I get up early, and travel to L's apartment. I disinfect everything, and wash her bed clothes (plus a vast pile of her clothes!). The following day, I move my overnight things into the apartment to sleep there, surrounded by real wood, and a comforting lack of insects. Travelling times are now much longer (nearly 2 hours each way), but only marginally more expensive.
We have one note of alarm during her stay in hospital. One day, the doctor decides "L" should go onto a different anti-nausea drug. Within the hour, "L" notices she has a slight speech impediment – she cannot form words properly with her lips. The next day, another dose, and this time the reaction is much more severe. A lot of her upper body (including neck & face) spasms and clenches up. This time I am around, and recognise this as a reaction to the anti-nausea drug. I had seen this years before, visiting a friend in a UK hospital. I alert the staff to this. Eventually, the doctor is found, and she agrees with my opinion. A swiftly effective antidote is administered, and the prescription is changed. I count this as the 5th miracle – that I knew exactly what this was, and I found the words to tell the staff.
I spend several days working what out to do with the various bills we have received. As far as I can understand, for French nationals, medical bills are partially paid for by their government. On producing their social security number, 80% of the bill is automatically paid. Many cover the remaining 20% with private health insurance plans.
For a Brit, it is vital to have an EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card). This counts as a French social security number. You then get billed for the remaining 20%. Travel insurance will often cover this, so make sure you are covered. It is worth it. Example: Avicenne hospital charges a flat rate of 1,029 Euros per day, or part of day. That mounts up rapidly!
By the way, I found that EHIC Cards are also valid (in exactly the same way) for paying for prescription drugs.
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