Why do I get sick on all of my cruises?

[Krazy Kruizers]

You definitely need to talk to your family doctor and explain exactly what happens each time you cruise.

[sherilyn70]

And so are the cabins and any serface in them, handrails, elevator buttons, doors anywhere, the arms on chairs everywhere, and on and on. Unless you wear gloves, it's all but impossible to avoid toughing a place where one could pick up noro.;)

We also could have picked it up on the plane... but because he got it on day 8 it most likely had to be on the ship itself and is in line with having eaten in the buffet since that's where we also use our hands right after coming intact with the germs.

 

Does anyone know much about heat poisoning? I got very sunburnt in Florida the year before we started cruising and my mother told me I would always get sick from the sun and heat from then on. Trouble with that is I don't get sick in the states from the sun or heat.

Being very fair skinned I know all about getting sick from the sun. It isn't an ongoing illness but only at the time of the damage. I can get very sick (upset stomach, nausea, even a fever) if I got burned badly. I get the chills and feel achy and don't feel like do anything for a few days when it happens.

[phillipdevoll]

You might be allergic to sea food and csrnival say they use sea food as a base for alot of their bases.....

 

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Edited December 28, 2013 by phillipdevoll

[MCC retired]

How did you rule out sea-sickness ? I'd ask my doctor for the prescription strength patches for behind your ears amd see of that works, nausea and vomiting are signs of sea sickness

 

I agree , sounds like any sea sickness that I've ever had .

[flatman]

This is getting interesting. Lots of good advise. Thank you all. Hopefully I will learn a lot more on my next cruise in April. I'm not a hat man but I bought a really nice man's sun hat from "Sunday Afternoon's" website. This will help keep the sun out of my face and shield my shoulders some. I will wear lots of sun block the entire trip. I will drink lots more water than I have been. And try to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Not to mention I will continue with seasick remedies even tho I don't think it's the cause. I've spent more hours out on the ocean than most people spend in a car in there entire lifetime and never been seasick. I'm going to lean more towards heat and humidity as the problem, along with dehydration. I love the buffet so I'm really hoping that isn't the problem. Can't wait for my first breakfast on the ship. I cook breakfast almost everyday but my eggs don't taste like there's. Again thanks everybody, like I say this is getting interesting.

 

Jim

[Cruisin' Chick]

I would definitely talk to my doctor to see if s/he's had other patients with the same problem or read research that could pinpoint the problem.

 

My hubby had noticed he would get a respiratory problem about four days into a cruise. He did research online and found some articles about bacteria in water, even in the ocean. He decided to try bringing his own bottled water on his next cruise, including making his own coffee (with a heating element, but he was very careful with it) and taking it to the MDRs, etc. He was even going to avoid going in the pools. We took the train up the west coast to Seattle for the cruise, and after drinking the coffee on the train, he got the same reaction (plus there was a major plumbing problem and resulting smell on the way up). Took a while to get over that.

 

On the last cruise, he decided to just skip worrying about the water onboard and he was fine. And that was a 14-day cruise. So he's not sure what it was with the earlier cruises. I did have some sinus problems the first few days, but that could have been the weather and not be related to the cruise itself.

 

BTW, once we did go to the infirmary to pick up some cold medicine for our daughter and he asked the doctor there about what he had read and the doctor pooh-poohed that. (which doesn't mean anything as years later, I told my daughter's allergist about our theory that she gets sick whenever there's been a lot of fertilizer strewn about people's lawns at a windy time, and he discounted that. And she would get pretty miserable. I finally got the nurse practitioner to see her, and she said that if something bothers you, it bothers you and should be considered an irritant.

 

It could be with the OP that it is something about the cruise ships he's been on (or if he travels by air, something that he keeps picking up there -- that's how many people get norovirus, which then gets blamed on the ship), that just doesn't bother him on the fishing boats.

 

I am wondering about the fish-based sauces on Carnival. Is that fleetwide? How does phillipdevol know that? As someone who is allergic to shellfish, I think that's something to be investigated.

[Aquahound]

I've been on 7 cruises and I've gotten sick on all of them about 4 days into them. Statistically that's almost impossible. Severe nausea and dry vomiting. I've ruled out seasickness and alcohol as the problem. I'm wondering if the climate change has something to do with it, yet I don't get sick when it's extremely hot at home in Iowa, or Florida. Only in the Caribbean. My wife is threatening to just stop cruising if I'm going to be sick for the last 2 or 3 days of every cruise. Anyone else have this problem or know what to do about it?

 

My wife had problems with frequently getting sick on cruises. She has mold allergies. She was told she was probably getting sick from mold that grows in the AC as a result of the humidity. Since she started medicating before and during cruises, she's been much better. Could this be the problem?

 

By the way, this is yet another reason not to leave balcony doors open. ;)

[Moviegirlnyorlando]

My wife had problems with frequently getting sick on cruises. She has mold allergies. She was told she was probably getting sick from mold that grows in the AC as a result of the humidity. Since she started medicating before and during cruises, she's been much better. Could this be the problem?

 

By the way, this is yet another reason not to leave balcony doors open. ;)

 

all by DH are quite sick after we left our cruise this week, , he had it first the day we left the cruise. Dry cough. Now it's turned until a productive cough and we have low grade fevers and I'm wheezing enough I had to do a breathing treatment, I've been taking mucinex but probably need to hit the doctor for some possible antibiotics. I'm blaming it on my son as he likely picked it up from kid coughing in the teens club and at 13 probably wasn't careful enough with hand washing etc.

[skandls]

My late DH got bloatee sick about 3 days into the cruise. This was way back in the 1980's. We found out they were using some kind of preservative wash stuff on the salad food products. I think they were sulfite based. We quit cruising for a while and the veggie washes changed and we had no more problems. You might look at what you are eating on the ship - there maybe hidden food additives that make you ill after a few days.

[Lovemychoos]

When I had noro it was nausea and dry heaves. No other real symptoms (that I can recall). So we haven't ruled out bad luck and buffets yet.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

 

I'm pretty sure if they were your symptoms, you didn't have Norovirus :)

 

Having had Noro, believe me, the other symptoms are very real, and very easy to remember,lol.

 

Lou

[JustCruiseMe]

I'm pretty sure if they were your symptoms, you didn't have Norovirus :)

 

Having had Noro, believe me, the other symptoms are very real, and very easy to remember,lol.

 

Lou

Yep, I got noro while at home, I can NOT imagine having it at sea. Had to get IV fluids.

[Lovemychoos]

Yep, I got noro while at home, I can NOT imagine having it at sea. Had to get IV fluids.

 

Was'nt pleasant, believe me. We think we may have picked it up in the s/serv buffet, as it's the only thing we did different when we boarded that particular cruise, and were both very, very ill :(

Edited December 29, 2013 by Lovemychoos

[sherilyn70]

I'm pretty sure if they were your symptoms, you didn't have Norovirus :)

 

Well the doctor said it was noro. I didn't eat for days since nothing would stay down. Others around me also got it shortly after (I went to work 1 day after the cruise not realizing I was incubating it) and their doctors gave the same diagnosis.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4

[JF - retired RRT]

Cannot be food poisoning - this would be accompanied by diarreah, right?

 

Allergy may take up to 48 hours to develop - you said about day 4 into cruise? Are you doing anything different on day 2? Using their shampoo? Towels? May be allergy. If you are allergic to something, you better know it!

 

Not all food poisoning causes diarrhea. There are MANY types of food poisoning caused by a multitude of bugs. So food poisoning is still a possibility.

[Moviegirlnyorlando]

We were on a cruise 12/22-12/26. We noticed our son coughing the day driving home a

Though he said he started a bit tge day before although we didn't hear it. I started the next day and am still quite sick with low grade fever and really bad chest congestion my son seems better today, my daughter started yesterday and hers is mild and my us band just stated coughing tonight. We are pretty sure my son caught it in the teens club, I did hear a few people coughing on board too, I suppose it's inevitable this time of year that a certain amount of people will be sick though, I wish more people washed hands better and covered mouths better when coughing

[ehfl]

It sounds like you are being exposed to germs that are not in your usual environment, and your immune system is not able to cope. Before your next cruise, try touching as many surfaces in public places as you can to train your immune system to recognize the environment. If you're going to get sick from this, then it might as well be before, and not during the cruise. Then if you keep your immune system in close contact with the environment, it should not be a problem in the future.

[flatman]

So far I'm liking the analogy of thinking of yourself as a piece of meat under a heat lamp out in the Caribbean. So true, and so funny. If that don't make you think, nothing will.

 

Jim

[Husky61]

None of us here can diagnose this; you should see your physician. S/he will be able to help you.

 

Well said, none here are qualified to render medical advice to a person they have never met.:)

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

Try taking the same things for a few days while not on a cruise. I have a friend that gets sick on Dramamine, but only after taking for about 3 days and building up in his system. He switched to ginger, and didn't get sick, or seasick.

 

 

Sent from my AT&T iPhone 5C using Forums mobile app.

I was just thinking the exact same thing, that it might be that you have a sensitivity or allergy to the drug you take for motion sickness. Easy to test for yourself at home. I can also attest to the success of taking ginger to prevent motion sickness. Good luck!:)

[MrsPete]

I've been on 7 cruises and I've gotten sick on all of them about 4 days into them. Statistically that's almost impossible. Severe nausea and dry vomiting. I've ruled out seasickness and alcohol as the problem. I'm wondering if the climate change has something to do with it, yet I don't get sick when it's extremely hot at home in Iowa, or Florida. Only in the Caribbean. My wife is threatening to just stop cruising if I'm going to be sick for the last 2 or 3 days of every cruise. Anyone else have this problem or know what to do about it?

I wonder if taking extra care with your health could make a difference: Drink extra water, go to bed a little earlier, eat plenty of vegetables.

 

I'm remembering that when I was in college, I used to get sick EVERY SEMESTER during exam week. I was smart enough to recognize the pattern, but not smart enough to figure out what to do about it . . . but when I saw my own daughter (and her roommate) get sick during fall exam week, I realized I couldn't take away the stress, but I could encourage her to take a little more care with her body. Her second semester, I went up to see her the weekend before exams, and I took her bottled water (with encouraging notes tied around the neck), homemade vegetable soup in serving-sized ziplocks, individual-sized bags of fresh fruit she could carry to class, and other healthy snacks like almonds. I also gave them vitamins and vitamin C candies (relabeled as Get-an-A-drops), and I lectured her a bit on scheduling her time and avoiding all-nighters. The girls just finished their third semester of college, and this little bit of extra nutrition has made a difference for them both. Since that first exam week as freshmen, neither of them has become sick . . . and now they expect me to show up just before exams with healthy treats! My daughter, who is a nursing major, was so struck by the positive effects that she's adding a nutrition minor to her degree.

 

So, the question is, what could you do to be a little more healthy during your cruises?

 

I don't find it odd at all, my dh always ends up with an ear infection when we do a beach vacation, that includes renting a shore house OR taking a Caribbean cruise.

Many moons ago when I was a teenager, I worked at a summer camp where kids swam each day in the lake. To prevent ear infections, as the left the swimming area, we'd have them line up to have a counselor squirt a mixture of 1/2 rubbing alcohol, 1/2 vinegar into their ears. This forces the water out, which prevents swimmers' ear. Perhaps this would help you.

[flatman]

I wonder if taking extra care with your health could make a difference: Drink extra water, go to bed a little earlier, eat plenty of vegetables.

 

I'm remembering that when I was in college, I used to get sick EVERY SEMESTER during exam week. I was smart enough to recognize the pattern, but not smart enough to figure out what to do about it . . . but when I saw my own daughter (and her roommate) get sick during fall exam week, I realized I couldn't take away the stress, but I could encourage her to take a little more care with her body. Her second semester, I went up to see her the weekend before exams, and I took her bottled water (with encouraging notes tied around the neck), homemade vegetable soup in serving-sized ziplocks, individual-sized bags of fresh fruit she could carry to class, and other healthy snacks like almonds. I also gave them vitamins and vitamin C candies (relabeled as Get-an-A-drops), and I lectured her a bit on scheduling her time and avoiding all-nighters. The girls just finished their third semester of college, and this little bit of extra nutrition has made a difference for them both. Since that first exam week as freshmen, neither of them has become sick . . . and now they expect me to show up just before exams with healthy treats! My daughter, who is a nursing major, was so struck by the positive effects that she's adding a nutrition minor to her degree.

 

So, the question is, what could you do to be a little more healthy during your cruises?

 

Many moons ago when I was a teenager, I worked at a summer camp where kids swam each day in the lake. To prevent ear infections, as the left the swimming area, we'd have them line up to have a counselor squirt a mixture of 1/2 rubbing alcohol, 1/2 vinegar into their ears. This forces the water out, which prevents swimmers' ear. Perhaps this would help you.

 

Now that sounds like great advice. Thanks

[LindaM]

Well said, none here are qualified to render medical advice to a person they have never met.:)

 

I would think the people at CC would have a lot more experience figuring this out than a Doctor. Obviously, this persons symptoms appear to be quite rare. I would be willing to bet that 99% of Doctors would not have a clue. They are human and don't have time to research.

[flatman]

I would think the people at CC would have a lot more experience figuring this out than a Doctor. Obviously, this persons symptoms appear to be quite rare. I would be willing to bet that 99% of Doctors would not have a clue. They are human and don't have time to research.

 

Truth be told, I've asked my Doctor twice already about it and your right, not a clue. But in all fairness maybe I didn't address it right, or maybe I sounded as if it wasn't a big deal. I'm sure she's very busy and has bigger fish to fry, but this time I will get more in depth with it when I see her. She's a "tester" type Doctor. Loves to do tests. Which is fine with me cuz I've had doctors that want to change your whole life over something as small as a pimple so to speak. I'd rather just do some testing. One thing I will say is that she won't lie to you. My last doctor told me I had emphazema and had to quit smoking right away. So I did and then this doctor I have now took the test and said "you do not have emphazema." But I did quit smoking because of it. I guess the best you can do is to get one you like and trust and stay with him/her.

 

I know some of you think that we can't diagnose the problem here on CC, and only a doctor could tell for sure what the cause is, but sometimes a suggestion is the best remedy too.

 

later

 

Jim

[NorthCarolinaBelle]

Good luck! Please come back and tell us if you find anything out!

[lisajm]

Cannot be food poisoning - this would be accompanied by diarreah, right?

 

Allergy may take up to 48 hours to develop - you said about day 4 into cruise? Are you doing anything different on day 2? Using their shampoo? Towels? May be allergy. If you are allergic to something, you better know it!

Not an allergy! Nausea, vomiting, dry heaves are NOT signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. Signs of allergy are hives, rash, facial and throat swelling.