Having no where else to turn... I will let it out here.

I hate hospitals... with a passion enough bad has happened in my life that I view them as where you go to die... not heal, but here in Europe I have developed an entirely new level of hatred for hospitals.

I was having a pretty good day today.. then I get a cryptic message from the wife to meet her at the base clinic... well that is right next to the her squadron so no big deal she must need a pick up... so off I go.

As I am pulling up I see an ambulance leaving being escorted by Security police, about this time I get a message from a friend saying she is being taken to the hospital down town, and no he does not know why... and that is it.

So I pull up the hospital he told me, it has 6 different fricking wings and he does not know exactly where she is going...well,... (insert 4 letter word)..

So off I go... finally I find it... you know how I mentioned I hate hospitals now imagine being at one where communication is an issue... by the time I found out she was still in the emergency wing I was ready to choke slam people.

So off I go to find the right wing... I get there and I am told I cannot go see her...and because my last name is different (she kept her maiden) they cannot tell me what is going on.. now I am so pissed a chipped a tooth grinding my teeth. I wait impatiently till the nurse wandered off and walked through the door like I owned the place till I found her. (piss on their rules I will be with my wife)

I finally find her and she calmly tells me she had chest pains and her left arm was tingling... to this point they cannot figure out why and they are going to keep her over night... now along comes a nurse who proceeds to yell at me in german... I understand just enough to know she is pissed. I go out and finally wait... they are going to do an ultrasound of her heart tomorrow to see if they see any problems..

Now I am panicked... my mother passed away 2 years ago from heart complications... cant really talk to my dad he is still deal with his loss and I do not want to open old wounds... cant talk to my sister her and her kids have their own problems and none of them have dealt with the grief from my mom's passing... and I have very few friends that I will confide in with such a personal issue near by... I have a few back in the states but I hate talking over the phone on the best of occasions... personal feelings over a phone I do not do..

So instead I get to type it out here, so I can at least try to make my thoughts coherent and release some of the stress instead of just bottling it up.

If you read this far your a very sweet individual, I hope you have a blessed day.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Heads up! And all the best wishes for you and your loved ones. Find a nice spot, have your favorite meal and go fetch a few drinks/ smokes. Not the best time to spend your evening alone, ya know. You can't really do anything and pondering the potential loss all the time is the worst way to spend the rest of the day. Just saying, prayers go out to you!

a reply to: Irishhaf

German hospitals might not be super customer friendly but she is in good hands. Probably she will just sleep, get her diagnosis thingies done tomorrow and it was just a minor circulation problem, or whatever and she's with you in no time.

Open a beer, lay your feet on the table and watch an action movie, or whatever it is you menfolk do if you're unsupervised

Took my mother to the ER a couple times. One for something similar. Iirc. I do recall correctly chest pains, not sure about tingling. Either way we were worried about a heart attack. They ran a bunch of tests and scans and whatever. Well my mom wasn't having a heart attack. It was something far more embarrassing, albeit still serious.

I don't really feel like typing a bunch of stuff about my mother's medical history leading up to this point. I will just say that her bowels had backed up... and leave it at that.

Point being though, try not to get caught up on the worst case scenarios!

By the way, I hate hospitals too. Very, very much.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I hope your wife gets the best German treatment and recovers swiftly.
What did the hospital do wrong in your mind exactly though?

Your thread reminds me of my twin sister. When things go bad she finds blame and anger as her deflection strategy from just saying X situation made me sad.
When our father died in hospital she was all angry about perceived care issues, whereas I was like Sis just be sad instead of looking for someone to be angry at.

I imagine your inner rant is not hospitals, just deep worry, sadness and fear for your wife.
I would feel that way anyway, so kind thoughts to you from me.

a reply to: Irishhaf

My heart and spirit are with you. My mother was taken straight to the emergency from her scheduled chemo appointment this morning. Still awaiting results. I'll include your wife in my prayers for my mom.

Good luck and God bless to you both.

Thinking of you and yours today Irishhaf and prayers on repeat. Bro hug!

Yes, so frustrating! I am sorry. If seems at times, things can just go haywire. Be strong and try not to choke any German nurses as much as it would bring immense satisfaction to you.

Good luck! I hope all turns out well!

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles with your wife. I hope you find out that it's really not a huge issue and get on with things. Chest pains aren't always heart-related. I get them due to nerve issues.

a reply to: Irishhaf

So off I go to find the right wing... I get there and I am told I cannot go see her...and because my last name is different (she kept her maiden) they cannot tell me what is going on.. now I am so pissed a chipped a tooth grinding my teeth. I wait impatiently till the nurse wandered off and walked through the door like I owned the place till I found her. (piss on their rules I will be with my wife)

That's our great Privacy Act our representatives passed. At one time when I was in the hospital, my own daughter couldn't get any information about me because her name wasn't on their privacy document. I can bet a lot of people have had the same encounters because of this piece of crap legislation. It's one thing to keep strangers from knowing the condition of your loved ones, but family members????

You need to find someone who you can talk to so they can help relieve some of the stress you're feeling. Have faith the doctors will eventually find out the problem and give your wife the treatment she needs. Hope everything turns out ok.

Odds are high it is stress related, she is having issues with a guy at work harassing her, problem is the Captain is somebodies golden child so nothing is getting done. For whatever reason he has decided she does not belong in his Air Force... thankfully the Germans she works with are all on her side and do their best to protect her.

I just wish we would close the military bases in Germany so the American people stop paying for FREE German healthcare. WWII is over for some time now. I think it's time to bring our troops home from Europe. Our 700+ foreign military bases have bled our treasury beyond dry. I think the American people should come first before ALL other countries including Israel.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I wish you and your wife the best. Hope everything is okay. I know hospitals well! They can be very frustrating. Sometimes, however, they are exactly where you need to be.

a reply to: dfnj2015

And every German would be happy to see you go. Like you said the occupation is going on for more than 70 years, there never even was a declaration of peace...but that might be a rumour.

a reply to: Irishhaf

As frustrating as it can be to deal with the bureaucracy it is in place to protect the patient. She has to be there long enough for the admission process to 'log her', what her condition is and where they are keeping her. She just got there, they don't know yet, and frankly you take their focus off that task (in emergency) trying to push your weight around. Calm down, let them do their job. Once you are on the list of visitors they will admit you.

I finally find her and she calmly tells me she had chest pains and her left arm was tingling...

Many suffer some form of heart attack form mild to severe, thats what this sounds like, or stroke. This is serious, but also manageable with the right diagnosis , which they will determine by testing. This can be a lengthy process to find out exactly what the problem is, don't get impatient, they have a procedure and she is at the head of the line with symptoms like that.

Of course you love her, everyone knows that, now settle in and wait. Good for you sharing like this, keep telling whats going on, I have experience with my mom over the last few years. Shes 80, your wife is young and much stronger.

Your cool dude, peace and prayers for you and your wife...a reply to: Irishhaf

Take care, both of you.

Put on the old happy face and make her laugh as much as you can. When my husband and I are in places we really don't want to be we start making up stories about all the people around us, doctors, nurses other patients or people. I wouldn't want someone to necessarily hear our stories but they really pass the time and lighten the mood.

Tell her she has people on ATS thinking of her.

So sorry you had to jump through hoops to get to your wife, but glad you did!

I hope all turns out well with her. Sending positivity to y'all!

a reply to: Irishhaf

Good on you for unloading here. I hate hospitals, too. My mum was in life threatening accident many years ago. I abhor setting foot inside the door in any hospital now.

Prayers for positive test results, quick release, and quick recovery from the stress!

And may sandfleas infest the underwear drawer of the guy who's pushing her buttons!

a reply to: Irishhaf

Sorry to hear. Hospitals are frustrating! You will be in our thoughts and prayers. Hope all goes well.