How do I file a complaint about on-board medical care during recent cruise?

[kentuckyluckyguy]

On my cruise last week I had to make a visit to the ship physician for the first time ever on a cruise.

 

Although I was prescribed medication, the diagnosis by the physician was completely wrong and I was given mis-information by the physician only which I learned was wrong after getting home and visiting my personal physician yesterday.

 

The remedy for my situation was quite simple, however since it was mis-diagnosed I suffered for the last two days of my cruise when things could've been easily taken care of....and I find it hard to believe could not have been taken care of on board.

 

All I am wanting to do is inform Carnival of the issue but I can't seem to find any kind of address or place to send any sort of concerns.

 

Does anyone know?

 

As you can see by my signature, I've been on several Carnival cruises and have never had an issue or complaint before. And, I must say, the staff on the most recent cruise was the best I've encountered, other than the medical staff. Any advice?

[LBroxon]

cclsupport @carnival.com (no spaces)

 

Try there. That's where I have sent issues to and gotten them resolved.

[Kamloops50]

On my cruise last week I had to make a visit to the ship physician for the first time ever on a cruise.

 

Although I was prescribed medication, the diagnosis by the physician was completely wrong and I was given mis-information by the physician only which I learned was wrong after getting home and visiting my personal physician yesterday.

 

The remedy for my situation was quite simple, however since it was mis-diagnosed I suffered for the last two days of my cruise when things could've been easily taken care of....and I find it hard to believe could not have been taken care of on board.

 

All I am wanting to do is inform Carnival of the issue but I can't seem to find any kind of address or place to send any sort of concerns.

 

Does anyone know?

 

As you can see by my signature, I've been on several Carnival cruises and have never had an issue or complaint before. And, I must say, the staff on the most recent cruise was the best I've encountered, other than the medical staff. Any advice?

 

You'll find that with any medical condition/symptoms two doctors might come up with two different diagnosis. The shipboard board doctor might off determined that you had one thing and your family said something else. Keep in mind that the doctor isn't hired by Carnival but by an outside supplier. The same is true for the spa staff.

[kcwingwalker]

You'll find that with any medical condition/symptoms two doctors might come up with two different diagnosis. The shipboard board doctor might off determined that you had one thing and your family said something else. Keep in mind that the doctor isn't hired by Carnival but by an outside supplier. The same is true for the spa staff.

 

Agree.

 

It's not at all unusual for doctors to have different opinions and offer different treatments whether on land or at sea. Doctors do not have a crystal ball, many times treatment can be trial and error. Not unheard of for a physician to say "Let's give X a try". If it X does not work, then something else will be tried.

 

What do you want Carnival to do?

[kentuckyluckyguy]

Well, it's fairly obvious that an "ear full of sand" (which is what I had) is NOT a "fungus growing in your ear" (like the Ship Physician said).

 

I tried explaining to the ship Dr what it felt like and that the "Swim Ear" didn't work so I knew it wasn't swimmer's ear. I have no idea how it all got in there, but when my ears were irrigated yesterday I brought a lot of the Bahamas home in my head in more ways than just memories.

 

What do I want Carnival to do? All I wanted to do was let Carnival know exactly and specifically what happened and how far off base the diagnosis was by the Ship Physician.

 

What really gets me is that it was something so simple and it could've been taken care of on board rather than having to suffer through the two last days of my vacation with super painful ear pressure caused by sand trapped in an ear canal that was called "a fungus".

 

Search my threads on here...you've never seen me complain about service I have received on board a Carnival ship. In fact, the rest of the staff on the Ecstasy was the SINGLE BEST STAFF I've ever had on a ship. Our waiter, cabin steward and even one of the bar staff would always call me by my first name after the first time. But the ship's medical staff leaves a lot to be desired.

 

I did email the address listed in the thread above and at least let them know the situation that occurred.

[poison7fl]

I don't know any Doctor that has the right answer, and they often can't... They take into account your word, condition, and symptoms and start a course of action that they believe is right. Often, the conditino takes another course of action until the condition is resolved.

 

It happens, it doesn't sound like negligence, it sounds like it was an inconvenience for you during vacation.

 

Glad you are better.

[kentuckyluckyguy]

She did prescribe an oral antibiotic and asked me to consider buying a $90 bottle of drops to "kill the fungus" but then she said, and this is the truth, "or you can wait til we get to Freeport tomorrow and probably find this in the port at a lot cheaper price". It was prescription ear drops, which come to find out you are prohibited from carrying on board from a port of call according to the very signs posted at the gangway.

 

My dr said the drops would have done no better than the swimmer ear drops because of all the sand that was trapped. That was the problem. Not a fungus.

[Delta Dear]

Just curious, how was the sand removed by your family doctor? Or what treatment was applied? Strictly curious, not intending to be negative about your post.

[carsastic]

Op sorry to hear , it does suck that it was mis diagnosed and I would also like to alert them to the docs performance

Dude how did u get that much sand in your ear ? ????

[Lerin]

Dude how did u get that much sand in your ear ? ????

 

That's what I'm wondering :eek:

 

Glad you're feeling better, sorry the doctor was not correct.

Happens a lot, I once suffered over 5 years with something several doctors misdiagnosed. Finally a nurse told me what may be going on -and she was right! Doctors are human, sometimes they mess up.

[luddite]

Move on.

[KPfromCT]

Where did all of that sand come from?:eek::eek::eek: Did you let the kids "bury" you in the Bahamas. Glad you are feeling better. I can totally see how the eardrops would do absolutely NOTHING, but it sounds like you had a TON of sand in there. Odd.:confused:

[peptobysmol]

That totally sucks. Antibiotics for a Fungal infection? Not an anti-fungal? There is a reason that these Docs go on ships and its not for the Cruising experience. Yeah like someone else said, move on unless you are wanting to get something from it. Glad the Doc didn't say your ear hurt because of your Acute Appendicitis and said you needed emergency surgery!! :eek:

[firerunner]

Sorry this happened but I'm curious too... how did you get that much sand in your ear and how did they get it out???

[MsTabbyKats]

One time a doctor told me I had wax in my ears and told me to put "I forget what but it's something very common" in my ear.

 

I did. It HURT. Doctor #2 said I had an ear infection....not wax.

 

They make mistakes.

 

Not to flame....but how could you not be aware that sand was entering your ear?

[riclop]

On my cruise last week I had to make a visit to the ship physician for the first time ever on a cruise.

 

Although I was prescribed medication, the diagnosis by the physician was completely wrong and I was given mis-information by the physician only which I learned was wrong after getting home and visiting my personal physician yesterday.

 

The remedy for my situation was quite simple, however since it was mis-diagnosed I suffered for the last two days of my cruise when things could've been easily taken care of....and I find it hard to believe could not have been taken care of on board.

 

All I am wanting to do is inform Carnival of the issue but I can't seem to find any kind of address or place to send any sort of concerns.

 

Does anyone know?

 

As you can see by my signature, I've been on several Carnival cruises and have never had an issue or complaint before. And, I must say, the staff on the most recent cruise was the best I've encountered, other than the medical staff. Any advice?

Just call them.

[RuthlessBoss]

Op sorry to hear , it does suck that it was mis diagnosed and I would also like to alert them to the docs performance

Dude how did u get that much sand in your ear ? ????

If there was that much sand, you'd be very hard of hearing and sand particles would fall out on a pillowcase (unless it was lodged in earwax)

I recently went to a local ER for back pain. I knew it was a kidney infection because I'd had them twice before. After x rays the doc said no you don't have an infection, you have a touch of arthritis in your back! 2 days later my primary doc put me on double dose of antibiotics for the kidney infection.

So, things like this can happen anywhere, even an ER.

[christmas]

you email cclsupport@carnival.com or iCare@carnival.com or call 800 CARNIVAL and ask for a Guest Care Supervisor. But I don't know what you think Carnival is going to do:confused::confused:

[CI66774]

Any two physicians could come to different conclusions. Go ahead and contact Carnival but I wouldn't expect anything.

[kentuckyluckyguy]

Actually I was able to get a few particles dislodged once i got home Saturday yes there was that much. All I can figure is I used spray sunscreen and it must've gotten inside my ears and the sand just stuck from wind, waves and so forth. It was hard to hear out of right side. My Dr was amazed. He irrigated the ears with a device similar to a water pik that flushed out the sand with small pressurized bursts of water onto the ear drum and ear canal.

 

While i understand drs can have different diagnoses it was very obvious this was not a fungus and i just fail to understand how the ship dr couldn't tell it was sand

 

And for the first 24 hours i assumed it was trapped water as that's how it felt but after the swim ear drops didn't help I knew it was more. And I could even hear it rattle around when I'd move my jaws a certain way or push pressure into my ears by holding my nose and blowing like people sometimes do for relief from altitude

[sprint180]

Well, I feel for you. I once went to a dr. for leg pain and he actually yelled at me accusing me of lieing to him, Saying I must have had a injury then he measured each calf. One was 1/4th of an inch bigger then the other. He again accused me of not telling him something. I looked at the nurse and she just shook her head. I was at the hospital a few weeks later and told the administrator. I thought he would like to know that a dr had treated his patient that way. The administrator immediately went into save his ass mode and defended the dr. I just said OK I just thought you would like to know and walked out. My point being, I see no problem with you telling them. But, I am sure they will just make excuses.

[tootsiescurly]

Actually I was able to get a few particles dislodged once i got home Saturday yes there was that much. All I can figure is I used spray sunscreen and it must've gotten inside my ears and the sand just stuck from wind, waves and so forth. It was hard to hear out of right side. My Dr was amazed. He irrigated the ears with a device similar to a water pik that flushed out the sand with small pressurized bursts of water onto the ear drum and ear canal.

 

While i understand drs can have different diagnoses it was very obvious this was not a fungus and i just fail to understand how the ship dr couldn't tell it was sand

 

And for the first 24 hours i assumed it was trapped water as that's how it felt but after the swim ear drops didn't help I knew it was more. And I could even hear it rattle around when I'd move my jaws a certain way or push pressure into my ears by holding my nose and blowing like people sometimes do for relief from altitude

We were on the Norwegian Epic in November. The spa was trying to sell botox and other cosmetic procedures. The doctor who was performing the procedures was a cardiologist not a dermatologist or cosmetic surgeon. What does this tell you about docs aboard ship?

[Umbarger]

Doctors are not God's they are human and can make mistakes just like all humans.

[luvsviola]

I'd be peeved too, and you bet I would complain.

 

I am traveling with a medically fragile child, and this worries me, as I am counting on a competant doc as an insurance policy if he has any issues. I guess I may have to just pay the crazy rates to call my own pediatrician if the ship doc can't tell sand from fungus...

[Sargent_Schultz]

On my cruise last week I had to make a visit to the ship physician for the first time ever on a cruise.

 

Although I was prescribed medication, the diagnosis by the physician was completely wrong and I was given mis-information by the physician only which I learned was wrong after getting home and visiting my personal physician yesterday.

 

The remedy for my situation was quite simple, however since it was mis-diagnosed I suffered for the last two days of my cruise when things could've been easily taken care of....and I find it hard to believe could not have been taken care of on board.

 

All I am wanting to do is inform Carnival of the issue but I can't seem to find any kind of address or place to send any sort of concerns.

 

Does anyone know?

 

As you can see by my signature, I've been on several Carnival cruises and have never had an issue or complaint before. And, I must say, the staff on the most recent cruise was the best I've encountered, other than the medical staff. Any advice?

 

The medical staff are private contractors to Carnival, but you could try contacting Guest Relations.