Onboard now- medical question

[floralscent]

Hello! I am onboard Millie right now and think I have a UTI. I have never needed medical assistance onboard and am wondering if anyone can offer suggestions for navigating this situation. I do have travel insurance and have been told to phone guest services at 4 pm once medical is open. Any advice is GREATLY  appreciated. 
 

Thank you

[Pushka]

All you can do in the interim is drink lots of water. A simple antibiotic will fix it almost immediately. Do you have any antacids? Because taking a sachet of these will also assist. I suffer from recurrent ones and always have an antibiotic on hand. Hope you feel better soon, they can be miserable.   I'm also assuming you are female. Males, much more complicated re cause. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by Pushka

[parkey]

I would go to medical and get in line at least 15 minutes prior to open time. 

[WatchHill]

We’re on the Sillouette and my husband experienced similar pain. Never had a UTI but recent medical procedure required a cath. We called guest relations who transferred me to medical center. DH was seen within an hour. They can only do a dip stick, not a bacterial specific test but did draw blood for base line CBC and Chen panel. He’s on keflex for the week. Be sure you get a fully itemized bill as that’s what you’ll need to submit to your personal insurance first and then to the cruise travel insurance. 
 

[WatchHill]

3 minutes ago, parkey said:

I would go to medical and get in line at least 15 minutes prior to open time. 

You cannot just go to medical. You are required to call through guest relations who will transfer the call to medical and they will give you an appointment. 

[floralscent]

1 minute ago, WatchHill said:

You cannot just go to medical. You are required to call through guest relations who will transfer the call to medical and they will give you an appointment. 

Thank you, that’s what I just found out! I appreciate everyone’s quick replies ❤️

[Essiesmom]

Drinking cranberry juice will help also.  EM

[chemmo]

20 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Drinking cranberry juice will help also.  EM

Agree plus drink, drink, drink…anything nonalcoholic.

 

4 hours ago, WatchHill said:

Be sure you get a fully itemized bill as that’s what you’ll need to submit to your personal insurance first and then to the cruise travel insurance. 
 

Also agree…This is especially important if the ships doctor (unlikely but possible) suggests a quick visit to a hospital at your next port of call. Request and save taxi receipts etc as well as cost of prescriptions, scans, consultation etc.

 

Sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery.

[vickykay]

I was very sick several years ago and was treated at the medical center on the ship in Europe. The bill was less than I expected ( and I had an IV, medication, etc) and our medical advantage insurance reimbursed me for almost all the of the cost.  Hopefully you will receive an antibiotic and you will recover quickly.

[WatchHill]

31 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Drinking cranberry juice will help also.  EM

According to DHs urologist at MGH Brigham, cranberry may be preventative (more so for women) but not curative though liquids help process out the bacteria while on meds. I keep telling DH that my preference for cosmos keep me healthy. And avoid caffeine while of keflex.  

[WatchHill]

9 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Agree plus drink, drink, drink…anything nonalcoholic.

 

Also agree…This is especially important if the ships doctor (unlikely but possible) suggests a quick visit to a hospital at your next port of call. Request and save taxi receipts etc as well as cost of prescriptions, scans, consultation etc.

 

Sincere best wishes for a speedy recovery.

This was something we discussed along with leaving the cruise in Bermuda. With our close contact with DHs medical team the ship’s doctor felt the best option was to be treated on the ship and stay on until we reach FL. Just as well we didn’t try for the only jet blue flight out of Bermuda today. Our ship was diverted last night when there was a life raft spotted so we will be late into Bermuda. 
Ravages of being a senior male crept up too quickly for DH so a cath alleviated the intense pain. Third one the doctor did on this cruise!  
thanks for the caring words. 
I’m going to suggest a new topic outside of Effy sales and Botox - health care at sea. 
 

Darcy

[hcat]

hoping not serious but utis are very  painful..hope med center helps .

 

aside from drinking cranberry juice as a preventive, i travel with OTC little red pills( Uristat?) ..they do not cure but  can give relief (&  turn urine red orange)

 

best of course is Dr Rx..let us know how it works out!

[bikerunner]

I had a family member have this happen to, as much as cranberry juice is a good idea, the only cranberry juice usually onboard is the cranberry juice cocktail.  Not the pure cranberry juice, so it is not affective.  

[WatchHill]

6 minutes ago, bikerunner said:

I had a family member have this happen to, as much as cranberry juice is a good idea, the only cranberry juice usually onboard is the cranberry juice cocktail.  Not the pure cranberry juice, so it is not affective.  

It’s all about the high level of antioxidants in particular fruits. Blueberries tomatoes etc.

More unexpected things things happen to us as we age and got to be prepared as best we can. The ship’s medical center has been very good even when I hit the emergency button on the phone at 2:30 am. A wheel chair was at our cabin door before I slipped into my top siders. Later that day guest relations called to be sure DH was doing well. 

 

the keflex which is a broad spectrum antibiotic seems to be working. No martini flights!

 

just attempted to complete the debarkation info on the app. It’s more about purchasing THEIR transfer or Shorex than requesting wheel chair assist.   I’ll stop by guest relations to request WC assist off the ship and then we’ll taxi to the Hyatt. Friday back to Boston. 
 

as far as cost goes - your well being is primary. Each visit was in the $600 range. Of note we are on Medicare which doesn’t cover but my gap plan is the optimal plan from the commonwealth of MA and well worth it. I carry a letter with me that indicates they cover all out of country medical. I pay first and they reimburse. Also have travel insurance just in case.  As I said to DH. The cost of medical is on my jet blue card. More FF miles!  Got to keep a bit of humor in this unfortunate medical even

 

 

 

Darcy
 

[MMG3]

I got really good care on Millie a few weeks ago for bronchitis. After calling guest relations at around 7am, I was told to go and wait in the queue before they opened at 8. I was 2nd in line and was assessed by the nurse, then given a covid test (which I knew was negative because I had been self testing for several days prior) and then seen by the physician, given antibiotics and some other meds.  I was back in my room by 9:30.  I got a paper copy of the bill which was quite reasonable.

[Markanddonna]

I had my first UTI ever onboard a ship. The doctor was very good and prescribed an antibiotic. It worked for about 10 days when the UTI surfaced again, but I was safely in Europe. Different ships work their medical center differently. Sometimes, you can just show up. I agree with those who arrive early. Our travel insurance paid for everything.

 

All the recommendations for what to drink or eat are really for prevention, not when you have a full-blown infection. Get the antibiotics.

Edited October 30, 2023 by Markanddonna

[DaKahuna]

7 hours ago, WatchHill said:

You cannot just go to medical. You are required to call through guest relations who will transfer the call to medical and they will give you an appointment. 

 

Interesting.   The two times I have gone to medical on a ship, I went directly there.  No appointment, no call to anyone.   Both times on S-class ships. 

 

 

[cruisestitch]

1 hour ago, WatchHill said:

 

just attempted to complete the debarkation info on the app. It’s more about purchasing THEIR transfer or Shorex than requesting wheel chair assist.   I’ll stop by guest relations to request WC assist off the ship and then we’ll taxi to the Hyatt. Friday back to Boston. 
 

you do not request it ahead of time. They give you the meeting point to go to and there will be wheelchairs and pushers lined up there to help you get off the ship
 

 

[WatchHill]

6 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

 

Just stopped by guest relations and our room number was added to their list. They agree it should be on the app to facilitate the debarkation process. We’ll chill out in elite area and then head to sushi on 5 at our designated time. 

[RTShaker]

35 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Interesting.   The two times I have gone to medical on a ship, I went directly there.  No appointment, no call to anyone.   Both times on S-class ships. 

 

 

Exactly the way it worked on our May millennium cruise. Go there and stand in line.

[hcat]

2 hours ago, WatchHill said:

Just stopped by guest relations and our room number was added to their list. They agree it should be on the app to facilitate the debarkation process. We’ll chill out in elite area and then head to sushi on 5 at our designated time. 

good luck..glad its working out and that you have med coverage..

 

we always buy sep insurance...for evac med etc..As noted  Medicare does not cover and neither does our secondary.

Edited October 30, 2023 by hcat

[mahasamatman]

One more thing to note is that even though they say you can't use OBC for medical charges, it's always worked for us.

[RTShaker]

2 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

One more thing to note is that even though they say you can't use OBC for medical charges, it's always worked for us.

They just charge the invoice to your folio, and then the OBC is put against it and any balance will show owing at checkout and be charged to the card on file.

[hcat]

wonder how OP made out???

[floralscent]

16 hours ago, hcat said:

hoping not serious but utis are very  painful..hope med center helps .

 

aside from drinking cranberry juice as a preventive, i travel with OTC little red pills( Uristat?) ..they do not cure but  can give relief (&  turn urine red orange)

 

best of course is Dr Rx..let us know how it works out!

Ohhh…can you buy that OTC at any pharmacy? Don’t recall seeing that in US but doesn’t mean it’s not available.