Tara Palmer Tomkinson aged 45

eddie wrote:Why would she make out she had a brain tumour?

Syl wrote:Her sister have an interview to clear one or two points up....its she who says Tara made the tumour story up.
I'm not sure why she had to speak publicly about her sister like this.....Tara didn't die of a brain tumour and she said herself it was none malignant and had cleared up, so its not really important.

Raggamuffin wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

She took them because she partied.   That's why most people take a social drug like cocaine.  It gives them a high and the energy to carry on partying until they drop.  She no doubt hammered the speed and ecstacy as well.     I lived with a cocaine addict, remember.   He didn't take them because he carried angst, or pain.  He took them because he wanted to.  Because it was part of the club culture, and because he was a party animal and he enjoyed it.

Her brain tumour was benign.  That's not what killed her.  I don't doubt the drugs killed her.

I don't know why people presume that all cocaine addicts take drugs to mask some kind of hidden or psychological pain.  Most people take recreationals because it's fun and affords a kind of pleasure that they want to repeat again and again.  It's really that simple.   The problem with drugs, is that if you do have any kind of psychological issues, no matter how small, then all that happens is you become unstable and paranoid much more quickly.  

I don't doubt this woman had problems, and unhappiness...but don't we all.

Edited to say: Long term cocaine use compromises the immune system.   Like most drugs.  

You may well be right about the cocaine. I didn't say that everyone who takes it does so because of unhappiness of some kind, they do it because it feels good and it's fun. Of course, they end up in a mess, as you know. It's not clear if she was actively using it leading up to her death. If she was, I doubt it was because it was fun - she was not out partying much in the end. If someone ends up addicted to illegal drugs, is it really self inflicted? You could say that I guess, but unfortunately a lot of people don't think about the consequences when they start.

However, that was just a small part of my post. What about the autoimmune disease? Many people have autoimmune disease without having used cocaine in their lives. Nobody really knows what causes autoimmune disease for sure, but the point is that it may well have been the cause of death if it was severe, or at least contributed. Her brain tumour was benign, but it might have caused other medical issues.

HoratioTarr wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

You may well be right about the cocaine. I didn't say that everyone who takes it does so because of unhappiness of some kind, they do it because it feels good and it's fun. Of course, they end up in a mess, as you know. It's not clear if she was actively using it leading up to her death. If she was, I doubt it was because it was fun - she was not out partying much in the end. If someone ends up addicted to illegal drugs, is it really self inflicted? You could say that I guess, but unfortunately a lot of people don't think about the consequences when they start.

However, that was just a small part of my post. What about the autoimmune disease? Many people have autoimmune disease without having used cocaine in their lives. Nobody really knows what causes autoimmune disease for sure, but the point is that it may well have been the cause of death if it was severe, or at least contributed. Her brain tumour was benign, but it might have caused other medical issues.

It's always a tragedy when drugs destroy a life.   I think drugs and alcohol dependency are both terrible.   The thing about cocaine is that people think it's a glamorous trendy drug that they are able to control.     You start doing drugs and then they start doing you.   Next thing you know your life is totally out of control.     Nothing anybody can do, no matter how much they love you, because it's your own personal journey and battle.  You cannot win against drugs unless that person is willing to fight it themselves.     As for the autoimmune disease, when did she develop it?   After or before her drug consumption began.  

Raggamuffin wrote:

HoratioTarr wrote:

It's always a tragedy when drugs destroy a life.   I think drugs and alcohol dependency are both terrible.   The thing about cocaine is that people think it's a glamorous trendy drug that they are able to control.     You start doing drugs and then they start doing you.   Next thing you know your life is totally out of control.     Nothing anybody can do, no matter how much they love you, because it's your own personal journey and battle.  You cannot win against drugs unless that person is willing to fight it themselves.     As for the autoimmune disease, when did she develop it?   After or before her drug consumption began.  

I do agree about drugs and alcohol dependency. I think it must be terrible to live your life only caring about where the next fix comes from. Even if someone gets off them, I guess they have to reinvent their life, otherwise they'll go back on them.

However, she did not die of a drug overdose. I'm not sure when she developed the autoimmune disease, but I get the impression it was relatively recently, so after the drug consumption. I wonder if she was taking anti-inflammatories for her condition - they can cause stomach ulcers. Infection is another possible cause, and people with autoimmune conditions are sometimes more prone to infection - she was apparently worried about infections.

eddie wrote:

Syl wrote:http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/tara-palmer-tomkinson-was-in-high-spirits-when-she-died-of-natural-causes-says-sister/ar-AAmY6Eh?li=AAmiR2Z&ocid=spartanntp

So Tara died of natural causes.

Hmmmm. Who dies of natural causes apart from old, already frail, people?

HoratioTarr wrote:

Raggamuffin wrote:

I do agree about drugs and alcohol dependency. I think it must be terrible to live your life only caring about where the next fix comes from. Even if someone gets off them, I guess they have to reinvent their life, otherwise they'll go back on them.

However, she did not die of a drug overdose. I'm not sure when she developed the autoimmune disease, but I get the impression it was relatively recently, so after the drug consumption. I wonder if she was taking anti-inflammatories for her condition - they can cause stomach ulcers. Infection is another possible cause, and people with autoimmune conditions are sometimes more prone to infection - she was apparently worried about infections.

I really think the drugs compromised her overall health.   Weakened her.      I think she perhaps neglected her health, or tried to soldier on, or kept the mad lifestyle going even as her health was breaking down.  Who knows?   Too young to die.  But she lived in the fast lane for too many years.  Perhaps her body just broke down and couldn't recover.

Stomach ulcers are usually caused by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

These can break down the stomach's defence against the acid it produces to digest food, allowing the stomach lining to become damaged and an ulcer to form.

It used to be thought that stomach ulcers may be caused by certain lifestyle factors, such as spicy foods, stress and alcohol.

There is little hard evidence to confirm that this is the case, but these factors may make the symptoms of ulcers worse.

However, it is thought that smoking increases your risk of developing stomach ulcers and may make treatment less effective.