Living abroad tips and hints for money savers

Oldernotwiser

droopsnout wrote: »

Having had experience of healthcare services in both the UK and France, and having few (if any, I hope!) illusions that it is paradise here, I wouldn't opt for healthcare in the UK for anything.

I agree with you 100% on that, despite any language barriers people might have.

seven-day-weekend

Well....although on the whole I agree with you ONW (our experience of Spanish Healthcare has been nothing but excellent), it gets a bit frustrating when you can't talk to you Dr about your problem properly.

For example, I have Restless Legs Syndrome. Now this is hard enough to tell anyone about in your native tongue as the symptoms are so wierd. I wouldn't know how to begin to tell a Spanish Dr. My Spanish is everyday basic. Not good enough for complex medical symptoms. OK, ithe condition is not lifetthreatening, but there is medication you can take to ease the symptoms and I'm not getting it because I can't tell the Dr about it.

Also, my husband can't get his medication for his IBS here. There is only one (used to be on prescription only in UK, luckily it is now off) that works for one particular set of symptoms. We have showed the packet to both the Dr and the Pharmacist, they have just both looked blank and shaken their heads. They have given him some different medication, an anti-spasmodic, which helps greatly with the griping pain, but the peppermint oil capsules which calm everything down and help avoid an attack, he can't get here for love nor money. We have to ask our visitors to bring a stash from Boots!

So all in all, it is easier to have your treatment in your native tongue.

Maybe it's our fault for our Spanish not being good enough,(we didn't start learning until our mid-50s and my husband had never learned a foreign language before) but you find many expats coming back to the UK due to this very same thing.

So....if I could have a fluent Spanish speaker with me all the time, or could afford to pay privately to see an English-speaking Dr, I wouldn't hesittae to chose Spain for my healthcare. But neither of these is the case, unfortunately.

droopsnout

Sindrome de las piernas inquietas.

Print this out and take it to the doc's there.

droopsnout

IBS = sindrome de colon irritable

(Flippin' site won't allow an "i" with an accent on it. The first i in sindrome is accented, as is the first a in capsulas, below).

Peppermint oil capsules = capsulas de aceite de menta piperita

A Google search provided these links:

http://www.hipermercadonatural.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1793
http://www.solostocks.com/lotes/comprar/aceite-de-hojas-de-menta-50mg-90-capsulas-lamberts/oferta_2952533.html
http://www.naturaib.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=475&category_id=14&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=58&vmcchk=1&Itemid=58

...and others.

Good luck!

carrots

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

..... it gets a bit frustrating when you can't talk to you Dr about your problem properly.

For example, I have Restless Legs Syndrome. Now this is hard enough to tell anyone about in your native tongue as the symptoms are so wierd. I wouldn't know how to begin to tell a Spanish Dr.

I just looked up S!ndrome de Piernas Inquietas and got 43,700 hits. It might help if you printed a couple of these and took them to your doctor. Also, you'd get an insight into how the condition is treated in Spain and if this is acceptable to you. Doctors normally rely on research published in their own language, so accepted treatments vary from one linguistic region to another.

Also, my husband can't get his medication for his IBS here. There is only one (used to be on prescription only in UK, luckily it is now off) that works for one particular set of symptoms. ..... We have to ask our visitors to bring a stash from Boots!

The same goes for s!ndrome de colon irritable (89,600 hits).

So all in all, it is easier to have your treatment in your native tongue.

Maybe it's our fault for our Spanish not being good enough .....

Of course it's not your fault! Even in one's native language it can be difficult. I bet the Spanish often don't understand everything the doctor says!

Oldernotwiser

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

Well....although on the whole I agree with you ONW (our experience of Spanish Healthcare has been nothing but excellent), it gets a bit frustrating when you can't talk to you Dr about your problem properly.

For example, I have Restless Legs Syndrome. Now this is hard enough to tell anyone about in your native tongue as the symptoms are so wierd. I wouldn't know how to begin to tell a Spanish Dr. My Spanish is everyday basic. Not good enough for complex medical symptoms. OK, ithe condition is not lifetthreatening, but there is medication you can take to ease the symptoms and I'm not getting it because I can't tell the Dr about it.

Also, my husband can't get his medication for his IBS here. There is only one (used to be on prescription only in UK, luckily it is now off) that works for one particular set of symptoms. We have showed the packet to both the Dr and the Pharmacist, they have just both looked blank and shaken their heads. They have given him some different medication, an anti-spasmodic, which helps greatly with the griping pain, but the peppermint oil capsules which calm everything down and help avoid an attack, he can't get here for love nor money. We have to ask our visitors to bring a stash from Boots!

So all in all, it is easier to have your treatment in your native tongue.

Maybe it's our fault for our Spanish not being good enough,(we didn't start learning until our mid-50s and my husband had never learned a foreign language before) but you find many expats coming back to the UK due to this very same thing.

So....if I could have a fluent Spanish speaker with me all the time, or could afford to pay privately to see an English-speaking Dr, I wouldn't hesittae to chose Spain for my healthcare. But neither of these is the case, unfortunately.

I've found, both in France and Spain, that the medical people I've seem speak a little English and doctors in particular can usually read medical notes in English because of having to read medical journals. Now communicating with mechanics and plumbers really can be a problem.

(It's funny the way you can get hold of the wrong end of the stick, I'd got the impression that you'd had your house in Spain for years!)

seven-day-weekend

Thanks to you both, I never even thought of a Spanish Wikipedia page!

I've printed it out and will take it to the Docs next time I go.

The peppermint oil capsules we will have to look at; most of them are not the time-release ones which are the only ones that don't start working until they reach the actual bowel. Most of them start working higher up the digestive system and not where they are actually needed which is why we have to have this particular brand.

But thanks both for taking so much time and trouble!

seven-day-weekend

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

I've found, both in France and Spain, that the medical people I've seem speak a little English and doctors in particular can usually read medical notes in English because of having to read medical journals. Now communicating with mechanics and plumbers really can be a problem.

(It's funny the way you can get hold of the wrong end of the stick, I'd got the impression that you'd had your house in Spain for years!)

We've had the house since 2003 but only moved here in the summer (in my case late summer) of 2004 when I was 54 and my husband was 55.

We'd never even visited Spain until 2002!

We knew no Spanish at all, the last time I learned a language was French in school, my husband had never learned a foreign language at all.

So we will never be very fluent I don't think! We do try very hard!

Oh, and our present Dr speaks no English. The last one we had spoke very little.

droopsnout

May I ask what brand of peppermint capsules you normally buy, s-d-w?

droopsnout

Colpermin seems to be accepted by the Spanish health authorities according to this document. (It's long - load it and search within your browser for Colpermin).

http://www.invima.gov.co/Invima/consultas/docs_actas/medicamentos/2007/acta_17_2007.htm