Getting VERY SICK on a Transatlantic Cruise

[CPT Trips]

And here I thought the Jayhawk (MH-60) was designed to fly 300 miles, stay on station 45 minutes, hoist six persons, and return to base with reserve fuel.

[samiam0403]

And here I thought the Jayhawk (MH-60) was designed to fly 300 miles, stay on station 45 minutes, hoist six persons, and return to base with reserve fuel.

 

Sure, but the Air Force SAR teams use a HH-60 Pave Hawk - which has a range of just over 500nm. And, as I stated previously, can be refueled mid-flight multiple times. I'm not making any of this up - I am active duty Air Force (24 years and counting) and my job is to coordinate these rescues. Every. Single. Day. So sure, a Jayhawk WAS designed to fly 300 miles. But a Pave Hawk wasn't. The Coast Guard isn't doing these long range rescues - the Air Force is. It's how civil SAR works in our SRR.

[Markanddonna]

I had an appendectomy one month after a transatlantic cruise, so the thought of having that pain in the middle of the Atlantic haunts me. I am glad I had the surgery but recent studies also show that antibiotics can delay or even heal an inflamed appendix:

 

The results of the trial, published last night in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found the majority of patients who were treated with antibiotics did not require a later operation.

The researchers, from Turku University Hospital, in Finland, randomly divided 530 patients with appendicitis into two groups. Half received an appendectomy, with all but one recovering successfully.

The other half were instead given antibiotics for ten days, after which 73 per cent recovered fully while the remaining 27 per cent then had their appendix removed.

Follow-up tests showed that those who had received anti-biotics first and then had the delayed operation had no complications when compared to those who had the operation straight away

BTW- the classic case of appendicitis starts with pain near the navel and travels down to the right abdomen in about 24 hours. Onboard, you might confuse it with food poisoning (vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fever, etc.) or the flu. Buy that medical insurance for travel!

 

[iancal]

We were on an FLL bound TA that had a medical emergency one day out. The ship turned around and headed back for eight-twelve hours to the point where a helicopter could reach us.

 

The patient had a heart issue and was evaced back to Spain or Portugal. His wife remained on the ship..either because of a space or a fuel constraint on the helicopter. We had regular updates...he survived and was doing well.

[Alex NY]

Holy moly is that a read? I'm howling :'):'):')

 

Hey Tina, what do you mean by "is that a read?" and why are you howling?:')

[Alex NY]

Don't go without travel insurance and medical evacuation coverage in case you are hospitalized outside the US

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

This was part of the booking-

Allianz Global (Jefferson Insurance Company)

Baggage Coverage $1,000.00

Baggage Delay Coverage $300.00

Change Fee Coverage $250.00

Frequent Traveler/Loyalty Plan

Coverage $250.00

Missed Connection Coverage $800.00

Emergency Medical Transportation $500,000.00

Emergency Medical and Dental $25,000.00

Trip Cancellation Protection $1,500.00

Travel/Trip Delay Coverage $800.00

Trip Interruption Protection $2,250.00

[lostchild]

Since you are on Cunard, I think you want to stay on the ship even if you are VERY SICK!

 

https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-die-on-cruise-ships-every-year

[easyboy]

This was part of the booking-

 

Allianz Global (Jefferson Insurance Company)

 

Baggage Coverage $1,000.00

 

Baggage Delay Coverage $300.00

 

Change Fee Coverage $250.00

 

Frequent Traveler/Loyalty Plan

 

Coverage $250.00

 

Missed Connection Coverage $800.00

 

Emergency Medical Transportation $500,000.00

 

Emergency Medical and Dental $25,000.00

 

Trip Cancellation Protection $1,500.00

 

Travel/Trip Delay Coverage $800.00

 

Trip Interruption Protection $2,250.00

 

 

 

That is a good coverage.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Judith Janofsky]

In May of 2015 I was on the Caribbean Princess with a crossing from Ft. Lauderdale to British Isles. I had pain in lower right abdominal area which I thought was gas. We were touring Ponte Delgada in the Azores with appendicitis and didn’t know. We left port on our way to the British Isles at 4:00 and thought I better go to the medical center prior to dinner to do something for my gas. They took a blood test and my white blood count was way off. I did have appendicitis. They gave me IV antibiotics and they would morning and evening until we arrived in the British Isles.

2:00 in the morning my appendix ruptured. The doctors contacted the captain. The ship was turned around and sped back to the Azores. In the morning we was airlifted by Portuguese Miitary helicopter to Ponte Delgada. This was an hour trip. I am not sure but it was 8 hours about from when my appendix ruptured and I went in for 5 hours of surgery and 2 weeks in the hospital. I got peritonitis and sepsis but thanks for the quick operation of the medical staff and captain, I owe my life to them. The Princess agent in the Azores was quite helpful and met us at the hospital and took my husband to a hotel. Trip insurance paid for everything. The Portuguese Military did not charge for the airlift.

I will never be on a transoceanic trip again. Of all the days of my life my appendix had to rupture then!!

[dsrdsrdsr]

I will never be on a transoceanic trip again. Of all the days of my life my appendix had to rupture then!!

No reason not to go. You're better off than most of us - you can't get appendicitis. ;)

[Hlitner]

It is a fair question. Having done more than 2 dozen TA cruises (and several transpacific) we understand the concern. Most of the larger ships carry 2 physicians (some smaller vessels have 1) plus an additional medical staff of highly trained nurses. In most cases they can handle emergencies (within reason) and if nothing else, stabilize a patient until they can get them to a shoreside hospital. When doing a TA we have had 2 cruises that made deviations to Bermuda (to drop off sick passengers) but these were on routes that originated in Florida and were heading to Europe. The Queen Mary 2 generally follows a more northerly route so they would have the ability to deviate to Rekjavik, of possibly one of the Atlantic ports of Canada. If necessary they would just have to treat the patient aboard....until they got to a port or within helicopter range of land.

 

The situation is worse in many other parts of the world such as in parts of the Pacific which are thousands of miles from a port with decent facilities. This is why modern cruise ships have decent medical facilities and staff.

 

I suspect that there are some folks who obsess over this issue and perhaps its best for them to avoid cruises. Some of the fun things in life (including travel) do involve accepting some degree of risk...which is just part of life. Those with a very low risk tolerance spend much of their life in a prison of their own making since constant avoidance of risk, and the accompanying anxiety, can become a real roadblock to many of the good things that can be experienced in life (and travel).

 

Hank

[Judith Janofsky]

It was stated that since my appendix is out I can now go on a TA cruise. I had complications after the surgery in the Azores with three surgeries since then at home. I have developed scar tissue or adhesions on my small intestines that could quickly develop into an intestinal obstruction which is also life threatening. I have had 2 obstructions since the cruise. We wanted to go on another Baltic cruise, but my doctor doesn’t advise it. Once bit, twice shy.

[SmoothFlying]

I can relate one experience with a happy ending (at least for the ill person aboard). Crown Princess, 2014, round trip LA>South Pacific - left Papeete heading back towards LA on a Friday evening, already delayed a full day due to late supply arrivals. Our trip back to LA was scheduled to be 7 consecutive sea days. On Sunday evening around 9:00, there was an announcement by the Captain that we were turning back because we had a critically ill person. We were too far out for helicopter assistance and there were no military or other ships nearby that could offer the assistance we needed.

 

We arrived at the French Marquesas around 2:00pm on Monday. A 23 year old crew member with a ruptured appendix was tendered ashore, then flown to a hospital. (Note: While appendicitis may not be fatal, a ruptured appendix could very well kill a person.) We later were told that he was recovering well. The ship then resumed the trip to LA, traveling at maximum speed to try to make up as much lost time as possible. The best they could do was get us back to LA a full day late.

 

The real story here is how far Princess went to assist a critically ill passenger, even at enormous expense and inconvenience to other passengers. Over 3000 passengers were a full day late getting back to LA, meaning their travel arrangements were all disrupted. Another 3000 passengers were sitting in LA waiting to board for the next cruise - where would all of them spend the unplanned night? It was a very expensive mess, and a lot of people were very unhappy about the chaos in changing travel plans, but I don't think any of us faulted the decision to put a person's life first in making the decision.

 

Not every story will have a good ending, but the cruise lines will do everything in their power to get a passenger necessary medical assistance.

 

While I was working for a major airline, I had a conversation with a flight attendant who had just completed a non stop LA/NY the day before and said that a passenger (an elderly man in his 70's) had a serious heart attack and quit breathing on his own. Luckily, there was a nurse onboard and she and said F/A began CPR. The F/A in the front alerted the cockpit and the Captain immediately detoured to the nearest airport. The F/A I was talking too said in a sad way, 'The man seemed to get his color back after a few minutes but we didn't quit, because he was still not breathing on his own. When the Captain announced on the PA they were diverting to St. Louis, she said you should have heard the obscene, rude comments and complaints coming from over half the passengers like, 'Well ! Just HOW late is THIS gonna make us getting into NYC ?? We're ALREADY almost halfway there !! What's a couple more hours??' She said she'd been flying for over twenty years but was still shocked at their lack of sympathy at another human's suffering:eek: She wondered IF it had been THEIR father, grandfather HOW would they feel ? But it wasn't, so they were only concerned about THEIR needs. She said the EMT's met them as soon as the plane came to a stop and rushed him off. She said she hoped he made it, Human nature at it's worst, I guess,:rolleyes: The same types who'll stand around and CHEER while filming with their cell phones while thugs are robbing and beating some poor helpless soul.:mad: Is THIS what our species has been lowered too? Very sad.

 

Mac

[Judith Janofsky]

I understanding from others on the Caribbean Princess that everyone was quite caring. After my surgery was successful, my husband sent a letter of gratitude to Princess Cruise Lines to forward on to the captain. We understand that it was read over the PA system to all on board. They all clapped.

 

There is a video on You Tube that the military took of the airlift. You can view it here:

Resgate de uma passageira do navio CARIBBEAN PRINCESS. Just go to You Tube and type this in.

[BeagleOne]

BHelicopter evacuations are actually quite rare (which is why the ghouls on here start a thread to morbidly speculate on the unfortunate person's condition whenever one happens) as such a stressful ride substantially decreases the survival rate even when compared to a slower sea evacuation.

 

LOL @ "ghouls". Do you have any objective data showing that the helicopter ride "substantially decreases the survival rate"? And if it IS substantially decreased, perhaps that is more a function of the severity of the problem requiring the helicopter, than the ride itself.

[Judith Janofsky]

I can’t speak for anyone but myself, BeagleOne but I cannot imagine that there is anything to back up that statement. My helicopter ride was not stressful. They rolled me out in a gurney onto the top deck of the ship. They told me to get into the basket. I could barely move. I don’t remember how I got into the basket. One of the helicopter guys rode with me while a cable pulled us up into the helicopter hovering over the ship. After somehow getting from the basket into their gurney and they took off my life vest, I was unaware of the rest of the hour trip. Through most of this transport I had no stress as I was I unconscious. If I hadn’t have been airlifted, I would be here today. There were four lovely Portuguese military men that picked me up. I owe my life to them. The weather was bad so they really didn’t want to pick me up. They had to bring a airplane out first to find the ship for the helicopter as it has a longer range.

I never new where the Azores were and had never been to Portugal, but everyone I met from the military to the wonderful doctors and nurses couldn’t have been sweeter and more giving.

[Hlitner]

Because of the speeds she is capable of running--26 knots cruising speed, over 30 knots when necessarily pushed--the Queen Mary 2 is no more out of evacuation range when on a Transatlantic crossing than the average Caribbean cruise sailing from Florida.

 

For the first 48 hours-plus QM2 would divert back to the Canadian Maritimes. Once further east in the voyage she could easily either divert to Iceland, or speed up and be off the coast of Ireland a good day and a half early. In most all cases the ship would get close enough for the patient to be transferred to a Coast Guard cutter or similar evacuation boat. Helicopter evacuations are actually quite rare (which is why the ghouls on here start a thread to morbidly speculate on the unfortunate person's condition whenever one happens) as such a stressful ride substantially decreases the survival rate even when compared to a slower sea evacuation.

 

Because of my past life as a Paramedic I cannot let your post go without a comment. Where on earth did you get the idea that a helicopter ride decreases the survival rate. As was proven many years ago by the very sophisticated "Shock Trauma" system in the State of Maryland, what you say is just not true. I know first hand that helicopters save lives....many lives. The reality is that in most cases where a helicopter transfer/rescue is needed...the patient is usually in such a condition that they have little clue as to what is happening. And in cases where the patient is conscious and alert....most are grateful and have even begged for a fast helicopter transport. As to slower evacuations, even on land we would always opt for non air transport because of the cost and complications of making the arrangements, securing a decent and safe landing zone, etc. On sea, the ship's physician will do everything possible to avoid a helicopter transfer because there is an element of risk inherent in any sea transfer...be it to a chopper or to another vessel. Physicians only request a transport when, in their professional judgment, it is necessary for the life and safety of the passenger (or crew member). Your issue of "stress" is not the main consideration when it comes to proper triage. Its simply a matter of whether the ship can provide the necessary medical support until reaching the next port. If not, then finding an alternative means of getting the passenger off the ship becomes a major task which involves physicians, the Captain, land based facilities, the nearest Coast Guard (or military), etc. Your comment (about stress) simply demeans all these highly trained professionals who only have the best interests of the patient in their mind. Shame on you.

 

Bottom line is that there are certain medical conditions which cannot be properly treated (or even reasonably stabilized) on board a ship. There are many medical conditions where getting the patient to a facility that is equipped to handle the situation is truly a matter of life and death. Many years ago we were on a RCI Cruise (then called RCCL) where the Captain (Leif Otto Bang) made a decision to deviate to a nearby island to get an badly injured crew member off the ship. This involved stopping the ship off Puerto Plato on a nasty night, and transferring the crew member ashore in an open life boat (in pretty rough seas at night. This was accomplished successfully and resulted in saving the crew members leg (which was badly crushed). The following morning the Captain announced we would be several hours late getting to our next port...because of the deviation and delays. That same day the Captain had a basic question and answer session for passengers and a woman stood up and rated about being late to the next island and missing her tour. This was the only time, in over forty years of extensive cruising, that I saw a Captain lose his temper. Captain Bang (one of the nicest guys you could meet...and a great Captain) told that lady that he put the life and safety of his passengers and crew above other issues such as making a port on time. He further pointed out to the lady that if she were the one severely injured....she would not complain about a Captain trying to save her life (and leg). The lady further remarked that she thought it was outrageous that the Captain evacuated anyone to the DR! The Captain held his temper and explained that his crew member was taken directly to a chartered medical evac jet...and flown to Miami...and was doing well. All this was paid for by RCCL And finally, I will add that I have been on far more than 100 cruises (some of which were months long) all over the world. During all those cruises we have had only 3 helicopter evacuations (2 for passengers and 1 for crew). In each case the transfers were successful and we were later informed that the patients reached their medical destination. The most recent (off the coast of Pacific Mexico) involved not only a helicopter (assigned to the SEALs in San Diego) but also a KC130 aerial tanker (to refuel the helicopter). In that case the US Military moved heaven and earth to find a way to get that passenger to a land-based hospital (this story made the papers in San Diego) and we were told the efforts were successful.

 

Hank

Edited March 2, 2018 by Hlitner

[Markanddonna]

I posted in July about my appendectomy after my transatlantic cruise. I was also on a 22 day trans Pacific cruise in October 2017 where we had a major diversion for an appendectomy for a passenger. We missed an island. Imagine being in an area that is more third world with that problem. We went full speed for the patient. Not only did it work out, but the passenger somehow managed to come back aboard two days later and continue to Australia!

 

I heard no complaints, either because this was a group of experienced cruisers or because I don't hang around jerks.

[Pudgesmom]

We were on the Wind Surf, a motorized sailing yacht, on a Transatlantic from Barbados to Lisbon, when a woman fell at night and broke her hip. This ship travels more slowly than a large cruiseliner and the crossing was scheduled for 12 days with no stops. The break happened at just about the halfway point. The doctor on board kept the woman in the infirmary for 3 days on heavy painkillers. Then, the ship diverted to the Azores where she and her husband got off.

 

I subsequently heard that the couple had flown back to Boston where she had a successful recovery. However, in that case, there was no faster option than the 3 days.

[ATC cruiser]

No reason not to go. You're better off than most of us - you can't get appendicitis. ;)

 

 

 

That’s what I thought too

[sail7seas]

I'm a former Commanding Officer of 'deep water' Coast Guard Cutters in both the Atlantic and Pacific so I can speak to this with personal experience of having been on the 'rescue' side of things.

 

- It is entirely possible for a ship to be DAYS away from significant medical help. Often when such an incident befalls a merchant vessel, CG looks for a nearby cruise ship for emergency help .....

 

- In 30 years of CG time I can remember only a small number of cases where this actually became a BIG issue.

 

- As compared to days not so long ago, with today's ability for the cruise ship medico to have internet access, satellite telephone and usually video conferencing the situation is MUCH better than when it was Morris Code, high frequency voice radio or TELEX messages ....

 

- Curious tidbit: I recently heard of a case where an individual had such a medical emergency on a Disney ship. They were told to divert to nearest land with a hospital & USCG would help coordinate help. The individual was transferred by boat to a Havana hospital ...

 

 

What FAbulous informaion and your generosity in sharing is so appreciated. NOT to mention the work you have done and the people you have helped. There are not enough ways to thank you. What would the rest of us do without people like you?

Edited March 2, 2018 by sail7seas

[Judith Janofsky]

I have life threatening issues due to the ruptured appendix, peritonitis and sepsis along with 8 hours away from surgery help. We were just starting to retire and do a lot of cruising. My doctor suggests that cruising is no longer feasible.

[Judith Janofsky]

The other issue regarding foreign hospitals; the hospital in the Azores was like a hospital here in the 60s, quite rudimental.

I know someone from my town who was in Romania when she broke her hip. They replaced it there but she also got a infection of the bone. Upon coming home, they removed the hip and was in the hospital for 3 months. A year later, they replaced the hip again.

The people working at the hospital in the Azores were wonderful and saved my life yet the hospital was quite old school. The good think is I had a view of the ocean from the window and a view of the cruise ships coming and going.

[Hlitner]

The other issue regarding foreign hospitals; the hospital in the Azores was like a hospital here in the 60s, quite rudimental.

I know someone from my town who was in Romania when she broke her hip. They replaced it there but she also got a infection of the bone. Upon coming home, they removed the hip and was in the hospital for 3 months. A year later, they replaced the hip again.

The people working at the hospital in the Azores were wonderful and saved my life yet the hospital was quite old school. The good think is I had a view of the ocean from the window and a view of the cruise ships coming and going.

 

Reading your post makes me ask a question. Was there a reason why your friend could not be medically evacuated to a Western European country where she could have received first class treatment (and replacement) of her hip? Most of the time a fractured hip can be stabilized enough...so that surgery can be delayed. From Romania to many excellent European facilities would be no more than 2 hours flying time. This is the reason that many travelers make sure to have decent medical emergency evacuation insurance.

 

Hank

[Judith Janofsky]

I am not sure. It could be that when in Romania, dealing with the Romanians, they assume that their medical facilities are excellent. We only know that they are not. She also didn’t know until she was in the middle of it all.

What I know is when you are in the hands of professionals of any kind and can’t move, you go with the flow. I had no choice with my treatment. What I did know is it had to be done right then. In pre-op when they took my nail polish off, even in my partially unconscious state, I took pause. You see, they needed my polish off so they could see if my nails were turning blue!!!

I think that is when my heart really sunk. Pro-op was moving my gurney from room to room not really knowing why. I got so my body couldn’t move. My mind was sharp but I couldn’t get the words into my mouth. The other thing is, I really didn’t know how sick I was until months after returning home. The medical staff didn’t speak well enough English for much explanation. My sutures were removed here in California upon returning home after two weeks. The technician said she hadn’t seen sutures like that in 20 years.