Need MD in Paris
 

I posted this in the Lounge and have sent the wonderful Michael Orsman <sp> a message as well. We are staying in an apartment in the Latin Quarter on Rue de Ecoles and I need to find a Dr. for my eleven year old. She has gotten progressively more sick in the last 24 hours and has a tendency to get pneumonia quickly.

I am going to have to wait till tomorrow (It is Sunday afternoon here) but if anyone can direct me I would appreciate it. I will try the pharmacy in the am as that is how we found a Dr. in Florence when she got sick there.

I am KICKING myself for not bringing her a Z pac.

MomDDTravel - There is a 24 hr Pharmacy on The Champs Elysees near George V metro entrance/exit. I used it when I need medicine for my moms legs.
I'd call SOSMedicin for a doctor who will come to you - 01 47 07 77 77.
Children go downhill fast - don't wait or spare any exprense.

MomDD, here's a link to several pharmacies open today:

http://goparis.about.com/od/gettinga...s_Pharmacy.htm

tod - Thank you!! I will call as soon as dh returns. When we came back to the apartment - I forgot to get one of the cellphones from him - they have both phones with them. They went to the Catacombs which close at 4:00 pm so I hope they will return soon.

I wonder if the MD will have meds with them?

Thanks again - I will be calling and yes, you seem to know my dd. She goes from feeling a little bad to pnemononia within hours. Weird.

..try the American Hospital in Neuilly. Hoptal Necker has an excellent pediatric service. You could go to their ER or call them (it is in the 15th).

Yes, the American Hospital in Neuilly is very good, though it's a bit of a trek. Maybe take a taxi.

One good thing: a visit to the doctor and medicine are very inexpensive in France.

PS: MomDDtravel, sometime let us know how your trip is going. I remember all your planning posts.

You do not need to wait till tomorrow to see a doctor. Just dial 15, and you will get an emergency response. I suspect that in Paris you will find someone there speaks English.

Usually they ask you for symptoms, and assess what is necessary - if a doctor is needed, they will have someone on call and get them to you.

MomDD- Let us know how you are being taken care of - Being sick overseas is the pits! We wish your DD a speedy recovery - couple anti-biotics will have her perky in no time!

There used to be a medical clinic near Maubert-Mutualité--I do not know if it is still there. You might be able to get a reference for a doctor through the local pharmacy.

I wanted to share the update that I just posted on the Lounge - thank you so much!

greetings - thank you so much! I have come back. I ended up waking her up and taking her to the American Hospital. Thank you for that suggestion. I could not get the phone to work that I found - so I could not get the people that were to come to our apartment.

I had to walk her to get a taxi - and it was a long drive over from where our apartment is.

I got lucky, in that when we arrived, the ER said that they can only "treat adults" I thought I might cry on the spot and the nurse said that she would see if there was a pediatrician there.

Fortunately there was - and he took us right away. DD has "a bacterial infection" in her throat. He did a test on the spot and we waited with him - the Dr. was great.

It was 120 Euros and he gave us two pills to last through the night. I will fill her prescription in the am.

Cost? 120 Euros for going to a hospital in France. I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be in the US.

The taxi almost cost as much (not really but almost at 25 Euros each way).

I am not sure I would have known to be able to go to the American Hospital and would have waited perhaps till the morning - this way dd got her meds to start tonight.

Once again you all have helped me beyond measure.

Oh one thing that was almost comical but not - I had to ask the cab driver to stop on the way back and pull over - as dd got violently ill.

If I would have waited for dh and family to get home we would still be here... have not seen them. I do not think dh realizes I do not have a phone.

I hope your daughter gets better soon!

Great news Dawn! Did you by chance take our trip insurance? If so, save your receipts.

I do keep emergency numbers with me when we travel, but your tale is a good reminder of that. And I may just preprogram my phone before we leave with some of these numbers.

Hope she gets better fast:)

We've not been sick in Paris, but I also was going to suggest the American Hospital. We know some people who have used it and were very satisfied. Interesting about the adults/children issue. Hard to imagine, but you were fortunate to get a pediatrician.
My husband went to a hospital in London a few year ago,, emergency room....slipped on a bathroom rug the night before in Sorrento Italy,hit head, got dizzy, felt better....flew as planned the following day to London for 3 days before returning home to the U.S. Got dizzy again the next day. Taxi to St. Mary's Hospital by Paddington station,,, wonderful...very good doctors, residents, etc.,good exam, concussion ....
Bottom line: NO charge,,,did it as a courtesy with the U.S. Perhaps it is always this way, but it happened to be the day the Iraq war broke out!!!

Just saw this post, or I would have suggested the American Hospital, as well. Went there two years ago when I was ill. Neuilly is a bit far, but we took the #82 bus that let us out right at the door. Took a bit longer than a cab, but I got to do some sightseeing.

Excellent and caring service at the hospital.

Hope your girl is getting better, and that DH is not too far in the doghouse.

:-)

Just read your email and would also have suggested the American Hospital. I'm staying in the Latin Quarter as well; if there's anything I an do to help, email me at [email protected]. Would be glad to run out for medicine, etc.

I'm glad you handled this promptly and that our advice helped. So maybe she has bad strep throat?

I think 120 euros is a lot! I went to a hospital in Nice for a bad rash on my foot; it cost about 25 euros. But they didn't speak much English. "Je suis allergique a une herbe francaise."

thank you all again. She is still pretty sick. Been in bed all day. Dh stayed with her as he is not feeling well either but "okay". I got older dd out of the apartment for a while. Funny story about today I will share on another thread at another time - but I just had to say again Thank you all so much. Truly - I love this forum and the people here have become dear and near to me.

Mom - I'm glad you went to the hospital instead of waiting. Hopefully she will be feeling better soon and can enjoy some of Paris.

Michael above mentions a clinic near Maubert Mutualite. Does anyone know if it is still there and the address. this is good info to have in my file as we usually stay in the 5th...

I would think that any pharmacy in the neighborhood would know if the clinic is still there.

I became very ill in Paris last April. Our apartment rental agency Just France had given us a card to access medical help if needed. We called SOS Medecins,01.47.07.77.77, a 24/7 service, and an English speaking doctor was at our apartment in about an hour.
We paid the doctor in cash which cost less than an office visit in the US. It was a life saver. I beleive this servie is available all France.

I went to the American Hospital years ago for severe sore throat - i think they took Blue Cross or medical coverage like any American hospital would.

The American Hospital does not take American insurance (or at least not my insurance -- Blue Cross/Blue Shield). You must save your receipts, fill out a claim form (found on-line), and mail it in.

why are there so many pharmacies in paris but not a single doctors/MD office in the section near all the historical landmarks? can you get buy antibioticsin paris without a prescription?

<i>why are there so many pharmacies in paris but not a single doctors/MD office in the section near all the historical landmarks?</i>

That is a truly ridiculous statement. Just for a start, have you ever noticed that big building on the left hand side of the square facing Notre Dame?

My doctor is directly across from Les Invalides! On my last trip I almost did some sightseeing after my appointment.

I am also not sure that you would know where a dr was. There is a denist in the apartment directly below us.

Another option people should remember when travelling is to ask at the local tourist office for doctor's offices, or doctors who speak English.

I do this for our guests in Sarlat, since I can't always know who is currently available, who speaks English etc. They always have a list of doctors and dentists.

But do remember that doctors in France still make house calls. If you phone the emergency number(15) they will assess your condition and either recommend the closest doctor or send one to you.

My own doctor makes house calls every morning from 9 to 11:45 for 36&euro; and then receives patients in his office from 13:00 to 18:00 for 22&euro;.

&lt;&lt;The American Hospital does not take American insurance (or at least not my insurance -- Blue Cross/Blue Shield). You must save your receipts, fill out a claim form (found on-line), and mail it in.&gt;&gt;

Outside emergencies, one shouldn't go to a hospital hospital without finding out from your insurer what is covered. Even for an emergency, people ought to know that information ahead of time and find out before they travel, let alone reside, abroad. Blue Cross/BS is better than most American insurers in that they actually have international networks of physicians and doctors who do accept their insurance so you don't have to pay up-front. Also, BCBS has many different plans, each state is its own company, and each one may have different benefits and be accepted in different places. It isn't one big insurance plan that is the same for everyone in the US.

In Paris, the hospital in the BCBS network is l'Institut Mutualiste Montsouris at 42 bd Jourdan in the 14th.

MomDDTravel - I'm glad to hear you have got her on the mend. Starting the treatment asap was the right thing to do before she got any worse.
Bad strep throats can affect the kidneys.
Get well soon.

If going to a French doctor, as opposed to the American Hospital, the cost of the visit will be far less than a one night stay at a hotel. One should be able to afford the out of pocket expense, which probably will be reimbursed by one's medical insurance when presenting the bills and proof of travel. This is what we did with Blue Cross-Blue Shield eons ago when hospitalization was necessary, and this year when we needed a couple of visits to the doctor and a lab for tests (105&euro; total cost). Except for potentially big emergencies requiring operations and long hospital stays, and eventual evacuation, medical insurance is not necessary, at least not for France.

I gather that the American Hospital charges higher rates for treatment even though it now accepts French patients presumably at the standard rate.

Don't forget that &quot;American Hospital&quot; is just the name of the place. It is a French hospital with French doctors.

The emergency room of any hospital in Paris would have treated your daughter free of charge. And since some doctors in France have actually been to school, the majority of them have learned to speak English.

American prejudice about getting &quot;American&quot; treatment is great for the French economy, but it is an enormous waste of your money.

You do know, I hope, that France has been rated the #1 country in the world for medical treatment? That would imply that going to the &quot;American&quot; hospital is a request for inferior treatment.

I went recently to two ERs in Italy - after falling down in the street and bloodying my nose and though i had x-rays of my head ('showed nothing') and saw three doctors, had an ambulance ride, etc. did not cost me on penny - and i thought the facilities and treatment were excellent

but there was a communication gap - luckily one of the orderlies spoke great English and accompanied me thru the whole process.

In France i went to a local MD to get stitches out and exam and cost me all of 21 euros. That the doc failed to get one of the stitches out is besides the point.

In emergencies at least go to the nearest ER.

I wish I could have just gone to the Dr. or a closer hospital. I was only going off the information I was able to get. I am still thrilled - it would have cost me a ton more at home to take her to even just an Urgent Care. I will submit my paperwork when I get home. I got money back (I think all of it) when we saw the Dr. in Florence and I submitted my paperwork.

At any rate - as I wrote on my blog from that day:

&quot;LONG day in Paris. I know that many would say &quot;you do not want to be sick in another country.&quot;

I would say you would want to be sick in Paris more then in the USA.

The cost of her 3 prescriptions this morning? 15.00 Euros total. No joke. So for 135 Euros total she had an ER visit and three prescriptions. Hummm..maybe Michael Moore in Sicko was onto something eh? Come on Obama -- do something for our healthcare!&quot;

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the U.S. will finally understand about health care some day.

I am still stunned. I realize people paid less then what I did or that I could have paid less - but I am looking at the service I got on a Sunday night at a hospital and for RX as well. Amazing to me.

Let's hope the French and British keep their comprehensive health care systems under the weight of record deficits, etc.

Nursing home care in France costs even more than here i recently learnt from this Forum and the cost is automatically split amongst the kids - as to what each can pay.

At least here a family cannot be bankrupt by paying for a parents' nursing home.

But hand it to the French medical system for the world's finest care at an affordable cost. Bravo!

<i>At least here a family cannot be bankrupt by paying for a parents' nursing home.</i>

I have friends in France who had their parent in a nursing home. It undoubtedly was a heavy burden but did not bankrupt them, as the amount the children pay is dependent on their income.

But Michael what if it were an only child and one not wealthy? Hopefully there is a limit before the state starts taking over payment?

I'm so glad that things seem to be heading in the right direction. We all think about the &quot;what ifs&quot; when we travel, but nobody really expects health problems to hit when overseas. I had a similar experience many years ago in Mexico, and walked out of a hospital with a prescription for something like $18. Oh well--for better or worse, this will be a vacation you'll all remember well.