Sick after Explorer 04/02 sailing?

[Angelgirl18]

Just wondering if anyone has come down with throat/ear/eye infections since this sailing? I have all 3, and seem to have the docs stumped as no treatment is helping...we're thinking it may have to do with the mouthful of ocean water I swallowed in St. Thomas. Anyone ever had this happen??? I will be SOOO sad if it turn outs to be a sensitivity to salt water :( The pink eye in 2 eyes is a little strange though!!!

 

Other than this development (got sick on Thursday night), the trip was a beautiful experience for our first ever cruise. Trying hard not to let this dampen my memories of the trip!

[dolphincruiser404]

It sounds like the same thing many people are suffering from around here. I wouldn't imagine it had anything to do with the ship, or even the salt water. I would tend to think that might lead to something more gastro related. I think you are probably just one of the unfortunate who got sick on vacation...it happened to me in December. I was sick the majority of the cruise and by the time we got home from our post-cruise Jacksonville football game, and I went to the doctor the next day I had pneumonia!!!

[wrp96]

Pink eye is cause by a virus or a bacteria, it wouldn't have anything to do with a sensitivity to ocean water. A lot of people get sick when they are on vacation for various reasons, close proximity to a lot of people, you aren't as stressed so you aren't producing as much adrenaline which helps your body fight infections, etc. Hopefully you will get better soon.

[royaljcclms]

I have had a sore throat and cough since last Thurs. also. We were also on the explorer. Going to Doctor tomorrow because it's getting worse. I don't have the ear and eye infection though. I just assumed it was something I picked up on the plane because there were so many people coughing.

[piercetc4]

sorry to hear you are sick- my daughter got streph throat in 2003 on a carnival ship- conquest - my husband and i both got streph throat on our next cruise rccl and i got it again on last rccl cruise- all three different ships and 2 lines- get your doctor to send you on vacation with a z-pak so at the first hint of scratchy throat you can start taking the z-pak and knock whatever it is out before you get worse- is what we do since 1st time it happened- keeps us from feeling bad on our much anticipated vacations-

[unforgiven]

OP did you fly to catch the cruise ship? Just cruious as my wife about ever other time she flys comes down with some sort of nose/throat/ear infection. Just a thought i know it holds true with my wife.

[Angelgirl18]

We did fly down, but I didn't start feeling sick until 6 days later leading me to believe I must have caught it on the ship or in port. I normally take Cold F/X to boost my immune system, but wouldn't you know, forgot it at home this time!!!! Just my luck. Oh well, guess I'll just have to ride it out...man this is one massive sore throat!!!!!

[crookedhalo]

Unforgiven - I know what you mean! I seem to get sick about 3 to 5 days after I've flown.:( It's one of the main reasons we're going out of Baltimore this fall. Also, we'll be driving down to Florida over a 2 day period this June, rather than flying:p Nothing worse than feeling icky when you're supposed to be having fun;)

[unforgiven]

When we booked the Grandeur one of the top reasons was no flying. She loved the fact she didn't have to risk getting sick before or after the cruise.

[pwrbrok35]

we got off the mariner on march 19th and two days back my son came down with extremely swollen tonsils. First meds did not work and the tonsils became worse so much that he could barely talk or drink even liquid. blood tests came back with mono. He was shot up with steriods and antibiotics because the doctor was so concerned with the swelling. he is fine now.

[cascargirl]

Mom got really sick with a severe throat infection a day after getting off the ship as well...

[titansfamily]

does this happen often? we are sailing in august. could it be just we that we are leaving the cold/flu season, or are ships germ carriers? does anyone get antibotics to take with the as a precaution? (due to high price on the ship, or is that overkill on the precaution?:confused:

[Cruising89143]

does this happen often? we are sailing in august. could it be just we that we are leaving the cold/flu season, or are ships germ carriers? does anyone get antibotics to take with the as a precaution? (due to high price on the ship, or is that overkill on the precaution?:confused:

 

I don't think that it happens often but it can happen. More people get sick on planes than they do the ships themselves due to the recirculated air from the planes. I try not to fly anymore than I have to these days.

 

I do not take any presription drugs with me unless I am currently taking something. I do take things like Tylenol. I wouldn't worry about it. You can just as easily pick up something at your local mall or grocery store. Just remember to wash your hands often. Have a great cruise.:)

[PAISANO]

We did fly down, but I didn't start feeling sick until 6 days later leading me to believe I must have caught it on the ship or in port. I normally take Cold F/X to boost my immune system, but wouldn't you know, forgot it at home this time!!!! Just my luck. Oh well, guess I'll just have to ride it out...man this is one massive sore throat!!!!!

 

Sorry to hear you got sick. I too get sick everytime I fly.You mention cold f/x, never heard of it. And what does it do? I'll try anything to not get sick.

[HurricaneSally]

I hope your eye infection doesn't develop into what I had this winter. I had viral conjunctivitis. I missed three weeks of work with it. Couldn't tolerate any sunlight whatsoever due to the corneal damage. Had the shades drawn and the blinds down and still had to put a blanket over the windows in my living room for ten days. It was really nasty.

[sailinglisa]

Okay, I'm going to give a quick lesson in infectious diseases and I hope it makes sense.

 

All of us are exposed to viruses every day of our lives. Now, there are millions of viruses and bacterias out there. I live in my little area of Wisconsin and after I get sick once with a sore throat or stomach flu, my body develops the antibodies to fight that particular strain of infection. Now, I go on a cruise, airplane travel included to get there. Now, I am now on a ship with people from all over the country and from other countries. They have variations of the viruses I have previously been exposed to and I have some immunity so I don't get sick. But, there may be totally different viruses brought on board by other passengers that I don't have any immunity to. Therefore, if infected, I will get sick. On my last two trips, I have gotten ill within 24 hours of leaving the ship, which means I was exposed to his particular bug on the ship.

 

You can try and prevent getting ill.............hand sanitizers are a good idea just before entering the buffet areas..............but the number one protection against becoming ill is frequent and thorough hand washing. Try to not touch hand rails, door knobs, etc. If you do, wash your hands. Taking supplements to try and boost your immune system is good, but not always totally effective.

 

I know where of I speak. I am a nurse in a long term care facility, and in the last two weeks, despite frequent hand washing and isolation of ill residents, I have had a nasty 18 hour stomach flu (gee, think Norwalk-like virus here), and a nasty little cold.

[wrp96]

You can try and prevent getting ill.............hand sanitizers are a good idea just before entering the buffet areas..............but the number one protection against becoming ill is frequent and thorough hand washing. Try to not touch hand rails, door knobs, etc. If you do, wash your hands. Taking supplements to try and boost your immune system is good, but not always totally effective.

 

You have some great advice, but I have to completely disagree with one thing you said. USE THE HANDRAILS!! I hurt my knee pretty badly falling down the stairs on the Brilliance last month. The ship was rocking a little bit but I'm fine on the ships so I thought I don't need to use the handrails. I didn't even have my hands free to be able to use the handrails. My advice is use the handrails, but keep your hands away from your face after you've done so until you can go wash your hands again.

[sailinglisa]

Wrona - you are correct. I did say "try not to use them", but I should have added that if you have to use the hand rails to not touch your face before washing your hands - same with door handles! My bad! :)

 

p.s. - I hope your knee is better - having a bum knee of my own, it's heck when you can't move like you want to!

[wrp96]

Wrona - you are correct. I did say "try not to use them", but I should have added that if you have to use the hand rails to not touch your face before washing your hands - same with door handles! My bad! :)

 

It took a while, but I trained myself to keep my hands away from my face, especially my eyes. I finally did after the 2nd time I gave myself an eye infection by rubbing my eyes with my hands.

 

On my Serenade cruise the next week, several people who knew me were constantly asking if I was using the handrails. I even took a picture of the sign that says "For your own safety, please use the handrails." My family got a laugh at that.

[wraithe]

Okay, I'm going to give a quick lesson in infectious diseases and I hope it makes sense.

 

All of us are exposed to viruses every day of our lives. Now, there are millions of viruses and bacterias out there. I live in my little area of Wisconsin and after I get sick once with a sore throat or stomach flu, my body develops the antibodies to fight that particular strain of infection. Now, I go on a cruise, airplane travel included to get there. Now, I am now on a ship with people from all over the country and from other countries. They have variations of the viruses I have previously been exposed to and I have some immunity so I don't get sick. But, there may be totally different viruses brought on board by other passengers that I don't have any immunity to. Therefore, if infected, I will get sick. On my last two trips, I have gotten ill within 24 hours of leaving the ship, which means I was exposed to his particular bug on the ship.

 

Makes perfect sense to me, I remember the ricky (recruit) crud in boot camp (back in the stone age, 1984). Take 75 guys from every point in the country and at that time, from the Phillipines and Puerto Rico and cram them all together in a building that is 80 degrees, and march them outside where it's 10 below and the wind is blowing 30 mph, and guess what? Most get sick. Cruise ship is a very similar experience. Pack 3000+ people onto a relatively small area, and if you don't take precautions, you're going to get something your area of the country doesn't have. My wife and I used Air Borne this last cruise, lots of hand washing and the hand sanitizer they have at the entrance to Windjammer, and neither of us got really sick. We were lucky! Hope the luck holds for us.

[AFT_LOVER]

11 hours HNL-CVG, great dinner with red wine we took lemon line fizzy airborne in water & then we are off the la la land for 8 hours. I am awoken by a flight attendant wiping my pants leg off with a wet towel as the woman across the aisle barfed all over me. I freaked right out. Boy did I stink. The woman was still there eating crackers. I wanted to move as did my husband. Too bad for us - sold out.

 

We got off, got our luggage & I flew into the ladies room to change & put my barfed on clothes into a plastic bag into the dirty laundry case. We got home, got laundry started, got a shower for both of us, did grocery shopping, paid our birdsitter & then relaxed. The next morning neither of us could swallow & we were very stuffed up, so we both did Comtrex which usually works, with salt water gargles. We did more Airborne, for the heck of it. 2 days later it headed to our lungs & 2 days later we are in the hospital with pneumonia. That lasted a month! We were told the gal across from us was from India & had some virus that she passed to us with her bodily fluids. The airline should have landed to take care of us, but they thought it was airsickness. A month later our lungs still hurt! But we are told they will after the major fight they had. So the FCC has the complaint from the Doctor, I made on with Delta & have heard -0-.

[cascargirl]

Somebody above asked about Cold FX...It is a capsule that is available in Canada for the "prevention and reflier of colds and flu." I take it at the first signs of a cold and it rarely turns into anything more than a runny nose for one day.