A GRIEF stricken mother who was living in agony every day took an overdose to end her suffering, an inquest ruled.

Patricia Oliver was found by her daughter at her Caversham home on Woodcote Road on September 29 with a suicide note.

The 76-year-old had surgery for a triple heart bypass and lived in constant pain with insomnia, osteoporosis and a leaking heart valve.

Her daughter Claire McCoy said: “She lived alone since I moved out about a year ago, but I saw her almost every day.

“My sister committed suicide 10 years ago and this really hit mum hard. Her second husband was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2009.

“She was telling me she was in constant pain and she had had enough.”

When she went in to check on her mother at around 7pm, she could tell something was not right because her face had fallen on one side and her neck was swollen.

She was breathing and was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital by paramedics after being found unresponsive in her bedroom.

Medication was seized from her home and police realised large quantities of certain tablets were missing from a container.

“We were trying to get her into the recovery position and it was not until we moved the covers that we found the note,” Claire added.

An external examination revealed swelling on both of her arms and large quantities of medication were found in her system, leading to respiratory failure.

Emma Jones, assistant coroner for Berkshire, decided she had deliberately taken an overdose because of the note she had left behind.

Speaking at an inquest at Reading Town Hall on May 4 she added: “Your mother had an extensive medical history and it is clear to me she intended to take her own life.

“If she had not left the note, it is possible she could have been confused about the time of day and accidentally overdosed.

“When considering suicide we have to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt and all of the evidence we have suggests a deliberate course of action.”