Spain or not?

[Loobeyloo]

Hi community out there, just wondering if anyone knows anyone with RA in Spain? My husband and I are considering retiring out there (not yet retirement age) but I'm worried about my RA and getting treatment. Am wondering if there is a similar group in Spain that I could get in contact with or where I can get some advice?

[AgedCrone]

Don't know about RA specifically,but I have friends on the Costas in Spain who find most medical treatment Excellent.

But if you don't speak Spanish....do learn ....those I know out there who do speak the language find accessing specialist treatment far easier than the non Spanish speakers.

There are are some really good free online language courses.....a friend & I started Italian .....it's fun & passes the time on these cold nights.....just 10 mins each evening can give you a nice little vocabulary!!

Buona Notte

[woodstar1]

I have some work colleagues that have sold up and moved there, they love it and the treatment they receive has been great (they don't have RA) . That said they are really worried about brexit and how that will effect there pension and healthcare , so I would definitely look into that as it could be the game changer.

Good luck.

[LesleyH]

I live in Spain and am in the Spanish health system, it it as good as if not better than the UK I saw a specialist within 5 weeks and only have to phone and get an apt if I have problems. I am on Methotrexate and get it on prescription but you can buy it over the counter in tablet form. You can also get private health care. If you need any further info just post on this stite. The sunshine does make me feel better. And it is a lot warmer which I find a great help. I am learning Spanish but am not fluent yet but I never have a problem I just take a translator with me which costs ten euros an hour. I live inland from Alicante

[Loobeyloo in reply to LesleyH]

Thank you Lesley, that is very good news. We have stayed in Javea several times and love it. We have family in Almeria, and Albunol so thought that would be a good start. I certainly intend to learn Spanish. I did evening classes years ago, but need 'proper' lessons.

[Pettens]

Hi Loobeyloo

Have you thought where abouts in Spain, maybe consider joining a Facebook page. And asking the same question. I'm sure they will tell you the medical cover is second to none.

I spend a lot of time out there and love it, I have RA. The World Health Organization say Costa Blanca is one of the best places. The drier atmosphere, because of the salt lakes.

Wishing you all the best

[Sunflower62]

We are also thinking the same 5 years until my husband retires so a lot can change in that time. It's knowing where in Spain will be a good mirco climate. The cold and damp really affect my RA and I am so so much better in the sunshine. I have been looking for a while for FB pages with areas that might be better weather wise without much joy so I will be really interested in the replies you get

[AgedCrone in reply to Sunflower62]

I usually go to Tenerife in the Winter, but last year went to Mijas Costa! BIG mistake.....it was cold, it rained then rained some more. I had about 6 days I could go out without wearing a fleece, In the first month ...February ....I seriously considered coming home ...especially when I saw it was 22c in the Canaries.

However the apartment I rented had good central heating so I stayed. But it made me think twice about relocating permanently....although the weather in Tenerife is fabulous in Winter it would not be place I would choose to live....but I'm off there next month!

Where is it warm all year that UK citizens are allowed to relocate?

I'd choose the west coast of Florida around St Petersburg......but unless Mr Trump changes the law that won't be happening!

[Ruffles13]

I have moved to Javea in Costa Blanca Spain. I have RA and do find the weather here is so much better not so damp. Quality of life better outside more and not pulling curtains so early. And one big plus blue skies all the time which lifts your mood. Good luck

[Loobeyloo in reply to Ruffles13]

Thank you Ruffles, we love Javea, have stayed there several times. We could well move there, who knows? We've given ourselves an eighteen month plan assuming nothing worse happens to either of us before then!

[Bandido]

Med treatment is very good here and probably much easier on us due to the climate. I have been on methotrexate for 10 years out here. You can buy your meds over the counter or using prescription from the local NHS Salud which make it cheaper. I take 25mg per week and the cost privately is still only about €5 a month. The climate out here is VERY king to our joint problems and I only take Ibuprofen as required to deal with inflammation. It will always be the best place for us RA sufferers. (Alicante Region)

[Loobeyloo in reply to Bandido]

Thankyou for this information. Unfortunately methotrexate and I do not get on well together, in fact none of the DMARDs and I get on very well to be honest, but I am encouraged by this. Am busy searching properties now.

[popsmith1874]

Hi I would go for it and we are really thinking about it , we go to the Costa Blanca on a regular basis and this is the place we would move to because off the micro climate and also the way this Tory Government treats disabled people is a disgrace and I can't see it getting better under Brexit because they can do what they want now and nobody can stop them , In Spain they look after elderly and disabled people and that's the way it should be so We are in the Canaries at the moment but I find the 4and a half hours a bit much on a plane , plus Costa Blanca you have 2 airports to choose from Alicante and Murcia so if you need a cheap flight back for anything you have a choice

[Loobeyloo]

Thank you very much everyone. We are looking at the Murcia region as we have family out there already. Particularly looking at Albunol/ La Rabita area as we love it there, although we also love Javea. I was on etanercept, but my wonderful consultant has taken me off that and left me with nothing but paracetamols and slow release anti-inflammatory since October last year, and not surprisingly I'm feeling terrible now. Today I had to phone in sick from work as my hands were so painful and swollen I couldn't dress myself, let alone drive to work. It's mostly because of her lack of care that we feel that we need to move as the care seems to be non existent. I've asked for a second opinion and waiting for an MRI scan of my hand, but that is not until April, so I've a lot of time to get much worse. We've been considering it for a while, then because of the etanercept dropped the idea. So it's back on now and I'm encouraged by the feedback. Thankyou. Will do some more investigations. We're going out in February to have a look at some properties for ideas. I'm looking at evening classes to learn Spanish. Looks like we are going to the sunshine

[ThyroidThora]

Hi,

My uncle retired to Alicante with his wife about 10 years ago and he has RA and other medical problems. I believe they have a similar medical system over there and when my uncle first moved out there he took out medical insurance. He then stopped paying for it because of the cost but also the medical system is similar to our NHS. He has told me that he feels better supported by the Spanish system but, whether this will continue when we finally exit the EU is a bit of an unknown.

As regards speaking Spanish, the advice from one of the fellow HU members is very sound. My uncle cannot speak Spanish and he finds it all a bit confusing now he is in his 70's but his wife knows some Spanish and can translate but, she finds the Spanish people quite rude and discourteous to ex-pats. She is German and the Spanish get a shock when she speaks to them in their native tongue.

Also, if you're not intending to move over there for a couple of years then make sure you have some contingency money in case you have to move back to the UK. My uncle and his wife sold their house to buy their Spanich home on a purpose built urbanisation and then the financial crash happened. The cost of their home has fallen considerably and they cannot afford to move back to the UK because there isn't enough equity to enable them to buy a property back here.

Plus, check out the transport system where you want to live. My uncle and wife were more mobile when they moved to Spain and my uncle can drive. However, his RA is in his knees and he has had knee replacement surgery but this has impacted on his ability to exercise and drive his car. His wife cannot drive and there isn't a bus service where they live. When they bought their Spanish home they were led to believe that bus services were planned but the financial crash meant that this didn't happen and a high proportion of the urbanisation became a ghost town with the loss of shops and businesses meaning that you need a car to get around.

There's loads to consider and I hope my message doesn't put you off but it's best to be as well informed as you can before you take the plunge.

Good luck.

TT x

[helixhelix]

I've moved countries, and am happy that I did even tho' it is more expensive than I had predicted as we are not of pension age. . However we are a bit worried about what will happen with Brexit, so do think it through very carefully as there are all sorts of unknowns out there. So apart from the basic thing about whether in two years time Brits will have the right to live in European countries, there are other things to think of as well as RA! So making sure that your finances can cope with things like big fluctuations in pound:euro value, losing the annual inflationary increase to your state pension and pensioner rights to free healthcare across Europe are quite important too.

[nomoreheels]

Hiya Loobeyloo. We went to live in Spain in Feb 2002 & returned here for family reasons in 2013. I was diagnosed there in 2008 & my experience of the Spanish Healthcare System (not just Rheumatology) was truthfully second to none, not one gripe. My h didn't have a job when we first got there & didn't intend to for the first 6 months until we'd found somewhere to live so we took out private health insurance. Once he started work & was paying into the Securidad Social (same as here, Social Security) we cancelled the insurance as his contrubution, as was the norm I guess is still, covered immediate members.... wife, children & parents.

Something you'll need to look into if you'll be early retiree's not yet in receipt of the UK state pension & not intending to work, if you intend to become resident of course, is how you're intending to pay social security to access the healthcare system. I think I've heard somewhere if you're in receipt of a UK long term sickness benefit you may automatically qualify. I'm not sure if this is the case or if you qualify your h would be able to through you though. I'm guessing here that you're not wanting to pay for private health insurance forever. As it is in the UK access to state healthcare if you're working comes out of your gross pay of but if neither of you are not intending to work there's something called the Convenio Especial, this link explains citizensadvice.org.es/faq/h.... Remember each autonomous region has their own ways, some insist you've been on the Padron for a year before you can apply for Convenio Especial so it's homework time, that's if you don't know all this already, apols if you do.

I can't imagine it'll have changed much but my experience was that the Rheumatology department in my hospital (a University teaching hospital) worked very well. An example of this is whilst you were in your consultation your Consultant needs an X-ray you're sent down to the department, fast-tracked (not jumping the queue, they have a specific process), once done you return to wait outside his/her office until the person he/she saw inbetween has left & your consultation continues, he/she accesses the image etc received directly on the computer. They performed the DAS 44 on each visit, the consultation is led by the Consultant even if you agree to a Registrar being present, they don't allow Registrars to take consultations alone.

I don't know of any specific support groups in the Alicante region I'm afraid but I suppose it would depend on where you settle. All the patients I ever sat waiting with were all Spanish so either there was nobody in my area with RD or it was because it wasn't a highly populated ex-pat area. I would have thought I'd have come across someone from the UK, or any other nationality for that matter in 4 years!

The weather was good for my joints,mall except for teen the humidity rose to silly levels. Air conditioning wasn't helpful, that made my joints ache, particularly in the hottest months when everyone else enjoys it! Remember whilst it's not as cold in winter as the UK you do feel the cold once you've been there a while & acclimatised, something people here don't think of when they say Spanish winters must be better for your joints. Also the more verdant a region is there's a reason, it rains more there! So the more neutral the area looks means it rains less. Oh & if you've been told or ever been in summer the Almeria region gets stupid hot. The Tabernas Desert in Almeria is Spain's only desert & believe me in August driving through it in an non air conditioned car is mighty hot!

I hope at least some of my rambling helps & I hope if you do decide to go you enjoy living there as much as we did.

[Loobeyloo in reply to nomoreheels]

Thanks for this information, glad to know that the system out there does actually work. Yes have been in Almeria in silly heat! I agree it is mighty hot. We do both want to 'retire' so neither of us have particular plans to work there (although I suspect that may change baring in mind our current jobs -mine could be done by computer anywhere) and I'm planting that idea with my boss just in case. We have got to work out the money side and are closely watching Brexit.