Getting Sick During a Visit
 

My DH and I were visiting very close friends a couple of months ago and I came down with flu-like symptoms. I was as sick as I ever have been.

We were 250 miles from home and I don't think I would have been able to bear the car ride to return home. On the other hand, my illness was borderline "get me to a doctor."

Talk about awkward. Thank goodness the friends we were with were very good friends and claimed to understand. (They may have cursed our name and first-born after we left, but never showed it.) We tried to mitigate the situation by my staying in bed most of the time and not asking for special attention.

Our friends, however, did feel awkward and didn't want to leave me while they and my husband went out and about. I did convince them to go out one day and I slept the entire day, but could not eat a meal they prepared or manage to even hold my head up long enough to have a pleasant conversation.

My hair looked awful the whole time too.

I still was feeling dreadful when we left, but was not running a temperature. I crawled in the back seat (no goodbye hugs) and slept the entire way home.

Our friends assure me that they understood and thankfully did not catch whatever I had. My DH, however, was not so lucky and was sick for 4 days after coming home.

What I discovered is that the only thing worse than being sick is being sick away from home.

That's sounds awful for everyone. You all sound like good friends and gracious people.

M.D. house calls, including DX and RX run about $80. US here as we recently had family members in similar circumstances.
M

What a terrible experience for you Lois, but even in the midst of my sympathy for you, you gave me a chuckle--

"My hair looked awful the whole time too."

Now I will bet that you were the only one bothered by that. Isn't it amazing that we ( I mean women) still manage to think about our hair even when we are feeling as sick as you were?? :) :)

Slightly different situation. My boyfriend of thirty years ago and his family came to visit me and meet my husband. Putting this in perspective, this guy was the only other person besides spouse I seriously considered marrying. Thank goodness we stayed friends as he is a wonderful guy. However, upon their arrival (literally within ten minutes) I developed a sneezing, coughing, gasping horrorible cold which was disgusting to hear and witness. I have never been so miserably ill in my life and here I am the hostess. Even my DH, long suffering fellow that he is, was ready to push me overboard. You are right, it would have been worse if we had been the visitors....maybe....

Our friends in London sent their daughter to visit NY and she stayed with friends for a while then came to stay with us.
The day she was to leave to go back home, she came down with appendicitis.
I rushed her to the hospital, I sat by her side , we were there when she came out of surgery, we took her home and nursed her til she was able to fly home, 2 wks later.
They were all so thankful that she was with friends and not in a hotel.
We were thankful for the same thing.
I have been so lucky not to have gotten that 'get me to a doctor' sick when traveling ...except for the food poisoning in Bermuda when the hotel suggested that I be flown home to a NY hospital :O

I am sorry you were so sick, I am glad that you were able to be nursed by people who cared. I am glad you are ok now :)

rockhopper, our friends ARE wonderful and have known us for 20+ years. Thank goodness they were not new acquaintances, but then we would not have been staying at their home if they were.

socialworker, I should be ashamed to admit that the condition of my hair really bothered me. I remember crying one night to my husband that I was a mess and I bet I look awful. His response to me: "Honey, it's okay. They know you don't look this bad all the time."

Which made me cry harder, and I couldn't even make him sleep on the sofa.

Seriously, this was truly terrible and I wouldn't wish this on anyone. It sounds like a funny story now and I'm sure it will be told by us and our friends into the future, but it was not funny at the time.

Still, if we can't laugh at ourselves, we would all be in trouble, wouldn't we?

When I was 15, I was in Europe (France) with a school group. I picked up a 24 hour stomach bug and so did my roommate. We spent the entire day throwing up and wishing we were home with mommy!! The next day, we recovered and had a great rest of the trip. Luckily it was a quick illness. It is awful to be sick when you are away.
I have traveled with colds and that isn't any fun, but when the plans are already made, there is not much you can do except sniff it up and hope it goes away quickly!!!(and nobody else gets it too!!)
It sounds like you had a terrible visit and you are lucky that you have such nice friends...Have they invited you back?? Just teasing you!!!

When we lived in NY, we came out to CA to visit my parents. At the end of the trip I came down with an awful case of food poisoning. I was very thankful to be at my parents home, but it was still difficult. My symptoms began on a Friday night and we flew home to NY on Monday. I was afraid I would not be able to fly, but somehow I managed. That was a truly miserable experience.

ugh, mms..I know how you felt. I flew from Bermuda to NY with a cold wet towel across my face. The other passengers must have worried that I was contagious .. there are not many miseries as bad as food poisoning..

Then there was the time I went to Key West Fantasy Fest. I had a sore throat and new I was getting major tonsilitis, but pretended I wasn't. We were staying with a friend on Deer Key and drove in and parked and started walking to the parade. Before we got there, I was ready to pass out, got the keys to the car and said I'd be there. Half way back, with a raging fever I got sick. I literally lay down on the sidewalk and was throwing up in the gutter. Of course every body passed me thinking I was drunk out of my mind. When I got a second wind, I managed to get to the car. I spend the whole evening and well into the night in the back seat of the car, opening the door every now and then to throw up some more out the door.

I spent the next two days sick in bed. Fortunately my friend worked at the hospital and "stole" me some drugs.

Had my tonsils out a couple months later (at age 40).

OMG, what horrible stories! I feel for all of you, it is horrible to get sick. Being at home is bad enough but not being at home is terrble. I have only been sick three times, and each time at a hotel. Once in Reno, a flu I guess, really sick. Second time in Mexico, and no it was not a stomach problem it was a horrible cough. My DH threatened to take me to the hospital in Matzalan he was so worried but the hotel sent him to a pharmacy and they gave him some kind of medication and within 48 hours I was just fine. Leave it to me to get a chest cough problem versus a stomach problem in Mexico LOL (I wasn't laughing then however). And the third time was in Italy. A friend got a virus, I got it, everyone in the group of friends got it. The hotel staff took such good care of me I think I had better care then my Italian friends who were in their houses.

And then there was my stepgrandson. He was with a school group in Moscow. And he came down with chickenpock. He was put in a tent in a sleeping bag on the grounds of the hotel. That is the worse story I have ever heard. We were horrified, but he lived to talk about it. Healthy travels to all!

Oh, heck! I'm going to the kitchen to make a sandwich before he posts the rest of the throw-up story.

My oldest and dearest friend, her DH and DS came to visit in July for 10 days. They haven't visited for 2 years - We were really looking forward to seeing them.

They arrived Friday, so far so good. Saturday we had a party to attend, Ooops friend not feeling well.
Sunday weather was wonderful but since she was feeling under the weather, we all sat on the deck for most of the day and caught up with gossip and news.

Monday they went to NY, basically on the way there she started to feel worse (ongoing health issues) when they got to the hotel she went to bed and didn't make it out of the hotel room for any length of time.

She did call to ask me to find out how much it would cost to bring their arrival date forward - No Chance! non-refundable tickets.

Wednesday they came back, Tickets were booked to leave on the Thursday - more sitting on the deck, while she slept or soaked in the tub.

Thursday they went home, the new one-way tickets cost as much as the original ones - actually more since they paid $200pp to upgrade to Business.

The next morning she arrived home, bathed, went to see her Doctor and within the hour was booked into the local hospital for the next week. :-(

Thoughts - Did I feel awkward? No, this is my dearest friend.

Was I upset they left early? No, I certainly like to be in my own bed (or country) when I'm ill but I did worry about her having to endure a 7hr flight.

Do I hope they'll visit again? Yes please ASAP!!!! :-)

I took my husband to the Caribbean to a resort for his 40th birthday. He had a raging fever when we left but he said he would be fine....he wasn't. He was sick all week but tried to sit out by the pool a few times. I remember I spent the week almost alone but mostly I remember that we were in an isolated beach resort and I had to keep getting his large sip bottle filled with orange juice - to the tune of $24 every time I filled it!

I had a cold before we left on a Christmas/New Year's trip to Mexico which turned into bronchitis while we were there.

This was the kind of bronchitis which involves lots of heavy, bringing-a-lung-up kind of coughing that people love to hear in public places and on planes.

No amount of cough medicine was able to suppress this hacking and snarfing.

One night, we were in a super fancy restaurant, and the waiter had just delivered our wine. We love to dress for dinner, and were resplendent in our finery and my husband was tasting the wine, when... da-da da-da (music from "Jaws") I started hacking and coughing and thought I was going to pass out or throw up.

I had to RUN to the ladies room - wheezing and urking and sounding like a chainsaw under water - the whole way. I'll never forget the look of utter disdain and disgust on the waiter's face. :-[

Upon return, the doc said I was one step away from the hospital.

On the bright side, the exact combination of one beer, one shot of tequila, and Mexican Actifed seems to have some kind of aphrodisiacal effect on people with bronchitis. I know, I know - tmi...

We took a cruise during the time of the Norwalk (sp?)Virus and as a percaution asked our doctor for suppositories to take with us "just in case". I'm so glad we did as I did come down with it the day we left and they sure helped with the nausea. We had hours to wait at the airport for our return flight and I was wraped around the toilet most of the time. The rest of the time I had to find a place in the airport to lay down, anyplace, it didn't matter, and then the flight home when I had to explain to the guy in the third seat that I would not breath on him....

These stories are awful, it's terrible to be sick, but to be sick and not be home is worse. And Patrick, I bet it was hotter N hell in that back seat!

I ALWAYS seem to get sick when I'm traveling - I'm shocked I still love it so much. The funny thing is that my hubby is the one always afraid of getting sick when we're away, but I'm usually the one who does. A few notable:

1. Traveling back from Venezuala, I was so sick (both ends) that I fell asleep in the airport in Caracus on the floor for hours and then was sick on the plane the whole way back - I was then out of school for two weeks - yes, they do mean it when they say don't drink the water - or in my case, don't have ice in your drinks.

2. My first day in Toulon, France for my student exchange, I got sick in school and was out for two days.

3. Food poisoning in Florida.

I got sick while I was in England a few years ago. I'd spent a week doing a bus tour of Scotland and was worn out. By the time I got to Swindown to stay with a couple I didn't now all that well, I was toast.

Fortunately, they were very kind. I had enough strength to do one day of touristy things. The other three days until I left were spent on their sofa or up in bed, sneezing and coughing. They treated me wonderfully well.

Another time, my parents were returning from a visit to Ohio and I was picking them up from the airport. My poor father, who had Parkinson's, was in a wheelchair. Usually, my mother and I can help him just fine. But she was sick as a dog this time. I pulled up and she barely made it into the backseat. Some kind Samaritan jumped up from his seat and helped me get Dad into the front seat, helped me put the bags in the trunk. He was my angel that day!

You don't want to know the details, but I learned how to say "Do you have Monistat?" in both Germany and Holland, way back when I was in my 20's. Actually my cousin said it for me in Belgium as well.

It was the only time I ever had any condition in that category. Talk about uncomfortable. It started on the 2nd day of the trip and by the 10th day of the 15 day trip, the beer in Belgium and Germany helped with the cure. Also kept me from feeling the constant
torture as much.

Later I found out that it is the most common health incident for women, more common that catching a cold. Water/ hydration issues with travel and also
wearing heavy jeans or clothing that does not breathe when you are very
warm or hot. AND was I. (Compared to Chicago all places were/are hot.)

Funny thing was that despite all I did have a great time, especially in Berlin and in East Germany.

I'll take the head cold I get in AZ over that one anyday.

LOL, JJ5...so many people , I am sure, will know exactly what you mean!

Oh all these stories - I can truly sympathize!

When I went to Israel, I had been ill for a month previously and been to the doctor several times. He diagnosed it as "nerves" and told me I'd be fine. The second day there I got so dizzy I could barely stand (not even sure how I got into a taxi, much less to my hotel room!). After an hour in the hotel room with the A/C running full blast, and laying in my undies, and having taken meds for my dizziness (I do get spells on occasions), and nothing changing, I told my mother to get a doctor. I had images of being taken to an Israeli hospital, having a heart attack, who knew what else?

Doctor arrived, was very concerned about my elevated heart rate and did an EKG from the hotel room. (Did even know they could do that over telephone lines!) All was normal, and as he stood there looking at me, he asked if I'd ever had my thyroid checked. I just stared at him. He gave me a prescription for beta blockers to bring down my heart rate (also stopped the dizziness) and told me to have my thyroid checked when I got back to the states.

I had to take things easy the rest of the trip, as I could not get over-heated. (Yeah, like that's easy to do in Israel in August!) But at least the symptoms cleared up. And, when I got back to the states and checked with my doctor, I discovered I did in fact have a hyperactive thyroid that had gone undiagnosed for what must have been years! And it was attributed to "nerves."

And the best part? My medical care in Israel - including EKG and meds were free.

My brother got sick in Las Vegas and had to go to the hospital for two days. He had no problem with recovery, only problem was sorting out the hospital bills when he got back home. Home ins co. would not pay some of the bills because the out of state hospital was not on the plan...

About a year ago, my husband and I went to Antigua for a week. Two days before we left, I developed what I thought was a stomach virus. It was terrible not being at home in my own bed, but the worst part of it was the travel back to the U.S. Dragging myself out of bed out into the Caribbean heat to the airport and the flight back to Charlotte, NC was awful. Once we got to Charlotte, we had to go through about an hour long customs line. I laid down in the floor in the airport, and the airport employees were so nice - they brought me a wheelchair for my husband to wheel me to the car. We drove the four hours home (to Knoxville, TN) and the next day I went to the emergency room. Turns out my stomach virus was actually e. coli. Now I am very careful on my Caribbean vacations not to eat raw fruit and vegetables.

Oh these stories are awful! It is bad enough to be sick at home ,but traveling just makes it feel worse.

JJ5--OMG, how awful! I am glad you were able to at least ask for what you needed. Sometimes modesty just goes out the window, lol!

Scarlett--I think the worst thing about my incident is that my last meal before the symptoms began was seafood. Some shrimp something or others, and then fresh crab. I could not eat crab for about 6years after that!

I was on a tour my first Europe trip and about half the group got horribly sick..some sort of cold or something. A lot of them just stayed in bed when we got to Rome. Lucky for me, I didn't get it til I got home and it was horrible..that coughing, chest congestion, runny nose, stuffy head thing. Can't imagine what it would have been like to have to fly home with it.

mms, yes the pharmacy inquiry was so terrible that I almost cried when HE didn't get it right away. How do you mime that one? Thank God- I had been in pharmacy and knew which products that were similar to "point" out. But I was so embarrassed that I put it off a day which did not help.

My cousin was a real brick and tried to do it for me later in the trip when I ran out. I am no shrinking violet but she is quiet but forceful. She had the old tube to show them, but in Belgium the pharmacist did not "get" the German brand and misunderstood. She ended up buying the wrong thing and then taking it back and getting it right the second time.

There were a few days in there that I could hardly walk. But it didn't keep me off wine or beer. I think the beer cured me more than anything else did.

I learned how to say cranberry juice in German also.

Oh JJ5 I have tears running down my face from laughing so hard! Sorry! Maybe that should be added to the feminine supply list that is a must for packing for any trip. Why do we always learn the hard way? lol!

I am laughing my head off. What is it about sickness that is so funny? NOTHING when it is you that is sick...well until you can make it into a very funny story.

I've only been really sick once - food poisoning at Club Med. I was fine after 24 hours but 3 weeks later, when I was at home, I found out I had brought back a "buddy" in my tummy. The doctor said there was no meds to take and I had to wait it out. 2 more weeks of excruciating stomach aches!

My husband gets sick on vacation a lot!

When we had been dating 6 months he got
food poisoning in Jamaica. He was sick for days AND he fell down some steps and cut himself up!

About 5 years ago, he and buddies went to New Orleans. He got a twisted intestine and was in the hospital and was in agonizing pain the whole weekend.

2 years ago, we were on our first trip after our baby was born...A cruise to the Caribbean. Well, we found out that I don't get sea sick but he does. 20 foot waves pretty much ruined his vacation. I had to get the doctor to give him a shot to stop the throwing up!

Now, every time we go somewhere, I worry that he will get sick! And, it is not much fun being on vacation basically "alone!"

I've gotten the ol' food poisoning in Germany, Itay, and Egypt while on vacation. The embarrasing one was while I was staying with my cousin and his wife in Colorado. I was trying to hide it but they heard me in the bathroom throwing up. It was really embarrasing for everybody. But later it turned out that it came from my freshly opened bottle of St. Johns Wort vitamin suppliment (it happened again after the second time I took it). All of us were releaved that it had nothing to do with my host's cooking.

This was the most embarrasing visit incident I have ever had.

I forgot all about the following experience until just a few minutes ago...

When I was 10, my family went to Paris for 6 weeks. While there, we were invited to eat at a French family's home.

I LOVED all the food and they gave me a thimble of wine with each course, which I loved too! After 3 courses, I went to the bathroom and threw up! I was soooo embarrassed. They all knew and were very worried...until I came back and ate strawberries, whipped cream and brown sugar for dessert!

Worst sick on vacation story I ever heard was from a co-worker who went on a charter to the Canary Islands and Morroco. Their flight home was delayed so the charter company took the entire planeload of people over to a local hotel for a complimentary meal as they waited for the plane.
Apparently the meal, not so good, as almost everyone on that plane got food poisoning. Imagine a planeload of people sick from both ends, on a long flight home.
Airplane bathrooms are bad enough on a good day, but as they were so overused they couldn't hold up and became backed up.
Roger said it was the worst and longest plane ride of his life.
He was out of work recovering for two weeks when he got home.

My worst experience was a trip to Vegas and the Grand Canyon at the tale end of a respiratory illness. I too had one of those coughing up a lung coughs that would go on for a while at times. I think people thought I had the plague as whenever I sat somewhere and started my cough, they would all slowly move away to other seats. Fortunately that only lasted a couple of days.
KathyH

My worst fear along these lines is being terribly sick in a foreign country when traveling solo.

Fortunately moderate flu staying with friends in Europe is the closest I have come to that possibility.

"yes the pharmacy inquiry was so terrible that I almost cried when HE didn't get it right away. How do you mime that one?"

JJ5, you are killing me. I'm amazed that you survived it. If I ever travel to Germany, I will learn the right phrases JUST IN CASE! Even if I bring a tube with me!

Funniest medication: asked in Rome for equivalent of PrepH -- was sold a tube of "ProctoFlan."

Worst sickness: food poisoning in DisneyWorld. Worst treatment by hotel: in DisneyWorld -- being forced to come to desk (throwing up and running to john all the way) so I could sign the bill and travelers checks in person. Worst response after the fact: hostile, recorded call from Disney lawyers after I wrote a letter complaining of the treatment (and NOT the illness), warning me not to sue, which up to that moment I'd never considered.

Worst treatment by hosts: We'd been on the road for 12 hrs. driving to a friends' house. On arrival late at night, we discovered my 18 month old had a fever, and they went into a TIZZ (they had a 5-yr. old in normal health), went around wiping doorknobs after us and asked us to leave first thing in the morning, before breakfast.

Question: how readily would you consider moving to a motel (other than Disney) if you were sick and could afford it, rather than impose on your host/hostess?

Oh Cassandra that "host" that went around cleaning door knobs after you at night- how horrible! You never know, do you. How cold and rude!

I would never do that to a guest, and I have out of town guests frequently.

Yes, I would have considered a hotel room if someone acted like that while I was a guest.

And in my own life, it only happened one time that I wanted to get into a hotel- but I was "carless" and had to endure the extra day. Some people who are selfish and totally self concerned should not be hosts, period.

And for those of you who think my young German experience was funny- remember this. Monistat type products were not over the counter medications then AND the only person who spoke German with us was my elder and very proper father.

And it sounds real funny, but it was not at the time. I laugh now, but for three or four days there I was actually crying it hurt so much.

I am a very very light packer but my "medicine bag" is something I'd never go on a trip without. It contains Benadryl, Monistat, UTI antibiotics, motion-sickness meds, ibuprofen, Neosporin, band aids, and anti-diarrheal meds. I've needed ALL of them at some point over the years in my travels overseas.

Benadryl was the most necessary - my BF had allergic reactions to food FOUR times in Peru. And I thought I was going to die from allergies staying in a hut in the hills of Thailand with all the animals underneath I could see through the spaces in the floor. No pharmacy up there!

After a Mediterranean cruise last year, my mother was at the airport in Rome, ready to board their flight home when her left leg suddenly became very red and swollen. It was to the point that she could not walk to the terminal so my step father went off to find her a wheel chair.

Thankfully an airport employee came to their aid and denied her boarding and told them to get to the nearest hospital. It turned out she had a very serious blood clot and ended up spending the next 6 weeks in a hospital bed in Rome. It was very scary at the time, the Canadian Consulate had to get involved to do translation as most of the health care workers did not speak English.

Mom received excellent care though and finally flew home safe and sound.

JJ5 - wow! that takes the cake! You win the prize for funny post of the week. I'm sure at the time it was anything but funny though.

Just wondering, to those who had to go to the hospital while travelling, were there any problems witn ins company at home when bill paying time came?

Jeepers, you guys have some stories to share.

Just recently, I spent the night hurling a late evening meal instead of enjoying a romantic evening in NYC! It was not what my DH expected, that's for sure :D

Cassandra, make sure you keep your friend out of a school building, lol or that 5 year old will never receive an education :D