The Carte Vitale is a free health insurance card used at appointments to identify yourself, and then you will not be charged out of pocket.
Right as I was leaving for the airport, I tripped on my apartment stairs and sprained my ankle. In French you would say, "Je me suis entorsé la cheville" or "I sprained my ankle." I do have pretty bad luck! I purchased an ankle brace, which aided my ankle for a while. I also iced it when I could. Once getting back to school, I reached out to my advisor who helped me book a doctor appointment through a platform called Doctolib. This website allowed me to book all future appointments, receive referrals, and see my factures (invoices).
In France, in order to see a specialist, at least in my experience, you must be referred or prescribed through an initial doctor, which is called an ordonnance (prescription). After the initial appointment, I was referred to a podologue (podiatrist) for the growth in my foot and a kinesitherapeute (physical therapist) for my ankle sprain. I booked my appointments and have been going for a few sessions now. I am off the brace already!
After the appointments with specialists, and with the initial doctor, I had to pay their rate, which tends to be a range of 20 to 60 euros. As I have to do multiple appointments, this can add up. I do not have the carte vitale, so I have to pay out-of-pocket costs. However, the good news is that I have medical/travel insurance, which I should be able to file a claim and email proof of my invoices to be reimbursed later.
Lastly, while abroad, I lost my grandfather. This was incredibly hard for me, as I am very far away from my family.
