Are you sick from Alaskan tour?

Old Aug 26th, 2016, 05:49 AM
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Are you sick from Alaskan tour?

We took a cruise and land tour from Vancouver through Alaska in June 2016. My husband got sick with a really bad scratchy throat, which later developed into bronchitis AFTER we got home. No fever. Alot of the other people on the land tour in Alaska were sick too. He has been sick with coughing and flu-like symptoms after we got home. Doctors and specialists say it's from something he picked up in Alaska. I have been coughing too, but I didn't get as sick as my husband. We are healthy adults, walking 3 1/2 miles per day and relatively active with good health. The cruise ships and discoveralaska.biz won't tell us anything to let us know what we "picked up." We didn't touch animals or plants, weren't bitten by anything, and didn't have any skin rash. We just can't get rid of this aggravating daily cough - it's not non-stop, but we have been having this dry cough for months now. Anti-biotics and steriod pills aren't helping. Does ANYONE know what "this" is and how to treat it to get rid of it? We've been coughing on and off throughout for almost 3 months!!!! Doctors say it's a bacterial infection we picked up in Alaska, but nothing they've given us seems to get it out of our lungs. We're from South Carolina, so the trees and plants there are different from what we've got down south. We just want to find out exactly what we are having a reaction to. Any ideas????
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 06:05 AM
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>>The cruise ships and discoveralaska.biz won't tell us anything to let us know what we "picked up."
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 06:46 AM
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This WAS publicized in the press/media, but it was only printed in the Alaskan newspapers, since the tour companies don't want to "scare off" business. You don't seem to understand - my husband has been sick for 3 months now! We have been to 8 doctors, specialists, Urgent Care and emergency rooms. My husband has had numerous lung tests, two chest X-rays and even a cath test (to rule out everything.) My husband was healthy and strong before the Alaskan trip. My husband had a bacterial infection in his lungs due to something he breathed in while in Alaska. The nurse said he could have died if they hadn't treated him with the high dosage of steroids and anti-biotics, so this is no little "bug" he picked up, as you so smugly stated. The doctors in South Carolina don't know what he breathed in from Alaska. I THOUGHT that maybe someone from a travel website in Alaska may have some clues, since the Alaskan newspapers reported a record number of hospitalizations during the June 2016 period. Please do not waste our time unless you are knowledgeable of the situation and if you have been to Alaska. My husband has been very sick for a long time, and we are BOTH still coughing and no one here has any answers. Therefore, this is no little bug, as you so stated. Your response was offensive - I pray that if you get sick like this, there are people who respond who actually care about you instead of the tour company that you obviously work for.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 07:09 AM
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This sounds horrible; is it possible that you could call one of the newspapers that reported a record number of hospitalizations, or one of the hospitals? Or maybe get a lawyer to phone the cruise line or discoveralaska?
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 08:25 AM
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Have you investigated Legionnaire's disease? This is somewhat common to pick up on cruise ships.

And if your docs haven't brought that up, get new docs. They ought to know about it.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 09:29 AM
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I know you've been to many doctors but have you been to "travel doctor?" Here in NJ there is a medical center for travelers
http://www.princetonhcs.org/phcs-hom...-services.aspx

Maybe you can find something like that near you?
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 09:31 AM
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Maybe also try cruise forums.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 10:02 AM
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OK -- it seems you are upset - understandably since your health is impacted.. I wasn't being smug and nothing I said was 'offensive' -- it IS very common on to pick up things when one is not acclimated to a new environment. If your doctors don't know about the various possibilities -- then as BigRuss says, you really do need some second opinions/new doctors.

But there is no conspiracy. When there are ship borne illnesses in Mexico or the Caribbean or Alaska -- it isn't just in the Mexican or Alaskan newspapers. Anywhere there are lots of American passengers the word gets out.

Why not give us a link to one of the Alaskan articles you read?

You registered here on Fodors to find out info/get advice about a medical problem and we are trying to help you -- no one attacked you.

Good luck.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 10:23 AM
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I want to thank all the concerned responses that I have received. I will not comment to the offensive one. I appreciate the link that was provided by NJriverchick - I am following up on that. Also, to BigRuss - my husband has had a complete lung exam with numerous testing, and he does not have Legionnaire's disease, but thank you for that inquiry. To Sylvia3, we have already contacted some of the newspapers in Alaska, so we are waiting for a response. However, I like your idea about contacting some of the hospitals. We will do that. All we know is my husband had a bacterial infection, which is obviously still irritating our lungs. We got a lung specialist, who said the infection is not active and is working its way out of his system, so they didn't want to give him a 3rd round of anti-biotics (after he had 60 mg of steroids for 5 days.) They agree it had to be something on our 2 week vacation in Alaska that is irritating our South Carolina lungs. We are doing much better (thank you, Lord), but we can't get over the dry coughing (maybe 20-30 times a day). We just want to know WHAT caused it; hopefully, we can pass that info to others going through similar issues. I know that the birch pollen index set a world record in Alaska in June 2016, but I don't see pollen as creating something that would last this long. My husband doesn't have allergies or asthma. Thanks again for your positive and encouraging inputs - it's great to know that people care and want to help.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 10:41 AM
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I am so sorry to hear of your husband's health troubles. I live in a cruise port city in Alaska and can't remember reading any articles or hearing any reports on the evening news about cruise passengers suffering from illnesses besides the occasional intestinal viruses. Could you please link to one? I assume since your doctor diagnosed your husband's illness as bacterial that cultures were done and the bacteria was identified.

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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 10:51 AM
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It's somewhat unlikely...but when I had pneumonia, I had a cough for a year afterward. Not because of damage or an active infection, but because the tissue was irritated from the original problem and just didn't have time to heal. It's possible that your husband contracted bronchitis (cruise ships, like schools and hospitals, are petri dishes) and then the dry cough remains just because your throat is raw.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 11:47 AM
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A lingering dry cough is not uncommon after an infection. I know you will find this offensive, OP, but if what you said is true:
<We got a lung specialist, who said the infection is not active and is working its way out of his system, so they didn't want to give him a 3rd round of anti-biotics>
then I think you should be glad he's fine and let this go. No one here is going to tell you anything a lung specialist couldn't.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 01:07 PM
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>>I live in a cruise port city in Alaska and can't remember reading any articles or hearing any reports on the evening news about cruise passengers suffering from illnesses besides the occasional intestinal viruses. Could you please link to one
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 02:02 PM
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If you post this on tne Fodor's Cruise forum lots of recent cruisers to Alaska may see it and offer some information.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 02:22 PM
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Hmmm ... you say the cruise was in June of this year ... that's only 2 months ago. That is NOT a long time in dealing with respiratory infections and their lingering aftermaths.

I've had some respiratory infections in the past that left me with nagging coughs for a couple of months after the underlying infection had been cured.

I'd focus on your doctor's diagnosis and recommendations, which you reported as "We got a lung specialist, who said the infection is not active and is working its way out of his system, so they didn't want to give him a 3rd round of anti-biotics (after he had 60 mg of steroids for 5 days.)"

If it were me, I'd exercise patience and enter a period of watchful waiting under the purview of your doc.

I am a bit puzzled by why, doing a few simple lab tests, your doctors were't able to identify the specific bacterial or virus involved. The effectiveness of Antibiotics is very different against various bacteria, so usually doctors want to identify the specific bacteria. If it was a virus, on the other hand, antibiotics aren't much use on those unless there is a secondary infection.

Having said that, your contacting of traveler's forums, the papers, and the cruise line was likely a reasonable step to take ... it could easily have been one of those instances where there was a problem on the cruise or in one of its ports, and it could have uncovered a clue. As others have said, such instances are by law reported extensively to/by public health agencies, the coast guard, and the new media.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 04:06 PM
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Thank you all for all of your comments and suggestions. We REALLY appreciate it. I agree that we may never know exactly what prompted all of this, and we need to be happy that my husband's getting better. Thank you, marvelousmouse, elbegewa and NewbE for at least giving us an explanation as to why we're still coughing. It is the only thing that makes any sense to us. It's reassuring and comforting to hear that the nagging cough may continue for a while. However, we just wanted to know what caused it. You don't understand what it's like to go through this, going to doctors with no answers, then having Urgent Care tell us to rush him to the hospital Emergency Room the day after they treated him, because he had gotten flu like symptoms (no fever). We have been through SO many doctors and SO many tests while I kept seeing him get worse and worse. I'm not out to sue anyone or get anyone in trouble (to those of you who may work for cruise lines or tour groups); I was just searching for some answers from someone from Alaska that MAY know something. It was definitely a bacterial infection, not a virus, based on the multiple tests we had done. The websites were relatively easy to find after we got back home in June. All we did what input key words like sickness in Alaska, cruises, world's record pollen count, hospitalization, etc. I didn't keep the links since I was just surfing for some explanation. I never assumed he would get sicker so "documentation" wasn't really important at that time. Thanks for your support - I'm glad I found your website. God bless you all for your help!
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 04:22 PM
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DW and I were in Alaska the first 10 days of June. We are quite healthy during and since our trip.
We flew to Alaska and returned by air.
My untrained opinion would be that it would be either an environmental factor on the ship or something you got from another passenger or a member of the crew.
Another possibility is that you have had lots of rain since you got home and may be exposed to mold spores on a continuing basis.
You can read my trip report to compare the places we went with what you saw.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 04:28 PM
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we have already contacted some of the newspapers in Alaska,

Do the newspapers have web sites? Such as http://juneauempire.com/local/2015-0...p-bound-alaska ?
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 04:48 PM
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With all of those MDs and tests I would think they had identified the bacteria or virus. Typically if you don;t respond to the obvious antibiotic they then do specific test/cultures to see exactly what you have in order to be sure they are giving something that kills it off.

If he is doing better, then that's OK. But if he really isn;t getting any better I would go to an infectious disease specialist at a major medical center for a very specific diagnosis.

As for the after coughing, last spring I had bronchitis (not serious, not bacterial) but it took almost 3 months for the coughing to finally stop, just because the throat is so irritated in the early stages and it takes a while to heal.
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Old Aug 26th, 2016, 09:24 PM
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Years ago I picked up some kind of chest infection on a plane and was very sick for 3 weeks with a dreadful cough. It lingered for 3 months until finally slowing down, but it was a miserable 3 months.

Going to a major medical center is a very good idea unless things really improve.
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