Medication for long term illness plus verrucae

[Carole]

Can anyone tell me if I am entitled to free prescriptions for long term illness which I have had for several years. Firstly I am on blood thinners, secondly I have a heart condition and thirdly am diabetic.

I was under the impression that the required drugs would be free under the long term illness list.

I am a 60 year old pensioner on limited means.

The doctor said that I do not qualify and also that I do not qualify for the flu jab even though my nurse/doctor back home insisted that due to my illnesses and also the fact that I have had cancer and should have it.

Also, how do they get rid of verrucea in this country. I have been trying to find someone who would freeze one or better still use laser treatment. All I have discovered is that it will have to be dug out over a period of weeks and this is not covered by my carte vitale.

In spite of everything I am getting along fine.

[Clair]

[quote user="Carole"]Can anyone tell me if I am entitled to free prescriptions for long term illness which I have had for several years. Firstly I am on blood thinners, secondly I have a heart condition and thirdly am diabetic.

I was under the impression that the required drugs would be free under the long term illness list.

I am a 60 year old pensioner on limited means.

The doctor said that I do not qualify and also that I do not qualify for the flu jab even though my nurse/doctor back home insisted that due to my illnesses and also the fact that I have had cancer and should have it.

Also, how do they get rid of verrucea in this country. I have been trying to find someone who would freeze one or better still use laser treatment. All I have discovered is that it will have to be dug out over a period of weeks and this is not covered by my carte vitale.

In spite of everything I am getting along fine.[/quote]

Hi Carole,

• Regarding ALDs (Affection de longue durée): your doctor is guided by the existing regulations. You can read more about them here: http://www.ameli.fr/qu'-est-ce-qu-'une-a.l.d.php

Being diagnosed with an illness which necessitates ongoing treatment is not, in itself, a criteria to access free treatment.

The list of ALDs can be found here: http://www.sante.gouv.fr/htm/dossiers/hcmss/liste_ald.htm

• Regarding the flu jab: you are below the qualifying age (65) for free treatment and your doctor does not want to prescribe it. That does not mean you cannot buy it yourself from the pharmacy and ask a nurse to do the necessary injection.

• Regarding verrucae: you need to see a dermatologist. Ask your doctor to refer you so you can benefit from the maximum refund available. You could also try Cryopharma  or Scholl, which are available from pharmacies and do not require a prescription, but you would have to pay for them yourself.

[mint]

Also, Carole, about the flu jab, the cost is only about 6 euros and the stuff comes complete with a syringe and needle.  If you don't mind doing it yourself, you can save the nurse's fee.  The injection is no big deal as you are probably used to needles.  Just choose a nice muscular site, I found the outer thigh quite good as you can access it easily doing it yourself.  Clean site with some disinfectant, push needle in, withdraw the plunger a bit to make sure there is no blood (therefore you haven't hit a blood vessel) and then slowly inject all of the liquid.  Withdraw the needle and give the site a good rub to disperse the drug and that's it.  The area may feel a bit lumpy and sore for a day or two, but that's quite normal.

If you are used to giving yourself injections, then please excuse my impertinence in trying to teach a grandmother to suck eggs.  I am just trying to help.  Good luck and look after yourself.

[Helen]

'Also, how do they get rid of verrucea in this country. I have been trying to find someone who would freeze one or better still use laser treatment.'

You need to see a podologue. Your doctor should be able to tell you of someone. It is not normally recommended that people with diabetes selftreat verrucae. I'm not sure of the payment for their services. I was referred to one with a verruca but kept forgetting to go and the verruca went away.

I am surprised that your doctor says that your diabetes is not covered by the ALD regulations unless it is  perhaps 'pre-diabetes' .Defined as: 'Les patients ayant une glycémie à jeun entre 1.10 et 1.26 g/l (6,1 et 7 mmol/l) sont considérés comme ayant une glycémie anormale. Ces patients sont exclus de l'exonération du ticket modérateur.  .............'  (that would be fasting blood sugar without treatment since it should be lower with)

 I have type 1  but I know of several other people  with type 2 who have not only been covered by a complementaire ALD(for their diabetes) but also  have been referred to a specialist .You should not only be having treatment to control your diabetes but regular examinations of your eyes, blood tests on kidney function etc. If you click on diabetes in the link to ALDs given earlier there is a full description of the neccesary tests and examinations . If you are not having these tests I would consider changing my medecine traitent.

People with diabetes, covered by an ALD, do get offered a flu jab.

[Will]

Remember too that just because a condition is on the 'ALD list' it doesn't mean that 100% cover is automatic. That has to be recommended by a doctor, and agreed by your health caisse (e.g. CPAM). Without wishing to sound like a conspiracy theorist, I think it quite likely that given the current situations, CPAMs might be rather reluctant to give approval in the case of non-French nationals. 

[Quillan]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

Also, Carole, about the flu jab, the cost is only about 6 euros and the stuff comes complete with a syringe and needle.  If you don't mind doing it yourself, you can save the nurse's fee.  The injection is no big deal as you are probably used to needles.  Just choose a nice muscular site, I found the outer thigh quite good as you can access it easily doing it yourself.  Clean site with some disinfectant, push needle in, withdraw the plunger a bit to make sure there is no blood (therefore you haven't hit a blood vessel) and then slowly inject all of the liquid.  Withdraw the needle and give the site a good rub to disperse the drug and that's it.  The area may feel a bit lumpy and sore for a day or two, but that's quite normal.

If you are used to giving yourself injections, then please excuse my impertinence in trying to teach a grandmother to suck eggs.  I am just trying to help.  Good luck and look after yourself.

[/quote]

Got to put my mods hat on for this.

Archant, it's subsidiaries and this Forum in particular do not recommend under any circumstances that a person should EVER self medicate by injection unless told and instructed to do so by their doctor, consultant or any other medical person who has access to their medical history.

OK hat off now.

[Nickel]

Carole

I hope you will go back to see your doctor about these things that are causing you such concern. The information you have given is very limited for anyone to make a well judged response. ( e.g - what type of diabetes - how is it controlled - is your doctor controlling your anticoagulants - who said your verruca has to be "dug out" etc etc.)

I agree with  Helen's observations - you need to be sure you are getting the best care  but please see your doctor and if perhaps there is a language problem then try and take somebody with you who can translate.

Make a list of the things you want to ask him - prescriptions - long term illness - verrucas and make sure you get the answers!!

All the very best

 

 

 

[Carole]

Thank you all so very much for your information, this is why forums are so good. My doctor knows my medical history as I brought it all with me from the UK in March.

I am type 2 diabetic and am treated with metformin (drug). I regulate myself by monitoring on a regular basis.

As I have atrial fibrillation I have to be on permanent warfarin which is about to be changed to previscan. This requires a blood test at least once a month. I am also on another couple of drugs for the condition.

I can understand the possible reluctance re the medication coming under the long term conditions considering the current social/political problems. However, I have checked and all of them are on the list.

He said I dont qualify for the flu jab (not 65) but as you say it is not expensive and can get it myself although I was told to have it in the UK due to my autoimune system being a bit shot to pieces with my medication.

At least my cancer drug is 100% as it costs about 127 euros per month. However the doctor sent me to a specialist to confirm this and the specialist could not understand at all why I had been sent to see him. He said my GP should have done this automatically.

I do not know whether of not I have a good doctor or not, it is difficult to tell when coming to a new country. My French is not too bad and he speaks a bit of English.

I have to go and see him shortly re the previscan and will check out re the verrucae.

The worse thing about all this is the fact that I am not a pill taker and there are many times I just feel like coming off the lot but common sense prevails!!

Again, thanks all of you - by the way, sorry to bore you with all this, it is not normally my style!!

[Benjamin]

Can someone please shorten the links in this thread so that it can be read?

Mr. Grumpy

alias

[Clair]

Hi Benjamin

The link does not overlap on my screen but I will shorten it anyway...

[Tony F Dordogne]

It's interesting that my GP wouldn't fill in the forms for CPAM to make me 100% but my specialist did and the GP now happily writes out my prescriptions, one puts them all in the top half of the form, the other GP splits them so some are 100% all the time and some 100% temporarily.

Carole, if you're seeing a specialist - and depending on how long you've been here you certainly should be I think for all your ailments, even 4 seperate specialists, I'd ask one of them to set the ball rolling for the other conditions.

If you have a long-term cancer, can you ask whether the other conditions may, in some way, be caused or linked to the cancer, that's what has happened with me - my ancillary conditions are all caused by the leukaemia or the drugs I take for the lukaemia and therefore I get 100% for everything.

Except of course, things like visits to the podologue which I pay for in full.

Edit:  Sorry we can only tell you how we read the list - at the end of the day, whether you get 100% is between you and your doctor/specialists and it's their interpretation of the lists that's important, all we can do is share our experiences of the system with you.

[Benjamin]

[quote user="Clair"]Hi Benjamin

The link does not overlap on my screen but I will shorten it anyway...

[/quote]

Thanks Clair. Not all of us has a 107cm plasma screen for our display. [:D]

[Clair]

15" in old money or 15 pouces if you prefer! [:D]

[mint]

[quote user="Quillan"][quote user="sweet 17"]

Also, Carole, about the flu jab, the cost is only about 6 euros and the stuff comes complete with a syringe and needle.  If you don't mind doing it yourself, you can save the nurse's fee.  The injection is no big deal as you are probably used to needles.  Just choose a nice muscular site, I found the outer thigh quite good as you can access it easily doing it yourself.  Clean site with some disinfectant, push needle in, withdraw the plunger a bit to make sure there is no blood (therefore you haven't hit a blood vessel) and then slowly inject all of the liquid.  Withdraw the needle and give the site a good rub to disperse the drug and that's it.  The area may feel a bit lumpy and sore for a day or two, but that's quite normal.

If you are used to giving yourself injections, then please excuse my impertinence in trying to teach a grandmother to suck eggs.  I am just trying to help.  Good luck and look after yourself.

[/quote]

Got to put my mods hat on for this.

Archant, it's subsidiaries and this Forum in particular do not recommend under any circumstances that a person should EVER self medicate by injection unless told and instructed to do so by their doctor, consultant or any other medical person who has access to their medical history.

OK hat off now.

[/quote]

Sorry, Quillan.  My advice was clearly ill-judged.  Only there was a bit of discussion on the forum earlier during the flu season when people asked how the jab was done and 2 or 3 people did describe the procedure.

When I heard what the OP had to say, I got a bit carried away, wanting to help and I'm afraid I neglected to think about the implications of my post.

So, sorry, Quillan, and most of all, sorry, Carole