Worst Illness You've Had While Traveling

[JimVrhovac]

JIM:

Picked it up on one of the Caribbean islands.

 

Stayed in room last 3 days of trip and went straight to hospital once got back to Orland. Drove from Ft Lauderdale. Had 103.5 temp and Ruth gave me a choice go to er or she would call 911.

 

We are both RN's and she worked in the ER went to. SPent 4 days in hospital on antibiotocs but no residual effects.

 

RUTH:

Had a Margarita in Mexico that was laced with Antifreeze.

 

After home 3 days Ruth started to get confused and disorientated took her the ER where she worked and was admittted to hospital with renal failure. A doctor who worked in Texas recognized the problem and asked if we had been to Mexice recently. Taold him we just came back from cruise. He said this is a common problem as when Tequila does not have enough alcohol content they will lace it with antifreeze. They call it ethylglicol poisening.

 

He said it is one of those dirty little secrets about Mexico.

 

Ruth spent 7 days in hospital, 5 days in Intensive Care and almost had to go n dialysis. SHe is fully recovered without any residual effects.

 

She no longer drinks Margaritas after consuming a Margarity that eventually cost us $60,000.00

 

Ruth & Jim

[Bill S]

I took ill on the Amsterdam, the second day into our SA/Antarctic trip-intense abdominal pain. After the second trip to the infirmary, after the pain had subsided, the doc ran some tests and I had an infection somwhere. The doc gave me Cipro and I felt a lot better but my appetite was "off " the rest of the cruise.

Now, fast forward six months later, I suffered the same intense abdominal pains during the last night on a Ryndam cruise---went to our doctor after arriving home and next day I had an appendectomy.

The surgeon said the first attack on the Amsterdam was appendicitis, but the Cipro knocked it down. The second time around, no such luck and by the time I got to surgery the appendix had ruptured---dodged a real bullet there due to no post-surgery problems.

Two trips to the infirmary: $550 :eek: (but we had insurance)

Successful cruise to Antarctiac: priceless! :D

[kellyinkentucky]

we were in maui on the last night of our trip on a sunset sail ...... a large wave came over the front of the boat - slammed me on the catamaran deck - broke my leg and ankle ..... emt crew could not treat me unless we were on land - we had to sail 30 minutes through rough seas back to land - be carried through the water off the boat down the small stairway ......... then had to fly 14 hours back to kentucky w/ 2 broken bones before having surgery to insert rod and screws ........ not a good day :(

[SDHALFAN]

Oddly enough, and having travelled in every Continent except Antarctica, the only time I have ever been ill on any trip was during a pre-cruise visit to Seattle.

 

My husband and I ate lunch at a spotlessly clean restaurant in the underground city. I ordered a roast beef sandwich and he a pastrami sandwich and we split the order between us. He had a beer with lunch and I had a glass of milk. I felt perfectly fine after lunch and we walked around that glorious city for another hour or more and then headed back to our hotel. It wasn't very long before I started to feel queasy and then I spent the next couple of hours "paying homage to the porcelain god". To say that I was sick as a dog would be putting it mildly, and I remember thinking to myself "now I remember why I only have one child" (I had a difficult pregnancy). The only difference in our lunches was my glass of milk but the milk tasted and smelled just fine when I drank it - there was no sign that it may have been "off".

 

Valerie:)

[WeLoveCruising]

JIM:

Picked it up on one of the Caribbean islands.

 

Stayed in room last 3 days of trip and went straight to hospital once got back to Orland. Drove from Ft Lauderdale. Had 103.5 temp and Ruth gave me a choice go to er or she would call 911.

 

We are both RN's and she worked in the ER went to. SPent 4 days in hospital on antibiotocs but no residual effects.

 

RUTH:

Had a Margarita in Mexico that was laced with Antifreeze.

 

After home 3 days Ruth started to get confused and disorientated took her the ER where she worked and was admittted to hospital with renal failure. A doctor who worked in Texas recognized the problem and asked if we had been to Mexice recently. Taold him we just came back from cruise. He said this is a common problem as when Tequila does not have enough alcohol content they will lace it with antifreeze. They call it ethylglicol poisening.

 

He said it is one of those dirty little secrets about Mexico.

 

Ruth spent 7 days in hospital, 5 days in Intensive Care and almost had to go n dialysis. SHe is fully recovered without any residual effects.

 

She no longer drinks Margaritas after consuming a Margarity that eventually cost us $60,000.00

 

Ruth & Jim

 

Oh my gosh, Jim...... I've never heard of lacing margaritas with antifreeze, but I will think twice now about them in Mexico. I'm glad Ruth fully recovered from what must have been a very scary time for you both.

 

Joanne

[JimVrhovac]

When we go into any port we drink beverages out of a can or bottle that is chilled. NO ICE.

 

We have not had a meal in a port since the problem with Ruth.

 

The Tequila was laced and we do not think the restaurant knew it because we had eaten there several times before without problems. Some people just react differently to ethylglycol.

 

Be smart when you travel...

 

Ruth & Jim

[aliaschief]

DISEMBARKATION DAY and we had anxiety reactions when told that we had to leave the ship NOW!!!!!!!!!!

[INSIDERS CABIN]

We landed at Gatwick. It was a beautiful sunny day. We sat on a little wall outside while we waited for the HAL transfer bus. I was in a light summer skirt; my husband for some reason had changed into long shorts. The kids did not sit; they ran around after the long flight. lt wasn't long before Dh and I were scratching at little insect bites all over our legs. We then scratched for the next couple of days. I guess we had some open sores. Fast forward to port call at Santiago de Compostela. One of the things tourists do is embrace the statue of ST. James (Iago) in the cathedral. Shortly after that, DH broke out in impetigo-a terrible staph infection -all over his knees and lower legs. All i remember after that is trying to keep his towels and clothing separate in our quad cabin, and how late he was for dinner in his tux because he was applying ointments and bandages all over his legs. BTW, the ship's dr. missed the diagnosis at first; I insisted it was impetigo, having bad memories of the ugly stuff from childhood. The rest of us stayed okay; he fought the stuff for a few more weeks after we came home. It must be a Europe thing--our son came down with the stuff on his forearms after leaning on a railing at a concert in London. We now wear long sleeves and long pants!

 

Otherwise, traveling with kids, there were many ordinary illnesses with ears and throats and scrapes that made us very grateful to have the dr onboard while in foreign countries. I think we visited the infirmary on almost every trip!

[bobnsandi]

They advised I be flown home for immediate surgery. There are no planes from Hilo to the US...

 

There have been direct flights from Hilo to the mainland for many years. A quick trip to Travelocity confirmed it for me. Don't know what someone was thinking when they told you that in 2004. Maybe all the flights were sold out?

[Sailorgirlseattle]

Not cruising, but I developed a UTI the day we were visiting the Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Spent the whole day wandering from exhibit to bathroom and back again. They DID let me carry around a water bottle I kept refilling at a drinking fountain, but only after I explained the problem. When we finished at the Hall, we went straight to the nearest hospital where I could have my local hospital fax in a prescription. Sigh. Now I travel with just-in-case meds, especially on a cruise with limited health services.

 

Have also sailed on a small family sailboat with numerous illnesses and injuries.

 

And, while it didn't happen to me directly, on my first cruise (Carnival, MR, in 1993) we were long-delayed boarding because a women disembarking stopped to have her baby on the gangway! :eek:

[Pam in CA]

I've been lucky in that I've only had colds/virus' but I would say that one of my worse colds was earlier this year disembarking from the Golden Princess in Santiago. It's an all-day affair where you leave the ship, take a 9-hour tour, hang out in a local hotel for a few hours before heading to the airport for a 10:55PM flight to MIA. As we were hanging out in the hotel, I started to sneeze and my sister said, "You're getting a cold!" Hey, not me! I was feeling fine -- just sneezing a little. Besides, I'd packed all my extra cold medicines in my suitcase which was going directly to the airport.

 

Fast forward: By the time I boarded the plane for the 10+ hour flight to MIA, which was just the first leg of my trip, I was getting a cold. By the time we landed, I was feeling really, really sick. By the time I landed in Dallas, I felt like death warmed over. By the time I finally arrived in Orange Cty (Santa Ana), I was barely breathing and I couldn't hear. When I got to Hertz to pick up my rental car, they told me that my flight was delayed and the car had been cancelled. After a one-way conversation about what they could do with their car, they found one for me so I headed to the Inn I was staying at with a brief stop at a store to pick up medication. I was asleep by 7:30PM. Good thing because my daughter called at 4:30AM from New Hampshire to say that her flight to join me had been cancelled. Oy! Anyway, when I woke up at the call, I felt great. All I had was residual hoarseness but essentially, the cold was gone.

 

I've had other colds but those 20 hours or so were the worst I've ever had with a cold, particularly since I didn't have access to any cold medicine. I finally found Tylenol Cold Medicine in Dallas but that was it. Now, I always keep my medications with me on the plane.

[CruisenOne]

:eek: PHARAOHs REVENGE:eek: in Egypt, in May:mad:

[bermuda triangle]

Bronchitis... It was on the Westerdam II, I missed 2 ports and had a lovely visit to the ship's physician.

 

Laura

[Cath66]

I also missed 2 ports, Tortola and St Maarten...I was lying on the bathroom floor. We had a code red on the Westerdam in feb of this year(Noro virus)..and I was one of those hit...and I mean 'hit'! Out of the blue and sick as a dog. Pissed me off too! I'm pretty fanatical about hand washing, but I still got it. I blame it on being over tired. I won't travel 24 hours to arrive on departure day ever again!

[trubey]

The worst I ever had was pulmonary edema, an effect of heart failure where the body can't properly dispose of fluid and it settles in your lungs.

 

I went to Beaumont Hospital (Detroit suburb), where I was told I had a cold, given cough medicine, and sent away with a bill for $11,000.

 

When I got home I went into hospital for a week of oxygen and IV diuretics.

 

LKT

[gooselace]

When we go into any port we drink beverages out of a can or bottle that is chilled. NO ICE.

.....

 

Be smart when you travel...

 

Ruth & Jim

 

In some parts of the world it's better to use a straw for those beverages, because it's common for them to be cooled in a tub of iced water which can carry the nasties. My DH laughed when I packed a box of straws for our Amazon trip - until he saw the river water the sodas were in. Soon I was handing out straws to nearly everyone on our river boat - and a few of those who drank directly from the cans later regretted it.

 

Even where the local tap water is considered "safe" it can cause an intestinal upset - many tourists will order bottled water with meals, but then order a scotch or bourbon with water (and ice) in a grungy bar. Better safe ....

[GraceNWill]

The Dengue Fever thread got me thinking! So what's the worst thing that's happened to you while traveling?"

 

We went on a cruise in September 2004 NYC to Montreal - One of the ten day cruises. It was autumn and the air was cool, skies were blue and the leaves just marvelous as we went from New York City to Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, NS and other places while making our way to Montreal. We had just left the Saguenay for Quebec City when DH began to feel badly. You have to know that in almost forty years of marriage he has had maybe a couple of colds - nothing that ever kept him from work. This was not the Noro Virus - it was just achy stuff - no vomiting or the other end! We did not do much for those last three days but, thanks to DH's being a "trooper", we did visit Quebec City and Montreal. We ate in our room the last three nights but I went to the dining room and tipped our waiter, etc. on the last night.

In the wee hours of the morning before we were to leave the ship and board a flight in Montreal for Chicago, I started to have a tickle in my throat. By morning, my fever was raging. We were lucky to get through customs, the way we looked. Things got worse as the hours progressed. We could not eat anything and could barely walk but made it on the plane to Chicago and then our connecting flight home. I think we leaned into each other to hold ourselves up. I remember moaning on the flight, waking myself up. We got in a cab to go home and I remember wanting the cab driver to stop talking. It actually hurt my muscles and skin to listen.

We got home and we both went upstairs to bed. Hubby, who has a better immune system than mine, went to the doctor the next day and got a shot and many pills for both of us. Doctor took a swab and said DH had a bacterial superflu - whatever! I stayed upstairs for a week only drinking water. Thanks to doctors pills and hubby's nursing, I made it through but ended up with pneumonia to boot. What a mess. I guess we caught it early in the cruise and it sat there, waiting...

 

As soon as we felt better we started planning our next cruise! :)

[dobiemom]

Cruise: Poor attitude of others in my group. Made it “miserable” for the rest of us. :(

 

Camping: DH and I had just arrived to our camp spot in the mountains the day before. He had gone fishing at daybreak and I got up at my leisure. I was still enjoying my morning alone when he came comes back – earlier than usual. I asked in jest, “Where’s the fish?” He said, “Back in the creek. I think I did something to my shoulder.” Well, he dislocated it. I had to drive TWO hours down the mountain to the hospital (stopping twice to ask where it was). The ER popped it back into place and he had to keep his arm immobilized in a sling for the next 6 weeks. And then 2 hours back up the mountain.

 

The bad thing was we had gone camping so DH and his friends could go mountain biking. He had trained/worked out for weeks before and was in the best shape. When we called his friends (who were on the way up), at first they didn’t believe us because one of the guy coming had HIS arm in a sling because of a previous collarbone break (that happened when he was riding with DH a few months before!). They made a funny looking couple with their slings on opposite arms! But we stayed for the week, even though DH couldn’t ride—we were with friends and that’s the most important.

 

I had to drive the truck and trailer home by myself (DH couldn’t drive with his arm immobilized) down the mountain. 7 hours! DH said I did a great job. At least I know I can do it!

[Palmetto Lady]

My DH and I have eated salads in Morocco and fruit in Viet Nam with no ill effects, but I never thought I would get sick in France.

Mr DH and I were on a post cruise trip to Nice. We took a bus to St Paul de Vence (sp?). At the restaurant, I visted the rest room the before lunch and noted there was no soap, but decided to eat there anyway. Big Mistake. I was so sick at both ends at the same time.:eek:

We were on a train trip across Canada. One of the crew members came down with the Norwalk Virus. It spread throughout the group. At least three quarters of the tour group came down with it including the tour leader.

Mr husband was sicker than I was. The group leader had back packed throughout Asia, but said that it was the sickest he had ever been.

[JimVrhovac]

Never thought of that.

 

Thanks for the insight

 

Ruth & Jim

[iancal]

My DW (a nurse) was ill with food poisening in Rio. What was interesting was that we made our way to a local pharmacy for some medication. After some pointing and motioning, the clerk finally came up with what she wanted. At home, this medication was controlled, in fact in the hospital where she worked it was one of the drugs that got counted every change of shift, and it was expensive. In Rio, it was over the counter and priced at about ten cents on the dollar compared to home for the identical product.

[TriGirl]

I've gotten bronchitis a couple of times and a sinus infection twice. The doctors on HAL ships have always been great.

[RuthC]

I suppose the "worst" was what turned out to be nothing---but it could have been a doozie!

I was on the old ss Rotterdam off the coast of Bora Bora and had severe heart attack symptoms. I was being treated in the infirmary while the doctor and nurse were considering what to do with me. "Please don't put me off and leave me here" was all I could think.

I passed the cardiac exams with flying colors, felt better, and was sent back to my cabin to turn in for the night.

They wouldn't even let me go to the Piano Bar! :eek:

[sail7seas]

We catch so much on airplanes IMO from our fellow travelers. So many stories of people boarding planes knowing they were ill and eager to get home to their own beds. Some folks board planes thinking they're fine and start feeling ill during the flight. Others catch it from those who were sick and a few days later, on the ship, they become ill and have already exposed others to it (unknowingly).

 

I guess the only hope we have is if folks who know they are ill don't fly. Skip the flight. Suck up the added expenses and expose as few people as possible to whatever it is that ails you. Think about other people......some have very compromised immune systems and you put them at serious risk when you feel very ill and yet board a plane.

 

Ill on a ship? Once. As careful as I am, as experienced cruisers that we are, I got Noro Virus about 2 or 3 years ago on Veendam. Last day of the cruise (a sea day) and it was rotten.

 

Close call to very serious while on board was just a mere few days after disembarking Maasdam, just barely home, I had heart attacks. If one has to suffer such a thing, it is way better for it to be at home. Way better particularly if one is from Boston (as I am) and with access to such fine medical centers. Just a few days earlier and things could have turned out very differently.

 

 

[mamaofami]

Being sick is never good. But being sick half way around the world with the possibility of being left in some strange hospital is not a comforting feeling, although it beats having no hospital. The alternative is to stay healthy and enjoy your vacation, and of course, to be lucky.