Best laid plans and all that. On to Plan Q


Advertisement
France's flag
Europe » France » Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur » Toulon
June 13th 2011
Published: June 15th 2011
Edit Blog Post

We hadn’t decided what we were doing with the day when we got up, fortunately as whatever we might have intended had to be abandoned. Realised that Bob was quite unwell. He had had his attack of “French Flu” well over a week before. It lasted a good 5 days and then he kindly passed it to me. We assumed at first that he had decided to have it back (though I still had the full blown variety myself). When he mentioned that, totally unusually, he’d not used the loo for about 5 days alarm bells rang and I asked campsite reception where I might find a chemist, knowing this was a public holiday !
Poor Bob had to ride the scooter 5 km down to Sanary only to find both chemists closed for the ‘Jour du fete”. I hot-footed to the police station and was told the nearest open was at Six-Fours, the next town along the coast. A shame we had only a brief visit to Sanary as there was a lovely market on the seafront and my visit to the police station had taken me down some beautiful little streets full of tempting shops !
We drove along the coast road to Six-Fours but missed the turn to the Centre Ville as it was hidden behind a tree. Found it on the way back and bought some laxatives at the chemist.
Back at the campsite, Bob now feeling even worse after a 10 mile round trip on the scooter, took his tablets and I went to the pool for my swim.
Panic when I got back. Bob had been for a shower and pee-ed a bit of blood. Lovely lady at campsite reception called a doctor but when I gave Bob’s symptoms (headache, nausea, constipation and blood in urine) they sent an ambulance. Only just had time to secure the Tandy, grab a book and some tissues (for my still rampant French Flu) and the private ambulance arrived and drove us off to Toulon with sirens blaring through several red lights. That was actually a bit silly as the ambulance had stayed at campsite for 30 minutes sorting out admin i.e. how much we were going to have to pay (€166.20 as it happens – will sort out with insurance when we get home !)
Had to ask later which hospital we were at (Font Pre, Toulon) as had no idea where the ambulance had taken us. Bob was whisked away and I flashed his EU medical card as proof that someone, somewhere would pay. (Big thanks to sister Liz here who, only 2 weeks before we came away, mentioned that these cards only last 5 years. Found ours had run out 28th April and we had had no idea. Ordered new ones immediately on the internet).
Spent hours (and hours) in A&E while Bob was prodded, put on a drip, donated phials of blood and urine and then sent for a chest x-ray and then a full CT scan of his abdomen. A full MOT really. I had to stay with him so I could translate. (My knowledge of medical French terms this trip is much improved with the aid of my, now mislaid, dictionary).
Conclusion eventually that he most probably has a urine infection, certainly an infection of some sort in his urine and blood, and he had a very high fever (39.7 which explained why he had felt so cold). The x-ray and scan showed nothing wrong so that was excellent news.
Bob was then put on an antibiotic drip with some other stuff to stop the nausea and told he was staying for the night. As he was given a single room in the Oncology department (hoped never to visit one of those again) there being no room in the Infection department I was allowed to stay with him. When we got to the room a group of 4 lovely French nurse ladies lead us in, rather like into a hotel room, found me a zbed and bedding and left us for the night.
No photos today as Bob refused to be photographed in his backless hospital gown or attached to his drip.


Advertisement



Tot: 0.092s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 10; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0627s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb