Medical Advice

[GeoffFuerte]

We are hoping to make the step up from spending just the winters in Fuerte to becoming resident but the decision always comes back to the medical support available.

We are of retirement age so would qualify for state care -private insurance is too expensive due to pre existing conditions which between us are hydrocephalus with a shunt inserted in the head /mini stroke/high blood pressure

If anyone on the forum who lives on the island is aware of anyone with these conditions I shall be grateful for a comment on treatment/monitoring so we can compare with our much maligned NHS and make a more informed decision

I appreciate you may not wish to share the information on here but would appreciate a pm

Thank you

[TrickyFox]

Isn't hydrocephalus rather rare, even in the UK? We did have a dog with it (that doesn't help you though) who we didn't anticipate living long but did survive until about 10.
My wife has high blood pressure and is kept on tablets. Our doctor is not very 'hands-on' and it seems as though have a diagnostic program on the computer.
I went there the other week about a bad back (I know that they can't do much with these anyway) and he said it was probably old age and arthritis (I'm 68 this year) he did send me for an xray though but didn't hold out much hope that this would show anything (4 week waiting time - going early May).
I said I'd been to an Osteopath but he wasn't impressed, dismissing them saying they only took a 'two week' course when he had 10 years of training (a little unfair I think).

[GeoffFuerte]

Thanks for your comments Tricky
According to our Neurology lady it is not a rare condition, just that as there are often few symptoms the problem is not picked up but leads to other complications later in life
Having said that we have never heard of anyone with the condition

[erik_tonny]

I went there the other week about a bad back (I know that they can't do much with these anyway) and he said it was probably old age and arthritis (I'm 68 this year) he did send me for an xray though but didn't hold out much hope that this would show anything (4 week waiting time - going early May).

4 weeks waiting time for an xray?
In a private clinic on Fuerteventura that would be 4 minutes.
Problem is, most GP's on Fuerteventura can't interpret the Xray 

[Johnrgby]

We can only speak as we find, and as neither of us has anything seriously wrong or that can not be put down to the passing of time, I really cannot comment or advise on anything that has already been said however I find a four weeks wait for an Xray  very strange, as at the latter part of last year my wife had what she was trying to convince me was a heavy cold which went on for 2/3 weeks however I was in The Medical Centre having my monthly blood check, and she was with me The nurse took on look at my wife when she coughed and within 10 mins she was in to see the doctor, it turned out she had a nasty case of Bronchitis the following day was back to have blood and urine tests within 4 days had been into Rosario for an Xray and within 10 days was in the hospital seeing a specialist, again we can only speak as we find.