehicle during the day except when on calls, which could contribute to blood clots.

[CoolBreeze]

Oh please.... Lifetime tractor trailer drivers rarely have leg issues unless they're 300 pounds. It appears they were in McDonalds when the event happened. Now THERE'S a good place for a blood clot.

[jag]

Calm down, now, Cool. Let's be real...you know as well as anybody that this death's happening at McDonald's is purely coincidental to the point that you're trying (not so subtly) to make.

[EZ103.3FM]

Oh please.... Lifetime tractor trailer drivers rarely have leg issues unless they're 300 pounds. It appears they were in McDonalds when the event happened. Now THERE'S a good place for a blood clot.

I'm not a health or occupational fitness expert by any means. However if they warn people about increased risk of blood clots from several hours of sitting on long airline flights, then sitting in a vehicle for mutliple hours on a daily basis seemed like a reasonable thing that could increase risk also.

Here's an exchange on a travel related message board at fodors.com that addresses the issue:

I think I read somewhere recently that some doctors recommend taking an aspirin before a long flight to help prevent blood clots in the legs (deep vein thrombosis.) Does anyone have any information or experience with this? How much aspirin? How soon before the flight? Any input is much appreciated. Thanks.

(response from a person who identified him/herself as a doctor:)
A single aspirin will typically suffice.
Better than that, however, simply exercise your legs every half hour at a minimum.
The issue relates to stagnant venous blood. When sitting for long periods, the blood in the veins in your legs can become stagnant and clot. Happens to fliers, long haul truck drivers, paralytics, etc.
By simply exercising your legs (walking around the cabin, or flexing and extending your feet and raising your knees repeatedly, circulation is stimulated enough to prevent clots in the vast majority of healthy individuals.
Exceptions exist. People with poor peripheral circulation (long term diabetics, very obese people, etc) can still be at increased risk despite these activities. Aspirin has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

[Scott Reppert]

Well, I can't see any hubbub over the whole thing if you just make sure you die at home. Simple as that...

[CoolBreeze]

Bottom line: Your heart is about the size of your fist. It must pump blood ever second of the day for a lifetime. The "typical" female weighs (or SHOULD weigh) between 110 to 135 pounds on average. However, far too many females in this state easily weigh THREE TIMES as much. That means that the little heart is attempting to pump blood for THREE PEOPLE, not just one. Can you imagine? It was not designed for that, and so wears out in half the time.

(same goes for men of course)

Far too many EMTs are now morbidity obese, and that's the LAST job you want to be out of shape in. People don't seem to realize just how fat everyone's gotten. As we all blow up together, it begins to look relative, but it's not.

I have a video taken in Charleston in 1983. There are thousands and thousands of LOCAL people in my 1 hour video. Bet you cant find 5 fat people in it. I have about 3 minutes of this on YouTube. Here, find the obese person:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL1-9T-6Gr8

Sure, you see a plumped up granny here and there, but no younger people.

I travel by air quite a lot, and that business of blood clots mostly affect people in the cattle car section where you're squeezed in like sardines are are forced to sit for hours practically immobile. . First class doesn't have that issue, and neither do most truck drivers who have much more room to move their legs around.