south711
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 155
- Location
- France
- Type of diabetes
- Treatment type
- Other
- Dislikes
- being a diabetic and finding restrictions.to life style. people who do not understand the problems one has. not being able to afford to come back to uk for holidays as often, quite expensive. miss some foods that the French do not do. but can live with that French drivers. who love to tail gate. and they love to drive over the white line. in rural areas they are a pain. but get use to it. does put the wind up you. But driving in the UK found that drivers want to get as close as they can. and the traffic. it took me 25 minutes to get to friends house which was less then a mile away. due to traffic.
Hi everyone.
I mentioned that I was going to the UK in May. Well I did. but what a nightmare. Left for the UK from France took 8 hours driving. That was ok. made up food and stopped when I felt tired. good journey. From Calais to dover. good.
Then my nightmare started. missed the a256 sign due to bushes covering most of the sign, so had to continue on the road which was going to Canterbury. no turn off. that I recognised so went thu Windcheap, Sarre, Sturry, Birchinton, Margate, I wanted to get to Minster Ramsgate Kent. I left the Ferry at 4.30pm and arrived at Premier inn at 7pm. I totally lost all directions although new that the road and signs had changed, which were unfamiliar to me.
I tested myself when I arrived and all seemed ok nothing to worry about.
Next day left to visit friends. got lost again. How could I not know where to go. I had lived in Kent most of my life.
Just unable to find them but eventually got to them. should have taken me 30 minutes but arrived over an hour. could not believe that I had done this.It seemed that I had blanked Kent. Places were known to me but How does one get to them. What with honking and visable signs that the other drivers were giving me. I was getting a little stressed. but kept my cool.
The final straw was I tried to draw money from my French account and was refused......... Tried over several days but no joy. By then getting desperate, as the money I had was running out. Phew............ friend let me use her computer......... contacted my bank......... explained that I had no money to buy food, petrol etc etc. No reply................... I contacted them twice. still no reply.............. money was in my French account. just I could not get any out from cash machines.
I was at a stage that I could not return to France. so had to borrow from friends. so that I could eat etc................. I used over 38 pounds in diesel travelling around getting lost,................ I was testing myself. and funny enough everything was ok. couple of times I was quite low but most of the times I was ok. I knew that I had to eat and no use me worrying how to return to France,
How lucky I was having friends that helped. without them I would still be in the UK. with no money. I notified the French bank that I was travelling to the UK. so did not give a thought that they would stop me drawing money from cash machines. I still to this day have received no response to me emails. I know that there are security safe guards. but not to receive a telephone call or email................ I personally went to my French bank, they just seemed to not too bothered. so went further. and contacted the Head office.............. They are investigating the problem. I am not that hopeful. But one can live in hope.
All I can say the 10 days that I was in the UK was a disaster. All I was doing chasing my own tail. with no solution.
The bank did say that my mastercard should have been enough. to draw monies from my account. Just a warning. when going abroad. You can never tell what will happen. I know that I had not been back to the UK for 2 years. and on the previous trips. not am problem. so why now.
Just needed to tell someone that my time in the UK was a nightmare. all my time was chasing money to be able to get about.
Sorry if I have bored you all thanks for listening.
I am back in France. and thankful that my bg was ok. one last thing was I rang out of test strips. because I was using them frequently to check my levels. Although I had accu chek machine. they do not use this one in the UK. so I had 2 left so had to use them just before leaving Dover. as I knew that I had an 8 hour drive home.
You will never know how happy I was that I was back here.
Thank you for letting me let of steam. Anne
I mentioned that I was going to the UK in May. Well I did. but what a nightmare. Left for the UK from France took 8 hours driving. That was ok. made up food and stopped when I felt tired. good journey. From Calais to dover. good.
Then my nightmare started. missed the a256 sign due to bushes covering most of the sign, so had to continue on the road which was going to Canterbury. no turn off. that I recognised so went thu Windcheap, Sarre, Sturry, Birchinton, Margate, I wanted to get to Minster Ramsgate Kent. I left the Ferry at 4.30pm and arrived at Premier inn at 7pm. I totally lost all directions although new that the road and signs had changed, which were unfamiliar to me.
I tested myself when I arrived and all seemed ok nothing to worry about.
Next day left to visit friends. got lost again. How could I not know where to go. I had lived in Kent most of my life.
Just unable to find them but eventually got to them. should have taken me 30 minutes but arrived over an hour. could not believe that I had done this.It seemed that I had blanked Kent. Places were known to me but How does one get to them. What with honking and visable signs that the other drivers were giving me. I was getting a little stressed. but kept my cool.
The final straw was I tried to draw money from my French account and was refused......... Tried over several days but no joy. By then getting desperate, as the money I had was running out. Phew............ friend let me use her computer......... contacted my bank......... explained that I had no money to buy food, petrol etc etc. No reply................... I contacted them twice. still no reply.............. money was in my French account. just I could not get any out from cash machines.
I was at a stage that I could not return to France. so had to borrow from friends. so that I could eat etc................. I used over 38 pounds in diesel travelling around getting lost,................ I was testing myself. and funny enough everything was ok. couple of times I was quite low but most of the times I was ok. I knew that I had to eat and no use me worrying how to return to France,
How lucky I was having friends that helped. without them I would still be in the UK. with no money. I notified the French bank that I was travelling to the UK. so did not give a thought that they would stop me drawing money from cash machines. I still to this day have received no response to me emails. I know that there are security safe guards. but not to receive a telephone call or email................ I personally went to my French bank, they just seemed to not too bothered. so went further. and contacted the Head office.............. They are investigating the problem. I am not that hopeful. But one can live in hope.
All I can say the 10 days that I was in the UK was a disaster. All I was doing chasing my own tail. with no solution.
The bank did say that my mastercard should have been enough. to draw monies from my account. Just a warning. when going abroad. You can never tell what will happen. I know that I had not been back to the UK for 2 years. and on the previous trips. not am problem. so why now.
Just needed to tell someone that my time in the UK was a nightmare. all my time was chasing money to be able to get about.
Sorry if I have bored you all thanks for listening.
I am back in France. and thankful that my bg was ok. one last thing was I rang out of test strips. because I was using them frequently to check my levels. Although I had accu chek machine. they do not use this one in the UK. so I had 2 left so had to use them just before leaving Dover. as I knew that I had an 8 hour drive home.
You will never know how happy I was that I was back here.
Thank you for letting me let of steam. Anne
