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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To be angry & upset that DH didn’t want me to go to hospital?

324 replies

ThisWayDown · 26/12/2018 13:04

I’m in South Africa for a holiday with DH and DC. No family here but a friend. Today at the beach the waves were strong. I got knocked over by one and my knee gave way with a loud snap. I tore my anterior cruciatr ligament (ACL) 15 years ago when someone skied into me and had a reconstruction - it tore again some years later and I needed another. The way the knee sounded and hurt and not being able to stand on it made me really worry that I’d torn my ACL again.

DH helped me stand up and hobble over to our towels on the shore. He then said “we’re not going to A&E”. He was being slightly lighthearted but also totally serious. He said that’s because we went to A&E our last holiday due to a hand fracture I turned out to have.

We took the kids to get some dinner before heading back to our rented flat. As we went home on the bus, my knee became increasingly painful and in my view was swollen. DH said “oh shit” when I told him I was in pain and seemed angry. He said he was upset that I may have injured myself. He was caring but when I said I wanted to go to A&E he seemed to shut down, which he often does. He thought it was in my “best interests” not to but to get back to the apartment and rest and decide tomorrow, as it was “highly likely” that I wouldn’t need treatment and that the hospital wouldn’t be able to do anything. And the kids needed to get home. He thought I was being unreasonable going.

He’s not a doctor. I was angry that he’d - yet again - put what he thought should happen above what I did. He thought I should wait to the morning. When we got off the bus I told him to take the children home and I would call my friend to take me there. She didn’t answer. I said I’d take a cab. He said he wasn’t leaving me but he didn’t want to take the children to the hospital as that wasn’t in their best interests, so it was “an impossible situation”. He wanted me not to go. I said I was in considerable pain and I strongly suspected it was torn, and that I couldn’t believe he wanted to override that. We had a huge argument at the bus stop, in front of our kids SadBlush They wanted to come to the hospital. Eventually we all went in a cab.

The triage nurse sent me to wait to see a doctor. My family stayed with me for a while but I sent them home so the kids could go to bed. My friend eventually called but had been drinking so couldn’t drive over to see me.

My DH said again while here innA&E that he hadn’t wanted to go to A&E as we went on the last holiday. I said I didn’t realise there was a quota, regardless of whether someone needed treatment or not Hmm I am so upset that he wanted me to delay hospital treatment to the next morning or, better yet, not seek any. I am so livid and heartbroken by his irrationality, callousness and rigidity (again) that I put my friend and not him as my emergency contact and told DH I’d let the kids know how I was getting on but not him.

I strongly suspect he is on the autistic - one of our children is - and so does our ASD child’s psychologist and the couples therapisf we used to see. He agrees that he has traits sometimes but when pressed will deny he has it and refuse to seek a diagnosis or accept that some of his thinking and actions are, er, different and frankly come across as selfish and uncaring. He says he was worried about me, just felt it was much better for me if I slept on it and decided on A&E in the morning. I said that wasn’t his decision to make.

We’ve had a lovely holiday so far but I am so down with him not respecting my opinion and thinking it’s aporopriate to think he knows best. I’ve been waiting for hours to see a doctor and, apart from my children who have been so sweet and caring, I feel utterly alone. AIBU to think he’s BU?

OP posts:
PlatypusPie · 26/12/2018 15:33

You have a history of knee problems and know what an injury feels like plus you will have to fly home at some point, which could be compromised with an injury. You were absolutely right to want to go to A&E and your DH was incredibly insensitive and selfish in not wanting to help you.

This was not the same as doing a bit of a misstep or feeling a bit of a twinge after tripping in the waves.

SassitudeandSparkle · 26/12/2018 15:33

I hope you get seen and a diagnosis soon, OP.

I have mixed feelings about this one - with your prior injuries it does sound as if it would be worth getting it checked properly, however putting your friend down as NOK rather than your DH makes me think you may have a tendency to be over-dramatic!

thebaronetofcockburn · 26/12/2018 15:35

I'm with him because, having done this myself twice, there's nothing they can really do about at A&E. It needs surgery which you'd probably be best having in the UK because you can't fly after it for a couple of weeks and have to be signed off to fly.

TenForward82 · 26/12/2018 15:38

My DH can be very similar about medical attention, so I sympathise. Most posters here don't seem to get it

subspace · 26/12/2018 15:41

I'm sorry you're going through this OP. I hope you get seen soon, and that the drunk guys are more entertaining than threatening. Flowers

GoodHeavensNoImAChicken · 26/12/2018 15:46

I don’t think you were overreacting at all, I think your DH sounds awful. You’re right, there is no quota on a&e visits. How dare he make you feel guilty for an injury that wasn’t your fault.

I hope it’s okay. I know it’s painful and difficult to fix but hopefully by seeking help as soon as you were able to given the circumstances hopefully you’ll be on the mend soon.

You did not go to a&e “too early” as pp’s have said. Acl tears need to be seen

Italiangreyhound · 26/12/2018 15:46

YANBU. He sounds like a major dick.

greendale17 what an utterly idiotic and uncaring thing to say!

NorthEndGal the OP8 has not been silly. She needed medical help and her 'd'h did not want her to get it. It's quite simple really, if her dh gets injured and wants to not get help, his business, fucking frustrating no doubt but his body. But if the OP* is injured she needs to make the choice what to do and her husband should support her.

MacarenaFerreiro "What would A&E have been able to do?"

Give her something for the pain, lend her a crutch so she can walk, who knows, I am not a doctor but I would have gone to A and E in heartbeat and if my dh tried to stop me I would seriously be re-thinking my relationship.

Just for the record OP I had a miscarriage a long time ago. I was bleeding heavily and in the end we went to hospital at my suggestion. The hospital thought it worth keeping me in for a number of days and it took me a long time to get over the feeling that dh had not been proactive in taking me to the hospital when I was bleeding so bad and I had had to suggest it.

And OP I don't think you are silly, an argument happened in front of the kids because your 'd'h put his own needs ahead of you when you are injured and you rightly told people you didn't want your 'd'h to know what was up with you because you were angry.

Seaweed42 sometimes we made decisions when in pain which are not always for the best. I don't blame the OP for that, her husband was a twat.

TacoLover · 26/12/2018 15:59

I am so livid and heartbroken by his irrationality, callousness and rigidity (again) that I put my friend and not him as my emergency contact and told DH I’d let the kids know how I was getting on but not him.

Are you twelveConfused

Tofurkey · 26/12/2018 16:07

Maybe he is fed up of you always getting injured? Your travel insurance must be expensive.

Confused

Like it's the OP's fault? She wasn't playing Russian Roulette she was at the beach. Grown ups can go to A&E whenever they want, they don't need their husband's blessing.

Italiangreyhound · 26/12/2018 16:13

TacoLover are you?

Italiangreyhound · 26/12/2018 16:15

Love the fact people are using their Boxing day to berate an injured woman waiting at A and E.

Mumnset at its worst.

Good luck OP.

Mummyoflittledragon · 26/12/2018 16:17

TacoLover
I think op already agreed that not informing her dh was a silly thing to say. And I think it’s really sad she is unable to have her dh as her emergency contact because he is refusing to accept her decision to seek medical advice for something, which could be pretty serious. That makes her responsible and an adult as she recognises the situation for what it is. But you kick an injured woman, who has stated the injury affected her my, while she’s down. Confused

ThisWay
I hope your knee / leg is ok. Flowers

Mummyoflittledragon · 26/12/2018 16:18

My = mh

mirialis · 26/12/2018 16:20

YANBU - very rarely that I do this but... not RTFT... just sending you good wishes and hoping it's not your ACL. People often cause a lot more damage (to the cartilage for example) by walking around with a snapped ligament and therefore an unstable knee. I hope I never, ever have that snapping feeling ever again but if I even got close to it, I would be straight off to the doctor - I would not be taking ibuprofen and waiting til the next day. Unless there is history of you rushing off to A&E all without it turning out to be with good cause then your husband is definitely BU and I would feel really pissed off too. I would try to find a less stressful time to have a proper chat with him about why it's important you seek treatment and why it was so hurtful for him to be so shitty about it and not trust your judgement on this.

Fingers crossed for your knee.

Villanellesproudmum · 26/12/2018 16:26

Hope you get seen soon, sounds very painful!

Cheerbear23 · 26/12/2018 16:28

I think you’ll probably be susceptible to injuring her it again as it’s been an issue before, so on that basis he should have s but more sympathy. Also it was an accident - not like you went out looking to get knocked over by a wave!

Smallhorse · 26/12/2018 16:38

Hope you are ok

TacoLover · 26/12/2018 16:44

But you kick an injured woman, who has stated the injury affected her mh, while she’s down.

I accept that she may have already addressed that she was unreasonable about this(I didn't see it) but the whole 'kicking her while she's down' argument is so irrelevant when she's posted on AIBU. Should only people that agree with her post then? If someone's feeling down are they immune to criticism?

brizzledrizzle · 26/12/2018 16:46

YANBU, ACL injuries are serious and often (as you know) need surgery, therefore you don't mess about with a suspected ACL injury - mine was absolutely agony.

ThisWayDown · 26/12/2018 16:48

@Italiangteyhound your crossed out part of your post made me cry (for the first time tonight btw). You’re right, it’s Boxing Day, and I am injured and down and in a strange country and alone at A&E to boot. I wanted to try and hide a potentially identifying detail so said I’m on holiday in South Africa but I’m not - I’m in a country in the Southern Hemisphere where it’s currently 3:30am so I’m shattered.

I’ve seen the doctor now and she thinks I have a partial tear of the ACL. Given my knee history I need a MRI. She’s put me in a thigh to ankle brace and given me crutches and pain killers. I can hardly walk now some hours on without the brace, so I’m pleased to have that at least to stabilise my leg. It is extremely unattractive and that along with not being advised to go in the sea or on a beach here again is going to adversely affect my holiday. I’m sad that I won’t be able to do those things with my kids but resolving that it won’t stop them from doing them. I love the sea and swimming and hiking and I’m trying not to feel a bit sorry for myself, especially with some of the comments on this thread.

OP posts:
TacoLover · 26/12/2018 16:48

And I think it’s really sad she is unable to have her dh as her emergency contact because he is refusing to accept her decision

And this doesn't seem true to me. She isn't 'unable' to put him down as an emergency contact. She easily could have. She deliberately put her friend down instead and said that she would give updates to the kids and not him as a way of being petty and getting back at him, in my view. How does that make her a responsible adult? She's too 'heartbroken' to put him as the emergency contact apparentlyConfused

Bluesmartiesarebest · 26/12/2018 16:49

I can’t believe some of the replies you’ve had! Of course you did the right thing going to a&e, you’ve got a history of serious knee problems.

Your DH sounds useless whether it’s caused by autism or not. Would he leave one of your children injured and refuse to take them to hospital? I’m not sure I could trust his judgement in future.

peeblet · 26/12/2018 16:50

i could see his point as with acl (done it twice) u have to wait weeks for the initial swelling to go down before they would do any op. they just tell u to strap up. you dont technically need them replaced either and many people live without one.

TacoLover · 26/12/2018 16:52

Sorry if I come across as harsh, OP. Your husband has been quite unreasonable(although I think you have been as well) I think he has some misplaced anger because he was scared of the holiday being ruined or you not being able to do much with the kids as a result of the injury.

Regnamechanger · 26/12/2018 16:54

You did the right thing Op, sorry that this is going to have such an impact on your holiday.

There are some shits on here today.