Poppy

Today the rhumatologist said he wanted to do more xrays/tests with hubby as an inpatient. Admission date is 11th March, I was hoping it would be earlier. Never mind, hopefully some breathing space to think clearly and get a few things like insurance and digger drivers sorted out. Thanks again everyone for your help and support x

Idun, my head tells me I should be doing a pp but I think the Gendarmes said they would do one if another incident occured. Am I wrong in assuming they will start the prosecution or is it up to me?  Now with thinking cap on I can't believe the second incident I missed this afternoon when they blocked my route I should have phoned the gendarmes immediately. Before I went out there had been a couple of bad carer type events so I was trying to stay calm.

Sweet 17 thank you for the link. Strangely enough three years ago when I had to make a claim for me on the same travel insurance policy it was mondial-assistance who were the emergency assistance company and there were no problems at all; We have taken out the insurance for 9 years now with the same company and for the last couple of years they have been to and frowing between medical assistance companies for policies issued in 2012 it is Aria Assistance and for 2013 policies it is someone else and they seem to be mixing and matching the policies to suit whatever is best for them. I have now noticed that is possible to take out the policies direct with the medical assistance companies rather than the well known cover companies so will definitely be looking at insuring direct with mondial Thank You

Thank you so much everyone for your support and comments. Sorry I haven't replied earlier but I couldn't connect; The meeting with the Gendarmes and mayor was a bit of a PR exercise but similarly as Chancer said they did say they had warned the digger driver and if I had any more problems to contact them and they would prosecute. At the time I wasn't impressed and probably shook their hands very weakily but have just found out about a similar incident in a nearby village where the mayor actually said to english inhabitants of 25 years 'you are only foreigners sorry get lost' or words to that effect. I'm sure I haven't won the war. The same digger driver and lorries were working further down on our lane when I went out this afternoon. When I returned the big lorry for transporting the digger was blocking the road and they were about to load the digger and move on. However when they saw it was me they pretended to start digging again. After waiting 15 mins I resisted the temptation to get out the car and backed up and made a detour. Putting Insurance hat on I now have a copy of the questionnaire the medical assistance sent to our Doctor, it was three pages long in English!!!! Hopefully I can take it to Doc and work my way through it and get it sent off. Still don't think Doc has any records so please please please if anyone has an expat policy check your Doc can supply the info necessary if you have to claim. Sweet, be grateful if you could pm details of your french travel insurance sounds like a much more sensible way of doing things. I am sure that insurance will not find any fault in my declarations but if this can be checked beforehand  then from experience that is definitely the best way.

[quote user="Russethouse"] What a shame the Doctor didn't let you know his stance when you were in such desperate trouble ! His doing things the French way may have been a contributory factor in all this hassle with the insurance company! [/quote]Yes Russethouse, very disappointing. Not having much luck with things french at the minute. Just have to try and use it as more fodder to show policy not suitable for expats.

Hospital hat on today. Detailed xrays of hubbys back show four broken vertebrae, probably similar to compression fracture that Norman suffered.. Took xrays to Urologist who said couldn't possibly be anything to do with recent hormone and radiation treatment. He has however stopped hormone treatment and bone scan last June showed no problems!!!! Never mind have to move on from that and good news is appointment with Rhumatologist on thursday. Travel Insurance update -our Doctor has decided he doesn't understand English travel insurance and says he wants things done the french way. Proper written letter on headed paper detailing information required.

Many thanks Sweet 17 and to all the others who have supported me; can never thank you all enough for keeping me going. Sorry but Paul & Patf postings were like another one of those 'emails' from the Insurance Company.

Don't know whether I have finally lost my marbles but I can't believe the posts I have read from Paul and Patf. Their post have upset me just as much perhaps more than the racism and assaults from the french. Patf , Yes the crossing from the station at Toulouse is very difficult which is why my OH didn't think he could make it to the other side. The detour which you descibe as quite a detour took 3 minutes. Paul, I can assure you that the last thing on my mind while my OH crawled on his knees across the taxi rank was whether  the taxi driver was going to lose out on a few euros. In reality however he gained a lot. There were only two taxis at the stand it took him five minutes to take us to the hotel and get back to his same slot with 30 Euros in his pocket. He did not even back up so my OH did not have so far to crawl and did not help me at all with the luggage. I would think that the average fare from station to hotels etc in Toulouse is around the 10 Euro mark so taxi certainly didn't lose out. It is possible that OH was not only on his last legs at Toulouse station but sadly forever so I hope both you Patf and Paul are never in this situation.

Thank you so much everyone for your kind remarks and support. You have all been a fantastic help and given me the incentive to fight on. We have changed the meeting with the gendarmes from monday to wednesday. OH has appointment with urologist monday afternoon and it will be good if we can get xrays done in the morning ready for appointment.

[quote user="Mr Ceour de Lion II"]That's unbelievable. If it was a white doing that to a black, it would have made the news the world over. What is wrong with those people? Clearly they are not human. If that had happened in the US, you could have shot him for what he did. That's an attack and invasion of your space. I hope you get some justice out of this. People make me sick sometimes. [/quote]Yes, I can't believe where this attitude has come from. We have never formally complained about anything or to our knowledge upset anyone in all the years we have been in France. Strangely though about a year ago I did write on my message board your postscipt ' It is not what France gave you but what it did not take from you that is important'

Thank you Chancer for the legal information, hopefully very useful. It is a small town where everyone is in each others pocket.

suein56, it did cross my mind it was friday afternoon and he had probably had a two hour mainly liquid lunch.

Many thanks everyone for your supportive messages. They have made me feel so much better. I really did feel as though I was going mad this afternoon. Can"t understand what has happened to generate this racism both at Toulouse and now at home. Thanks for your advice idun. Not up on french law but perhaps by involving the mayor the gendarmes are trying to fob it off as civil law as opposed to assault and racism.

Following our 'health/insurance' adventure in Spain we made it back to Toulouse on the coach. I booked a hotel in Toulouse opposite the coach/rail station so OH could rest before last leg of journey. He couldn't make it across the road so I went to the taxi rank. They just laughed at my hubby unable to walk and in agony and said it would be 30 Euros to drive him 100 metres and they were pleased to see the English suffering. We had no choice but to pay it and I was so upset I didn't take the taxi number. When we arrived home the chemin alongside our house was being widened and there was a digger and large lorry. We anticipated building next to us and had a wall built along part of the chemin, wall has a permis and we have adhered to all i dotting and t crossing. Got OH settled in bed (he was in a lot of pain) went into kitchen and noticed digger driver was demolishing all the trees on our land. I went out to point out they were our trees but before I could say a thing he put two fingers up and said in french 'this is the way it is done in France if you don't like it b**** off back to England' he then moved the digger bucket to within an inch of my head not once but a few times. He then exploded and said he would knock the wall down as it was illegal and it was on the chemin. He then kept moving the digger close to the wall  and swinging the bucket about an inch from it. I got the camera and took photo of digger next to wall and took photo of him. He tried to knock me over several times with the bucket but after everything that has happened I didn't care what happened next so he got out the digger and threw me across the ground. Note we are talking about a 5 foot pensioner and a big digger driver. I found the permis and took it out to show him but I got 2 fingers and go back to Angleterre routine again and the bucket across my head a few times and the threat that he would demolish the wall. It is a large fairly long expensive wall I telelephoned the Gendarmes and they came quickly. Interviewed us both separately and said they would return on Monday with the Maire. I really wish I was making this up

Belated birthday wishes Mr Coops. You both are amazing - hope you have had a wonderful birthday weekend. I'm sure there will be many many more xx