My health journey: I had emergency op for appendix tumour in France

At the beginning of April 2025 I had some discomfort – nothing severe at first, but then I suddenly started to feel pretty unwell. 

At the time, I put it down to just one of those things, nothing to worry about and something that would pass. I was able to go about life as normal, though I had a pain in my lower back and started to develop a fever. 

My local doctor was away but I was persuaded to go to the emergency department at Carhaix (Finistère) after calling 15. 

I am glad it was open – there have been moves to close it, which the local mayor has resisted. 

When I arrived they examined me and at first thought I had appendicitis, so they did a scan. That is when they found out I had a large tumour on my appendix, which needed urgent surgery in Brest. 

Even though my French is not as good as it should be, I have to say the medical team were very good at explaining things. 

However, it is worth noting that some of the nuance you might get in the UK is absent, for example the doctor who told me about the tumour just came straight out and said: “You have cancer, this is very serious!” 

On the one hand this was alarming to hear, but at least I knew where I stood.

Initial surgery

My first surgery was carried out in Brest on the evening I arrived. They had diagnosed an appendiceal tumour, about 20cm in length, which had begun to perforate my appendix, hence the fever and pain. 

The surgery that night was to remove the tumour as there was a danger of further damage if it remained. 

After the event, I learned that I was in surgery for about six hours but it was only later the following day that I became aware of my surroundings once again. 

They were surroundings I was to get used to over the following month while I gradually recovered. 

After that month had passed, I was finally released from the diet of hospital food which, though not exactly Michelin starred, was not too bad, and sent home. 

Each day for the next month I had twice-daily visits from nurses, as I had a drip overnight to essentially feed me; eating and digestion had become quite complicated in those first few weeks. 

Recovery

I was back at home for a further month before I had to return to Brest. Given that the tumour had been perforated, the surgeons were concerned that cancerous tissues could have entered my abdomen and I would need further exploratory surgery and also chemotherapy to address this. 

So, on July 1 I was readmitted for that to be done and spent the next two and a half months back at CHRU Brest before moving to Perharidy near Roscoff to convalesce. 

I finally came home in September, again with nurses visiting each day for just under a month.

I have a carte Vitale and pay for top-up insurance. I know some people don’t but I would recommend it. It meant that I got a hospital room to myself and my convalescent treatment was so much more wide ranging. 

I know some people believe they don’t need it, that the worst won’t happen to them, but it can. Until the day before I went to hospital, I felt fine. 

Out of the blue I had six months of surgery and convalescence at more than €100,000. It was good to know I did not need to worry about paying for it. I just handed my carte Vitale to the nurses when I was first admitted to Carhaix, and after that everything was automatic. 

The French system is very different to the NHS but, looking back on the past seven months, it has treated me exceptionally well and I cannot praise it enough.

The only advice I would give to people is: don’t let unexpected pain go unaddressed; pay your extra insurance; and if your local hospital is under threat of closure, as sadly many are, support any campaigns for it to stay open. 

Have you recently undergone treatment or surgery for a health condition in France? Share your experience with readers by emailing news@connexionfrance.com