Off to France soon, but am currently on Anti-Coagulants for a DVT. I have a card in my wallet that I have been advised to carry at all times, but it is in English.

I could get a translation done and put that in my wallet as well, but I wonder if the French look for this type of thing as I have a vague memory of Medical Bracelets or ‘Tags’.

Googling shows me lots of people who will sell me a bracelet or Tag, but no advice as to the French SOP for Ambulance crews/medical professionals

Can anyone on France or with relevant knowledge give me any pointers? Tag, Card, Bracelet, other?

You can get six lines on a RoadID, should be enough to include French and English for main conditions. For a budget option just print on paper and wrap both sides in tape, then around your wrist.

Cheapish silicone ones here: http://www.theidbandco.com/Alert!-Warfarin-Medicated-5053

I’ve been on warfarin for years and never bothered with ID bracelets, (even when I’ve gone to France), realistically it is quite a small chance that medical staff will need to know and that you (or somebody that you are with) can’t tell them. That said, I’ll ask around my gallic cousins 8)

Thanks for the replies so far. Its still early days for me so the clot is still there, still large and still a danger. I have been told that “chest pains and shortness of breath = Ambulance NOW! and make sure you wave the card in front of the ambulance crew”

I wanted to make sure that I have the bases covered in France as I don’t want to restrict the family by always having an escort and I don’t want to end up slightly dead for the sake of a bit of pre-planning 😉

I also did not want to go to the time and trouble to get a home made card in the wallet if they only look for an official bracelet or something similar.

Tattoo? 🙂

I would be tempted to stick an empty strip/bottle of tablets in my pocket/bag as backup so they know exactly what you are taking

I had thought of the Tattoo idea and wondered if I could make it a QR code to take people to a website with more details and multiple translations 😉

Then I remembered I don’t like pain… 😳

Medic-alert…they keep a note of everything so when they are called they have all the details (that you gave them)…about 20 quid a year and you can go bracelet, necklace, chain or dogmas…

another vote for Medic Alert – i was having a difficult discussion with a french ski instructor about youngest small antigee’s medical condition which ended in a smile and a no problem when I showed her medic alert dog tag

I guess you’d be very lucky to meet the same instructor just as you require medical attention but it’s a pointer 😀

Make sure you take your EHIC!

Madame Natrix just gave a gallic shrug and said “how would I know what the ambulance people do”, her French friends didn’t know either.

If you need a blood test over there at least they know what an INR is, that’s the advantage of having an Internationally recognised test 8)