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First let me say that pet shops get a bad rap, but there are reptile pet shops with people qualified to give good advice. The second thing is that vets are not miracle workers. If you get your corn to a vet when abnormal behavior is first noticed, the chances of recovery are good. That doesn't mean every snake will be saved.
I can only guess why the OP's corn died. Many things point to a respiratory infection. Breathing noises, low temperatures, lethargy added to the stress of shedding. The OP was away at college most of the time, and wouldn't have noticed a change in behavior early enough to take him to a vet. The last agonizing moments suggest a neurological explanation, however, it may have been just a snake fighting for breath.
Corns can survive on lower temps, but need warmth for digestion. Most of my corns stay on the cool side of their enclosures, except after feeding. Then they move to the warm side. I have never had a corn with a discernable breathing noise, unless something was blocking its nostrils, like a shard of aspen. The OP described the breathing noise as a hiss. That is most unusual, and may have been the first sign that her corn had a low level respiratory infection that became worse until the eventual death of her corn.
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