Cause of death?

Heart health and blood vessels
1

Hi,

Sadly a relative passed away, I only learned recently - in fact they died back in 2017. I am also a little angry because the NHS left me an answerphone message last year telling me a near relative had been hospitalised, without telling me who or where. It took me hours of phone calls to find out who it was, but the relative said they were okay, when I at length found out which hospital they had been taken to. A year later I learn they died soon after giving me the 'okay' - the NHS never contacted me to tell me there was anything serious or that the same relative had passed away. I sent them a Christmas card last year and could not understand why they didn't reply. They were no longer in the world of the living    

Moan over, I understand how pressured the NHS is.

So I ordered the death certificate, I have no idea what was the matter - the underlying cause of the sudden bereavement.  But I find I cannot understand the detail of the death certificate. Can anyone help please?

The certificate gives as the cause of death:

a) Congestive heart failure - senile calcific aortic valve stenosis and mitral valve stenosis

and

b) Multiple lung metastases from adenocarcinoma colon.

'Heart failure' I sadly of course understand, but not the rest. Still perplexed though, I spoke to my relative on the hospital phone and she gave me the 'ok', a year later I learn she suffered heart failure, presumably at the same hospital?

Sorry about the bleak nature of this enquiry.

Thank you.

2

"adenocarcinoma colon" refers to a specific kind of colon cancer. "Multiple lung metastases" means that the colon cancer spread to the lungs and multiple tumors developed in the lungs.

3

Thank you,

This information gives closure. The cancer must have been very sudden - spread very suddenly - when I last saw my relative she seemed 'normal' & I spoke to her on the hospital phone - must have been shortly before she died; again, she sounded normal, told me the hospital visit was a 'regular thing', so I presumed a check-up? The deterioration must have been rapid.