Another thing you might want to think about is what type of hospital this is. I don;t have any data - and Rex would probably know more - but it looks to me like this is a basic general hospital - not a tertiary care center.

And while medical care in France is certainly excellent - and your mom's problem while very disressing does not seem especially complicated medically - as everywhere else - all hospitals are distinctly not equal.

(My instinct for everything is to just go to the top expert - and I would probably be finding out which MD/hospital in Paris is the best for this type of surgery.)

<<not a tertiary care center...>>

Oh my, haven't we all known a situation where one thinks "pity the poor patient at a tertiary care center"!?

This <u>is</u> a <i>medical center</i>, to the extent that such a term means anything (that's more or less how I would translate the term &quot;centre hopitalier&quot;). It has a new and separate &quot;women's and children's paviliion (building)&quot; - - this is not a &quot;basic general hospital&quot;. They have a dozen-plus cardiologists, anesthesiologists and OB/GYNs; four each of thoracic-vascular surgeons, staff orthopedic surgeons, and fairly specialized pediatrics (neonatology, pediatric hematology and nephrology). True, it's not a transplant center, nor Johns Hopkins - - but hip fractures are treated with great success in hospitals one-fourth this size all over America, Europe and most parts of the world.

Hello wj1, I can only imagine how stressed and worried all of you are. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you.

And dear Rex, although I have always felt you are a very strong and compassionate human being I too almost have tears regarding your very kind help to wj1. You are a hero in my book! I feel sure I know how grateful wj1 is for your &quot;over the top&quot; help.

I agree with Love, when asked who I would travel with? I think Rex might be the perfect fellow traveler, he definitely comes through for you!

I had the exact same thought, Scarlett.

This thread represents Fodor's Travel Talk at its finest, IMHO.

I've been a Kaiser (Northern CA) member since 1974 and am alive to tell the story. Working with their system is like working with any large organization, and it helps to be able to advocate for yourself.

rex, I've not your biggest fan on Fodor's but you are a first rate compassionate OTT human being. Kudos to you.

Best wishes to the OP and her mom. I can't imagine how difficult this is to navigate from such a distance.

Editorial aside: Is there no stopping nytraveler's yammering about topics she clearly has NO knowledge of?

Rex, please add my name to your list of admirers. Your decency and compassion touched my heart. After working for an orthopedist (specialty in hips and knees) for 40+ years, your advice is right on. If it were my mother I would have her undergo surgery in France post haste.

Before I made the final decision about something like this I would definitely have a long, detailed talk w/ my Mother's primary care physician back home.

Is her home town doctor/hospital totally OK with her flying in this condition? What other dangers are there - like Rex mentioned, thrombosis, or reaction to pain killers, or worsening the fracture w/ all the travel, or some other complications.

Flying her home for the surgery MIGHT not actually be the best choice.

And yes, Rex rocks!

Three cheers for Rex, three cheers for fodors!

wj1 we are all hoping for the best outcome here, so please let us know what happens when you have the chance.

Kaiser works best when you know how to work the system, but we've had it for many years and one thing I do feel confident about is the quality of the medical care. Excellent doctors, excellent facility in our area.

Rockhopper 7 -

Sorry my yammering bothers you. I did say that Rex would know more about this than I did. Just pointed out another option no one else had mentioned.

wj1 - sorry for highjacking your thread - obviously your mom's problem is what's important here - and I certainly don;t want to add to your problems with unnecessary discord.

Hi everyone.

Here's an update.

My mother will be flying home for her surgery. The doctors think it will be fine. So while I appreciate everyone's suggestions and comments about having the surgery performed in France, since the decision has been made, at this point I would appreciate it to have no further debate about where the surgery will be. I hope you all undertand but additional stress about whether we made the right decision will not be helpful. One of the clinchers was the lack of English being spoken in the hospital and my mother's lack of French. The idea of waking up from anesthesia without an English speaking nurse was just too much. As she said, they could be asking her something as simple as what her name is, and she wouldn't be able to respond.

I talked to my mom about an hour ago and she is comfortable and ready for sleep. My family has a lot of experience with Kaiser and feel comfortable about having her care there. Once they opened for business this morning, they were great-very supportive and doing everything necessary. I have no complaints.

So thanks for your support and I'll let you know how things develop.

It's been a long 12 hours since I got her call and nap time is calling.

Good Good wishes going out for wm1s mom!

Ack, I am sorry :) wj1~

wj1, I will continue to pray for you and your mother and the choices you are having to make. This is indeed a very difficult decision.

And Rex, you are a true gentleman. Our world needs more good samaritans like you. You have not only helped a stranger in need, but have shown others what true graciousness is. I applaud you.

This incident is indeed dear to my heart as I am 10 days away from embarking on an overseas trip with my elderly parents. I have read the numerous threads on this board re trip insurance, medical care, etc. I thank each of you who have shared your ideas as we all need to be aware things can happen and we need to be prepared.

Again to wj1, whatever decision gets made, I pray for a successful surgery and safe return home, whenever that may be.

Hello wj1, my wishes to your mother for a safe trip home and good medical care at Kaiser. I am sure it will be. I hope you are alright also, I know how stress can affect one, especially with unexpected news. Blessings to all of you.

While soom have said this represents Travel Talk at it's finest, I think the contrary is true. All sorts of conjecture with no knowledge. A typical case of jumping on a horse and riding off in all directions.

wj1 asked his (her) question at 9:10 AM and the first sensible answer came from Janis at 6:22 PM when she suggested contacting Mom's primary care physician.

At 6:46 PM wj1 announced that the course of action had been resolved.

We changed our mind. We were too concerned about the risks Rex mentioned as we were starting to run up the window of opportunity. So she will have the surgery there and I will fly to Paris tomorrow and be there for a couple of weeks. I'll be in touch when I can. Thank you all for your support.

All the Best of Luck wj1 !!

jsmith, that is so unfair and so untrue. wj1 did not post asking for medical advice. She asked for assistance finding a hotel near the hospital, and she clearly was uncertain where the hospital was located.

Within an hour, several people had posted info that might have helped her, such as the correct spelling of the city and the website of the hospital. And then Rex kindly telephoned France on his own dime and was able to tell her that there was a patient assistance office that could help her. (As it turned out, Rex's medical advice was also extremely valuable.)

I'm shaking my head in disbelief that anyone could find something to criticize in this sequence of events.