Helen

So long, FHI. Thankyou to all those involved. It seems quite a long time ago now yet I still have  nightmares about the whole 'healthcare issue It comes back everynow and then to haunt me and I don't feel completely secure here.  In fact thats why I log on occasionally just to check that some new legislation is not  about to turn my world upsided down.  Thanks again Coops and to the others who lobbied so sucessfully.

  ' further tests at Bournemouth but only Southampton could carry out the operation. I presume the private hospital could offer a place sooner than the NHS. But I think either hospital would have performed equally well as the team of surgeons work in both. '   Definitely no complaints (apart perhaps  from the food!) about the Bournemouth hospital.  My parents each  had both knees replaced there during  the last year. The orthopaedic wing is a former private hospital. Single rooms, ensuite,  very clean, very similar to my local French hospital . When planning the timing of operations,they took into account that  both had problems and that we had to be in the UK for driving and aftercare. The biggest difference to in France was probably that the post op physiotherapy was less intensive, though to be honest I think neither of them would have wanted to go to a rehab centre for three weeks as can happen here.

[quote user="Grecian"]     Just as a general question, how do you find the diabetic care in France? When we lived in East Yorkshire for 5 years Mrs G's care was pretty good, but when we moved to West Yorkshire for 12 months, it was pretty poor, with only referrals to the diabetic nurse. Hopefully things are better in France.     [/quote] Excellent, I am one of those odd people that got diagnosed with type 1 later in life and have had all my care here. I was referred directly by the GP to the local hospital which just happens to have a diabetes speciality and spent 10 days in hospital gaining control, every test under the sun  and initial education. Since then I see the specialist at regular intervals and she makes sure that I have both the regular blood tests and get appointments with  other specialists  for regular  checkups. I  also have had several days of 'therapeutic-education' and another course for the pump. In case of emergency I have the on call numbers of  the duty endo. I can only speak for my own area but I   think you  may need to get referred to the hospital for this level of  care. (though of course the GP may himself be able to do these things)However, on my course was another English person who had been going to the GP  in France for years but had never really received either  the care or education he needed. and was developing complications. It was only a trip to hospital with DKA that resulted in this changing. Somewhere on the net there is an official  document that describes what care people with diabetes should receive. I'll  try and find it.

If its not licensed here  then I expect you'd have to pay but according to its website  Wockhard will export Bovine insulin directly to a doctor or pharmacy  on receipt of a  prescription (£25 for 10ml vial, £36 for 5 cartridges) see http://www.wockhardt.co.uk/export/insulins.asp  (edit: rereading your original message you've probably already contacted them)  Is Mrs Grecian seeing the GP or a diabetologue? If  a GP perhaps she should ask for a referral to the nearest hospital. It won't get her bovine insulin but a specialist may be able to help. I have read that some people who had this problem with earlier ' human'  insulins  don't always have the same problem with the more recent insulin analogues.    Perhaps she might have fewer problems using using a fast acting insulin (Novorapid or Apidra) injected before meals and a long lasting basal once or twice a day (lantus or Levimir). If she adjusts her doseages according to carb intake/exercise/ bg levels then there should be fewer hypos and therefore less possibility of developing hypo unawareness.  Theres a very good online course run by the Bournemouth hospital  http://www.bdec-e-learning.com/  An other alternative is an insulin pump.(assuming she has type 1). I started using one of these 6 months ago because even on MDI  I was  having  almost daily  hypos (mostly because of exercise but also because of a tendency to over tight control)  I was becoming  unaware of them . Since starting to use it I  have far fewer hypos as I am able to reduce my background  insulin to a trickle when necessary,  consequently my hypo awareness has become better.  

I've only just seen this thread and have experienced both shock and relief reading it from begining to end. I'm so glad things seem to be improving. I'm certain that strength and  dogged determination Coops demonstrated  during the health care crisis will serve her well  during her physio! Like everyone else on here, I'll be thinking of you both. Helen

We also have Alice dropping out in the late evening. It actually sporadic, it connects to the internet, disconnects, on off, on off. I don't know if it lasts all night because I usually give up and go to bed.

Verbascum pulverulentum or Hoary Mullein ? (or in French molene pulverulente, bouillon-blanc floconneux http://www.plantpress.com/wildlife/o598-hoarymullein.php The blurb with the image seems odd though, flowers not white its yellow and a later  image on google  has one growing in Derbyshire so they're not confined to East Anglia.    

'L'assurance-maladie propose donc de ne plus rembourser qu'au taux normal de 35% les médicaments à vignette bleue actuellement pris en charge à 100% dans le cadre de l'ALD.'   I don't think this is nearly as worrying as it first appears. It seems (if I read it correctly) to apply only to those medicines which are vignette bleu. There are: medicaments irremmédicaments irremplaçables et coûteux (vignette blanche et barrée) : 100 % ; - médicaments dont le service médical rendu a été considéré comme majeur ou important (vignette blanche) : 65 % ; - médicaments destinés au traitement des affections sans caractère habituel de gravité ou dont le service médical rendu n'a pas été considéré comme majeur ou important (vignette bleue) :  35 % I assume that most drugs taken by people on ALDs would be in the former 2 categories.  (edit, I think 'ordinary' pain killers like ibuprofen are vignette bleu. There is  a possibility that might lead to people with chronic pain being prescribed stonger, more expensive but reimbursed drugs)

  I don't know if its the same in all areas but  from the info sheet we were given: non sac jaune are:  'pots latier, sur emballages sacs et films en plastique, bouteilles d'huile, barquettes en polystyrene.' apparently they can't yet recyle things that have fat residue nor packaging that contains plastic 'trops fins' but hope to be able to do so in the future. As for washing it says ' Il suffit simplement de bien les vider ou de les racler pour qu'ils ne salissent pas les autres emballages. Il est inutile de les laver car l'eau consommee doit etre ensuite.... traitee.

Perhaps Sunday Driver is right, it depends on the condiiton. Theres certainly some flexibility. My last prescription (from a specialist) was to be repeated 5 times ie 6 months. I don't always need to get everything on the prescription every month as its dispensed in standard boxes (eg 5 insulin pens). As the amount I use varies from day to day I just tell the pharmacist what I need that month.

(Slightly digressing from Logan's discussion) It may be coincidental but many of my medicaments are now being dispensed in larger quantities.  Pills are are in  90s rather than 30s and testing strips in  boxes containing 100 rather than 50. If  the franchise is per box, then for some people, over the year, it would make a significant saving. I remember reading somewhere that the pharmacists were very anti the introduction of franchises perhaps they are trying to cut the charges to a minimum.(?)  I'll still end up paying 50E but  I really don't mind , particularly  if the money is  ringfenced for Alzheimer's disease and cancer research .  I'm just very relieved to have health care  

We stayed for a night  in one in the Aubrac whilst walking part of the GR 65. Quite comfortable compared with some of the  bunk beds in the other gite d'etaps.  pictures here( it is a commercial site but nothing to do with me so hope its OK)   http://langegardien.monsite.wanadoo.fr/page1.html

Don't apologise Clair, it was me that didn't read the question properly

The machine in our local CPAM (not the one in the pharmacie) prints out the info in the form of an attestation dated that day. You can also order a European Health card and get a paper certificate immediately which can be useful.

My arrivals in the UK are normally at Gatwick or Stanstead. What always makes me slightly panicky (just for a few minutes) is the noise and  number of people. Then I come back here and miss it[:)]

'But our very small rural commune has an average income per household of 754€ per month ' Our commune has a similarly low average income but that doesn't take into account non monetary income. Many of my neighbours are almost self sufficient in food... veg,fruit, milk, pork, duck, beef, chicken. My next door neighbour even produces about 360 bottles of wine a year. Water for everything but drinking comes free from the village supply. A car is  a necessary business expense.  My neighbours don't have an affluent lifestyle; far from it and they work very hard. They have few luxuries but they are not at poverty level by any means .  Anyone moving from the UK  into the village (without the land, experience and family support mechanisms) would find it extremely difficult to survive on an income this low.

It appears that the  French system is more rigid than that in the UK.( particularly the modern numeracy curriculum which encourages children to use strategies which work for them) but I wonder if the teachers response shows more about his or her confidence with maths than your daughters ability. I know that I  learnt arithmetic in a very formal, rigid  manner and it was only when I learnt to teach it with a variety of methods that I began to truly understand the concepts. If its any consololation one teacher in the  UK told us that our  son needed remedial maths classes, possibly because he never showed his working and was very untidy. He didn't as he had a very good understanding (far better than mine),  he got an A  at  A level and has a PhD in physical chemistry[:)]

received today from Rodez(12)  : ' notification d'affiliation sous critere de residence cmu de base avec cotisations' [:)] Our local office is Villefranche de Rouergue but letter from HQ, headed Assurance Maladie Aveyron NB. We have never  received a 'chucking out' letter from the CMU (one  from URSSAF when they hadn' t received documentation from CPAM and quickly rescinded as an error) Todays  letter confirms affiliation as from 2003 and details cotisations until 30/9/2008. Just a normal letter 4 months late. If we hadn't been reading the forums we would probably  have just thought that they were behind with their paperwork and that wouldn't have been unususal!!!!  

some more iinfo here :http://superstorm.forumactif.com/archives-meteorologiques-f2/le-vent-d-autan-t246.htm

'Isn't it strange that in all cases a  UK based "French lawyer"has recommended a method régime de communauté universelle that you have to pay them for when a simple clause tontine in the contract achieves the same thing for married couples with children.' As  I understood it at the time, the change of marriage regime applied not only to the house ( as would a tontine) but all 'biens' and therefore prevented  any assets being divisible or taxable on the death of one of us: there would be no estate I also have some vague memory that it was far easier to do it legally whilst still resident  in the UK. The French notaire here seemed quite happy with the documentation from the UK French lawyer.

Coops,  Three now : St Brieuc, Vannes and Loudeac  

It seems perhaps  that the CPAMs are beginning to act on the circulaire now. On anglo-info Brittanny two posters have said that they have received letters from the CPAM  today saying that they will continue to be affiliated to the CMU.

I think that its worth reading and  attempting to understand what he actually said, his  lecture  seems speculative, it poses many questions, certainly no answers. It doesn't seem to relate at all to the reports that I have seen  in the press. The topic was Civil and Religious Law in England: a Religious Perspective. Why,  I wonder did he choose this slant?  I'm surprised that no-one advised him of the possible misinterpretations[8-)]  http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/1575 Incidently whilst the number of  Anglicans has declined there are still  over 1 million communicants each Easter and there are many parishes (dare I say often of the more modern persuasion) with active (and young) congregations. I even attend a house group affiliated, though miles from, an Anglican church in France.

Edited : I've just read the original lecture and the Archbishop does say 'it is crucial to distinguish between cultural and strictly religious dimensions so the examples I  originally gave don't seem to be relevent.

[quote user="Tony F Dordogne"]Very easy to get rid of sharps, there's even a law about it which puts the obligation on the dechet system to provide facilities.  We get free yellow boxes in 24, fill them up and take them to the dechetterie to be exchanged, no limit on the numbers and the system works very well. [/quote] Can I send some your way then? I have an ever growing number of full sharps bins sitting in the cave. No problem getting them from the pharmacie who used to exchange them. They stopped taking them about 18 months ago saying the dechetterie was now supposed to take them,  the local dechetterie says it hasn't the facilities.