Bertiebe

Grecian so good to hear that things are improving at last! Hope the stomach and eating problems will be resolved soon too. Good luck to you and Mrs G.

Norman, glad you are on the mend.  Hope you will be back home soon and enjoying your recuperation. Grecian, been thinking about you too.  How are things going now?  Better I hope.

Norman So sorry you have to go through more cancer treatment but so pleased that these necessary follow-up tests has caught it early.  Will be thinking of you on Wednesday and wishing you all the best for a speedy recovery. Your information is always so helpful on the forum, so please return soon. :) Seriously good luck.

Grecian so pleased to hear that you are home and now on the road to recovery.  I know what you mean about the garden, I have found it really hard not being able to contribute to keeping the garden ship shape, my OH is doing a grand job, but it's not the same as sharing all the daily duties.   I am sure you will be sensible tho' and not go rushing in, you need time to recover now and enjoy being back home. Apologies for not writing sooner I have been having problems logging on to the Forum! Norman sorry to hear that you will be in hospital next week, do hope all goes well for you. Good health to everyone, make the most of each day as we truly only appreciate good health when it has gone!

Just thought some of you might find it useful to know that the ceilings for paying sick pay to an auto entrepreneur was changed in February of this year. If you do not have cotisations of approx. 3800 euros on the last year (or average over the last 3 years) then you are no longer entitled to sick pay. Previously sick pay would have been the min. rate of 19 euros per day. Sadly I only found out when I submitted my claim in March about the new changes. Whilst I understand why they have made the changes it seems unfair to me to backdate it and to penalise those like myself who have continued to work during cancer treatment and cannot claim any assistance. However, if you earn a fortune you can claim up to 50euros a day! And I thought we had a socialist government.....

Oh dear Grecian Things must seem so hard at the moment.  It is so disappointing when there are setbacks after surgery and doubly so when you are unable to eat. I am sure you do not want to hear the usual platitudes, but just remember,  you are in the best place to resolve this issue but sadly I think it is going to take longer than you anticipated.  When you do start to recover though things usually progress in leaps and bounds. I too feel a little low, I had my drain removed 13 days ago and at the moment am having to travel to Toulouse at least twice a week to have manual aspiration on both sides!!  Hey, ho, at some point it will ease off I'm sure, and if it wasn't for the journey the procedure itself is fairly simple.  My friends and family are saying they always knew I was a little "Bl**der".... I do hope things will improve for you very soon, and send my very best wishes to you for a speedier recovery.  Best wishes to Mrs Grecian too, of course.

Thank you Minnie. I have a check up on Tuesday at Oncopole so finges crossed they will be pleaed and possibly remove this drain.

Very best of luck Grecian for your op. I know that we in France are very lucky and receive excellent treatment, but it can be hard when faced with speaking a foreign language, however, I do feel that the French Medical Staff appreciate helping Brits in hospital as we can be less demanding (the old stiff upper lip and all that). On the other hand do not be afraid to ask for help, whether it be for pain control or something as simple as putting your socks on, in my experience staff have always been happy to help. I am home now (albeit with drain still in situ) but glad to be back in my own environment. I look forward to hearing from you when you come out the other side. Bon Courage and Bon sante.

Good luck Grecian. I do hope the aide social can help you. I saw one here on Monday re my transport problems and she promised to contact my caisse to find out why they are not paying for me.Have not heard yet but I am going to ring her tomorrow to get an update. Do hope all goes well for your op and please take the advice to ask for help. Sometimes it seems not very forthcoming but usually it can be sorted.

Thanks NormanH. It really helps knowing you are a fighter and survivor. For me your experience has helped many times when I have been looking for answers. Hoping to get definitive response about travel from secu today. Will update soonest. Sun is shining in Toulouse, always cheers me up.

Grecian Glad you have made a decision regarding your wife's accommodation. The less you have to worry about the better. Just a thought but thankfully wifi.is free here at oncopole and I am able to keep in touch with my smartphone using WhatsApp for free, all over the world. Hope you find a way of staying in contact with your dear lady. Thanks for your kind words, sometimes it helps knowing you are not alone and the people on this forum have lots of good advice. Hope you had a good meal last night and good luck for the 17th.?

Thank you NormanH . All going well if recovery a little slow at the moment. Re transport, previously during my cancer treatment all bon de transport (regardless of using taxi ambulance or own transport were issued on the day of treatment and my caisse paid. The only exception was my 6 weeks of radiotherapy, for which I had a pre approval and again all paid without problem. This time around whenever I submit the bon de transport for our own car, they are not accepting from rangueil or oncopole. When I leave hospital this time I will have to use taxi/amb and I will keep quiet and hope all goes well. Mobs I understood if yoy lived more than 150kms from the hospital then this had to be pre-approved. I fall just under the 150kms limit but my caisse are trying to get away without paying for most things at the mo. I will give update after I have seen the hospital secu lady on Monday. Good luck with your treatment.

Grecian I agree with garden girl. If your wife can stay with you it might ease the stress for both of you. I know how difficult it is being treated a long way from home and the support you give each other is essential. Do ask about accom at the hospital as they always ask me if my husband is staying. He stays in a cheap motel when possible because we have a dog but it is lovely to have him visit and to see my dog outside when I feel well enough. I wish you all the best for your op and hope your wife can be near you during this difficult period.

Hello Norman Sorry for delayed reply but I am in oncopole Toulouse and my tablet would not log in. My husband visited ram gamex re the "bon de transport" issue and they are adamant all claims must be pre dated before your hospitalisation. Here at oncopole before I entered they said it would be issued on my departure.! I now have a lady from the oncopole secu coming to see me in hospital on Monday and I hope to finally get this issue resolved. I did write to the tribunal contesting my non payment but they seem to be ignoring me. Once I have any definitive info I will post in the hope that life will be easier for others in the future. Good luck to everyone having treatment at the moment.

Sorry for the delayed reply but I am in hospital at MO and couldn't log in. I know the French system spend an enormous amount of money on health care but I do so hate the waste. I find some things in France exceptional and almost all my treatment has been top notch with caring professional staff. Same cannot be said for the staff at my Caisse who are unhelpful and difficult to deal with when you live 150kms away. Now you cannot speak to them on the phone but the call is one of those chargeable numbers. As a self employed person I pay into the caisse monthly and seriously object to the way they work. They forget who is the customer in this situation. Good luck to everyone going through treatment at the moment at least we know we are in good hands.

Sorry this reply is a bit late Grecian and I do hope your treatment is progressing more smoothly now. It is a difficult time I know. On the subject of wasting millions, I wrote to the French Health Minister on 2 occasions during my cancer treatment, firstly like you complaining about the waste of over issuing drugs on prescription, 1 injection I had cost 1136 euros and was a "just in Case" treatment that wasn't used. When I took it back it went straight into the bin. The 2nd time after travelling 150kms each way every day for 6 weeks for my radiotherapy and the taxi/ambulance earning a substantial sum of money I asked if they would pay 60euros a night for me to stay in an aparthotel for 1 week, to relieve some of the fatigue and to save money for the state - reply - "there is no mechanism for this in the state system"..... I believe no progress has been made on either of these issues 3 years later!

Thank you both for your replies and for the great info as always NormanH. The "Bon de Transport and the Bulletin de Situation" were issued on the day of the investigation. I was requesting mileage reimbursement and not Taxi/Ambulance so only some 50Euros, but they have returned the forms stating they must be completed prior to the day of treatment. I asked my GP and the hospital secretary when I went for the pre-op and was told it would only be issued on the day of treatment - but my Caisse returned the documentation saying it had been issued "post treatment". I have contested their decision in writing so we shall see what happens, but it seems that using your own transport now (even though much cheaper to the state) is not being reimbursed. I am going in for another operation in March so I am going to contact the hospital in advance to supply the Bon de Transport as I think I will have to use a Taxi/Ambulance for the return journey.

Hi everyone, I have an ALD and travel 150kms to my hospital in Toulouse on many occasions each year. Previously when I have submitted a "Etat de Frais de Transport", it has been paid without problem. On the last 2 occasions they have rejected my claim stating the prescription was issued after the treatment. My last form was submitted on the day I went for an investigation under general anaesthetic (therefore unable to drive there and back, and no public transport available to arrive at 0700 in the morning). I asked my GP for the form in advance and he advised it would be supplied by the hospital, I asked at the hospital when I visited the anaesthatist before the hospitalisation but they insisted it would be issued the day of the investigation. Has anyone else had this or similar problems. I contacted the secretary of my specialist and she can shed no light on this problem either. Thanks for any help.

Thank you Norman H, for your reply and best wishes. I am very pleased with the treatment I have received here in France, but it does make my hair curl (or would if I had any), at the cost of transportation, over 400Euros each time I think!!  But, as you say no-one seems to turn a hair in France. Sorry about my terrible Puns!!

Hello I am starting 6 weeks of radiotherapy in Toulouse and the clinique charges for car parking.  As I will be visiting 30 times over 6 weeks, this will be quite expensive, up to 6-7 euros a day.  Does anyone know if you can claim this back on Etat de frais transport?  There is a section to claim Kms and Peage but there doesnt seem to be a box for Parking.  Anyone done this before? Plus I am going to take a VSL taxi for some of the visits and drive for others, depending on my husband's availability and the necessity to visit Toulouse for other business.  Does anyone know if this is ok, to mix and match as it were? Many thanks as always for the advice.

Hi Here is a link to "Balnea" which is a health spa located in the Valley du Louron, close to the NPY Peyragudes ski resort.  It has got some lovely pools and spas with a new Japanese spa located outside with fab views of the mountains. http://www.balnea.fr/page/balnea/21-qui-sommes-nous.html Hope it helps.

Hi Coops So glad to hear that your latest op went well and all results negative. You are an example to us all! Time to get on and enjoy 2012 now if you can, I agree you have done enough for medical research! Bon courage.

Hi, I too needed a V shaped pillow and bought one from Amazon.fr, this link: http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B0037XFYIU - Homescapes Oreiller en V, IDEAL PENDANT LA GROSSESSE The pillow was v. good quality and arrived super fast for a very reasonable price (for France that is). Hope it helps.

Thank you for the info Sunday Driver, I hadn't thought about this, but I suppose it is too their advantage if you have an ALD.  Glad to see someone is happy about it, ha ha. 

Thanks for the advice Coops.  I did choose my wig from a professional fitter in Toulouse and she was extremely helpful and a totally personal service.  However, my Mutuelle, Groupama, only offered me the huge sum of 37.50 Euros.  Again this was a bit of a surprise as when we took out the Assurance we were led to believe that this was a fairly good level of cover, but recently have found that while they cover all the basics but none of the niceties. I assume now that I have an ALD it is not so easy or cheap to change Assurance providers. However, on the positive front I did get a very modern "red" wig, which I am still waiting to utilise as the hair is currently going through the "looking dead" stage, but still hanging in there!!