Vaccine appointments

[Lori]

I do feel for you Mint.  I can imagine your level of worry considering your appointments.  Yet, as Idun said, there is nothing you can do, except wear double masks and distance as much as you can, use hand gel and wash hands constantly.

I presume that your appointments are vital and cannot be delayed.  The vaccines are coming.  Yes, it is going to take a little while longer, but now there are more about to hit the market and that is a positive thing.

I'm angry about how it is all rolling out here in France/EU, but I'm trying to stick to Idun's suggestion, difficult as it is.  I too have learned that extreme anxiety can cause further health problems.

[mint]

Judith, idun and Lori, thank you sooooo much for your kind, warm messages.

The RV for vaccination is not for me, it's for OH who has tended to fret about it. 

After I read Kong's sensible reply yesterday evening, I did see the light![I]  So I slept deeply and well.

We are being careful, don't go anywhere unless unavoidable.  Strangely enough, I have no fear of being in the hospital.  They are very good with les gestes barrières, temperature taken on entry, hands squirted with gel, only allowed in if you have legitimate reason and for admission, -ve test obligatory.

I deeply, deeply appreciate your words of support.

[Catalpa]

There's a guy I read on Twitter (yes, I know, but Twitter isn't 100% bats**t crazy, it just seems like it) who regularly analyses French Covid statistics and now the roll-out / delivery of the vaccine. He's worth reading and has some... cheering?... thoughts about the programme speeding up.

https://mobile.twitter.com/john_lichfield/status/1357690261833400322

You don't need to join Twitter to read.

Also... Vitamin D

In Normandy, sunshine is in short supply in winter and spring (though nice oily fish and eggs are not). There does seem to be some evidence for Vit D boosting the immune system so we spoke to our pharmacist about effective supplements and she recommended

https://alvityl.fr/alvityl-produits/alvityl-vitamine-d3/

It's about 7 €uro for spray you apply daily under the tongue because that (our pharmacist says) is the best route to efficient absorption, more so than with tablets.

So if you want to give your immune system a boost - or at least feel as if you are doing something more than mask, distance, wash while passively waiting for the vaccine to arrive, that's what we're doing.

Happy weekend. [kiss]

[pomme]

Our doctor, who is also a homeopath, prescribes Vitamin D/cholecalciferol as a matter of course for his older patients who want it as a preventative for osteoporosis and broken bones. It is refunded by CPAM.

He did offer a high concentration ampoule to be taken once every three months but I found that increased the occurrence of my kidney stones. So now we get 10ml bottles of Dedrogyl and take a few drops of that in water every day.

[mint]

My new MT told me that Vit D supplements are not necessary because "everybody's blood results show low Vit D levels".  He is also the person who told me that the covid virus is not airborne but is to be found on surfaces.

What could I do?  When my previous no-nonsense, super efficient MT killed himself, we were in the midst of covid and no MT were to be had for love or money.  This new man came from nobody knows where but the new pôle de santé needs staffing and I needed a MT pronto. 

Signed up without difficulty and I thought myself lucky[:'(]

We have always taken Vit D supplements in winter but I think we will just double up on the dose from now.  I have had those ampoules and they gave me a real lift.  In fact, I wrote about these here on a thread I started to let others know about the benefits.

Now I will have to investigate both Catalpa's and pomme's suggestions.

BTW, Vit D defficiency is correlated with my type of aggresive cancer, no causal effects found but a strong correlation indicated.

So, everyone, this is worth more than a passing glance[:)]

[Lori]

That's terrible Mint. 

Our MT prescribed OH and me the ampoule to be taken once every two months.  We both take it.  It is very inexpensive and it is reimbursed, though so cheap the reimbursement isn't imortant.  It is also available without a prescription - or that is what I was told.

[mint]

Thanks for that, lori.  I will ask our friendly pharmacien on Monday.  The ampoules were great and indeed we would be happy to pay for it even if it were expensive.

I thought it was prescription only.  Lovely that you know about this and now have told me[kiss]

[Lori]

I hope I am right about that.  I asked my pharmacist a couple of months ago when I picked up my own ampoule.  I had my own prescription and carte vitale, but I wanted to pick one up for OH too, but I didn't have his prescription or carte vitale.  That is when I asked if it was available without a prescription.  I was told yes, just not reimbursed without prescription / card.  At which time we both agreed it was so inexpensive, not a big deal for reimburse.

[Judith-aka-Judith]

Mint, yes it was you got me onto using Vit D, and though I don't think I had quite the boost you felt, I still have it on prescription, though every three months, which I think is a bit long a gap if I am honest.

Had a similar problem with our MT, didn't die, just disappeared, luckily I found a good replacement, who just happens to be English by origin, but brought up here, so best of both worlds. So nice to be able to explain everything in English, and helps that she's female too!  In fact the practice only has one male but 3 female doctors .. and all reasonably young.  Biggest problem with mine is that she keeps getting pregnant, but she comes back at the end of the maternity leave OK !!

[mint]

[quote user="Lori"]

I hope I am right about that.  I asked my pharmacist a couple of months ago when I picked up my own ampoule.  I had my own prescription and carte vitale, but I wanted to pick one up for OH too, but I didn't have his prescription or carte vitale.  That is when I asked if it was available without a prescription.  I was told yes, just not reimbursed without prescription / card.  At which time we both agreed it was so inexpensive, not a big deal for reimburse.

[/quote]

I asked at a pharmacie today and they told me that the Vit D ampoule was only available on prescription.  But that is just the one I was in today; I will ask at another one where I am friendly with the owner.

I did buy a bottle of drops and, on comparing doses, the amount is exactly the same as the pills we have been taking.  But I have no idea if drops are more absorbable than pills.  In any case, OH won't want to take it as it contains lanolin.

He will ask his MT next time he has to go and I will ask mine again with more determination and assertiveness this time.  I know many of our elderly French neighbours get their ampoules at least through the winter with some taking it summer and winter.  I can see the logic because, although there is plenty of sunshine here in summer, the heat sometimes makes being outdoors impossible and, also, elderly skin tends to be more fragile than young ones and can burn more easily.

Thought I'd come back and reply to your post, lori, and then everyone will know, or they may have a different experience to mine.  For us, the cost is not a big deal as we use other supplements as well and it's just like part of the food bill to us.

[NormanH]

This is what my MT prescribes and it is only available on prescription:

[url=https://postimages.org/][img]https://i.postimg.cc/CLjSmGJW/137527661-10223050250751952-4431515576706243150-o.jpg[/img][/url]

[Judith-aka-Judith]

That's what I use too, and given the size of the dose I would imagine it is only available on prescription. 

[anotherbanana]

Get that from my GP every three months.

[Lehaut]

My wife gets the same!

The last but one blood test she did, she queried why the Vit D results were not on the list. This, she was told, could be done at extra cost, as it was not on the prescription. Now the Doc adds it and it is taken on charge.

It appears to have an effect.

[Lori]

Interesting Mint.  We take the Zymad ampoule.  I think it is the 80,000 ampoule we take.  It is in the cabinet downstairs, so I'll look when I go down there.

This one:

https://sante.journaldesfemmes.fr/medicaments/zymad-80-000-ui/medicament-60997163

This site says it is available without prescription.

https://www.notretemps.com/sante/zymad-traitement-des-carences-en-vitamine-d,i77673

This site says you need a prescription !

https://www.topsante.com/nutrition-et-recettes/les-vitamines/vitamine-d/vitamine-d-sans-ordonnance-639617

This site seems to explain the difference between the prescribed vit. D and those available without a prescription (indicating a prescription is required for the ampoules).

https://www.julienvenesson.fr/la-vitamine-d-prescrite-par-les-medecins-naurait-pas-deffet-sur-la-sante/

So, I guess your mileage may vary.  My pharmacist sold me my husband's ampoule without any question.  And, told me it was available without prescription.

[mint]

Thank you to everybody for their replies with their links all of which I have read.

Both OH and I were on the highest dose (like Norman's and Judith's).  I am certain that his doctor, who also used to be mine, will give him a prescription.

As for my man, he's refused to have my blood tested for Vit D, never mind give me a prescription.  If this wasn't a pandemic and it were easy to change MT, I'd do it like a shot.  At the moment, I have no available alternative.

Next time I go, I shall insist as forcibly as I can without holding a gun to his head, that I would like the prescription and also tell him that I had always had a prescription for it in the past.

[cajal]

Snagged this afternoon, Pfizer-BioNTech.

1st rdv mid May.

2nd rdv mid June.

[mint]

Cajal, how did you manage to book so far ahead?

For our preferred centre, the calendar finishes on 15 Feb and then the usual notice that because of strong demand there are not more RVs and always that 496 doses will be available in the following 28 days. 

I was wrong about 2 other things.  I shared a VSL with an elderly lady who'd had her first dose and that her GP (same as OH's) had arranged the RV for her.  So OH went to see the MT yesterday and was told that there was no more vaccines and that she herself hadn't had her jab.  Also, contrary to my confident prediction, she also refused to give him the high-dose Vit D.

We really are not having a very good time, are we?

[mint]

Cajal, don't bother answering my previous post.  Since writing that, I have read this:

[url]https://www.sudouest.fr/sante/coronavirus/vaccin/covid-19-la-vaccination-avance-pas-de-nouveaux-rendez-vous-1283830.php[/url]

 I think that leaves us unvaccinated for a good number of months yet

[Weegie]

Had my first one yesterday.  Next one was already programmed for 11 March.

Nearest centre was Nontron (30 minutes away).  They only had enough vaccines for 26 yesterday and the lady told me that they had a waiting list of 600!!

OH still not eligible.  Whilst I was there, there was a couple of people who turned up on spec to see if they could get a vaccination - no chance.

[Gardengirl]

Weegie, while pleased that you have your vaccinations lined up, I feel depressed for friends in France, at the so very long wait for most of them, regardless of age, it seems.

Surely égalité in vaccinations should apply to our older friends wherever they live.

[NickP]

I think they are hoping that us oldies die off before we can get an RDV. ??

[Alan Zoff]

Perhaps with all the idiots refusing there will be enough vaccine to bring forward the first and second jabs for the sane ones

[Weegie]

I am also concerned about the situation here in France.  My wife, who is 72 tomorrow, is looking at months before she is likely to get her vaccination.

My post was to underline the difficulties being experienced here.

[mint]

[quote user="Weegie"]

Had my first one yesterday.  Next one was already programmed for 11 March.

Nearest centre was Nontron (30 minutes away).  They only had enough vaccines for 26 yesterday and the lady told me that they had a waiting list of 600!!

OH still not eligible.  Whilst I was there, there was a couple of people who turned up on spec to see if they could get a vaccination - no chance.

[/quote]

Weegie, I read your first post about Nontron and, after reflection, I decided to try that site although it is a long way from us, over an hour and not on main roads.  Of course, as you have said, no slots at all.

My husband will be celebrating his 90th birthday in a month or so's time and I don't think he'll be vaccinated until the summer, if then.

While worried for myself, my attention is focused on keeping him safe.

PS, Forgot to say that Dordorgne has an infection rate of over the national average, being one of 2 departments with worrying rates, Moselle being the other, where infections are galloping apace.  Moselle much in the news, not so much Dordogne.  Perhaps it's because we are not economically important enough to merit any mention on the national news on TV?