away from home & sick
Having just spent the weekend with food poisoning (if you’ve never had it, you’re so very lucky) I thought maybe now would be a good time to talk about what happens if you get sick while traveling abroad. Cause, you know, I have loads of experience with that, too.
If it’s not too serious, I’ve found the best bet is to go to the local pharmacy. Pharmacists in Morocco, Spain and Italy, I’ve found, aren’t like the jokers here who hide behind the counter and deal with customers as little as possible. When I came down with a sore throat in Rome, I went to the Pharmacy, and with my Rick Steve’s phrase book and some hand gestures, managed to tell the pharmacist what was wrong. He asked me a few questions and then produced a magical throat spray that must be illegal in the US. Because it worked. The pharmacist in Marrakesh was able to give my travel partner, Jen, some strong anti-nausea medication without a prescription. These pharmacists, they wield some power, I tell you.
And if it is serious, well, that’s what hospitals are there for. Always check your guidebook for hospital locations, just to be safe.
Now, one of the things I liked best about traveling with the ISECard - this is not some pithy plug for my hosts, people, I mean this very sincerely - was that it comes with medical insurance. There’s probably nothing worse than being sick away from home. And if there is, it’s being sick away from home without health insurance. And since my history of travel and illness (appendicitis, parasites, food poisoning, flu) is pretty strong, I can’t tell you what a comfort it was to know that if something happened, I would be okay. It’s worth looking into.
Ever gotten sick abroad? How’d you cope?
Ugh - more food poisoning for you? I feel for you! Heck of a weight loss plan, though - I lost 10 lbs in 2 days! Mine was on my return flight from Romania - traveling by myself. Must have eaten bad eggs or ice cream my last day in Bucharest. I was reaching for (and using) the airsickness bag at take-off. And I was frequenting the bathroom as much as possible (damn the seatbelt rules and other passengers!) Four hours to Amsterdam, two injections of anti-nausea meds in the airport, then 8 hours to the U.S. So beyond awful. I’m sure there are worse places to have food poisoning, but trapped on a plane for 12 hours has got to be right up there. Airplane bathrooms are enough to make you sick as it is! Gratefully, the flight attendants were as helpful as could be, bringing me ginger ale and giving me their seat. Kindness of strangers never felt so good.
Nothing beats making sure you’re in top physical condition before even leaving home. Talk to your doctor about pre-emptive anti-nausea or anti-diarrheal medications, get up to date on all your vaccinations and boosters, and follow your instincts when it comes to eating food. Though you know not to eat the street meat, you should also avoid ice and raw vegetables that may have been washed with local water.
But if all that fails, and the language barrier is insurmountable, your embassy or consulate should have a list of English-speaking doctors and dentists in the area. Pharmacies are a great place to go to for colds and minor illnesses, but keep in mind, some will sell out-of-date, no longer on the market, or otherwise unsafe drugs and it is your responsibility to be aware of the ingredients. Otherwise, they’re wonderful! I’m a teacher here, so I’m always picking up colds from my students, and I’m well-known at my local vitamin house and pharmacy.
It’s also a good idea, if you have severe allergies, to travel with one of those medical bracelets. Just in case! I also like keeping a list on me of my prescription medications (the generic name, not the brand name).
The only problem I’ve had living in another country, medically speaking, was when I tore my meniscus and had to have an MRI. Since I’m no longer covered by my insurance, it was really, really expensive. Ouch to both the knee and the lack of insurance!
I travelled to Mexico many times for fun and never got sick. Then on a business trip, I forgot one of the big rules, only drink bottled or canned beverages with no ice. I got quite sick and spent a miserable weekend with 7-Up, ginger ale and room service food. Luckily the manufacturing plant that I was visiting had a doctor, but he sent me out to another doctor. Who prescribed amoxicilin… another name for penecillin (which I’m allergic to). I needed to see my doctor at home when I got back, as I figured out when I got a rash that they had given me the wrong thing.
I travelled to India and got “Delhi belly” the day I traveled from Delhi to the Taj Mahal on a very long day trip… thankfully I got my taxi driver to stop at various McDonalds on the way and I made good use of the rather lovely facilities at the Oberoi hotel before going to see the Taj Mahal…. needless to say it was a rather uncomfortable experience, though not as bad as it could have been as I’d taken Immodium & antibiotics from the US with me just in case. I would definitely recommend taking drugs with you if traveling to more exotic locations. No matter how good you are at avoiding street food, the water and ice food poisoning can still catch you out - as I well and truly found out!