All Aspects of France

So taking a little detour from food and exciting travel for a moment…

Ok, so, this whole shenanigan began Halloween night. I started having a weird numbing sensation in my left arm. You know like the ones you get when you've slept on it weird and your arm or whatever limb is "waking up." Well, it didn't stay in the arm... It went to the left side of my jaw. I sounded like I had Novocain shot in my mouth. I was like this can't be good at all. But it then went away after about 15 min. No I hadn’t had any type of alcohol or drugs of any kind to make that happen. Then happened again at dinner so I call the only person I know that would keep me calm... My dad. Did what the doctor said (take some aspirin and call if there are any changes). Next day had slight numbness but nothing that was freaking me out... 

Next day, Wednesday, I had to tell my chef, Sebastian, just in case something more serious than what I had previously experienced happened. He immediately started worrying, which is what I would have done. The numbness charade happened again sooo left class. Sebastian took me to the local doctor, which happened to also be the mayor. Small town life is obviously the same all over the world. The local doctor’s office was interesting in itself. You ring a bell before you go in, then you sit in a very small wood paneled waiting room. Then the doctor comes and gets the next person. No receptionist, no music, no TV and not brightly lit. Just you, your thoughts and some French magazines. Oh and the others that are waiting as well. His office is what you would expect in a small town… all wood bookshelves with pained glass doors. Family photos around, thank you notes, Christmas cards, and stacks of papers, magazines and medical pads lying around his desk. On the other side of the room, slightly hidden behind one of his large bookshelves was the examining area… They don’t give you those paper robe/cover ups here… so that was an experience.

The mayor doctor sent me to a larger town with a hospital. Le Puy-En-Velay (Yeah that small town I visited with the statue of he Virgin Mary and those neat churches... I can see them from my window.) Well, Sebastian had to drive me there since I was instructed not to travel alone or operate any vehicle. I wasn't going to be able to go alone anyway since I needed a translator. We get to the hospital in Le Puy... All in one piece since it was the first time Sebastian has ever driven an automatic car. It was entertaining. But a hospital in a foreign country is another thing.

The late night meal I got in the ER... mmmm

We had to wait (which I expected) to speak to a lady about being treated, showed my passport, gave them the sealed envelope from the mayor doctor, then wrote down my mailing address. Then I was told to go and wait in the other side of the swinging double doors and then when I see the next set of swinging doubles to press the bell... It was a light switch button made into a doorbell. Then had to wait again. The swinging doors opened with this nice young attractive lady coming out in a hurry. But the first thing I noticed was that everybody in the ER area was wearing white. From the shirts to the shoes… White. Kinda weird for me. She got the translation and explained that at this point when I crossed the threshold, I was on my own since Sebastian was in no relation to me. So I bit the bullet and went in. This is where anybody that was aiding or communicating with me reverted back to hand motions and whatever English they knew and I did the same with French. It got frustrating so I started writing things down and drawing pictures. Added a humor factor and made the experience a little bit better. Explained what they were going to do yadda yadda yadda. A nice lady came and took my blood and could tell I scared… I told her in my best French that I detested needles and I hate them. She laughed and I just had to look away.  Oh and the room they put me in the ER was one that was for children. Had wall decals of Christmas stuff like Santa, snowmen, reindeer, butterflies, and ladybugs so to make you feel more at ease as a little kid or somebody like me that doesn’t speak the language very well and is a nervous wreck.

They wall I had to look at for many hours....

Looking out to the "hectic" ER notice the decor on the window

Got to have those typical rednecks you find in hospitals in the same room as me as I was waiting after a test. They kept peaking around the “privacy” curtain. (Oh and at this point I was able to have Sebastian with me to translate) They kept repeating every single thing that was being said between the doctor, translator and I. “She is an American.” “She is living in Yssingeaux doing some pastry school.” So on and so on. Sebastian a little while later said be glad you aren’t me right now… Be glad you don’t understand French very well… You would be disgusted. I laughed and he proceeded to tell me that the French redneck lady was in for bowel movements and she was telling her daughter that her hygiene was poor and she needed to be more cautious during that time of the month. Told her son to quit scratching his area that it was disgusting. The whole clan was in there, even the daughter’s boyfriend. The lady’s mother was even in there. I was trying to figure out how many more people could fit in that tiny area without coming onto my side of the room… not like I needed it all but the group did smell rather offensive. No… They weren’t dressed in wife beaters and trucker hats. It was all in the way they carried themselves and how they acted that presented them as French rednecks.

The IV they had to give me

Sebastian was cracking jokes the whole time. He was happy that I was not hysterical and freaking out. I was cracking jokes right back with him. He stayed with me (just after midnight) when they finally took me to a room to stay over night. They wanted to run some more tests on me the next “morning.” But the jokes kept coming… Sebastian said they were putting me on the pediatric floor b/c of my height and I would blend right in. Well, they did put me on the pediatric floor and the room they rolled me into had a large hot pink crib… luckily I didn’t have a roommate and I wasn’t getting put in the crib. But my room had Winnie the Pooh wall stickers all over it. The only Eyore to be found in the room was on my side… I thought that was funny and ironic. But the view out of my window was of the two known churches in Le Puy and the Statue of the Virgin Mary… Nice view.

It wasn’t until about 3:30 or 4 when the doctors came in to look at me… Next morning my butt.  Had more blood drawn for more tests. Thea, the lady that is over all the students and is a liaison for us, was with me and was translating everything. I don’t know what I would have done with out her. Her and Sebastian went above and beyond to help me out with everything. But back to the story… Then it wasn’t until 7 or so that I got to go in for the MRI or as they call it IRM scan. Everything came back normal. So my blood plumbing in my head is perfect (at least that is what the doc said). Now this neurologist was shorter than me… I’m 4’11”. And she reminded me of this actress that always has a bowl cut haircut, round black glasses… Can’t remember her name but she is really short and older like this neurologist. She was very nice and funny. She made me stay a second night in the hospital. The next day she came back around my room around 2 or 3 in the afternoon. She was baffled by my condition and was wanting to another test… She was explaining it… and Thea was translating… and I heard spinal tap…. I was like oh hayel noo. But she continued and explained it more saying it isn’t as bad as I was thinking, but it was like getting an epidural. It isn’t comfortable but it is safe and is done everyday. I was like hmmmmmmm I don’t like this idea but you are trying to figure out what is wrong and that is a closed circuit down there on the spin with that fluid… so if there is an infection you will find it. So I agreed (famous last words). Granted this whole time I was in constant contact with my parents. Letting them know everything that was going on.

The view from my bed...

Well… when it came to the lumbar puncture/spinal tap from hayel! The prep for it took longer than the actual attempt. To me it felt like the whole thing had been 15 min or so… Nope. The prep was about 5 min and the attempt was only 10 seconds. I’ve never felt that kind of pain before. Thea was right there still holding my hand and holding me the whole time. Just like my mom would have done. The doctor didn’t get anything from that and told us that I could go home. Thea said well I was going to take her out of here regardless. GO THEA! The doctor did laugh and said she wanted to see me on Monday to do some follow up tests and I said as long as you don’t come at me with any needles or sharp points of any kind. She agreed so I’m holding her to it! I’m pretty sure I can take her if it came down to it. Ha

Thea on the ride back to Yssingeaux told me that she was putting me up in the chateau so I wouldn’t be alone back in the bungalows and so I would have a nice comfortable bed. She also got one of the chefs that lives in the chateau to bring me breakfast in the morning… Like I said… above and beyond.

My class put together some boxes of all the treats they had made… Plates du Dame, milk chocolate and caramel bon bons, brioche loafs, and different flavored macaroons. I was able to give these treats to the neurologist (before the tap) and all the nurses and attendants on my floor as a way to say thanks for dealing with me. They all knew I was in pastry school in Yssingeaux, and all wanted treats. They knew little English but we were able to communicate by drawings and broken Franglish.