Today’s blog post topic falls into the category of “Do I really want to know?” When I saw the headline, “AI death calculator can predict when you’ll die… with eerie accuracy” my first thought was to wonder if I should take the test or not. This tool, called Life2vec, promised an accuracy rate of 78% and if you’re a gambler, those seemed like pretty good odds. Fortunately, I didn’t have to make a decision since the data was only accurate for people in Denmark and it’s not yet available to the general public. However, it was another headline about something available indeed to the public, “The map of the worst hospitals in France” that got my attention.

Back in 2021 when Bill and I became eligible for the then-brand-new Covid vaccine I felt as if we were a porcupine with needles sticking out of us. First we had the initial injection and then a month later we could get the booster. Afterwards was our annual flu shot and not much later it was an empty needle that went in our arm to draw out blood for the yearly prise de sang previously known to us as a blood test. In addition, there were at least another 6 jabs that were either recommended in general or if we were in a particular health situation. Although it wouldn’t generally involve a needle, we mustn’t forget our annual physical, eye exam, and dentist visit to fit in there too. But now that we live in France we were in no rush.

France is going through a dry spell. Apparently it’s the most severe drought ever recorded in this country and has been coupled with unusually high temperatures in both summer and winter. Water use restriction is not uncommon and there are even a few communities where drinking water is simply not available; bottled water only until further notice. Crops have suffered, hydropower generation has decreased while … Continue reading Finding a new doctor

Fortunately neither Bill nor I have to take any prescription drugs. Oh sure, there have been the rare times when we’ve needed a doctor’s signature for a painkiller or an antibiotic but nothing long term. During pollen season, however, I do take an over-the-counter antihistamine that was available in the US in a bottle of 365 tablets while here it comes in boxes of 7. That does mean a frequent visit to the pharmacy but we’re always out walking anyway so another stop is no problem. On our most recent outing we discovered that the shelf where these generic boxes were typically stocked by the hundreds was almost empty because the manufacturer was switching from pills to a liquid format in banana flavor that would be double the price we were paying. Time to investigate getting a prescription from our family doctor that would at least have the advantage of being partially reimbursable by the national health system.