The first days of spring

Spring has arrived in Normandy. A week of sunshine was the prelude to the first asparagus of the year at Friday’s market.

We had a friend visiting and it was fantastic to be out and about, spending lots of time in cafés and taking a trip to the coast.

Seeing friends from the UK no longer makes us homesick. Hearing all the news about what is going on there makes us feel quite distant.

We read the British newspapers and are appalled and concerned by the impact of the economic crisis and the degeneration of people’s civil liberties.

However, our news is the French news – that is what affects us here. Although the crisis is big news here, the response is different.

As one of the big political figures said about the general strike last Thursday: “In a period of economic crisis sometimes it's everybody for themselves... but here, that's not the case. There is a collective force being born.”

Here in Caen – with a population of around 120,000 people – over 35,000 people took to the streets on Thursday. Across France at least three million people took part.



I managed to see something of the demonstration in Caen – the last time I spent the day in hospital having my infliximab infusion – and it was an amazing sight.

Engineers, civil servants, students and women from the perfume counter at Galeries Lafayette were all marching and demanding that ordinary people get the same protection from the economic crisis as the bankers are receiving.

Not much to ask eh?

A new prescription

I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I am really impressed with primary care here in France and the outcome of having “too many” doctors.

This afternoon, I went to see my généraliste – the equivalent of a GP in the UK. I made the appointment this morning and saw him straight after lunch.

All I needed was a new prescription.

In the UK I never see my GP when I need a new prescription, I send in a repeat prescription form and pick up two month’s supply at my local pharmacy.

My repeat prescription has a ‘review date’ on the bottom, but all that happens is that when that date is reached another date appears.

Here a prescription is valid for 3 months. You take it to a local pharmacist, they keep a copy and you can go in at any time and get what you need from the prescription.

When the 3 months expires you must go back to see your généraliste for a new one.

This caused some confusion between the receptionist and me the first time I needed a new prescription – it was a surprise for me that I had to see a doctor and a surprise for the receptionist that I thought I didn’t.

And when you see the doctor, you get a 10-15 minute consultation with a full physical examination and review of blood results and of how you’ve been since the last visit, a discussion about any changes to your medication, a chance to ask any questions and then a new, hand-written prescription.

I’m sure many would say that the UK procedure is more efficient, but, given the potential dangers of the immuno-suppressive drugs I’m on, the French system is much safer.