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

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

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...

 

They are there for emergencies...I think your expectations are misplaced. They aren't specialists or miracle workers. I think your prejudgment is out of line.

[Sargent_Schultz]

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...

 

Not trying to make light of the situation, but have you read the cruise contract? Everyone should. And I imagine they all have similar language.

 

http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract.aspx

 

(a) The Guest warrants that he and those traveling with him are physically fit to travel at the time of embarkation and is required to notify Carnival in writing at the time of booking the cruise of any physical disability or medical condition which may require special assistance during the voyage. Failure to do so will release Carnival from any liability for loss, damages or other compensation arising from or related in any way to such disability or condition. Upon booking the cruise, guests who have special needs are required to contact Carnival's Special Needs Desk (305-599-2600 ext. 70025) to discuss the details of their special needs. Carnival reserves the right to require that any Guest, who is not self-sufficient, travel with a companion who shall take responsibility for any assistance needed during the voyage and in case of emergency.

[Megan_Strick]

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.

 

 

No offense but it happens all the time with doc on ships and on land. My daughters 14 year old friend went to the doc last week and they told her she had a sinus infection. Turns out she has lukemia not a sinus infection.

[jamon]

Kentuckyluckyguy: Please let us know if Carnival replies and what they say. It would be helpful to know their answer. Hope all is fine with you now...

[misstopgun]

No doctor is ever 100% accurate. Ever wonder why they say a doctor is "practicing medicine" or a doctor is a "medical practitioner"?

 

Doctors "practice" medicine. Practice indicates they don't always get it right.

[walke2jd]

Before you make him seem like a complete @$$hole, you should google "ear fungus". From what I could see, it would be easy to think that a ton of sand mixed with ear wax could look like some of those pictures, especially if the ear canal was already irritated.

 

I am not trying to be mean, but maybe he assumes people dont unknowingly get a pound of sand in their ear??? It seems to me like it would be pretty difficult to not notice that much sand going in my ear...

[Linerguy]

This is another case of someone asking a simple question, and then getting raked across the carpet. The OP said NOTHING about wanting anything....he simple wants to make Carnival aware of the situation.

 

Getting to be that people can't post a legit question or comment without the snakes coming out of the woodwork with fangs exposed.

[Lovefuninthesun]

Sorry for your painful experience (in more ways than one) -- hope you are feeling better.

 

I think you are justified in making a complaint -- at least your concern will be registered.

 

Unfortunately, medicine is not an exact science, and, quite frankly, some physicians are better than others at physical assesment and diagnosis --that holds true on land, too. I am a long-time ER nurse and have seen a wide-range of physician ability and diagnostic accuracy!:o

[MsTabbyKats]

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?

 

It tells me that Carnival goes above and beyond. Many states do not require an MD to administer botox. Since the ship is "in the middle of the ocean" they could probably get away with a nurse or even the estatician.

.

[BSQ]

This is another case of someone asking a simple question, and then getting raked across the carpet. The OP said NOTHING about wanting anything....he simple wants to make Carnival aware of the situation.

 

Getting to be that people can't post a legit question or comment without the snakes coming out of the woodwork with fangs exposed.

 

Amen. OP, I've always gotten good direction for contact information from Carnival's twitter peeps. They have always gotten back to be within a day. @CCLSupport. At least you'll know your communication went to the appropriate person.

[nascarcruiser]

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...

 

No offense but if I were traveling with anyone that medically fragile I wouldn't take a cruise. A land vacation could get you to a hospital, specialist or your doctor a lot faster.

[tootsiescurly]

It tells me that Carnival goes above and beyond. Many states do not require an MD to administer botox. Since the ship is "in the middle of the ocean" they could probably get away with a nurse or even the estatician.

.

 

We were not on Carnival. We were on Norwegian.

[kentuckyluckyguy]

Just an FYI, here's the response I got from Carnival:

 

 

Thank you for contacting us regarding your recent sailing aboard the Carnival Ecstasy.

Attached to this email, please find our Medical Release form. This form must be completed and submitted to us so that we may properly review your claim. Once completed, please email or fax it to my attention at 305-406-6156. Please allow 3-4 weeks from the receipt of the completed form for us to respond in writing.

Should you require any further assistance, please contact our Guest Care Department at guestcare@carnival.com. We appreciate your patience.

As one poster in this thread stated, all I did was ask a legitimate question of where to contact and who to contact. Honestly, I was not even going to go into the "explicit details" of what happened until I felt like I was getting flamed.

At any rate, I did as instructed in the above email and at least my concern has been received.

Now, I will MOVE ON as some one so eloquently told me to do earlier in the thread. Thanks for those of you who gave me info I needed and to those who were concerned.

[richfret]

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 should do what you would normally do ashore and that is nothing. If you went to the hospitol and got seen but not cured for a minor complaint, I doubt you would send a complaint to the administrator. Be glad you have no further problems and get prepared for your next cruise.

[pspercy]

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.

 

Really ? Is that a Bahamas regulation or Carnival's :confused:

[nokidz]

The OP is doing the right thing by informing Carnival. The ship Doctor could be the only medical professional available on the cruise ship at any given time. I would hope Carnival would try its best to ensure that the Medical staff is competent. Doesn't matter if they are hired by Carnival or a contractor of some sort.

If there are complaints or notifications of problems or situations, then Carnival has an opportunity to change the staff. if they are not informed, they cannot do anything to rectify the problem or situation.

My 2 cents.

[adaptabl]

Big deal. You didn't tell the doctor the whole story and had two different opinions. Move on.

[Linerguy]

You should do what you would normally do ashore and that is nothing. If you went to the hospitol and got seen but not cured for a minor complaint, I doubt you would send a complaint to the administrator. Be glad you have no further problems and get prepared for your next cruise.

 

It's presumpsuous to assume that everyone is as passive as you apparently are. You can bet your sweet bippy that, if a doctor – ashore or at sea – made a mistake like this with me or my family, someone would hear about it.

 

If the situation had been far worse, and if the mistake had resulted in someone dying, I doubt people would be saying, "move on" and "doctors make mistakes, get over it."

 

The OP is not looking for absolution or compensation, he is merely wanting to make the problem known....there is NOTHING wrong with that.

[Viv0828]

My granddaughter had a similar on land experience. She went to her doc with an ear ache and was prescribed antibiotics. Didn't help. Went back and was prescribed a stronger antibiotic. Didn't help. Went to urgent care and the doc said she had wax buildup so he syringed out her ears. Problem solved. Unfortunately medical errors happen. Hope you're ok now.

[Havingfun2010]

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...

 

Put yourself in a Dr's chair. Patient comes in, says, they were out swimming all day, and all of a sudden, they have hearing issues, and some pain in one ear. What would your first thought be? Swimmers ear, and you would want to dry it up. Maybe when he looked at it, it was a clumbed together, and in the two days, that it started drying up, it became more obvious it was sand? Howver, if you call your own Pediatrician, I guess, he could tell you over the phone it is sand? I'm not a doctor, but I guess it's easy to second guess people.

[kentuckyluckyguy]

Really ? Is that a Bahamas regulation or Carnival's :confused:

 

It is specifically listed on the sign as you board the ship on the gangway INSIDE the ship right before your Sail and Sign card is scanned and you go through the metal detectors.

 

Therefore, I'd assume it's Carnival's policy and maybe even a US Government policy that prescription medicines cannot be brought on board from a port of call.

 

There's a whole list of items on the sign....weapons, fruits/veggies/nuts and on an on and at the bottom one of the items specifically mentions prescription medications purchased while in port.

[kentuckyluckyguy]

Big deal. You didn't tell the doctor the whole story and had two different opinions. Move on.

 

I am leaving this thread now. But I DID tell the Doctor on board the WHOLE story. Only after thinking about it in the last 24-48 hours did it make sense to me that perhaps the sunscreen spray I used got into my ears and made them "sticky" for the sand to adhere to....I did tell her that I had been out snorkeling and laying on the beach and that swimmer ear drops had not relieved the pressure and that it was worse in the right ear than the left, and that I could move my jaws a certain way and seem to hear/feel things in my ears...not sure what else I could've said.

 

Besides, the mis-diagnosis is mild to being told to buy prescription ear drops in the Bahamas which is clearly against the policy to be brought back on board. I suppose I was supposed to use them on shore before I walked back onto the ship in her mind?

 

Not saying anymore about it. And likely will just lurk and not post here again. I have seen other internet boards fall apart based on this very type of thing over the years and this one is starting to get worse all the time.

[crusinpsychRN]

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?

 

In many states you can take a 2 day course to administer botox, MD or not. Many states require MD to be in the building if it's done by a non MD.

[EnTnSA]

I am leaving this thread now. But I DID tell the Doctor on board the WHOLE story. Only after thinking about it in the last 24-48 hours did it make sense to me that perhaps the sunscreen spray I used got into my ears and made them "sticky" for the sand to adhere to....I did tell her that I had been out snorkeling and laying on the beach and that swimmer ear drops had not relieved the pressure and that it was worse in the right ear than the left, and that I could move my jaws a certain way and seem to hear/feel things in my ears...not sure what else I could've said.

 

Besides, the mis-diagnosis is mild to being told to buy prescription ear drops in the Bahamas which is clearly against the policy to be brought back on board. I suppose I was supposed to use them on shore before I walked back onto the ship in her mind?

 

Not saying anymore about it. And likely will just lurk and not post here again. I have seen other internet boards fall apart based on this very type of thing over the years and this one is starting to get worse all the time.

 

I, for one, was glad to see your post and appreciate it. Glad you were able to get the information over to Carnival. Sorry others feel the need to berate you over the situation.

 

I learned three things.

 

The docs on the ship dont appear to have much attn to detail.

 

Spray sunscreen can potentially lead to sand build up in the ear.

 

You cannot bring foreign scripts onboard.

 

Much better than a good portion of other posts I read here.

[krewzin]

Doctors make mistakes; I went to a land-based physician after suffering for 3 days of what I thought were sinus headaches. Turns out I had a broken ankle.