Dymon
I too am very sorry to hear of the misdiagnosis that lead to your friends death. I don't know why doctors don't think of DVT and PE more when the symptoms are there as it sounds like DVT signs were for your friend. For two months I was treated for everything from a Virus to Bronchitis to a swollen heart before they got it right (Pulmonary Embolism). It sounds to me like your friend had a clot in the leg at the time she went into the hospital, and then it moved to her lung(s) the morning she passed away. Had they caught the clot in the ER, however, it could have significantly decreased the likelihood of her death. There is still a fair chance she would have died even with proper diagnosis. I read on the internet that 5% of all properly diagnosed PE patients die within 60 min of proper diagnosis. It sounds like the clot was massive enough that mere blood thinner (Heparin is what they gave me to thin the blood to keep the clot from getting larger, it wouldn't dissolve the clot) would have possibly not made a difference. Every doctor I talk to says that DVT and PE are very difficult to diagnose because of the vastly varying symptoms. From a less scientific position, I believe that your friend is in a much better place, and according to my belief, she may want you to be happy and understanding to the idea that it was simply her time. I lost my father to an accident that was caused by carelessness of a 16 year old boy. I do know how confusing the loss of someone close to you can be in such circumstances. I hope you are doing OK, and wish you the best.