Medical Charges in France

If you go to the www.ameli.fr website - you can look up a doctor in a particular area (city or expertise) and then once you have found one you can click on their name and look if they accept the carte vitale, which level of conventionnee they are (i.e. some doctors charge more than others and only a certain amount is refunded by the CPAM / Mutuelle) - the system also will tell you how much of that charge will be refunded.

3 month checkup

Back to the normal GP in the village - it's Eloise's three month check. She's measured,: she's 59cms (bang on average) and now weighs 6.1kgs (a little bigger than average) and the page in her carnet de sante is filled in. She's given a quick once over to check she's OK.

She has two lots of injections (one on each cheek of her bum poor thing.) and she screams the place down, yes again. Her big sister, Alicia seems to be in greater pain than Eloise watching this - I have the most rotten cold and think I'm going to die too.

This visit is 100pc paid for by the CPAM - the Euro27 I pay the doctor will be refunded via the carte vitale.

9 weeks old

Still going back and updating the days I've missed - I promise.

Today though, we go to the normal GP in the village - for Eloise's two month check. She's measured,: she's 57cms and now weighs 5.5kgs and the page in her carnet de sante is filled in. Her hips are checked and she is put onto her tummy to see if she pushes up with her hands and holds her head up.

She has two lots of injections (one on each cheek of her bum poor thing.) and she screams the place down. This visit is 100pc paid for by the CPAM - the Euro27 I pay the doctor will be refunded via the carte vitale.

Last Visit to Gyne?

My final visit to the gyne today - we think.

He does an internal examination, checks my blood pressure which is normally 11 and today is 13.5! and measures my stomach - pronouncing that it's going to be a beau baby!

He ponders about a 'radio' / x-ray on my pelvis while he is considering whether to do a c-section (like last time as the baby is 'too high') .... but then we go and have another scan. The baby already weighs 3.5kgs (7lbs 7) and he reckons that at the birth she will weigh 3.8kgs (8lbs 4 oz - 'eck it's an elephant not a baby...) at this point he says it's not worth even doing the radio as she is so big - and then comments that a big stomach means a big baby... you saying I'm fat???

So we are booked in for a c-section at 8am on 29th September - going into the clinique at 1730hrs on 28th September and the grandparents have been booked to come down... that is, unless I got pop beforehand.

I've also been booked in for a 'monitoring' on 22nd September at the sage femme in the Polygone.

Euro45 for the visit.

Epidural checkup

Off to the Clinique St Roch today in the middle of Montpellier for my appointment to see the anaesthetist about the epidural.

I got off the tram at the Stade Phillipides - got totally lost with only 5 mins before my appointment was due... I'm waddling and Alicia says she's tired.

After going to the wrong department (and even taking a ticket - it was here last time I was here 4 years ago...) I was redirected and then got signed in very quickly - waited only 5 minutes and was called in before anybody else in the waiting room. The doctor was extremely tanned - wearing scrubs and had a St Christopher around his neck... he asked Alicia her name and introduced himself as Christian. After reading my notes, he took my blood pressure and asked my weight before pregnancy and today and asked if I smoked. He didn't even look at my back. I was out in 5 minutes.

Euro28 thank you very much. They didn't accept carte vitales ... so another brown form.
... and a form to fill in for my husband in case I need someone to switch off the life support machine.

And the big news - I finished packing the hospital bag - after a visit to Kiabi to buy nighties and nursing bras.

Regular Gyne appointment

Into Montpellier today for my gyne appointment - 34 weeks..

The baby is a good weight - I've only gained 1 kilo since the last RDV. The baby is apparently very high and he doesn't think it's going to come out on it's own!

We have another appointment on 15th September to make a decision about whether to let nature take it's course or book a c-section in... depending on the weight and position of the baby. The c-section would be booked for the last week in September - i.e. a week before the normal due date of 5th October, so the baby doesn't get too big.

29th August I'm off to the clinique for the epidural appointment and have a prescription to go to the lab (after 5th September) for more toxoplasmosis tests and a vaginal swab to test for Strep B for the birth.

I asked why the baby wasn't decending as normal (same thing happened with baby no 1) - he said during the last c-section he noticed no malformation of my uterus and it's just one of those things.

Euro45 for the appointment.

Gyne at 28 weeks

Just a routine appointment at the gyne in Montpellier today... especially as usual on check in they tell me that the doctor is running behind and 3 people are in front of me... ho hum.

Weight / blood pressure/ internal examination etc all fine - I also got an attestation medicale to give to my work's accountant to prove I'm pregnant - all it says is my name, address and estimated date of conception (ooh err) and birth.

I got an appointment for my third big and final scan for 8th August and another routine gyne appointment for 22nd August.

Euro45 thank you very much....

Epidural and Clinique

Today I finally get around to filling in the form to book my space at the clinic. Details they want include:

• My name, and contact details, date of birth and so on. As well as my profession and employer.
• My social security number.
• My Mutuelle details.
• Name of my GP
• Name of my gyne / Obst.
• Next of kin details
• and finally whether I want a standard double room to share with bathroom - or a single room with a put-you-up bed for Euro57/ day extra - or a double comfort room with 2 beds (daddy can sleep over) for Euro65 / day extra.

I also call and make an appointment for the end of August for my epidural check up - generally they ask questions on your health and look at your spine....

Routine Gyne appointment

Just a normal appointment today for a once over. All is well - he checks the cervix, measures my belly, weighs me (I've gained 5 kilos and he doesn't complain...) and checks my boobs. No problems at all.

I come away with a prescription for another toxoplasmosis test and some iron supplements for my feeble blood count.

Back there in a month - Euro45 for today.

The BIG Scan

OK, We're at 23 weeks and 6 days now and it's the day of the big scan - it's usually today you find out what sex the baby is... but because of the amnio we know that already - a girl.

After more than an hours wait - we get into see the doctor - the same chap that did the scan when I had the amnio. The huge screen on the wall just brought to mind a cinema... the technology was amazing. The first 5 minutes the usual skeleton and hazy cloudy patches and then he pressed a button and we got a 4D image - I gasped - it was amazing to see a real live proper looking baby on the screen and the doctor thought I thought I thought it was horrible and felt ill.

I asked what a piece of body was... and he told me to only look at the pretty bits (apparantly it was the uterus wall I was looking at - I didn't feel squeamish at all in fact... it was just so fascinating.)

We even saw the baby eye lens... checked all the mouth / fingers / toes / brain / heart / lungs / stomach / thorax... absolutely everything. We'd brought along a CDRom and got photos and video of everything.

Absolutely amazing - not to be missed and a snip at Euro130 compared to UK prices!

My next gyne appointment - 19 weeks

Just a normal check up. All is well - he says I've only gained 2 kilos - I think his scales are broke!

I come away with a prescription to go to the lab. for a diabetes test (more on that later) and a toxoplasmosis test.

I also get a prescription for my 2nd and big scan to be taken at the end May / Beg June, I have to go to an expert scanning chappy (the same guy that did the scan when I had my amnio) ..... a bit of paper for me to book an appointment to have a check up for an epidural for the end of August.... and a bit of paper to book me into the clinique... phew!

Euro45 and I'm back home smartish as we are moving home today - I wouldn't have booked a gyne appointment for today normally, but the doctor was off sick on Monday and I got my appointment changed...

The Amnio...

Up at 6am to leave home at 7am (the clinique is awful to get to at rush hour and we can't very well go on the tram today) - the journey finally only takes 35 mins and thankfully we are allowed to park in the clinique's car park.

We are told to be there at 8am for our 8.15am appointment - 15 minutes to queue and do the paperwork. The ask for an attestation from the CPAM (no one told us to take one...) then she saw my carte vitale and said it would be OK... but then the carte vitale wasn't up to date. My husband runs downstairs to the 'borne' to update it - he then runs 4 flights upstairs again (he didn't want to wait for the lift) and we find the bloomin' machine didn't update it.. she promises to hold the papers as long as we bring in an attestation within the week.... She takes a signed authorisation form to saw we agree to the procedure - then Euro50 from us and another CPAM brown form for the actual lab. work required (no idea how much that is) and the carte vitale is to pay for our day room for after the procedure.

We then go back down 4 flights in the lift to the radiology department and are called within a couple of minutes. My husband isn't allowed into the room (apparently too many husbands faint) - my gyne is there and and the radiologist who will scan my tummy at all times.

To cut a long story short - it is over in minutes - it sounds an awful procedure but even without any pain relief - I can actually say it was more painful to have an injection in your arm... it really wasn't that bad.

Then I find that my legs have turned to jelly and I can hardly waddle to the waiting room again. 2 minutes later we are taken in the lift to the day rooms on the 4th floor for our 2 hours of lying down and a cup of tea and a baguette and jam breakfast.

Enroute in the lift with my husband, a nurse and a porter - I burst into tears and then continued to cry for another hour... all the stress of waiting for it I suppose.. but really in the end it wasn't so bad.

Somebody comes into the bed next to me... and then she bursts into tears... obviously it's catching...

We're told by the gyne that I'm meant to do absolutely nothing for 48 hrs... sounds bliss. The gyne will call me in 10 days with the results.

Back to the gyne on 5th May for a routine check up

Preparing for my Amnio - 16 weeks

As I'm the grand old age of 40 (41 when number 2 arrives) I am automatically put forward for an amnio (I can say no if I want to...)... it's the same for anyone over 38yrs in France.

So today we have an appointment at the gyne for a scan to see if there is enough water around the baby for the amnio.

All is well - we even find out that baby will be a girl! So we're on for tomorrow's amnio at the clinique in the middle of Montpellier.

Euro45.00 for the gyne visit.

First Proper Scan

Back to the gyne this afternoon for our first proper scan at 12.5 weeks.
All is well - apart from an hour's wait to see the doctor, as he's running behind, after which he complains that my bladder is full and he can't see properly. (well, huh, you kept me waiting.)

Baby is jumping around so much he struggles to measure the nucal fold!!

We make an appointment for mid April for my amnio - optional but anybody over 38yrs in France is advised to have one. I have to go to the gyne's office the day before to check with a scan how much amniotic fluid there is before they will do the proceedure at 8am the next day at the delivery hospital in the middle of Montpellier. I come away with a green box with test tubes in it and another mountain of paperwork to complete.

Euro70 for today's visit.

2nd Gyne Visit - 10 weeks

Back to the gyne again. A thorough examination - weight taken and all that.

.. and yet another quick scan, which showed baby kicking and waving it's arms about. All is well.

I have to go back in 3 weeks for the nucal fold scan (to determine Downs Syndrome) and then around the 15th April an amniocentesis will be done for the same reason (this is optional but recommended after 38 yrs of age.

Cost of visit Euro50.

Gyne

Even though I call straight away I can't get an appointment with my old gynecologist in Montpellier - he's fully booked. I take a RDV with a colleague for this time.

I have a echographie scan to confirm all is well - baby is due 6 October and it is well positioned and has a good heartbeat. I ask about my advancing age (I'll be 41 when baby is born ) and they say that isn't too old and not to worry... the only difference being is that they'll probably want to do an amnio.

Gyne charge €45.00

Just to confirm it

I go to our GP today to get a real test done. I'm given a prescription and told to go to the laboratoire d'analysis next door (very handy) straight away as I don't have to have 'starved' myself before this test.

I'm tested for everything from AIDS, to Hep. C, Hep B, & toxoplasmosis. I hand over my Carte Vitale and don't have to pay anything - the laboratoire will do all the claiming of monies directly from the CPAM and my mutuelle

3 years ago when I had this test it was €190.00
Visit to the GP €22.00

We're Pregnant!

Did a test today - and we're pregnant! (I say we as I'm not doing all this on my own.)

Pregnancy test €14 for 2 tests.