Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: Otter15 on April 09, 2018, 09:18:12 PM
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Does anyone live in Spain? I am moving there in a few months and I am trying to sort out health insurance, which seems complicated. Can I buy Vagifem otc there? How does VA affect your medical insurance? Thanks.
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Right - will give the MM charabanc a wash and polish and we'll be there ;D
I believe that several ladies either visit or live in mainland Europe. Or maybe ask at the Spanish Embassy or Travel Agents?
Is this for work, will you have a town house or be int he country: OH! I'm so nosy :-\
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I am moving to an apartment in a village which I can use as a base to travel around and learn Spanish. So fed up being cold! Decided to do it before I fall to pieces altogether! Just wondered about the Vagifem because the health insurance does not cover pre existing conditions. Thought if I could buy it otc It would be easier. Will take bookings once settled!!
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Hi otter I used to travel and do charity work with my cats in Spain what a fab move for you,I had a house there for nearly 15 years.
You can buy most hrt otc in chemists over there but some of our ladies still live there so will be better able to advise you than I can I've been back in U.K. a few years and never used hrt when I was there unfortunately.right away the vit d will so lift your spirits so all I can say is don't you forget who your friends are when your there :rofl:
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Hi Otter
I have lived in Spain for 7 years. You can get virtually any medications over the counter at the pharmacy. I have never got vagifem but I am sure you must be able to get it. What do Spanish women do?
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yes I a looking forward to the vitamin D! Thanks Paisley. I am going out in a couple of weeks so will go and ask at the pharmacy. If I can get it otc It should not be a problem with health insurance.
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Would the Pharmacy near your new home have a web-site? You could have a look-see and ask via e-mail rather than waiting?
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Oh my days I'm envious of you !
I live for each September when we use our friends apartment x
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Engine running. Plenty of diesal. Drinks cabinet filled :whist:
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Don't forget the sun cream! I will go on the web too. A much better idea.
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Hi Otter, I one of those in Spain, Costa Blanca. Can't help with the insurance as we're workers & on the 'nhs'
Yes you can get most hrt otc, bring one with you & the chemist will look it up for you, names differ. Also not all chemists are equal, don't ask me why but don't get put off if the first one doesn't have it, you might need to shop around.
And it's not always sunny 😊 5'C blowing a hoolie & raining right now. 😂. But least it doesn't last for long.
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Hi Suziq
Thanks for the info. Am trying the web and will look around when I go out there. I am also going to the Costa del Sol but further inland. At least I will be warmer for longer! If not near me, one of the bigger towns will/should have it. At least I know now I don't need to keep going to the go for a repeat prescription.
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Your going at just the right time otter I spent many a miserable winter In Spain,the houses have no insulation at all.my own house was awful we spent a fortune trying to insulate it and keep warm in winter months then in summer the heat was in the 40s and it cost a fortune to run the aircon to try and keep cool I remember it well lol.
All that aside you'll have the time of your life I'm toying with the idea of moving back,not permanent,just like I did before 3months Spain 3 months U.K. etc.its easier now as retirees to do this as we don't have to worry about work.I used to load all my cats into car and my wee dog and go the Plymouth Santander route I have so many happy memories of all my rescue work with the kitty's it was so rewarding.ive lived in everything from flats to bungalows villas and fincas over the years,great fun I hope you'll be happy and well.xx
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We are inland as well, 12 years on the coast, got fed up with the high humidity & constant heat, yes really 😂. Now we're 700 metres up & get seasons, including snow.
Daisydot is right about the buildings as well although some are built a bit better inland. We have double glazing & full central heating.
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We are part timers in Spain and have to pay for private health insurance to cover us during our time in Spain because obviously we are not entitled to free health care. It costs €75 per month per person which covers everything except dental care but we don't have any pre-existing health conditions which partly explains why it is affordable. It is very good with excellent screening programmes.
As others have said, you can buy HRT and other medication over the counter and without a prescription in pharmacies which are more like walk-in clinics in Spain - a brilliant system in my opinion and definitely takes the burden off the health service. If you want specific UK products you can buy them over the counter and without a prescription in Gibraltar (Main Street only).
Also agree about poor insulation in houses which are often too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer. We have cavity walls with foam, double glazing, reverse cycle aircon and a pellet burner with hot air circulation to all rooms but it was a heck of a lot of work! We are also slightly elevated and about 12 kms inland.
Good luck with your move, a very wise decision in my opinion.
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Yes I heard it gets cold but it is not for as long. I am in a first floor apartment which is apparently warmer because everyone else is also heating their flat. I bought it to use as a base so I can explore and was cheaper than it would be renting for a few years. It is right by a train line going from Alicante to Murcia so I will have lots of exploring to do. Once I am settled and roadworthy - think it may take a while- I will look to move further inland.
We saw many cats in Torrevieja with little kitty kennels along the marina. There seems to be a large feral population. Is that the work you did?
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Hi Mary G. Thanks for the info. That is about the price I have been quoted by one company but they do seem to vary enormously. I don't know how a condition like VA will affect the policy either but at least I now know I can buy Vagifem otc. Your house sounds well insulated! I think mine has a heater! Will be taking my winter clothes and furry blanket!
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Otter15 if your looking for health care there's a place in torrevieja called clinico centro just behind the water fountain in the main town near the marina and the night market area.they will do you health cover for around 200 euros a year for that you get an annual medical with bloods ecg and chest X-ray if needed but also access to a gp service pretty much the same as U.K. google clinico centro torrevieja for full info.we had a joint cover for 300 euros a year and it was first class the doctors and clinic speak English and you get any breast scans or ultrasound investigations on the premises then take result back down to gp to discuss.they will probably have clinics in other locations.
I used to catch and Spay ferals from torre right down to almeria,I ended up rehousing a few myself lol I still have them the eldest is 11 now.very rewarding.
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Thanks Daisydot but I need full health insurance as I will be applying for residence. There did seem to be an awful lot of cats but I thought the kitty kennels were good and people obviously fed them as they had water and food bowls. Just so many though.
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That's just the tip of the iceberg otter15 like all these countries in Europe they need a registering and speying regime,if all cats/dogs had to be chipped and spayed unless a licsensed breeder then it would eradicate all these poor abandoned feral animals,it's even worse in the campos with packs of dogs desperate for food.one of my kitty's was rescued from skips after being tied in black bags and dumped for the crushers that night,my big boy is petrified of rustling bags to this day and he's 8 years of now,he was 3 weeks when he was rescued another one of mines at 3/4 weeks was dumped in a shoes box with 8 newborn babies trying to suckle from her,we never found the mother of the 8 which were fostered out for bottle feeding then reforming,I took the 3 week one and raised her got her well and decided she fitted into our wee family very well so she stayed with me number four was cemented in under a barbecue with 2 brothers who were dead when she got rescued,all tiny tiny creatures when I got them and badly scarred mentally,now all big fat lazy kitty's who will spend the rest of their lives with me being pampered it's a privelage to be able to do that for them.I hope you settle in well and have a lovely life there every winter I get tempted again lol but it's all the upheaval right now and I'm not quite fit enough but maybe I will. good luck xx
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Otter15 good luck with your move. Yes it can get cold in Spain in the winter but I still manage to sit out in the sun most mornings with my coffee. I am not far from where you will be. I am in a place called Denia. I am sure you will love it
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Daisydot your stories are very sad! I never understand how people can be so cruel. I support lots of animal charities and always had rescue dogs so am sure I will find that side of life upsetting but I do here too. I have seen Denia on the map Paisley. I am going to San Isidro. I have a stunning view of a mountain - the reason I bought the apartment.
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You lucky ladies I'm getting greener by the hour here :rofl:xx
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It's hard moving anywhere when you aren't used to it. I always wanted to go to Spain when my other children were small(They are 29&27 now) but we never got around to it. There was always something in our way to stop us. I had a late baby at age 44. I am 54 now & that was the incentive to push us to go. My son who is 10 now is bi lingual. Goes to a Spanish school. Miss my family though as they are all in UK especially my daughter but it is only 2 & half hours by plane
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Otter15, I don't think VA counts as a pre-existing condition as far as health insurance is concerned, they are really only interested in serious illnesses or conditions like diabetes.
Apartments are much easier to heat/cool than individual houses and I would recommend you install reverse cycle aircon. Because you have the benefit of the surrounding apartments, you will not need to have the unit thumping out hot/cold air endlessly which would result in high utility bills.
This winter has been an exception but usually the shoulder season in Spain is when you benefit from the better weather the most. This time last year it was Semana Santa and beach weather!
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Sadly dogs/cats and even rabbits are dumped in the UK. On Easter Friday 17 rabbits were left in a ditch in the Fens, people rounded up 14 ...... the rest are probably fox food by now.
I'm watching hedgehog rescue right now ..........
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Hi MaryG - thanks for that information regarding the health insurance. It is a bit complicated with conflicting info from different companies. Glad I started looking early. I will look into the reverse air on when I get there. I am sure I saw electric heaters so they must not have had any other heating. Heat for me is fine so long as it is not too humid and I am not by the sea so it may be ok. I think you have given your son a gift Paisley. Being bilingual is a great asset. I don't have children and different members of my family have already booked most of this year up so I will see them often. As you say, it is only 2 and a half hours away - nearer than the south coast for me - and a lot cheaper. I have taped hedgehog rescue and have one in my garden - hoping to discover lots of new wildlife in Spain.
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We built 2 hedgehog houses but don't know if either were used over Winter. We need to put our camera out in the garden to see if any are around, but haven't seen any poo yet. They love wild meal worms.
You are likely to get snakes, spiders, cockroaches, boar, deer, feral cats, barking dogs, hunting dogs ........... answers on a post card please ;). You'll also get :sunny: - R U ready for such a change of climate 8)
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Rats moved into my hedgehog house so had to throw it away. The hedgehog - sometimes 2 - comes every night. I garden organically and have a huge supply of slugs which he obligingly munches his way through.
I have lived in 40+ degrees and -30. Loved the heat.
Is it safe in the country re the dogs?
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Hi otter it's not safe if you have other pets so keep them near you at all times but it's fine for you they are more scared of you,they tend to run in packs in the campo and there are groups of people who work with the charities to round them up and try and rehome them,especially in Germany and Norway and Sweden,they tend to go for the podencos which are beautiful gentle souls,they are used for hunting but treated so badly.you will see every kind of pedigree they're all dumped when times get hard and expats return to their respective countries or they grow up and the Spanish tire of them.you will adapt fine to the heat you soon learn your limitations but I have to say when it's cold it's really cold lol.think white walls tiled floors and no insulation,you'll be putting rugs down everywhere lol.
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BUMP
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I am so envious of you ex-pats being able to access such a variety of GRT and OTC too
It seems so unfair that we are so hog-tied by our ignorant GPs when it comes to any medication. Does anyone know why we can't buy anything medical OTC???
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? NICE ? and costs?