DH just been taken to french hospital

[AirbnbhostAWOL]

On holiday in France. DH woke me up at 12.30 with intense pain in his left shoulder. Couldn't get comfortable. I put some voltarol on it and we propped him up on the bed, and turned the light out. Next thing I know he's fainted/lost consciousness, and is making a terrible groaning noise and his eyes have rolled back in his head. I can't rouse him, and obviously called emergency services.
He then woke up but was very confused and sweaty. We spent a long time using a combination of my long ago a level french and the operators broken English, but they sent an ambulance.
By the time the ambulance arrived he was better, although in a lot of pain and very pale and clammy. They had an amazing interpreter on board, they took his vitals, and seems convinced it is not his heart, but have taken him to hospital anyway.
I am in the apartment with two DC who slept through almost the whole thing (DD appeared right at the end but half asleep and has gone back to bed). He seemed ok and is obviously in the right place, but now the adrenaline has left my system I feel very shaky and tearful. It was fucking terrifying when he lost consciousness, I genuinely thought he was dying.
If anyone is up to keep me company it would be appreciated

It does sound possible these episodes may be seizures and important these are investigated by a neurologist when you get home. There is usually a very long wait to see a neurologist under the NHS so if you have private health insurance, do use it. Not least, he should not drive if he gets these while awake until he has checked by a neurologist and been advised (DVLA). (I am a medical secretary and work mostly in a neurology practice).

Oh OP poor you. It's terrifying when something like that happens to someone you love. You done bloody great getting an ambulance in a foreign country.

I'm glad your DH is okay but definitely go with him to the GP when you get back. He probably won't remember what happened but you will and can explain it to the doc.

must admit does sound like gallbladder I collapsed with the pain a few times luckily mine is out now so that's that done with but I would rather have given birth again than that.
if i was taken ill anywhere abroad speaking from experience France would be my choice they are excellent perhaps its the paying aspect?
anyway big hugs for you all and hope it gets sorted

i know someone who reacts to stress with seizures.

Both of my dc experience vasovagal syncope ie fainting as a response to pain, vomiting and distress.

DS in particular does the eyes rolling back, clammy, confused routine and then the jerky, twitchy, stiff movements that look exactly like a seizure. Importantly, it is NOT seizure activity. It's his body bringing him back to consciousness.

Link here https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vasovagal-syncope/symptoms-causes/syc-20350527#:~:text=Vasovagal%20syncope%20(vay%2Dzoh%2D,blood%20pressure%20to%20drop%20suddenly.

I hope your DH is on the mend soon. What a holiday!

WonderingWanda I was going to suggest gallstones as well after a relative had similar pain.

You can 100% faint from pain, I have done. However I’d def go to GP in return to UK and see what they say. Glad he’s back from hospital though.

It’s not ridiculous.

Probably 99% plus of the ambulance providers customers will be covered by their mutuelle so they would simply log the details.

They are not going to carry a card machine around to cater for the very occasional Brit.

Oh op you are having a rough time of it this holiday. I too followed your other thread 'oeufs' with interest. Glad hubby is back with ye. Hopefully you don't have difficulties procuring a receipt from the ambo crowd. Try to just relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday, then book himself into the docs when you get home. And yes perhaps be safest for you to drive the rest of the trip.

It’s the 21st century. If they are able to log on and check mutuelle details they must have wifi and would have the facilities to take a credit card.

It sounds like he might have torn a ligament in his shoulder, which would be painful enough to cause fainting in somebody who is a fainter! Has this definitely been ruled out?

DP is French and is currently signed off work with a torn ligament in his shoulder. It started very suddenly when he was at work and he was rushed to hospital in agony.

Hi OP,

Just popping on here with a bit of a different POV re seizures.

About 4 years back I started having 'complicated faints' (as they first put it) i was always a fainty person but this included twitching, eyerolling, joints seizing. They started happening when I got sudden pain. I actually have a couple of heart conditions and everytime I had an arrhythmia (multiple times a week) I started having these weird seizures. Anyway after a lot of tests it turns out it was a weird and wonderful (and annoying) neurological response from my central nervous system. I had to stop driving for a year. It took ages to figure it out to see if it was a seizure or a faint and some episodes were as long as 20 minutes.
Anyway, the long and short of it, they put me on medical to slightly suppress my central nervous system, as that's what was causing all of this shithousery.

Needless to say I've been seizure / fine free for 2 years. Got my license back. Our bodies are weird things and raised cortisol levels can do it (so I've been told) it was all just a weird brain response to pain and each time it happened it was a bit of a brain fart and told my body to go horizontal 😂

So if he has form for fainting and maybe seizing, it could be a bit of an out of sync neuro response. It's quite rare but it's possible!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip, and what a story to tell forever about stopping off at a cash point!

Put me on medication to slightly suppress my CNS that should be!

My dd does this too. It is very scary, but not life threatening. I faint very easily too. If I have any kind of sudden onset nerve pain it sort of shocks my system. I can get sciatica if I lie in a certain position. If i get up too quickly and get a flash of the pain I generally wake up again on the floor 😬

There is a vasovagel response to pain. DH has almost passed out twice and come round clammy after bowel spasms on the toilet. Terrifying but absolutely fine within minutes. DH is very fit and in good shape so it made it more unexpected.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflexsyncope

Oh just seen others have got there before me.

I’ve never used the local system them in a hurry but I’m not sure they do actually do a live check of the mutuelle - TBH in many rural areas 4G etc isn’t great so it may not be possible even if they wanted to.

Have to say if the only criticism of the French system in this whole episode is a lack of a card machine on board the ambulance objectively they did a very very good job..

So glad to wake up and see your DH is back and it isn't serious.

My mother (77) has had several fainting episodes over the years. A couple of years ago on holiday we went for a walk in the woods and it ended in the Cafe with her fainting like you describe. It was terrifying to me. She wouldn't let me call an ambulance (as she lost control of her bladder and just wanted to go back to the accommodation and clean up). I agreed to take her back but called 111 when we got back. They suggested I take her to A&E. It was nearly an hours drive to the closest one. We went. When we arrived they were queuing out the door. People were vomiting left right and centre. There were still high levels of covid. And would have been hours waiting. She refused to wait - claiming we would pick up more by being there - i didn't disagree. By this time it was about 3 hours after the incident and she was fine. I made her promise to go to her doctors on return from holiday. (I knew she wouldn't. So I wrote to them to say she won't come in but I am concerned, is there anything they can do....e.g. invite her in....response was - she needs to make an appointment. So dead end....) So far it hasn't happened since.

Long way of saying please be reassured, it could be nothing serious and not reoccur. Of course go to doctor when back in the UK.

What a night for you, glad your dh has been sent home.

Do you have a Global Health Insurance card? and Ehic card? Some are still valid till the end of this month I think
If not apply for one online today for all of you to have a GHIC

I was in Calais and taken by ambulance to the main hospital - I didn't have to stop on the way (but it was the fire brigade who took me, so maybe they don't charge and I know there are different levels of ambulances in France) I was treated and sent on my way.
About 3/4 weeks later I got the bill sent through from the French hospital. I sent back a copy of my Ehic card - the bill was reduced by 80% and I actually sent cash in an envelope

Just to add

The French hospital in Calais was extremely good, the staff were very good and almost all woke English to me fluently. I say it was better than my good experiences with the NHS

Two people I know (one I was with at the time) had similar episodes. I genuinely thought heart attack but both turned out to be gallstones.
Sending lots of gentle hugs op.

Very scary for you all, glad he’s okay.

I found DH on the landing in the middle of the night sweating and clammy. His fall woke me(6ft 4) and I immediately thought heart attack. Had the phone in my hand but he came round and said he had no pain , got in to bed and within minutes he was ok. I didn’t sleep all night but googled and found this vasovagel response and I relaxed a bit.

Did your Dh bite his tongue? Thats can be a sign with epileptic seizures.

I’ve been through similar with DH. He was poking about in a wound late at night (having woken up to go to loo, and then deciding to try to get a bit of sand out the (deep) wound). He called for help snd there was as massive bang as he hit the floor. I ran in as his eyes rolled back and he passed out. Ambulance to hospital, they monitored heart, all fine, sent home no further action. Was a pain response. Hasn’t happened since (yet). Hope it’s the same for your DH.