Health check before you leave.

[Angie and Robert]

Just a thought for those of you leaving the UK to settle here full time. Whilst the Italian NHS can be very good, initially.....before you are fluent (!) it may be helpful to do the following.

Make sure all shots are up to date, flu, pneumonia, tetanus.
Have eyes tested again, visit the dentist well before you leave, in case you need a course of treatment
Get a health check, many surgeries in the UK carry out well women/men assessments.
Bring out a stock of medicines for all chronic conditions.
Bring out a stock of the usual painkillers, they are very expensive in Italy, also antiseptics, for cuts and grazes.
I am sure there are other things that can be added to the list, so this is for starters, nobody wants to be ill but as with all things when you move to a new country its best to be prepared.
A

[Gala Placidia]

I guess that your regular GP would be able to provide you with a print of your medical history as nowadays all this information is stored in their computer. Try to get a translation if you can unless you know that your new doctor will understand English. Any past X-rays or test results regarding any chronic condition are also very helpful.

[Sally Donaldson]

Here in the UK, there has been a delay in setting up medical histories on the nationwide computer database. I do wonder then if there are indeed plans to extend this to other EU countries.

[SpiderPig]

My obliging English doctor gave me two emergency courses of antibiotic to bring with me as a precaution - I was unsure how long it would take to organise an Italian practioner.
As an example of the hideous price of painkillers here in Italy - Ibuprofen (x30) cost €7.13 if you pop to Tesco or Asda before you leave it will cost you around £1 for the same number. Likewise, Paracetamol are €4.20 (x20) so it's worth going to Tesco to pick them up for 15p (x16) before you leave. Supermarkets are not yet allowed to sell painkillers here and I believe that the prices of drugs are government controlled and thus they seem to be expensive generally.

[Carole B]

Yes, you are entitled to a full copy of your medial records from (what used to be called) your Local Health Authority.

I had to provide proof that I was resident abroad and that I was no longer on my Doctor's list where I lived before. Because I was already living here they asked me to put my request in writing and to attach some proof of residency - I photocopied my Carta D'Identita and Passport. It took a couple of months, but it finally arrived.

Now I have the problem that if I ever need it, who will understand it? I read through it and we all know about doctors writing don't we.... .

Regarding this question of Italian medical records - your GP here does NOT keep your notes/records on file. YOU MUST KEEP THESE YOURSELF! That includes x-rays, scan results, blood tests - everything. So be prepared.

In addition - if you are admitted to hospital, a week or so after you are discharged, return to the hospital records office and fill out a request for a copy of your hospital file. It is NOT free, you pay a 'ticket' for these, and you will have to return again after a week or so to collect it. Your doctor in the hospital will give you a note on your mediction etc. for your GP but that is all the GP will ever see unless you have a copy of your own file.

BTW - what a sensible, useful, informative thread this is going to be...

[Sally Donaldson]

Okay relating to Italy ..... when I broke my foot a few years ago in Italy, I was impressed that they let you keep your x-rays just like France. Wen I returned home a couple of days later and was x-rayed again. they held onto them.

[Aretina]

Hi Angie and Robert

Agree broadly with your list, but my lovely Italian GP organised a full women's MOT which included scans, mamograms, smears, echoes etc and an appointment with a consultant to go through the results. Max. waiting time 1 week for the above appointments. As for tetenus/flu jabs, got the first at the pharmacy with a prescription, the second 'off the shelf' and OH and I gave them to each other. There are loads of opticians here, dentists also. Private dental care is expensive but IMO less so that in the UK.
Agree about the ibruprofen etc. that's always on the UK shopping list. Also bring over anti-mossie stuff as none of the stuff available here is strong enough. Read with interest the Avon skin so soft product info. posted here recently but usually get the Boots own brand, 'tropical stuff (grey packaging) as it is the only thing that works against the horse fly, and a bite from these litte bèggers is much worse than a mossie bite.

I think the Italian system of patients keeping their own notes eminently sensible. Whose going to take more care of them? You or some poor filing clerk (old days) or a national health computer system.

The italians have a much more holistic approach to their health which includes diet, etc. and are more likely to use herbal products or products which are not strictly pharmacological. We had a guest here last year, who on the second day developed a bad sinusitis infection. Something which she was prone to and for which she always took antibiotics. My doctor was away so not able for advice, but I went to the local pharmacy (pharmacists here seem to be first port of call for health problems - not the GP) and he suggested a herbal product. Well, to the amazement of both us, it really worked, and worked faster too.

A friend had a IBS problem and rather than prescribe anti-inflamatories etc. she was prescribed capsules of peppermint oil, and, yes it worked!

So if you are coming out, the system is different but for me it works!

[Angie and Robert]

They seem very clued up in your area Artina, which is great, but health care does vary from are to area, and you dont really know how you will get on, (though of course you have done your research hopefully) before you come out!.
Injections...we have only progressed as far as giving them to the cats, and that was a steep learning curve, but to each other, I do admire you both.
I drink alot of herbal tea, but was informed by an Italian friend that it was only for sick and old people, thanks alot
A

[Carole B]

INJECTIONS
If you are prescribed injections and you are not able to do them for your selves, just ask your local chemist. They will know of the 'locals' who do this for people at a really minimal charge.

HOMEOPATHY
Also the person who spoke about homeopathy and those types of cures, well many chemist shops are homeopathic shops too. The chemist can nearly alway offer a drug free remedy.

One that I remember was for a severely 'bugged up dose'. Not worth bothering th Doc with - so I asked the chemist. Well she warned me that the very BEST and quickest way to relieve catarrh (that's what it was) was with Acqua di Sirmione, but that it wasn't very nice!

Oh lawdy - there was a box with a nasal spray and some phials of a milky coloured liquid. "Spray nasal passages morning and evening" it said...
BUT IT WAS LIKE ROTTEN EGGS!!!!
But once I realised there was nothing I could do about it, I just waited... Within an hour, just that ONE treatment had cleared my nose completely. It really was a miracle. So don't be put off by the Italian love of homeopathy.

One more thing...

GENERIC MEDICINES
When you get your prescriptions filled you have to pay a part of the cost yourself. That charge does vary. But ALWAYS ASK FOR THE GENERIC MEDICINES. These are exactly the same medicine but not marketed under a brand name...they cost a great deal less. One I use is called Triatec, but the generic is called Ramipril and (if I had to pay for it) costs half the price!

[MargaretM]

Originally Posted by Aretina

A friend had a IBS problem and rather than prescribe anti-inflamatories etc. she was prescribed capsules of peppermint oil, and, yes it worked!

When you say "prescribed" did they have to see the doctor, or buy it at the Farmacia. If over the counter what would you ask for. I ask as my husband suffers from IBS too and has just had a particularly bad bout of it.