Medical help

Medical advice and help from qualified doctors Tel: 01 47 07 77 77

https://fr.usembassy.gov/english-speaking-medical-professionals-and-hospitals-in-paris/

It's not Versailles, specifically, but perhaps they can advise.

Also, call her travel medical insurance company. They often require that they be called before seeking treatment, unless the person is incapacitated.

The number above is a good one -- it's for SOS Médecins, which are doctors who will make house calls.

Travel insurance usually has some referrals they can give. I would also contact you personal health insurance provider to alert them to an urgent/emergency situation.

Can your hotel, or a nearby hotel if you are renting a flat, give you some names? They usually know……

Certainly if you have travel insurance touch base with them, but she needs urgent care, get to a treatment center.

The cost of emergency services in Europe is not like the "take out a second mortgage" horror as in the US. Cost is very reasonable and in many European countries, emergency care is provided at no cost, even to visitors (not sure of France). Worst case, you might be looking at a couple hundred euro, better than being hobbled for life.

Your Hotel can direct her to emergency services, if you are day tripping, ask a police officer or staff wherever you are at.

We have successfully used SOS Médecins in France. When you call , you will be answered in French but then they will switch to English if needed. Excellent service. Paid cash which is what was required in other countries too where we needed medical care at our hotel or rental.

PS when you are through this emergency, please come back and let us know how she is doing. Such a hard thing to have happen on vacation…..

When I broke my elbow I eventually after a few days of a purple arm and denial went to an ER where I was quickly x-rayed and admitted. You might try the emergency department of the nearest hospital. The total cost for surgery and 4 nights in the hospital including all fees including anesthesia and surgeon was 4 thousand Euro -- if my travel insurance had not covered it my US insurance would (medigap). When I was working our insurance covered international care so we didn't get travel insurance just evacuation insurance -- but on that trip we had travel insurance because the length of our trip exceeded the coverage period for the medigap policy. which worked out nicely

I hope she has travel insurance and if she does, I believe most of the companies require you to call them as or before you begin treatment.
Keep all the receipts form the French providers.
I hope all goes well!

Thank you all It ended well. Turns out that pharmacies in France are almost like ERs, staffed by people with medical degrees. For the cost of a wrap and some anti-inflammatory ointment (18.50 E) she got assurance that nothing seems broken. She is already pretty mobile now she has the wrap. She didn’t have medical insurance, taking a deliberate gamble that any needed medical expenses would cost her less than the cost of insurance. Lesson learned, even though it turned out OK. In the meantime, I learned lots from all your good advice. Thanks.

Glad to hear her ankle wasn't broken. Enjoy the rest of your trip!

I sprained an ankle last fall -- I knew it wasn't broken, but it swelled and hurt -- and also just got numbing cream and wraps from the pharmacy.

One type of insurance it is prudent to have even if you don't get medical coverage is evacuation insurance. If you have to be airlifted back to the US THAT will be a real financial disaster. Medical care is not as expensive as the US and you can risk that but being flown home may cost you your house

I second the idea of at least having emergency medical evacuation insurance to get you back home in case of serious injury or illness. As a former critical care nurse who lives in a touristed area by many who travel from abroad, I saw my share of travelers with serious medical problems ending up hospitalized. Most vividly, an apparently otherwise health man from Germany who collapsed and ended up with a tracheostomy and inability to wean off a ventilator after several weeks. Happily, he had travel insurance and was able to get back to Germany in a flying ICU setup. I swore from that point forward, I would always carry emergency medical evacuation insurance at a minimum.