Linda's Story: Great Care and Good Health Insurance Were a Perfect Pair
Linda Bigelow is a Breastcancer.org Community member in Saint Jeannet, France.
I live in France and have excellent US health insurance (Foreign Service Benefit Plan, under the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program). It covered all my expenses for breast cancer treatment, which took place at Saint Georges hospital and at the Centre Antoine Lacassagne (CAL) in Nice, France.
My case, at age 78, was relatively simple: one small lesion detected by a nuclear biopsy. During the operation to remove the cancerous tissue, the surgeon found a second lesion lurking behind the first, which he also removed.
The operation was followed by light radiation, Monday through Friday, for 6 weeks. Chemotherapy was not necessary. I started taking a daily pill (for 5-10 years) of Arimidex.
As the years passed, my gynecologist recommended to my surgeon that the medication be changed because bone densitometry tests showed a steep decline in bone density. The surgeon agreed with this assessment and switched my medication to Nolvadex. A subsequent densitometry test showed that the bone loss had stopped.
As of July 2023, 5 years and 4 months after my breast cancer detection, I no longer take any medication. I will continue to see my surgeon once a year. He said to continue with yearly mammograms. I fully appreciate the care given by the French medical system. My US health insurance surely saw my case as a bargain. Medical care in France costs only a fraction of what it costs in the US.
Emotionally, I took it all in stride, especially since my case was light. I know it could recur, but at age 84, I've already had many wonderful years.
