Bonjean

Hi Benjamin, Thanks for your reply, I did read all of the thread but I was even more confused[8-)] after which was why I posted.  I am actually quite relieved that I don't have to appeal or anything as I came here to help my health not make it worse!!  I had already factored in to our move the loss of my DLA so losing it has not been a shock.  However I am very sorry for all of you who are reliant on that money and are having to go through an appeal process, I know these things are long and drawn out and fraught with stress.  I really hope you all get the outcome you need.  Kind regards Michelle  

Hi everyone, Just seen this thread and I am a little confused, I moved here permanently in February and am in receipt of long term incapacity benefit and the mobility component of DLA.  I had informed DWP before I left but it took them months to send me a form re my DLA and I have just received this week a letter saying I am not entitled to DLA as I am no longer resident in the UK and have no intention of returning. Is this correct? Thanks for your help, Kind regards Michelle

Hello everyone, Since moving here in February I have been paranoid about lyme disease, particularly as I already suffer from ME/CFS and am quite ill enough without something else coming along.  I hadn't even thought about the tick problem as we have owned the house for 4 years and used to come out for 6 weeks over summer and had never seen a tick, but now we are living here we have brought our 2 dogs with us and so almost everyday they seem to have a tick crawling on them.  We brush them before we let them back in the house but even so it is impossible to get rid of them all.  We use Frontline on the dogs which is a spot on treatment for fleas and ticks, however I hadn't realised that to protect them against ticks you have to use it every 4 weeks and in the UK I had only applied it every 6 weeks against fleas.  So one day ,before I was aware that ticks would even be a problem, I found each dog had about 5 ticks each attached to them, we removed them hurriedly but since have found out we didn't remove them correctly as it is very important you don't squeeze the body as they can regurgitate their stomach contents into the bloodstream.  Anyway it is a month later now and no symptoms so hopefully we have got away with it although it can take upto a month for symptoms to show themselves.  I bought from the vet a tool to remove them as safely as possible, it is called an O'Tom here and was about 5 euros, it is the tool recommended by all the Lyme disease charities.  The website for it is www.otom.com and you can buy them from vets and from pharmcies here.  The Frontline should stop the ticks attaching but then you have to make sure they don't drop off in the house. (The dogs don't understand why I don't want to cuddle them after a walk) Don't ever crush them with your fngers, wrap them in tissue and flush them or preferably burn them on the fire.  If you do touch them make sure you wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. We check ourselves everyday too just to make sure, (apparently they like to hide in your hairy bits so check your head, underarms etc) as we live in the Livradois Forez and are surrounded by forest and therefore deer it is impossible to avoid them.  However after many sleepless nights of feeling imaginary things crawling on me I realised I can't live in constant fear of them we just have to be aware of the problem and take sensible precautions.  For example if you are walking in long grass make sure your trousers are tucked into your socks (doesn't look particularly attractive but its better than the alternative).  Also check yourself all over if you have been out walking.  Some ticks are very small and so you could be bitten without knowing but if you have any symptoms (flu like illness and possibly the rash that has been mentioned) then go straight to the doctor and mention the possiblity of Lyme Disease. I have done alot of research on this subject after realising the dangers so hopefully this is helpful. Kind regards Michelle PS Sorry I started writing this this morning and was interrupted, I also meant to say that I hope your grandson will be ok, I believe if they catch it and start treatment early enough recovery rates are very good.  It is scary though, especially with a child as you never want them to be ill.      

Dear Coral, I PM'd you but I am not sure if you received it so I thought I would try replying to the post but, as it is a few months after you posted the message I am not sure if you will see this either.  I hope you are coping ok and I think a support group would be great, Kind regards Michelle  

Dear Liz, Thank you very much for your reply, it is a big weight off my mind! Kind regards Michelle  

Please can you help me, I am new and I have tried to trawl through to find out the info but it wouldnt let me get past the first few pages!! We bought our house in the Auvergne over a year ago but so far only family and friends have stayed there, other than ourselves of course.   However we are thinking of renting it out next year for holiday rentals.  What are the legal requirements, I know we have to register the property to rent it out and have adequate insurance, but is there any extra work we have to carry out on the house to comply with any regulations etc? Thank you for any help. Michelle