Everyone being so over the top / pushy doctor?

[Manchildd]

Hi everyone.
currently on holiday in Cyprus. I have 2 heart conditions, prolonged QT and SVT. Just to paint a picture a few years ago I discovered the two. I started having seizures and it wasn't a good time. I had to stop driving and spent a long time in hospital. Fast forward 3 years I'm driving again, living a normal life on medication etc.

i do get heart spikes, most days in fact. Due to these two conditions my heart sits at about 110 and eating is a trigger. All I need to do is chill out, take my medication and it'll pass.
last night at dinner with everyone around me my heart spiked to about 124 (this is nothing, it can go to 200s)

the protocol from my cardio team is that if I have a seizure / if my heart spikes to 160+ for 10 minutes or more then I go to hospital.

when I'd finished my food we left to go back to the room. I went up to a staff member and kindly asked if someone could collect us as I don't feel very well. There were a couple of nurses in earshot that then started ordering chairs, asking to give me space and asked what's the matter. I said to them my heart is a little quick but this happens ALL THE TIME and I just need to get back to the room. They wouldn't let me and quite literally blocked me from going. They were taking my pulse and it was 124. They then instructed staff for an ambulance. This was working me up by this point as nobody was listening. I didn't need an ambulance I just needed to go back and chill out. Ambulance was called.

my brother at this point told everyone to calm down and cancel the ambulance. They did.

instead they had asked the staff to call a doctor.
doctor game and immediately said I need to go to hospital (without doing a single check.) I know my body. Nobody was listening to me. When everyone realised that I'm not going, I had to sign a waiver saying I was refusing treatment. The doctor was very pushy for me to go, he demanded my passport details, address, GP details etc.

eventually my heart rate settled (as it always does) and the doctor saw that I was fine. But I felt so pressured he even got a cardiologist on the phone to me on his phone saying you have to come in and have bloods and be admitted. Saying that I could die. All of this hyperbole over something that happens to me most days. Nobody was listening.

the doctor then said I need to pay him €150 for the visit. I questioned this as I never called a doctor. A lot of people at dinner were drunk (I don't drink) and it was so dramatic. Realising I wasn't getting out of the €150 I paid it. Realising he has charged be twice x2 €150!!!! He then started being super nice saying everyone was being dramatic and that he will call me tomorrow (today) to refund the €150.

do I ask for the full €300 back? AIBU to think this is ridiculous? I felt so cornered and claustrophobic. These nurses were telling me to breathe into paper bags, to clear space, shouting 'SHES GOING TO HAVE A SEIZURE' - I haven't had a seizure in 3 years. I have my license back and cleared for driving. At no point was I worried. I have a device in my chest that alerts me if I'm in arrhythmia and it didn't go off. I tried to explain this. It happens nearly every time I eat an evening meal. I wasn't in SVT and medication corrects my prolonged QT.

just feel so shit about it all today. I just feel like there was lots of hyperbole and people wanting to be the hero / medical professional out of work times. Perhaps im being harsh but the 2 nurses weren't even listening to me. They kept telling me I need to do this I need to do that. I know what I need to do, I have protocol from my team and I wasn't panicking. I was just getting pissed off no one was listening to me and now I've ended up being charged $300 for the experience!

thanks for reading so sorry it's long.

Well I would be finding those nurses today and educating them. I’m a nurse and unless someone is obviously in an emergency situation the first rule is listen to the patient before jumping to conclusions.

As a PP mentioned, you would have been better off not saying “my heart’s a bit quick” and just asking for the buggy. If the condition is the norm for you why even mention what’s wrong? You must be aware that mentioning your heart will spark concern.

The nurses sound OTT but so does your description of them tbh. Two nurses who both happened to be drunk, shouting that you were going to have a seizure, somehow forcing you to lay down and take your pulse (how? I wouldn’t allow a drunk person to force me onto my back. My didn’t you just refuse?) and then ‘hounding’ staff into calling a doctor. All very dramatic.

It’s also not very nice to claim that the people trying to help you were trying to ‘play the medical hero’. I doubt medical professionals on holiday want to have their break disturbed in order to deal with a sick holidaymaker. I do understand that you feel embarrassed by all the fuss but again, not sure how and why you didn’t just walk away from the situation.

I work in a medical field and attended a theatrical event a few weeks ago and it seems it was also attended by nearly every doctor and nurse in my city. Someone had a medical emergency and thanks to the amount of alcohol on board, there was also a massive over-reaction (and wanna be hero competitiveness coming out to play I suspect) I think this happened. Absolutely call the doctor. State that you did not consent to having them called, felt pressured into paying for treatment that you did not want or need and you’ve been charged twice against your will.

I agree with you OP, consent is a thing and they were drunk as well. If the doc doesn't refund the overcharge then do a chargeback on your card, then at least you are only 150 down.

Have you heard of the saying “ You don’t k ow what you don’t know” - a HR of 124 may be normal for you but it is also indicative of a lot of other medical problems. You are not exempt from sepsis/ shock (amongst other things) just because you have an ICD. I understand your frustration but if you ask for help because you feel unwell and your heart rate is 124 you will get help. I understand that the nurses could not ignore what they saw it is their professional duty. They absolutely did the right thing. As did the doctor.
Obviously you know how your illness affects you but as I said before you are not exempt from dying or becoming seriously ill from something else and a tachycardia can be a symptom of this

Not the point I know- but how did the request for 150 Euros result in you paying 300?

But the OP knew that this was normal for her and had asked for no medical help at all, just a buggie back to her room. Everything else that happens was unasked for, intrusive and bad medical care.

Liam Payne has ruined hotel stays for everyone. The staff have probably been instructed to avoid headlines about guests spontaneously combusting.

I think the 150 is going to be written off, Im sorry OP as you didnt ask for all of this.
The hôtel staff should not have been taking instructions from random members of the public, self declared nurses or otherwise. I would personally raise with the manager and say that you were put in an extremely uncomfortable position and that the staff were taking instructions from members of the public who were inebriated. And going against your wishes.
It's very clear that you asked for assistance and the staff should have just ordered the buggy as requested. These random people offered help which you declined and I think you are not unreasonable in feeling miffed when you had to deal with all this extra ambulance /dr none of which helped!

It seems to be the very drunk people who were the issue as you've said that multiple times. I don't think you can blame medical purple for drunk people drama. And it's also possible the metal staff didn't want to leave you in the incapable hands of a bunch of legless family/ friends.

I think they were right to take it seriously and to do everything they could to ensure you were ok. What if it hadn’t been your usual
experience and something had happened to you? They would have been in big trouble. You are away from home. It is better to be safe than sorry.

My Suggestion is that you get your refund but that you thank all concerned for their fast acting and their help.

My room was a 5-10 minute walk, uphill at that.
do you not think I would've done that?
I didn't feel well and the buggies are there to use for anybody. Why shouldn't I make use of it when I don't feel well?
the drunk nurses got themselves involved in a situation which didn't involve them.

Medical purple made me chuckle! 🤣 oh & metal staff!

I said in my posts, I couldn't just 'walk away' I was being physically blocked by the nurses and at this point the doctor and staff. I was being handed card machines. What did I do exactly that was dramatic? I went up to a staff member, requested a buggy and said I didn't feel well.
they asked what's wrong so I told the truth. My heart was a bit quick and I quickly followed it up by saying it's normal for me and that was that. 2 nurses came stumbling over saying they need to clear space. They started putting their hands on me checking my pulse. I tried to walk away so I went in the opposite direction which is when they got in front of me and cleared a table. I was cornered and literally had nowhere to go. I had the doctor rummaging through my bag trying to find my passport and he was also handing me my phone for my insurance.

i didn't ask, consent, or want any of this. I wasn't the problem. I wasn't being dramatic.

thanks tho.

But the nurses did not see anything to 'ignore'

aside from a dodgy pulse reading they took without their consent, there were no sepsis / shock / other serious warnings.

if they had just listened and to me, and weren't so drunk shouting over everybody and each other, none of this would happened.
I ended up showing them medical letters on my phone and protocol which clearly stated a heart rate of 124 is fine.

this was ignored. They chose to ignore medical advice which was in writing.

Why shouldn't I choose a big resort? I picked what I felt was going to be the best for me and my child.
I picked knowing there were buggies around for quick transport access.

do you usually victim blame?

I work full time, drive, am a full time single parent.
where did you get 'barely walk' from? I can walk fine thank you. There are just times where I can and will take shortcuts or transport. Doesn't mean my legs dont work anymore.

The lesson id take from this is i wouldn't add the words "i don't feel well, my hearts a bit quick, happens all the time"

Id say - can I get a cart, want to go back to my room.

Im torn on the 150, you didn't call the Dr, you didnt need the Dr, they thought you did. But you wont get it all refunded, "they" wont pay it.

Next time don't tell people you don't feel well.

Im here with my 4 year old DD and my brother only. He was desperately fighting my corner and only due to his persistence the ambulance was cancelled.