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.

OP, it sounds like you know how to manage your condition, however, it might sensible to think how you communicate this. I say this as someone who has is both a HCP and someone with long term conditions. It can be helpful be mindful of not saying trigger words. Whilst, you may be to take certain risks and make certain decisions, a HCP cannot take that risk and it would be unreasonable to ask them.

I'll take that on board for sure.
I don't want to end up €300 down again!

@Manchildd Im with you. Speaking as a nurse, who often as a high heart rate for various reasons, often as high as 180 for a prolonged period of time, and without divulging my medical conditions, its infuriating when people dont listen to you. I have had similar at an event with drinkers present, all i needed was to sit down for a few minutes to lower the rate. I told the person i was with, my hearts racing, i need to sit down for a few minutes. peole jumped in and wanting to call 999 etc. No, fuck off, its not what i needed. I know my heart rate, i know whats normal for me, if it goes over 200 ill get help. but i know my baselines, i know when its not coming down, and when i need to escalate.

Now, as i nurse, if someones obs are outside the realms of "normal" and they ahve a medical condition thats possibly linked, the very frst question to the patient, or person, is and always should be "whats normal for you?" If they dont know, fine escalate, but if they do know, and very often they know their condition better than a stranger, no matter how medically trained that stranger is, listen to them.

I’m afraid it’s you that is coming across as unpleasant here. I think it’s highly relevant to say that these nurses were drunk. It means their judgement and professional ability were likely impaired, which is hugely important. They ignored any issues of consent which you’d like to hope they wouldn’t if sober.

Ok. Other people are reading this thread also. I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks OP is coming across as unpleasant.

I don't understand some of these replies at all. If you were clearly explaining you didn't need (or want) medical help, then they were overstepping. I wouldn't have paid, would have said "I didn't call you and specified I didn't need medical help, direct your bill at those that called you without my consent"

The OP isn’t coming across as at all unpleasant to me. I have doubts about the motivations of supposed medical professionals picking apart her posts though.

I feel for you OP. The people around overreacted and didn’t listen to you. Might be worth having a debrief with the hotel manager. I hope the nurses reflect on the events and whether their role in them was entirely helpful and professional in the sober light of day.

As you can tell by the many daft and unsympathetic responses in this thread OP, getting people to react sensibly in these situations can be a frighteningly uphill battle.

I hope you don't have to go through all this again at some stage.

I didn't say you were being dramatic, just the situation you describe because I can't imagine how the nurses physically blocked you.

Did they actually restrain you, forcibly prevent you from leaving and take your pulse without your consent?

If a couple of drunk women tried to manhandle me I would shout out that I was being attacked. If nothing else, how would I know they are actually nurses. What did you say when they said you couldn't leave?

It all sounds very odd that they managed to overhear you say you have a manageable heart condition to a member of resort staff and that alone prompted them to spring into action in such a dramatic fashion. Unless you actually presented as unwell and were gasping for breath or similar (and even then I don't think trained nurses would panic in the way you describe)

I'm a retired nurse. I cringed reading this. Note to self :if I've had a drink don't try to help anyone. Sounds like a Carry On sketch.
I'd be furious at being £300 down too.

He rummaged for my passport and had it in his hand.
I think it would've been a case of 'no passport no payment' - we already had a huge audience gawping over.

thankfully got €200 of it back though!

I have doubts of some of the professionals on here too. Specifically @SquishedMallowpicking apart my arrhythmias.. who would do that? It's strange isn't it!

They were chatting to and stood next to the staff member I approached.

they sat me in a chair which at the time I didn't protest about.. started taking my pulse and placing hands on my chest. I tried to stand up and they were stood over me so I couldn't stand. They at one point even tried putting a paper bag over my mouth.

in the end it was easier to just do as they asked. I didn't want to cause anymore stares or have anyone else involved.

it was a really horrible experience and I felt very claustrophobic but due to my heart being a bit high I didn't want to get anymore het up and start barging out. I probably could've done more but it's very easy to say that from an outsider looking in.

It probably looked like posting from a sketch too 🤣

I've managed to get most of the money back thankfully :)

won't chase the other €100 and chalk it up to experience.

Who actually called for a doctor?
Just claim the doctors fees from your travel insurance

The nurses demanded a doctor. Between them and then demanding the staff the doctor got called.

the reason I didn't use the travel insurance is because the excess fee is more than the doctor fee so it was essentially pointless.

I have SVT, well controlled with calcium channel blockers and flecainide as pill in the pocket. Most people get alarmed at high heart rates but when you have a condition you know your body and when to act. It was some years before I| felt comfortable travelling abroad (and I always check local medical facilities when booking). SVT doesn't require medical intervention unless it doesn't resolve, if you have it you will have systems and methods to try.
Unrelated to this but I have other experiences of health issues abroad and have always found an eagerness to over treat when there is money to be charged. That must be what it's like in the USA.

Massive over reach from the medics and many on this post. I would be pretty annoyed too YANBU. Whatever happened to patient centric care??

You can't ask for the £150 back because he saw you so you received a service from a doctor who had to be summoned. Well, not had to be. But he was and he's done his job now.

It's annoying that nobody listened to you and only seemed to vaguely listen to your brother (wonder why?!) but what's done is done.

Definitely make sure you get the second payment back as it was an error he admitted to. Sounds like a scam tbf as some sick people might not notice. But the first payment you must accept unfortunately.

God knows if he was even a real doctor as if the restaurant were so keen to get him there maybe it's just a ruse to extract money from tourists.

Were the 'nurses' locals? Or other tourists? Were they in uniform?

Im a registered nurse this is awful behaviour towards you. I would never get involved in any situation if I had a drink, the word nurse is overused, they were likely not registered
I would ask the ‘nurses’ to refund you

You sound extremely well-informed about your condition, how utterly frustrating for you to have encountered those bolshy, over-stepping nurses, it made for painful reading!
Glad you have got a partial refund at least. I would have gone into full-on fish-wife mode but with your DD standing by that probably wasn't the sensible approach. We go to a massive hotel complex in Crete where I think there might be a resident doctor, can just imagine this happening there.

The doctor came out to see you, so I would consider the 150 a call out fee even if not needed. I once had a hangover in a foreign hospital. I asked reception for some headache tablets and they sent me to the hotel doctor who checked all my vital signs! Too long ago to remember if they charged me

The nurses may have overacted but if the had too much to drink they just did their best. A drunk nurse is still a drunk! At least they did something which is always better than nothing.

I think what may have bothered you more is a big scene. Nobody else will really care though. Just forget it and enjoy the rest of your holiday.

How is Cyprus would love to go?

This would have been cracking hotel entertainment for other diners

Are you still on holiday op?

Go for a walk around the resort find those nurses and tell them refund you, after explaining what fools they were🤣
I'd have been soooo mad.
On the plus side, at least your holiday 🌞