to make dh get a taxi back from A&E?

[whoopstheregoesmymerkin]

he has been bedridden with flu for 5 days inc today. He is a notorious hypoghondriac but would deny this.
I rang NHS direct tonight as he said he couldn't breath.
they rang the ambulance not me. Paramedic thought it was pulled muscle from coughing but they would take him in.
SO I have had the crappest day ever, I am so mad if it's another one of his over acting episodes. DD 14mo is really poorly with cold. Ds 4yo is snuggled in bed. Do I get them out in cold car, frozen skating ring roads after 9pm to get him or do I make him get taxi?

I wonder how people would have reacted if the OP had been a man talking about expecting his ill wife to make her won way home from A&E having been taken there in an ambulance? I be people would have been suggesting getting a neighbour in to watch the children or even finding out if there was a mnetter anywhere near who could help.

Taxi still!! Even with pneumonia! I assume he is a young fit man usually, pneumonia is rarely life threatening!
FWIW, I had pneumonia for 5 weeks without realising, I am working single mum with an 8yr old and a 2yr old, I managed to carry on doing my usual, though with some difficulty, got around looked after my DD's, worked, drove etc!
yes I felt crap, shor of breath and all round awful,but no reason why you should get 2 LO's out in the cold on dangerous roads to get him.
Also note after 2 days off work on antibiotics I felt almost back to normal, so do not let him play this for weeks!!

My headteacher died of pneumonia, he was a workoholic and 42 years old. Don't treat it like flu. he may be a PITA but it would be a lot harder explaining your actions to your children when they are old enough. Make your points and tell him to be more manly when he's well again.
Agree with the opinion of sexist responses Seeker.

ahh thank you for being so cheery first thing this morning Goblin. I wasn't canvassing for thoughts on whether he would die and I would be left destitute explaining to my children that it was all mummy's fault.

DD2 had this last year and we spent a week in childrens ward, but she was fine, Im pretty sure if my little baby girl was fine, that he will def be ok.
Whens he home?

Then please don't let me spoil your self-indulgent drama fest. If that's your crappest day ever you are a lucky woman.

Ooh wow some nasty comments.

(1) I would still say 'tell them to get a taxi' even if it was the wife in A&E. It's far safer. You just shouldn't drive on slippy/night/Christmas drivers about roads with children. Better for the rest of the family to stay in the warmth and not get ill.

(2) Now he's been admitted well, he's in the best place. I had pneumonia as a teenager and the vast majority of people recover.

So I hope he gets well soon. Oh but I should add - certainly won't stop him exaggerating any illness in future.....ahem...

Thank you Bellissima and everyone else for their kind comments, what started out as a bit of a regular MN get it off your chest rant apears to have touched something in Goblin to make her feel she needs to make a personal attack.
I am sorry if Goblin feels I am being self indulgent, my dh is in ICU with pneumonia on Boxing day. My small dcs are ill and very scared. There is no one around to look after them at the mo while I sort things out.
I shall now sign off for a few days and wallow in my own 'drama fest'.

Nasty, Goblinchild. And unnecessary.

Hope all goes well for your DH, whoops. Take care of yourself and your DCs. And when your DH is better (as I'm sure he will be), let him know that being a hypochondriac has consequences!

Wow! what a quick turn in a thread on several counts.

seeker and others, but it is not a pg woman who was taken to the hospital and expected to get home in a taxi. It is a man. Although, now it transpires, with pneumonia. Why would anyone risk taking 2 small children out of the house in the I am presuming Icy roads (which have been so for about 10 days my way).

For me, if it was a pg woman and the dh was left home with 2 small kids, I think it is better than she came home in a taxi and the kids stay home safe and snug - with dh. I would not expect neighbours to cover for us at home so DH could come get me from A&E in this scenario. A taxi driver can drive as safely as dh can.

If he isn't well enough to be admitted then still, he can make his own way home in a taxi.

for some perspective:

2 wks ago I had to take dd2 to the local walk in and were transferred to a proper a&e in an ambulance for possible admittance. Icy roads, etc. At half 2 in the morning when they told us she was well enough to go home, guess what, rather than get dh to leave his warm bed and drag dd1 with him, guess what, we taxied it (12 miles) back to the car then drove home. Why endanger and at minimum, inconvenience the whole family for the sake of vanity one?

So he's now in the ICU, I pointed out that I knew someone who had died of pneumonia and people still think he should stop being a wuss and get a taxi home? Presumably when he's stopped wasting hospital resources.
If I was him, I'd book into a hotel to recover, can take up to two months or more.

When he is well enough to leave hospital, if necessary, I´m sure a taxi will be fine.

My remark was just a bit of general musing at the attitude twoards me that sometimes pervades mumsnet - it wasn't intended AT ALL to a a criticism of the OP - whoops, I do hope he's better soon and you all have a better New Year than you seem to have had Christmas!

goblin, the wife of a colleague both teachers like myself, died of pneumonia the same day after an emergency admittance. she'd been at work only 2 days before while poorly with flu.

still agree with others that you are being unreasonably melodramatic harsh on the OP.

i am happy that the op's dh is in the best place for him and from the sound of things she's having some guilty respite from him and both having some time and distance to reflect on this incident.

Sorry, but I think this was definately unreasonable. I would have picked him up.

ICU now? poor man.

Anyway, hope the rest of your Christmas isnt too stressful and that he gets well soon

I'm sure he'll be OK, OP - he's obviously been resting before the diagnosis and this should aid his recovery.

As for Goblin, she's obviously got out of bed the wrong side, just ignore her!

How is he today?

And, yes, I would definitely made him get a taxi home.

If it's pneumonia and the paramedics didn't notice, then that's poor - surely his oxygen levels would have been low, or didn't they check?

OP it seems this has moved on since your first post but just wanted to say ywnbu to expect him to get a taxi home rather than pack the car up with children and drive in dangerous conditions to get him.

A few weeks ago I drove my dh to the hospital in similar circumstances, although in his case it almost certainly was a damaged muscle from coughing. He is not a hypochondriac at all, but I asked him to get a cab home (even though we are skint) because after being up all night at a&e I couldn't face a drive on icy roads. Also am 8 months pregnant so v tired.

It sounds like you were a little harsh on him, but I think when you rely on someone and you're worried about them it can come out as frustration with them for not being their usual strong self. A bit u, but understandable I think.

A very good friend of mine still blames me and our other friends for pneumonia she got at 17 - we all belittled her cough for weeks until she was diagnosed. In our defense, it was a very fake-sounding cough

anyway, sorry you're having such a rough time, your poor dds must be very upset. I know mine was and her daddy wasn't nearly so sick

I hope your husband is OK.

When I told my mother that I really thought we ought to get the doctor to come out and see me (I had had flu, and realised that I suddenly felt very weak, but didn't know what exactly was wrong) her first words were (now a family joke!) 'But I'll have to tidy your room!'. Imagine how she felt when he said that I had pneumonia, and imagine how she could have been criticised on here for assuming that I might be malingering. In her dour Yorkshire family the doctor was only called out if the undertaker was not far behind. The OP was not to know that her DH had pneumonia. It doesn't mean that he didn't maybe exaggerate a bit with the old man flu in the past (as many of us might know - or is it only my DH????). Or that he might not in the future (bellissima remembers that magic time when she only had to cough and her remorseful mother would come running/let her off school...)

And I truly hope that he gets better very soon and that you all have a great NY.