Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Paediatricians in France

29 replies

AuldAlliance · 22/05/2007 08:58

Could anyone with experience of French paediatricians let me know whether theirs is nice, friendly, and capable of getting down to a child's level?
DS goes into meltdown as soon as ours tells me I can undress him; he goes rigid, screams hysterically and won't let her do anything, so the examination takes much longer than necessary. I realise it's partly him being over-sensitive, and we have been playing at doctors a lot to try and make the whole thing less traumatic, but I do feel she's a bit cold and contributes to the problem. She never addresses him as an individual, but talks about him to me, and she snaps at him when he touches things (cuddly toys for instance) in her room, because she says they can't be washed in the machine.
Wagging her finger at him and shouting "Tu exagères, ce n'est pas nécessaire, je ne te fais même pas mal!" doesn't seem helpful either.
I like the fact that she doesn't prescribe tons of medication and is quite pro-organic, pro-alternative methods, so am swithering about whether to carry on with the nightmare or find a new one. The only other one I ever saw was not very warm either, so I was wondering if this is par for the course, or if I should hunt around for one further afield.
Any feedback welcome...!

OP posts:
Nightynight · 22/05/2007 16:24

no, change your doctor! You can shop around in france more easily than in the uk, so I would find one that suited your family better.
Does anyone living near you have a personal recommendation?

I sacked the first hospital I went to, when I was having dd2, becuase they were too cold and unfriendly, with arrogant consultants. 2nd hosp was cuddly and midwife led, much friendlier!

ggglimpopo · 22/05/2007 16:30

Mine is wonderful. I'd change.

AuldAlliance · 22/05/2007 17:12

Thanks for the comments.

People have recommended another local paediatrician to me, but along the lines of "ooh, that Dr X [my current one] is rubbish, she never gives you enough medicine, try Dr Y, he'll give you a more thorough prescription with good, strong medication, kids need curing fast." This when DS had a cough in the winter...

OP posts:
Nightynight · 22/05/2007 20:17

mmm, see your point.

Belgianchox · 23/05/2007 08:53

Hi, We have a lovely one here in Belgium, but think i would defo look for another if she terrified my children. Having said that while changing is relatively easy, its not always that easy to get an appt at the drop of a hat as they often have lots (too many?) children on their books. we often end up at our GP when we have an "urgent" problem, so maybe finding a more child-friendly GP would be an alternative? Btw, surely a paediatrician should be used to kids handling toys in their surgery, isn't that what she has them in there for?

AuldAlliance · 24/05/2007 14:16

Yes Belgianchox, you would have thought so, but apprently some can be handled and others not. A bad sign, IMO. I don't know to what extent it's the person herself who terrifies him, or just the experience, but I do feel she doesn't go to any effort to make it easier.

Thanks for all the posts...

OP posts:
Anna8888 · 25/05/2007 17:49

Oh God, you poor thing. I know how horrible they can be.

We do OK at the Hôpital Franco-Britannique in Levallois that has paediatric outpatients but it's not nearly as cuddly and friendly as my GP's surgery in England.

As the others say, shop around. Ask the nicest mothers you know where they go?

francagoestohollywood · 25/05/2007 18:02

You might prefer my GP then, for not wanting to upset dd she didn't check her throat last time we went. Had to go back two days later, as dd still had a high temperature. She had a throat infection.

Anna8888 · 25/05/2007 18:09

Franca - I had a brilliant GP in the UK. A youngish husband and wife team, really excellent. And got antibiotics etc whenever I needed them - and I'm not a medicine fiend.

smellymelly · 25/05/2007 18:15

I have found the doctors here are generally more strict when examining my children. I had one literally hold dd1 down on the examining bed when she was 3, and he wanted to look down his throat! It felt a little like abuse and we never went back. If my kids wouldn''t let the gp in england do something he just prescribed whatever he wanted to anyway.

We have a female doctor, who is much nicer but will still get the job done, iyswim.

It seems to be normal to over prescribe medication here, but alot is homeopathic, and never anti-biotics.

I would look to find another, that is one benefit here, you cqn go anywhere, you do not need to be registered with just one.

smellymelly · 25/05/2007 18:16

oops 'her throat'!

francagoestohollywood · 25/05/2007 19:45

Sorry I shouldn't have posted on this thread, I just felt there's been too much criticism thrown at foreign countries, where thihgs re done in a different way, lately, . But I was being unfair, I do understand what it's like to deal with different habits/manners.
I like my gp practice as well. And, contrary to many Italian people, I'm not keen to be prescribed antibiotics. However I'd like to be examined thouroughly (sp?) before it's decided whether to prescribe them or not.
Sorry Auld, I really hope you'll find a more sensitive paed.

AuldAlliance · 25/05/2007 21:43

I hope I didn't come across as criticising the French in general, though I can see it might have seemed that way.
I have just noticed (and I seem to recall the question being raised in the media a while ago) that while doctors here are very competent and highly trained in their field, a lot of them do not seem to receive much training in psychological dealings with patients. Several of the medical professionals I've come across were a bit distant, and certainly the 2 paediatricians I consulted elsewhere before moving to this area were, hence my question about whether it's the norm.
Personally I'd maybe prefer good medical care from a slightly stand-offish person than poor care from a merry, cuddly one, but DS is only 2, he has no medical problems so far, and I'm worried that he'll develop some kind of phobia about going to the doctor.
Have I dug myself out of this hole yet?

OP posts:
francagoestohollywood · 25/05/2007 22:18

Only 2? Bless him! Auld CHANGE paediatrician now! I'm really really sorry if I "used" your thread to release some I got from another thread (where I don't actually post...). And yes, I do agree that doctors on the continent tend to lack in the psychological department.
All the best with your new doctor hunt

frenchleave · 26/05/2007 11:45

Sympathies, AA, your poor little boy! She sounds like a total cow. Wonder why she chose paediatrics when she evidently has no affinity with children? And why does she had toys in her surgery that the children can't touch?!

Good paediatricians are like gold dust in my area and you have to call weeks in advance to get an appointment, so our children have their check-ups with our exceedingly nice and just as thorough GP. If you can't find a paed you're happy with, maybe a decent GP would be a perfectly acceptable substitute? It might be easier to find a GP with similar "alternative" leanings than another paed.

AuldAlliance · 26/05/2007 13:21

Good idea, Frenchleave, I may explore that avenue.
Don't worry Franca: I often feel that I come across as moaning about life abroad, but I think (and hope!) that's because I post when I need advice, i.e. when things are not going perfectly, and don't post when I am just enjoying life in France. That may convey a negative attitude, which is far from reflecting my true feelings about the country and the people, both of whom I love.
Maybe we need a positive thread...

OP posts:
CoteDAzur · 26/05/2007 15:07

Auld - Our paed is just all around wonderful, but DD (20 months) still cries the place down as soon as she enters the room. Yours sounds quite awful, so I agree, do change him, but just wanted to say that your DS might still be scared of the new doctor.

I'm curious - What do you mean by "pro-organic, pro-alternative methods"? I would just like to know what that means in the context of a 2 year old.

AuldAlliance · 26/05/2007 17:19

Just that she recommended that we try and feed him organic, in particular for root vegetables, etc., which I was doing anyway, but which no other doctor here even mentions, apparently. Also that she has suggested homeopathy (for teething, for instance) and that she doesn't push us into getting all the available vaccinations, but gives us the information and lets us decide. When I breastfed till 13 mths, she encouraged it.
From what I've gathered after talking to various mums locally, that sets her apart from some other paediatricians in the area, who think BF beyond a few months is a bit pointless, write long prescriptions when children have coughs, and are doing hard sales talk for extensive vaccination.
In a country which IME is sometimes prone to see medication as the only solution to even minor ailments, I liked that about her.

OP posts:
CoteDAzur · 27/05/2007 16:17

The only vaccination about which we were given a choice was Hepatite B. All others DD was given were mandatory, if you intend to put your kid into the school system at some point. Is your DS not going to be here long enough to start maternelle or any other school?

I didn't let her do the Hep B shots and opted for single Measles shot and promised to get the Mumps done in UK (no single mumps shot here in France, apparently), but that was the extent of our liberties on vaccination schedule.

Our paed gave medicines the couple of times DD was ill, and I am grateful - paracetemol, and when that didn't bring her fever down, advil, cough/throat syrup for bedtime so she can actually sleep, baby antibiotics for when she had raging infections in both ears, rehydration powder when she had terrible diarrhea and lost 1 kg in a week. They have all helped. If she had offered unproven and even theoretically improbable methods such as homeopathy at any of these instances, my high opinion of her would change considerably.

Arnica for bruises is fine but a paed who sticks with homeopathy for anything more serious must indeed be very rare in France, I don't know how it works in UK.

Anna8888 · 28/05/2007 08:18

CotedAzur - same here, the only optional vaccination is Hepatitis B. They do it very early in France because, since there is no NHS (keeping tabs on children's vaccination schedule) a lot of children fall through the vaccination net if vaccinations are postponed to adolescence (which is the more logical time for Hepatitis B). So they cram all the vaccinations in early.

AuldAlliance · 28/05/2007 13:28

Apart from the Hep B, we were offered, but not ordered to give, an extra vaccination against a specific form of meningitis (can't recall which one right now), as there had been one case 100km to the north of here. I appreciated that she informed us of what was happening and didn't just tell us we had to vaccinate, which was what one of her colleagues did.
She doesn't - as far as I know - stick to homeopathy for anything serious. As I said, DS hasn't had anything serious. She just hasn't gone overboard when he has had coughs, colds and other fairly inevitable ailments.
Seem to be digging myself into endless holes with this thread, coming across both as anti-French and as an anti-medicine fan of loony witch doctors; am off to make strawberry tart, probably safer.

OP posts:
CoteDAzur · 28/05/2007 18:35

Auld - I don't think you are digging yourself into any "holes". Just wanted to clarify a couple of things. Sorry if I came on as a bit aggressive.

francagoestohollywood · 28/05/2007 21:31

no, it's all my fault, so sorry again auld . (begs shamelessly for a slice of strawberry tart)

AuldAlliance · 29/05/2007 09:10

Ahem, my old pal PMT making me a bit hypersensitive, methinks.
Strawberry tart all round, to make up for it!

OP posts:
francagoestohollywood · 29/05/2007 14:01

PMT is a good friend of mine as well

Swipe left for the next trending thread