Brittany murphy dies, sends me to HA mode!

[2000 gt]

I think there is more than meets the eye to this story. Think about this for a minute: how many people have you known at that age (minus any heart issues) that have fallen over dead due to cardiac arrest.

Also as some have stated on here it was known she was a drug user and possibly had a eating disorder...Both of these could be contributing factors to her death.

I dont think this is any cause for people to worry...as im sure most of you with heart concerns are just fine. Plus these hollywood stars are known for pushing their bodys to the limit...Something none of us do.

Like i said theres more to this story than what we are being told.

[terrified1980]

I am glad I came on here because Ive been freaking out about it too. I see all over 0276 and 0278 this morning it was natural causes that caused her cardiac arrest. Its soo very sad I cannot stop thinking about it. I am thinking too myself I didnt know that a 32 year old could have a heart attack caused by natural causes. I was at the gym this morning doing my cardio and I felt panic setting in thinking about my own heart. I didnt think about it too much yesterday when I heard bc my first thought was drugs or an eating disorder but it hasnt been confirmed. I keep checking my heart rate. I love working out but I am now thinking my heart is going to give out. I know if I tell the people close to me theya re going to think I am nuts but for us with hypochondria it feels real and scary for us.

[PepeL]

There is no way that her dying was 100% natural.  She has fought eating disorders, drug use, celeb life, etc.  She put a lot on her body for being so young.  Her body was not right, people don't have cardiac arrest at 32 without bringing it on.  Just sayin, I don't think this is a worry myself.

[idreamofskiba]

But they are saying no drugs involved? This is just freaking me out. The autopsy will be done today I believe with the toxicology report. It just doesn't seem like someone at 32 would randomly just go into cardiac arrest? Maybe she had a heart problem that she didn't know about?

There is absolutely no way they know for sure (at this time) whether drugs were involved or not, so I'm not sure why they would be saying that.  I read that there were A LOT of prescription drugs in the house according to her mother.  Won't know for sure until the toxicology reports come back.

I will admit this does have me a little bit worried, but there's definitely more to it.

[MJF]

Even if she had no drugs in her system, no anorexia, nothing going on except some bad luck - it does not mean that you are at any higher or different risk than you were yesterday.  This is an extremely rare event no matter what caused it.

[Anxiously_Yours]

I am a fellow heart worrier.   I'm sorry but a healthy 32 year old woman does not die from cardiac arrest without there being some outside factor involved, whether it be drugs, eating disorder, etc. unless she had some sort of congenital defect.

The media (who love to sensationalize things) are saying natural causes.  Well all that really means is that the cause of death ( cardiac arrest) is a natural cause and there were probably no signs of foul play.

Chances are very good that there was some sort of contributing factor to this young woman's sudden death.  The autopsy and toxicology reports will give some insight as to what happened.

Just know this is not the norm!  If you have been to the doctor and have gotten clean bills of health...trust that. 

This is a sad story but it's also very UNCOMMON!

[Bandini]

and another thing I hate about this thing.  0278 states that she showed "flu like symptoms."  I hate that phrase so much.  I think they should just do away with that freaking phrase.  It's so esotaric.  Flu like symptoms.  I've had night sweats, I've had joint pains, I've had fatigue and felt sick to my stomach.  It wasn't the freaking flu, it's rarely the flu in fact.  Flu like symptoms seems to be the standby phrase that the media or doctors use when they don't know what else to say.

wise men speak because they have something to say
foolish men speak because they have to say something

[Sid]

her death has my anxiety levels off the charts. I'm a huge fan of hers. She's a great actress.

[wowthisismetoaT]

LOL - if she ends up having died from the swine flu, then this will reach into MY HA issues. However, I am still not going to worry about it right now.  We just don't know enough to worry.

[dan155]

I'm a heart worrier too and whilst her death freaked me out initially, think about it this way.  Even if she died of a heart condition that she wasn't aware of it does not mean in anyway that its causally connected to your heart.  Jade Goody died of cancer at a young age, does that increase your chances of getting terminal cancer?  Some young people fall off of ladders whilst cleaning their windows and die, even if you yourself are unsteady on your feet does someone else falling to death from a ladder increase your chances of falling to your death from a ladder?

Brittany Murphy's heart is not yours.  Odds are on top of having anorexia, drug problems and diabetes Mrs Murphy never had any heart tests done.  I havent heard of anybody having an ECG + ultrasound done and then going home and dropping dead.  All the ones who seem to die apparently never bothered to check their heart. 

[Sid]

Umm I never had my heart checked. I'm terrified of doctors. All I've done is taked countless blood tests, my doctor listened to my heart and she says it's fine and I had a chest X-Ray all which were normal. My doctor just told me that I have a good heart.....now I'm scared. 

[sixpack]

sid

how does your not having had a ECG done make you more likely to have a heart attack?  It doesn't.  You have HA and are afraid you have heart problems.  Being afraid you have a heart problem and actually having a heart problem are two different things.

I've never had an ECG.  While this young woman's death is tragic doesn't mean it is going to happen to me or anybody here.

Tonight two of my kids have karate lessons and my son has an evening class.  Someone on the road tonight will have a horrible car accident.  Does that mean that when I take my kids to their destination that I will too?

[forestbythesealady]

I heard the one about how she had "flu-like symptoms" prior to this. Okay, here's how the media might have gotten that information. The police or coroner asked her husband or family members if she showed any signs of not feeling well. They would have thought about it and maybe said...well, she did mention that her body ached or her nose was stuffy or she was feeling tired. Now, the press looks for any new information about this case, get that bit of info from someone, and they translate that into "flu-like" symptoms. If she had been throwing up and sick in bed, they would have said that.

Okay, as someone else said, dying of "natural causes" means that this was not a homicide. Didn't they say this about Michael Jackson when he died as well? Then the toxicology report was done and we found out the rest of the information.

And...regardless of what her current drug/eating disorder status was...if she struggled with these things for the past ten years, it could have certainly caused a strain on her heart.

Sid...your heart is fine. You HAVE had your heart checked. You do not need ultra sounds or other tests for the doctor to feel comfortable that your heart is fine. We do not know if she went to the doctor less than once a year...or ten times a year like we all do.

I understand how this can scare a lot of you. I'm guessing that it is probably scaring people who don't even have HA. As more information comes out about this I'm sure the situation will be better understood. Try to relax if you can.

[mom2boys]

Haven't read all the replies but this is why I came back here... I've been having "skipped beats, palpitations etc. Can't get the thought out of my head of IF IT IS MY HEART I can just drop dead. One of my biggest fears is just dying. My Dr. has said nothing is wrong with my heart, he knows of my palpitations etc. But hearing of someone MY AGE (I'm32) dying from cardiac arrest  gets my mind going. Plus watching Dr. Oz the other morning talk about all the cardiac deaths around the holidays... How eating too much or sitting by the fire too long can cause problems!! SERIOUSLY??? Of course the holidays are stressful, we tend to eat more fattening foods etc. So now I can worry about having a heart attack on Christmas morning... Oh but don't "stress" too much about it..That will cause a heart attack too.

[idreamofskiba]

Plus watching Dr. Oz the other morning talk about all the cardiac deaths around the holidays... How eating too much or sitting by the fire too long can cause problems!! SERIOUSLY??? Of course the holidays are stressful, we tend to eat more fattening foods etc. So now I can worry about having a heart attack on Christmas morning... Oh but don't "stress" too much about it..That will cause a heart attack too.

This is another thing I hate that the media over-sensationalizes.  Yes, heart attacks are more frequent around the holidays for those reasons, BUT if doing that for just a few days gives you a heart attack, then you probably already had a heart problem.

[Bandini]

soooo being comfortable and warm causes heart attacks now?

[Anxiously_Yours]

I saw that same Dr. Oz episode.   I must say I was a little put off by it as well and it did freak me out a bit.  So if anything happens to me over the holidays...I'm going to sue Dr. Oz for adding the extra stress and anxiety to an already stressful time!

I guess I will just eat a few carrots for dinner and drink some water instead of the roast beef and glass of wine.   lol

[wowthisismetoaT]

How many holidays have you made it through without having a heart attack so far?  I have been through 30 of them.  My mom has been through 60 of them, and my dad has been through 61 of them.  His dad went through 85 of them and when he did die, he was in the bathroom about to take a shower.  He wasn't stressed or worried - he was OLD and his heart stopped working. 

Logical thinking is the key to beating HA.  It really is.  It is NOT logical to think that a 30 year old will up and die over Christmas because of the stress of the holidays..no matter what a doctor on TV says.