Given Wrong Prescription on the Grand!

[Olwyn]

HI Everyone!

Just spoke to my sister who got back yesterday from the Grand Princess.

 

She and my brother in law are certified divers, and after their first dive in Costa Maya, my sister developed a high fever with a screaming ear ache, and a sore throat!!

 

She suffered all night with it, because the medical office does not open until 8am, but she went down early at 6am, to be first in line. She wore sunglasses and sat crying from the pain outside the medical office until a crotchety nurse named Chistina opened the doors.

 

The nurse gave a cursory look into her ears and said that because of wax, declared she could not see the problem, and sent her back to the cabin with drops to remove the wax, and aspirin for the pain. No mention of the fever.

By that evening my sister was almost screaming in agony, but again the doctors office was closed til morning, and the nurse had told her that the drops might take 24 hours to work....

 

In the morning Stephanie was there again waiting for the office to open...the nurse rudely said...we will NOT open early for anyone! When she saw that my sisters' ears were now oozing blood and pus...she said, oh, you will need to see a specialist in Belize tomorrow...but in the meantime, here is some codeine for the pain...

 

That evening, Stephanie started vomiting, and continued to vomit all night, along with the ears, now both ears bleeding, and the pain was the worst she has ever felt....

 

She got off on Belize (in a wheelchair) at a cost of $200 (disembarking fee) to see the specialist, and was informed by the doctor there, that with an Ear Infection (easily identified because of the high fever) she should never have been given ear wax drops, because they further inflame the problem, and worse, codeine, because it reacts badly with the other meds and causes vomiting and siezures!!

 

Who are these doctors on Princess anyway?? This worries me with our upcoming Family cruise on the Crown...Should the doctors onboard not be more able to diagnose a simple ear infection??

 

Would you not think that they would see this sort of thing more often, and know how to treat it, with all the divers and snorkellers on board?? Is it Ok for them to have given not one, but two incorrect treatments, that only served to increase the pain and worsen the symptoms??

 

I have sailed with Princess on 7 itineraries in the past, and been fortunate enough to remain healthy...but there is always that one time...it could happen, and we want to know that we are in good hands!!

 

My parents are in their late 70's and my neice is only 3...if these 'doctors' give you aspirin for an ear infection...could they even diagnose something potentially lethal...like Menningitis...if they saw it???? Very Scary!

 

On a final note, Stephanie was told that a simple drop of hydrogen peroxide in each ear after diving, if you detect water still in the ear...will always prevent an infection.

 

Have your ears flushed out before travelling on a plane, or if you plan on diving or snorkelling.

 

Stephanie is home now, with her friends, and says to anyone on the Grand, do all you can to avoid an encounter with the dreaded Nurse Christina....0 bedside manner....0 skills.

 

Also the Specialist on shore demanded payment in cash, no credit cards..the amount was $240. So always have cash on hand for unexpected costs.

Of course insurance will re-imburse for all this...but if you were out of cash, you were out of luck!!

 

Just a heads up, and beware!

Olwyn

[cusyl]

I used the medical facility on the Grand last year. I was told I would have to see the doctor, not just the nurse and since she didn't have the brand name medicine I needed they sold me a generic which was just as good and cheaper.

Too bad she didn't insist on seeing the doctor since she was in such pain.

I can't take Codeine either, it makes me throw up.

[chrysalis]

Interesting story...and you ask "who are these Doctors anyways?"....did she actually see a Doctor?

[westwind6371]

Hi Olwyn;

 

I am a little confused, you said she received asprin and ear wax remover, and then was given codeine for pain. Later you said that that was wrong and should not have been given codeine, "because it reacts badly with the other meds and causes vomiting and siezures!!" What other meds was she given?

I have not heard of a reaction between codeine and ear wax remover, or asprin.

 

Did she see the ships doctor, or just the nurse? Who perscribed the codeine?

 

Thanks in advance for the additional info, and I hope you sister is much better now.

 

Fair winds

Dave

[Pam in CA]

I agree with the other posters: what doctor did she see? A nurse can't prescribe prescriptions and if it's a medical emergency, she could and should have called the Pursar's Desk.

[cruzinchris]

Was a medical history taken prior to the codeine being prescribed? Most people would know that they are either sensitive to (nausea and vomiting) or allergic to codeine (hives, difficulty breathing, anaphylactic shock) or similar pain medications. I'm allergic to codeine and sulfa drugs and would have made certain that neither type of medication was prescribed for me.

[Olwyn]

Hi Guys!

Sorry for the confusion! I was typing wildly and should have been watching my wording!

Stephanie saw the nurse, nasty Christina, and the doctor, also a woman, a very young woman supposedly!

 

The doctor was aware that she had a temperature and a sore throat, but gave her nothing more than wax removers and aspirin.

 

The next day, when the ears were bleeding, she was given codeine, but still no antibiotics for infection. By then her fever was 105 degrees.

 

Later that evening the vomiting started and continued unabated all night...along with the continuing fever and terrifying ear-ache.

 

The specialist on Belize said that often times, with an ear infection, codeine can cause nausea, vomiting and seizures if the infection is bad enough, and obviously for poor Stephanie it was.

He said the very last things you should give a person with an ear infection are codeine and wax remover!

 

He was surprised she was not given antibiotics onboard, along with a stronger pain killer.

Steph was given Morphine by the doctor in Belize. She said although you were still aware of the pain, it was diminished!

 

Steph wanted to confront the doctor onboard and ask why she was not given an antibiotic, or at least some tylenol 3, but was worried that she might need her again (Ha) over the last few days of the cruise, so she laid low.

 

She just returned from Emergency at the hospital in Toronto, where they paged an Ear Nose and Throat specialist to see her urgently tomorrow, and increased her antibiotic dose!

 

The hospital here said that the delay in antibiotics on board ship may have cause her eardrum to rupture...but tomorrow's appointment will tell the tale.

 

Sorry for the confusion, and I will keep you updated!

Olwyn

[Olwyn]

...a footnote here, since so many of you guys are responding...it was the doctor, a young woman who prescribed the codeine, and Stephanie has never had a problem with it before!

The doctor is Belize, said that a reaction can come in the face of a bad infection...codeine is funny that way, and another med should have been used.

Olwyn

 

P.S.

Thank You for all your input!

I would just say, I hope none of us gets sick while on a cruise!

[Host CJSKIDS]

Hi Guys!

Sorry for the confusion! I was typing wildly and should have been watching my wording!

Stephanie saw the nurse, nasty Christina, and the doctor, also a woman, a very young woman supposedly!

 

The doctor was aware that she had a temperature and a sore throat, but gave her nothing more than wax removers and aspirin.

 

The next day, when the ears were bleeding, she was given codeine, but still no antibiotics for infection. By then her fever was 105 degrees.

 

Later that evening the vomiting started and continued unabated all night...along with the continuing fever and terrifying ear-ache.

 

The specialist on Belize said that often times, with an ear infection, codeine can cause nausea, vomiting and seizures if the infection is bad enough, and obviously for poor Stephanie it was.

He said the very last things you should give a person with an ear infection are codeine and wax remover!

 

He was surprised she was not given antibiotics onboard, along with a stronger pain killer.

Steph was given Morphine by the doctor in Belize. She said although you were still aware of the pain, it was diminished!

 

Steph wanted to confront the doctor onboard and ask why she was not given an antibiotic, or at least some tylenol 3, but was worried that she might need her again (Ha) over the last few days of the cruise, so she laid low.

 

She just returned from Emergency at the hospital in Toronto, where they paged an Ear Nose and Throat specialist to see her urgently tomorrow, and increased her antibiotic dose!

 

The hospital here said that the delay in antibiotics on board ship may have cause her eardrum to rupture...but tomorrow's appointment will tell the tale.

 

Sorry for the confusion, and I will keep you updated!

Olwyn

 

Tylenol 3 is tylenol with codeine, so if that's what your sister wanted from the doctor on board it seems that she got that since she got codeine. And prescribing codeine for an ear infection or ear pain is fairly common, so I'm not quite sure why the doctor in Belize said that it's the worst thing you can go for an ear infection.

 

I'm sorry that your sister suffered so much and I hope that everything goes well for her. Next time tell her to call 911, the clinic may not have hours in the middle of the night however they should have seen her on an emergency basis for a fever or 105, at least they did for me on the golden in the middle of the night.

[Casshew]

Nothing worse than an ear ache, my sympathies to your sister. Did the diving cause it? The flight home must have been rough.

[OuiOnboard]

.....The next day, when the ears were bleeding, she was given codeine, but still no antibiotics for infection. By then her fever was 105 degrees..........The specialist on Belize said that often times, with an ear infection, codeine can cause nausea, vomiting and seizures if the infection is bad enough, and obviously for poor Stephanie it was.He said the very last things you should give a person with an ear infection are codeine and wax remover!

He was surprised she was not given antibiotics onboard, along with a stronger pain killer.

Steph was given Morphine by the doctor in Belize. She said although you were still aware of the pain, it was diminished!

Steph wanted to confront the doctor onboard and ask why she was not given an antibiotic, or at least some tylenol 3, but was worried that she might need her again (Ha) over the last few days of the cruise, so she laid low.

Olwyn

Tylenol 3 contains codeine.

[daveco58]

okay, the part I dont understand is this: If codeine is the wrong medicine, then Morphine is the wrong medicine, squared. They are both Opiates, with morphine being stronger than codeine, and any bad reaction to codeine would be even worse with morphine.

So, I must say I wouldnt be too impressed with the doctor in Belize, either.

[Olwyn]

Tylenol 3 was my quick thought here, as to another pain killer, not the one the specialist suggested. I was not aware that it contained codeine.

 

The specialist said that codeine should NEVER be prescribed when there is a fever present!

 

Since Steph was vomiting with a temperature of 105 degrees, the night before she was to get off in Belize...there was no point in calling The Pursers Desk, or anyone else, she said. (I just spoke with her on the phone)

They had told her that she would need to see a specialist onshore for any further assistance! They had thrown up their hands!

Olwyn

[PescadoAmarillo]

Sorry to hear of her experience and good luck with the doctor's visit tomorrow. I hope it all works out fine for her, with no eardrum rupture that might prevent future diving, or worse.

 

BTW...we are divers, and use a mix of 50% alcohol, 50% hydrogen peroxide, a few drops in each ear after any water activity (including swimming in pools). It is a home remedy first prescribed by MY pediatrician 40 years ago, and works great and is cheap. Dries out the water in the ears and prevents infections.

[Olwyn]

Apparently, Fever + Codeine = Vomitting.

 

The Morphine did not make her sick...just lessened the intensity of the pain. Hey, they give it to cancer patients.

 

The long overdue antibiotics, battled the infection. Her fever dropped, and she was weak but able to leave the cabin. She flew home without incident, and we are still booked on our cruise for next February. A few lessons learned.

 

Olwyn

[crusdiva]

First let me say how sorry I am that you sister went through this.

 

In 2002 they diagnosed my sinus infection on the Dawn and provided excellent medical care.

 

The emergency number onboard is the same as the number at home.

 

911

 

It is posted everywhere and should be called day or night if there is an emergency - a member of the medical staff would have responded. They actually will come to your cabin in situations such as this.

 

"Normal" ear infections do not bleed. It sounds to me like your sister had a problem clearing her ears during her dive and may have punctured them in an effort to try to unblock them which would have caused the bleeding and possibly the infection.

It does sound like she should have received an antibiotic however.

 

I hope she is feeling better now.

[Coral]

The hospital here said that the delay in antibiotics on board ship may have cause her eardrum to rupture...but tomorrow's appointment will tell the tale.

 

 

When you mentioned ears bleeding I wondered if the ear drum was ruptured. When I was in my teens - I had 2 ear infections and was on antibiotics from day one and one of my ears ruptured anyway. It took several weeks to recover. It was obvious to me when it ruptured - there was a loud pop, blood and then I had no sense of balance.

 

I am surprised that the flight home was ok - I would think that would be miserable. I am surprised with a 105 degree temp, that they sent her back to her cabin. That sounds negligent.

[Host CJSKIDS]

Tylenol 3 was my quick thought here, as to another pain killer, not the one the specialist suggested. I was not aware that it contained codeine.

 

The specialist said that codeine should NEVER be prescribed when there is a fever present!

 

Since Steph was vomiting with a temperature of 105 degrees, the night before she was to get off in Belize...there was no point in calling The Pursers Desk, or anyone else, she said. (I just spoke with her on the phone)

They had told her that she would need to see a specialist onshore for any further assistance! They had thrown up their hands!

Olwyn

 

Don't worry, taking the codeine with the fever should not have done your sister any harm.

 

The specialist in Belize was incorrect, prescribing codeine with ear infection and fever is done all the time, my son has had many ear serious ear infections and surgeries and all his ENTs have prescribed Tylenol 3 during these spats even with a 105 fever. My ENT prescribed Tylenol 3 last year for me when I was suffering from a double ear infection and he's one of the best in town so I know he wouldn't do anything harmful to me.

 

I hope your sister gets good news tomorrow and is able to dive again. I'm sure the ENT she sees will take good care of her and tell her now to prevent these ear infections in the future while diving.

 

Side effects of codeine can be vomiting, dizziness. etc whether a fever is present or not. Morphine can do the same, I have a hard time with that.

 

Your sister was very lucky that she was able to tolerate the flight home, with a severe infection and a possible rupture of her ear drum, flying should have been incredibly painful, guess the morphine was working well and I guess she's thankful she was on it.

 

Good luck again to her and let us know how she makes out.

[cottonears]

I'm so sorry that your sister's vacation was ruined by the ear infection. My son got an ear infection on the Disney Wonder, which ruined a couple of days for him. He was crying in pain while we had to wait until the doctor's office to open. Luckily, they diagnosed him promptly and gave him antibiotics for the infection.

 

The interesting thing about medical specialists is that many give conflicting information to patients. As a pediatric nurse (and mother of 2 children with chronic ear infections), I have quite a bit of experience with ear infections. The medical office on the ship certainly should have been able to prescribe antibiotics for your sister's ear infection. The specialist's comments on the Codeine puzzle me. Codeine is routinely used for ear infections (even with fever). Almost all of the stronger pain meds (opiates) often cause nausea in people; this is just a well-known side effect of opiates. Sometimes even the pain of an ear infection can trigger nausea and vomiting. The ship's doctor certainly sounds like she made a mistake with the antibiotics, but not with the use of Codeine.

 

We will be on the Crown in July and plan on bringing ear drops to prevent ear infections this time. Hopefully this thread will prevent someone else from having an experience like your sister's.

[Olwyn]

As far as I know, Stephanie was not aware that anything had happened until the onset of the ear-ache in the evening. No big POP or anything.

Right now she just has continual chimes in her ears, ringing, and ongoing drainage.

 

She said that she did know that water was in her ear after the dive, but thought nothing of it.

 

Even just now, when she pulls the guaze out of her ear, it is golden (yellow) with red in the centre. She slept on towels all last night.

 

I have seen an abscess drained, and it often has blood mixed with the guk! What a nasty topic!

 

Thanks again for all your input!

If I get sick onboard, I am going to ask them to let me into the computer lab in the middle of the night so I can write to you all!

 

Olwyn :)

[OuiOnboard]

....If I get sick onboard, I am going to ask them to let me into the computer lab in the middle of the night so I can write to you all! Olwyn :)

As far as I know, the Internet Cafe is usually open 24/7.

[Olwyn]

Iteresting about the codeine being OK for many of you, even with a fever...I will pass that on to her...the best thing I guess, is to only get sick...when you are at home! And use those ear drops after swimming!!

 

Thanks everyone!

Olwyn :)

[SueM.]

Olwyn, I hope everything will be ok with your sister very soon.

 

I have to say that when I was on the Crown Princess last august I developed an eye infection and the medical staff was very good. First I had to fill out a medical history and then the doctor gave me a very complete eye exam. I was pleasantly surprised at the excellant level of care I got!!

 

Also if you are sick on a ship and the doctor doesn't have office hours, just call the pursers desk and they will get you help. I know of several people who have been sick on a cruise and the doctor has made cabin visits.

 

sue

[kaykay51]

I too hope your sister is doing well and will recover from her ear infection. As for the fever, the aspirin should have helped with that along with the pain.

[westwind6371]

Hi Olwyn:

 

Thanks for the additional info. I hope everything turns out OK for her. I think the lesson to be learned is to Get attention no matter what time of day or night. Dial 911 or call the purser's desk and ask for assistance. Most of the medical staffs I have been associated with onboard Princess have been very caring and professional. There always exceptions and even the best make mistakes. Let's hope this one has no long lasting issues.

 

Fair winds\dave