Walked in off the street at the Biolab in a nearby commune yesterday morning about 09.40 and asked for a blood test as per ordnance from a doctor. Did not even get to sit down in the waiting room but straightaway. Results arrived by email at 12.35 four pages of them. The same with the xray in a building near to the medilab, arrived, did the paperwork, waited for about ten mins and then into the xray room. Results with four photographs and a long page of reports andmeasurements about 20mins later. Hope this sort of service never disappears.
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It will do in August!
but hopefully to return in September.
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The OH had very similar experiences this March. Consultant wanted an X-ray for the appointment. He said, just turn up an hour before the appointment and ask. Took 10 minutes. Same with the blood tests, with results within the hour. Itâs just a completely different experience.
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We are constantly awestruck by the efficiency and speed of the lab service here compared with the UK. We are 10 minutes drive away from one in town and love the fact that we have results around 6pm on the same day and if not itâs because the test needs to âmatureâ longer.
We also love the fact that WE have our own medical records, so we can look at whatâs happening over time and then discuss with the doctor.
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Much to my surprise - given its seemingly relaxed way of life - France has an inbuilt willingness to adopt technology as a means to achieve better efficiency. Two examples:
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all the roofs round here, when they are repaired, the first thing that comes along is a big lifting mechanism to take the tiles up to roof level.
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during medical specialist consultations they are often talking their conclusions into a dictaphone. By the time the consultation is over a letter is ready to be typed. 20 minutes wait in the waiting room and there is a letter, ready to take away, with a copy for our MT.
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This morning I had what I hope is my final medical appointment before I leave next week and apart from a couple of âblipsâ the speed and standard of care Iâve received over the last 18 years has been outstanding.
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It is still astounding that test results here are sent from the lab to the hospital by fax.
Went to the opthalmology clinic yesterday, we only rang for appointments a few weeks back so that was good. The system was totally different to back in Brittany whereby here I went into an exam room with all the testing machines etc and a nice young lady who did the reading of letters, looking at patterns to see the clearest and texts printed etc. Then after a few mins wait, into another exam room for the puff of air in the eyes and a few more measurements plus the glasses examined and measured that I had with me. Then ten mins later, in with the Professeur surgeon himself for the final assessment and a prescription for new glasses. HoweverâŚhe found that both eyes where I had cataracts removed in 2021 were beginning to show signs of growing again. Apparently this is common in younger people like myself rather than those more elderly but can be dealt with by laser in a few mins without hospital admission and all that kerfuffle again. He also recommended a blue tint to protect against TV screens and computer screens. Back in the old clinic, there was only one person, the opthal who did all the work but this clinic here obviously works better and speeds things up.
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I donât know if youâre interested but itâs not actually cataracts growing again - itâs a process called capsular opacification. The eyeâs lens (natural or plastic) is held in a sort of sac made mainly from collagen. In 5% to 10% of patients, following the initial cataract-related lens removal, the sac starts to thicken and thus reduce the quality of your vision.
The cure, as you say, is to use a laser (specifically, a YAG laser - neodymium-doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet) to remove bits of the sac allowing light to pass through uninterrupted. The process is completely painless and takes just a couple of minutes. There is a bit of hanging around as eye drops are applied which take about 30 minutes to do their job of opening up the iris to give the surgeon the best view possible. Itâs usually 100% successful, but occasionally a bit of sac breaks off and then floats around inside the eye for a while before (usually) breaking up of its own accord.
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Brian many thanks for that, puts my mind at rest because both my parents had to have their eyes re-done again. I wasnât happy when he mentioned the word cataract I can tell you but he did say the work was excellent by the surgeon in Brittany. My carte vitale has been smoking this week, so many visits for different things and not finished yet!
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Sorry if I droned on but itâs a real interest of mine.
Iâve had extensive eye work, and have also made a number of surgical training videos about retinal and cataract surgery. Itâs amazing how much you can pick up!
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