Yeah definitely, I think it’s really about finagling what works for each person based on where they tend to go, care needed, etc. I’m sure things would be more difficult with having pre-existing conditions and needing ongoing medication, etc.
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I had to look up ‘finagling’ 
what a wonderful word:joy:
I’m going to use it every day 
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This is one of the many reasons we have bought an apartment back home in Merry England. As we got older we realised that medical access was becoming more and more important. The UK does a lot of free screening for some health issues and it’s better to be diagnosed sooner when the condition has just begun.
We think we need to be there twice a year for a couple of weeks at a time. All our appointments are scheduled for that time. The rest of the time it is on short term rents so that we can shoot back if we need to. It’s a win win situation.
Before we bought the apartment we were registered at our old address but the medical practice wasn’t happy about it.
Elsie
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We find other situations requiring proof of address can be challenging too. Hiring a car in the UK is a nightmare without proof of address We recently wanted to invest some cash but not being able to provide any proof of address stopped us.
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We were lucky to have some nice relations that didn’t mind us using their address and getting the occasional letter for us. It was this Pandemic that made us realise we needed a home base. We had no where to go during a lockdown.
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Hi @Provence - We use my brother’s address as a postal address. Our problem arises when we are asked for proof of address, usually, recent utility bills, etc which we don’t have as we don’t actually live there!
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Some great information in this thread. Thank you everyone. I will be digesting some of this info.
@mars check this out.
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I’ve been suffering from sudden ear problems and severe dizziness attacks, yet the Vårdcentralen (primary care clinic) repeatedly refused to give me an appointment, claiming they had no availability. Nobody even took a moment to examine me or consider whether my condition might be serious. When I went to the emergency department, they practically seemed offended that I had shown up at all - almost as if you have to be on the brink of death to receive care.
I contacted three different Vårdcentralen locations, but every one of them turned me away, and now I’m at the point where I’m planning to take an eight-hour train ride back to Germany, simply because I’m desperate for medical help. My husband will remain here, while I, a privately insured patient, am forced to travel with debilitating dizziness to find someone who will actually treat me. I can only advise anyone in need of medical assistance to think twice about staying in Sweden, as the response I’ve received has been utterly disheartening. I am lost for words actually…
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I had a similar issue in Ireland as a visitor. I had sudden onset migraines (nearly 2-3 times per week!) and desperately wanted the doctor to run some bloodwork to make sure there’s nothing glaringly wrong. It was very hard to get a doctor’s appointment as a visitor, and eventually when I could see one, they would not submit me for blood testing. I insisted I would pay for it myself, but they said their system does not allow for it, no can do. After arguing about it back and forth, it turns out the only way to get your bloods tested as a visitor, is to visit an ER at a hospital. Then they might! Turns out it was post-covid migraines and subsided after about 5 months. But yes, it is sometimes very, very hard to get care as a visitor, even if you are willing to pay for it.
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@botvot Even though this message doesn’t make me feel any better in terms of the dizziness, I still appreciate the experience you shared and the empathy. I rarely ever go to the doctor and have fortunately been in good health, my last cold was in 2019. But at the very least, it would be reassuring to know that help is available when you truly need it. That’s what scares me a bit here.
I really do feel for you. It is very stressful to be sick outside your ‘home country’ and help is not readily available. I hope you get the help you need, wherever that may be.
We are living nomadically and although we enjoy it very much, sometimes I am just banging my head against a wall where we get blocked around every corner regarding phone numbers for codes, or addresses for things. A lot of these apply to work and clients, so it adds more stress as it’s livelihood. Whether it’s financial institutions, investments, medical care, insurance, vehicle registrations, even email inboxes or whatever other red tape they can think of! Some days are hard and I don’t for a second feel that the nomadic life is becoming easier. When everything works well, life is easy. Until you get locked out of an account for some reason and need to get back in, then it starts 
- IT Support teams just don’t seem to have a script for it. Last week, I was told: yes, we can see that you have received a gift voucher, but it can only be used in country X. Sorry, there is nothing we can do about it. AAAARGH. Attitudes like this annoy me., especially when you google the company and it says "global gift vouchers’. This is not directly related to health and wellbeing, but believe me, my wellbeing took a step backwards that day, after being on the help chat for more than an hour. With the helpful little box next to the screen: “Please rate our support”. And then it doesn’t want to submit once you’ve rated it!!
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Yay, I was seen by a doctor finally in Sweden. I am beyond thankful, but I have to say, it was really difficult to get medical help in the end.
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