Medical facilities onboard.

[MikeNKim]

Does anyone know what kind of medical facilities are onboard?

 

I have cruise a bunch and have even had to go to the infirmary for sunstroke.  However, I have a friend who would like to try a cruise she gets heart palpitations and they really freak her out (anxiety) she has been checked out many times and no heart issues.  She wants to know that if she does have a heart event on board they have the ability to at least be able to stabilize her till she can get to a hospital.   
 

any insight to ease her mind would be appreciated 

 

thank you.  

[Drazil65]

They have the medical ability to stabilize in many instances BUT you are still out in the middle of ocean and "immediate critical care" is not always close at hand. 

 

Case in point, we were on the Sunshine last week of May and on our way back to Charleston the last night of the cruise.  During early dinner time the captain and the CD announced there was a medical emergency on board (we had heard through grapevine it was heart attack???).  They let us know that we were going to be going about 3 hours out of our way off route to meet the nearest coast guard ship for a helicopter to extract the patient from our ship.  There was also a thunder storm that night with a lot of lightening.  About 3 hrs later in very windy conditions due to storm the helicopter was dispatched and we watched from our balcony (for about an hour and half as the copter tried (many, many times over and over) to hover over the ship to hook the patient into the basket.  It was very intense and took a very long time to do it in the dark but thankfully they finally accomplished it and then flew off with patient once they were safely inside the helicopter.

 

Now, several things but first and foremost, figure out the time frame I just laid out, we have no idea if they made it in time to save this passenger or not but point is they may have stabilized them on the ship but it took hours after that just to evacuate them and the conditions were less than favorable for all things concerned that night.  Second, your friend should make sure she has travel insurance that definitely includes medical evacuation as I am sure that effort and helicopter were not free (and they were not even at the nearest hospital yet).  

 

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Drazil65

[Aplmac]

Sounds like Atrial Fibrillation to me.

She should already be on meds, long ago!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_fibrillation

[1kaper]

7 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

Sounds like Atrial Fibrillation to me.

She should already be on meds, long ago!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_fibrillation

 

You can't diagnose someone over the internet.  I have had heart palpitations, done the heart monitor for days and am fine.  They are gone now but it was never anything serious. I have also had several friends experience this as well. 

I'm not saying OP's friend is fine either, I'm saying we don't know.  

[ColeThornton]

15 minutes ago, Aplmac said:

Sounds like Atrial Fibrillation to me.

She should already be on meds, long ago!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_fibrillation

 

 

The OP said that the person has been checked out many times and nothing was found.  AFIB would have been found.

[MikeNKim]

Thank you all!     This is just a 4 nighter….to get her feet wet so to speak so just Bahamas and Private Island so hopefully never too far from the coast.

 

has been checked many times.    She is fine medically but she is a bit afraid of “what if”.   Sometimes the mind is worse then the organ.    Just trying to ease her mind a bit,    If we at all thought something would happen we wouldn’t even try.

 

I appreciate all the info.    I always heard there was a Dr on board but was never sure.

 

kim

[klfrodo]

2 hours ago, MikeNKim said:

Thank you all!     This is just a 4 nighter….to get her feet wet so to speak so just Bahamas and Private Island so hopefully never too far from the coast.

 

has been checked many times.    She is fine medically but she is a bit afraid of “what if”.   Sometimes the mind is worse then the organ.    Just trying to ease her mind a bit,    If we at all thought something would happen we wouldn’t even try.

 

I appreciate all the info.    I always heard there was a Dr on board but was never sure.

 

kim

Make sure this friend has Travel Insurance with good medical coverage. If this person is seen in the ships medical facility, they will bill the on board account. When traveling outside of the US (to include cruise ships) medical professionals do not bill your insurance directly (99.9% of the time). You are expected to pay upfront with cash or credit card. Then you get to file for reimbursement upon return.

[ultrafighter]

There are videos on YouTube she could look up of ship tours and things, and a few actually get to peek inside the medical center which is pretty neat.  That may help put her mind at ease also.

[Megan_Strick]

2 hours ago, MikeNKim said:

Thank you all!     This is just a 4 nighter….to get her feet wet so to speak so just Bahamas and Private Island so hopefully never too far from the coast.

 

has been checked many times.    She is fine medically but she is a bit afraid of “what if”.   Sometimes the mind is worse then the organ.    Just trying to ease her mind a bit,    If we at all thought something would happen we wouldn’t even try.

 

I appreciate all the info.    I always heard there was a Dr on board but was never sure.

 

kim

We all should be aware of "what if's" Tell your friend not to sweat it, don't worry about "what if" and have a great time!

[tallnthensome]

Sounds like she needs some medicine for anxiety and panic attacks. Nothing medical on board can do about that to help. 

[Babr]

7 hours ago, Drazil65 said:

They have the medical ability to stabilize in many instances BUT you are still out in the middle of ocean and "immediate critical care" is not always close at hand. 

 

Case in point, we were on the Sunshine last week of May and on our way back to Charleston the last night of the cruise.  During early dinner time the captain and the CD announced there was a medical emergency on board (we had heard through grapevine it was heart attack???).  They let us know that we were going to be going about 3 hours out of our way off route to meet the nearest coast guard ship for a helicopter to extract the patient from our ship.  There was also a thunder storm that night with a lot of lightening.  About 3 hrs later in very windy conditions due to storm the helicopter was dispatched and we watched from our balcony (for about an hour and half as the copter tried (many, many times over and over) to hover over the ship to hook the patient into the basket.  It was very intense and took a very long time to do it in the dark but thankfully they finally accomplished it and then flew off with patient once they were safely inside the helicopter.

 

Now, several things but first and foremost, figure out the time frame I just laid out, we have no idea if they made it in time to save this passenger or not but point is they may have stabilized them on the ship but it took hours after that just to evacuate them and the conditions were less than favorable for all things concerned that night.  Second, your friend should make sure she has travel insurance that definitely includes medical evacuation as I am sure that effort and helicopter were not free (and they were not even at the nearest hospital yet).  

 

 

 

The Coast Guard does not charge for air/sea rescue. It is part of their mission to aid ships at sea.  Your cost begins when the helicopter touches down shoreside.