Need Help In Paris - Urgently

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 12:15am #1

My 19 year old son has been rushed to hospital in Paris. He was over for a few days with his girlfriend. He is a Type 1 diabetic. He said he was sick for two days but thought he was feeling better. I got a call from his distraught girlfriend about an hour ago saying he was really sick.

They got a doctor and he was taken to hospital in an ambulance. The girlfriend was with him but she says nobody in the hospital speaks english. I sent some screenshots of diabetic terms translated into French but she says they still did not seem to know any better.

They have taken him away now and she cannot get any more information.

Would anyone on here have any contacts in Paris or France or even speaks French who could potentially call the hospital to see if they can find out any information? I tried calling the hospital but nobody spoke english. I think they said he is in ER but that was all I got.

Mods: I have also posted this in After Hours but I just need to get a bit of help.

adam88 · 09-01-2020 12:19am

I’d try to get onto the Irish embassy ASAP. France is a great country in terms of medicine. I’m sure they are doing the best they can for him. I’ve been witness to many foreign people being sick here through work and medics work systemically to find out what is wrong. I’m sure he’ll be okay

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 12:20am

I have tried the embassy but they are closed. I left a voicemail on their emergency line.

lonestargirl · 09-01-2020 12:21am

Ring DFA in Dublin, they will have the emergency contact details for the staff in Paris.

https://www.dfa.ie/travel/assistance-abroad/consular-assistance-charter/

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 12:34am

I had a call from the embassy and the lady called the hospital but they wont talk to a non family member, even from the embassy.

Arrival · 09-01-2020 12:37am

Posting to bump thread to top of front page

Del2005 · 09-01-2020 12:38am

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I had a call from the embassy and the lady called the hospital but they wont talk to a non family member, even from the embassy.

Google now does live voice translation, might not be perfect but his girlfriend should be able to communicate with them using it.

gnf_ireland · 09-01-2020 12:43am

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I had a call from the embassy and the lady called the hospital but they wont talk to a non family member, even from the embassy.

Sorry to hear about your situation and no doubt its stressful for all concerned
However, I think its likely the same situation will happen for anyone who rings trying to get information. They are simply not in a position to issue it to people who cannot be confirmed as next of kin. Its standard medical practice, but even moreso in the world of GDPR.

The best bet is maybe to get one of the translation apps on your sons phone so he can write down (or speak) what he wants to ask and they convert it to french. Most apps will support french-english translation but google translate will definitely handle it for you - both translate the text and speak it for them

randy hickey · 09-01-2020 12:45am

Hi OP, I can only imagine how stressed out you are.

Just a shot in the dark, but maybe you could post on one of the expat Facebook pages like the one I'm linking below, and somebody might have a relative working in the hospital?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/329717537365226/about/

antix80 · 09-01-2020 12:51am

Not being funny and I dont speak French but I guessed it was "diabétique"..

I hope he's OK. (editing this next bit out because it's not worth the aggro)

For future reference your son should carry a card or wear a chain or bracelet identifying himself as a diabetic. I had a diabetic friend who was stubborn enough to remove his when he was having an episode but for most people they're very useful for medical staff.

CelticRambler · 09-01-2020 12:56am

I live in France and speak "medical" very regularly, so can translate in either direction if I/you/we can get around the not speaking to relatives problem. Are you simply trying to find out what's happened and/or what's planned, or are you trying to pass on additional information?

Not sure why everyone else is talking about 'phoning tomorrow. I was going to go to bed ;-) but PM me whatever details you have/need and I'll call them right now.

Blub123 · 09-01-2020 12:57am

antix80 wrote: »

Not being funny and I dont speak French but I guessed it was "diabétique"..

I hope he's OK. *Snip*

For future reference your son should carry a card or wear a chain or bracelet identifying himself as a diabetic. I had a diabetic friend who was stubborn enough to remove his when he was having an episode but for most people they're very useful for medical staff.

This is everything that is wrong with people.
You should be ashamed.

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 12:58am

I was sending her translations of diabetic ketoacidosis and keytones as they are what can cause a diabetic to become very ill, very fast. The medical team thought he had taken heroin as he was being unresponsive.

Keep your unhelpful comments to yourself please.

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 1:03am

The hospital seem quite strict about who they will talk to. They will not even talk to the lady from the Irish Embassy.

The embassy lady said she will call again in the morning when things open up and there are other people to deal with.

I am basically trying to find out what is happening so I can decide if I need to get to Paris or not. The next flight I can get is at 6.45am and I need to get to Dublin first. I can get a bus at 1.15am.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

CelticRambler · 09-01-2020 1:06am

Bear in mind that public transport in Paris is severely disrupted at the moment due to strike action. You'll be able to get from the airport to the centre easily enough (though you might have to wait quite a while), but moving about within the city won't be reliable.

Remind me · 09-01-2020 1:07am

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

The hospital seem quite strict about who they will talk to. They will not even talk to the lady from the Irish Embassy.

The embassy lady said she will call again in the morning when things open up and there are other people to deal with.

I am basically trying to find out what is happening so I can decide if I need to get to Paris or not. The next flight I can get is at 6.45am and I need to get to Dublin first. I can get a bus at 1.15am.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

Make sure his GF has the contact details for the embassy.

The lady you’ll have been speaking to is a duty officer but will be a full part of the Embassy team and in tomorrow.

While they might not pass info onto a 3rd party I am sure information passed to them through the embassy will not be ignored.

I hope he makes a full recovery ASAP.

MMXX · 09-01-2020 1:10am

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

The hospital seem quite strict about who they will talk to. They will not even talk to the lady from the Irish Embassy.

The embassy lady said she will call again in the morning when things open up and there are other people to deal with.

I am basically trying to find out what is happening so I can decide if I need to get to Paris or not. The next flight I can get is at 6.45am and I need to get to Dublin first. I can get a bus at 1.15am.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

How about you do a little preparing, just in case you do decide to go? I'm not suggesting you do – but best to be a little prepared, should you decide to. It mightn't even come to that, but no harm, just in case...

MMXX · 09-01-2020 1:14am

Passport.
Clothes on your back.
Cash and cards.
Handbag.
Phone.
Charger.
Food.

RoamingDoc · 09-01-2020 1:15am

The hospital will find it easier to get translator set up during working hours as well so it may be a lot easier to talk to them in the morning.

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I sent some screenshots of diabetic terms translated into French but she says they still did not seem to know any better.

While this is distressing, diabetes is very recognizable and they'll have discovered this with or without help. They also won't assume that it's the only explanation so the fact that they're continuing to investigate may give the impression that they haven't recognized his condition, but really they're just doing the full standard of clinical care.

garyskeepers · 09-01-2020 1:33am

antix80 wrote: »

I hope he's OK. I also hope his gf is goodlooking because she'll need something going for her to get through life.

quel cochon

SusieBlue · 09-01-2020 1:37am

antix80 wrote: »

Not being funny and I dont speak French but I guessed it was "diabétique"..

I hope he's OK. I also hope his gf is goodlooking because she'll need something going for her to get through life.

For future reference your son should carry a card or wear a chain or bracelet identifying himself as a diabetic. I had a diabetic friend who was stubborn enough to remove his when he was having an episode but for most people they're very useful for medical staff.

What a nasty, mean spirited, unhelpful post. I’m sure you wouldn’t have the same attitude if it was your son that was sick in a foreign hospital.

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 1:52am

I managed to get his phone passed to a nurse who gave it to a doctor. He is in diabetic ketoacidosis and severe dehydration and is being moved to ICU.
Hopefully now they know what it is it will be more straight forward and they can get him sorted.

At least now I know what it is. I have also talked to him, he sounds terrible but that is to be expected. It is a bit of a relief. I'll be happy when I get him back on Irish soil again.

Thank you to everyone who commented, your advice and offers of help were greatly appreciated.

NIMAN · 09-01-2020 1:53am

Hope he gets well soon.

Scuid Mhór · 09-01-2020 1:57am

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

I managed to get his phone passed to a nurse who gave it to a doctor. He is in diabetic ketoacidosis and severe dehydration and is being moved to ICU.
Hopefully now they know what it is it will be more straight forward and they can get him sorted.

At least now I know what it is. I have also talked to him, he sounds terrible but that is to be expected. It is a bit of a relief. I'll be happy when I get him back on Irish soil again.

Thank you to everyone who commented, your advice and offers of help were greatly appreciated.

French medical care is, generally speaking, state-of-the-art. He'll be alright. Make sure to learn lessons from this so that the same situation never recurs, for your own peace of mind.

RoamingDoc · 09-01-2020 2:10am

Nasty dose. Poor lad must feel properly rotten.
He'll be on the mend soon enough though.

Mrs OBumble · 09-01-2020 2:52am

Scuid Mhór wrote: »

French medical care is, generally speaking, state-of-the-art. He'll be alright. Make sure to learn lessons from this so that the same situation never recurs, for your own peace of mind.

Quite likely he'll be better looked after than if this had happened while he was at home. And they won't likely be too p*ssy about whether he's carrying the correct EU health card / health insurance forms either.

He may also get a short, sharp lesson about if he's grown-up enough to go travelling, he's old enough to wear a bracelet. A doctor, especially a foreign one, can probably do this far more effectively than a mammy every can.

dartboardio · 09-01-2020 2:57am

Wouldn't be rushing him home to Ireland anytime soon considering the state of the health system here. France is known for as a pp said, state of the art health system

Hope he makes a full recovery.

Shedidnt · 09-01-2020 3:31am

Are you going to visit him then? ICU is pretty serious. It wouldn't take them long to figure out that he's diabetic if the girlfriend simply said the word 'DIABETIC'.

RoamingDoc · 09-01-2020 3:54am

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

He may also get a short, sharp lesson about if he's grown-up enough to go travelling, he's old enough to wear a bracelet. A doctor, especially a foreign one, can probably do this far more effectively than a mammy every can.

The majority of diabetics I've encountered don't bother with these at all, and it's quite a judgmental take that you've adopted.

They'll be tested for it anyway as glucose is a core metabolic function in all patients that are unresponsive or have an altered level of consciousness - we can't rely on these bracelets as the condition may yet to be diagnosed so we're going to assume that it's just safer to check.

Likewise with people who carry their blood type on keyrings etc. - utterly pointless as we can't rely on it so will be tested for anyway.

I feel like you're about a hair's breadth away from saying that if he monitored it better, he wouldn't have gone into DKA. Which would be a ridiculous oversimplification just in case it is suggested.

spurious · 09-01-2020 4:11am

This is the sort of situation religious connections (of any flavour) might be able to help with. It's worth a try anyway. Contact a church and let them use their network.

I hope he feels better soon.

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 8:33am

I got a message from my son this morning. He had a rough night but is feeling a lot better now.

Thanks again everyone.

Steer55 · 09-01-2020 9:01am

Very scary and worrying night for the OP. It really is desperate to hear a loved one has been taken ill abroad and they are language difficulties in conveying his condition. However, it's a common condition and he is in a French hospital noted for their healthcare system not in some far flung hospital in deepest Africa. Glad to hear all is looking better this morning!

BlackEdelweiss · 09-01-2020 9:23am

To be honest it was a relief to hear it was diabetes related. The real worry is that it could have been something else that we had no idea about.

There have been a few comments regarding us looking for the French for diabetes. To clarify this, his girlfriend (who is 18, in Paris in the middle of the night with an unresponsive boyfriend) had tried to tell the paramedics and hospital staff he had diabetes. They appeared not to understand this, maybe they did but in the confusion the message did not appear to be getting through. They were asking her if he had taken heroin as his demeanor would have been similar to that of someone smacked out of their head. They probably get more overdoses in a city Centre hospital than diabetics in keto acidosis.
I gave her the French translations of this term and the word for keytones as this may have got the message across quicker and get the correct treatment started as soon as possible.

Soulsun · 09-01-2020 9:27am

Great to hear he is on the road of recovery and id imagine it was quite a worrying time for you as a parent and the gf.

I do however find it odd there was no English speaking docs in the hospital from experience there generally is.

Either way it’s a good news story!

sadie1502 · 09-01-2020 9:31am

That's good to hear he is on the mend. Hopefully a tough lesson learned he needs to wear something to identify he is diabetic. Great you spoke with him and he is feeling a lot better. He is in a better place really in hospital in France.

Larbre34 · 09-01-2020 9:32am

antix80 wrote: »

Not being funny and I dont speak French but I guessed it was "diabétique"..

I hope he's OK. I also hope his gf is goodlooking because she'll need something going for her to get through life.

For future reference your son should carry a card or wear a chain or bracelet identifying himself as a diabetic. I had a diabetic friend who was stubborn enough to remove his when he was having an episode but for most people they're very useful for medical staff.

Good to hear things are looking better, never easy to deal with an emergency in a strange place.

*Snip*

Del2005 · 09-01-2020 11:16am

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

To be honest it was a relief to hear it was diabetes related. The real worry is that it could have been something else that we had no idea about.

There have been a few comments regarding us looking for the French for diabetes. To clarify this, his girlfriend (who is 18, in Paris in the middle of the night with an unresponsive boyfriend) had tried to tell the paramedics and hospital staff he had diabetes. They appeared not to understand this, maybe they did but in the confusion the message did not appear to be getting through. They were asking her if he had taken heroin as his demeanor would have been similar to that of someone smacked out of their head. They probably get more overdoses in a city Centre hospital than diabetics in keto acidosis.
I gave her the French translations of this term and the word for keytones as this may have got the message across quicker and get the correct treatment started as soon as possible.

The doctors would have been testing for diabetes and all the other standard checks. The reason for the herion questions is because it's a different treatment for an opiate overdose and the quicker it's given the less chance of an OD being fatal, the test for opiate OD is longer than asking the person who is with them.

Fysh · 09-01-2020 2:40pm

Mod hat: DON'T FEED THE TROLLS. Yes, the stupid comment was stupid and unhelpful. Report it and move on, please. Responding to it just clutters the thread.

turbot · 09-01-2020 3:07pm

Try posting here too: https://www.facebook.com/groups/665968736811361/

BlackEdelweiss · 14-01-2020 10:29am

We eventually got him home yesterday evening despite Storm Brendan threatening flights and my car breaking down at the toll booth on the way home from Dublin airport!!!

He was in a bad way still, he had a terrible headache all day and could barely walk or talk when I met him. He has hardly eaten in 7 days and has lost about a quarter of his already slight body weight.

He is home anyway so that is the main thing, time to start building him up again and get him back to his normal unhelpful, lazy teenage self.

Thanks again to all who provided information or offers of assistance on here.

Mango Joe · 19-01-2021 3:44pm

BlackEdelweiss wrote: »

We eventually got him home yesterday evening despite Storm Brendan threatening flights and my car breaking down at the toll booth on the way home from Dublin airport!!!

He was in a bad way still, he had a terrible headache all day and could barely walk or talk when I met him. He has hardly eaten in 7 days and has lost about a quarter of his already slight body weight.

He is home anyway so that is the main thing, time to start building him up again and get him back to his normal unhelpful, lazy teenage self.

Thanks again to all who provided information or offers of assistance on here.

Lots of parents reading this and looking lovingly and appreciatively at their "normal unhelpful, lazy teenagers" !!!!!!

OP nurse him back to full strength quick so you can feckin' kill him

Dante7 · 19-01-2021 4:08pm

Mango Joe wrote: »

Lots of parents reading this and looking lovingly and appreciatively at their "normal unhelpful, lazy teenagers" !!!!!!

OP nurse him back to full strength quick so you can feckin' kill him

And those teenagers are looking back and saying, "I might be lazy, but I can read a lot faster than you".

endacl · 19-01-2021 4:17pm

Dante7 wrote: »

And those teenagers are looking back and saying, "I might be lazy, but I can read a lot faster than you".

Possibly the best zombie thread reanimation response yet.

Need Help In Paris - Urgently

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