Allergic reaction - $250 Infirmary bill

[Johnnyflatstick]

Just got off the Freedom this morning. I had an incident at dinner early in the week. Ordered Jerked Pork Loin for dinner. I have shellfish allergies and am always pretty careful to be sure the meal is not listed with any shellfish. Pork, beans, spices....it seemed fine. Took 3 bites and felt it coming on. Hoped it would pass...tingly throat, head spinning, light headed....ended up layed out on the dining room floor with that drifting away feeling. Luckily a Dentist was sitting 2 chairs from me and he got me out of my chair and layed out and got to work even before any of the ships's medical people arrived. BP dropped to 70/30. Got taken out of the dining room on a stretcher and went to the infirmary. EKG, several things via IV and I was there for around an hour. Scared the hell out of me, but it passed and I was ok. $250 bill from the infirmary, and doctor said he would get me the list of ingredients for my meal. He never did, and the pursers desk called twice each day after that asking if I was ok. I started getting the feeling they had found some unlisted shellfish in the sauc eor something like that. Never did get the ingredients.

 

So my question is, would you try to get Carnival to drop the $250 bill? I am on the fence on this. I believe any shellfish should always be listed in a meal since this is a common allergy. On the other hand it is not 100% that is what caused the reaction, but even the doctor thought it was very likely. Anyway, comments welcome.

[Payd]

Just got off the Freedom this morning. I had an incident at dinner early in the week. Ordered Jerked Pork Loin for dinner. I have shellfish allergies and am always pretty careful to be sure the meal is not listed with any shellfish. Pork, beans, spices....it seemed fine. Took 3 bites and felt it coming on. Hoped it would pass...tingly throat, head spinning, light headed....ended up layed out on the dining room floor with that drifting away feeling. Luckily a Dentist was sitting 2 chairs from me and he got me out of my chair and layed out and got to work even before any of the ships's medical people arrived. BP dropped to 70/30. Got taken out of the dining room on a stretcher and went to the infirmary. EKG, several things via IV and I was there for around an hour. Scared the hell out of me, but it passed and I was ok. $250 bill from the infirmary, and doctor said he would get me the list of ingredients for my meal. He never did, and the pursers desk called twice each day after that asking if I was ok. I started getting the feeling they had found some unlisted shellfish in the sauc eor something like that. Never did get the ingredients.

 

So my question is, would you try to get Carnival to drop the $250 bill? I am on the fence on this. I believe any shellfish should always be listed in a meal since this is a common allergy. On the other hand it is not 100% that is what caused the reaction, but even the doctor thought it was very likely. Anyway, comments welcome.

 

Nuts and shell fish are very common allergies. Were you VERY clear with your waiter about your allergies? Did you also talk to the Maitre d' in advance? If you did both I would contact Carnival and ask them to forgive the bill. If you didn't...you decide...I wouldn't.

[3boysvus]

All things considered the bill sounds reaasonable - in the states had you been out to dinner the costs would have been probably 10 times the amount you paid, abulance, er, meds...

 

I agree with the previous poster - with life threatening allergies you probably should have indicated as much to the staff - if nothing else they would have been careful of cross-contamination.

 

Glad that you are okay and that you didn't have to be flown home and that you didn't let the incident ruin your cruise.

[embellish]

Will your regular health insurance cover any of the bill? I know my policy has a $100 deductible for emergency medical care, but covers the rest. If it does, perhaps you can ask the cruise line to cover the out-of-pocket deductible. Just a thought.

[MonaCK]

Did you buy travel insurance? That would cover that bill.

Barring that - if you have that severe an allergy, it really is your responsiblity to make sure to tell your server that you have the allergy - and to clarify the ingredients...

[floatingaway2525]

Well first, Thank God there was no tragedy for you with this!!

I think Jerk Pork brings to mind island cooking and cajun cooking which almost always involves fish stock or shrimp boil in the sauces, and I think they should list it if that is the case.

I would write to Carnival what you wrote here and let them investigate and consider. You would be doing a service for all future passengers with this kind of life threatening allergy. Please be sure to stress to them that you did not consult with the waiters directly (that's how I read your post right?) so they do not have any backlash personally.

So happy you are OK!!!!

[GottaLuvCruising]

I agree that if you were clear with Carnival up front, a letter requesting adjustment would be appropriate.

 

Another reason to get travel insurance. But your health insurance may very well cover this emergency.

[firefly333]

I fell in an unlighted parking lot and broke a bone and it cost me $4000 for going to ER. ($2400 was just for xrays and they insisted on a iv for pain meds, wouldnt give me a pill). I dont have health insurance, too costly at my inbetween age, over 50, etc.

 

$250 is peanuts, lucky you to have a cheap infirmary bill.

 

Did you tell your server you were allergic to shellfish, are you sure there was shellfish in the jerk pork and just not a new reaction to some of the spices?

 

You can write about the bill, but from what I read you sound darn lucky to get such fast and excellent care. i.e. it never hurts to write a snail mail letter to Carnival, they just might give you something off a future cruise even if they dont forgive this charge. I would write.

[Marie51]

I fell at the neighborhood swimming pool last summer and was taken to the nearest emergency room with a shoulder dislocation and the bill came to $3000. That was only the ER bill; I also got a bill from the doctor for an additional $1200. If you had been in a restaurant in the US, you most likely would have gone to the ER in an ambulance. No telling what your bill would have been. Therefore I don't think your bill of $250 is unreasonable. However, health insurance or travel insurance should cover it.

Last year on a family cruise my 3 year old grandson had a cough/cold and saw the ship doctor. The bill was $150 which included antibiotics. When we got home we filed a claim with the travel insurance and they reimbursed the entire amount. Just another reason to buy travel insurance.

[bplazo]

My daughter's friend on one of our cruises had a reaction to the lobster and our travel insurance paid us back for the cost of the dr's visit.

[Chigirlcruzin]

First, I'm glad you're OK. I have a shellfish allergy too (actually ALL fish - if it comes from the water, I'm allergic). I carry an epipen, and I always have a conversation with the waiter at the beginning of my cruise about my allergy. It's good to know that this item potentially has shellfish.

 

I would still try to get the list of ingredients, and if shellfish is listed, ask for forgiveness on the bill. I guess this is another reminder that cruise insurance is necessary.

 

When all is said and done, $250 is pretty darn cheap. I was in the ER, and they charged $260 to see a dr for 5 minutes...all he did was look at my arm and say, yep, that's a staph infection...I can prescribe med A or med B. Another ER visit charged $80 just for a pregnancy test!

[DqALEX]

Glad your OK. I would call carnival and give it a try. You won't know untill you do.

[gazingm42]

I think if you approach in in a fashion of safety of future guest. You

will get more results from the cruiseline.

[Magic City Cruiser]

That's a tough question. My son is allergic to shellfish. Even if you tell your server of an allergy, I don't think you can count on him to check all ingredients in every item you order, nor hold him responsible for checking. But, in this instance, you didn't specifically ask about shellfish in the pork recipe. And, as you know, you have to even be careful that your food is not fried in the same oil as shellfish. I do remember to ask that but mostly, we carry epipens and hope for the best. As I understand it, you assumed that the pork did not have shellfish. Allergies suck and in this instance, I would pay the fee and thank your lucky stars you didn't suffer more.

My heart is with you....it's a pain! But, this IS what insurance is for so check it out!

Donna

[deborahjo]

Glad you are okay. I am a Diabetic-My reservation is marked as such. Our waiter the first night explained that he had been told I was a diabetic and would be making a few suggestions for dinner if I did not mind. I was thankful for this. Communication.....

[cmsmuse]

Just got off the Freedom this morning. I had an incident at dinner early in the week. Ordered Jerked Pork Loin for dinner. I have shellfish allergies and am always pretty careful to be sure the meal is not listed with any shellfish. Pork, beans, spices....it seemed fine. Took 3 bites and felt it coming on. Hoped it would pass...tingly throat, head spinning, light headed....ended up layed out on the dining room floor with that drifting away feeling. Luckily a Dentist was sitting 2 chairs from me and he got me out of my chair and layed out and got to work even before any of the ships's medical people arrived. BP dropped to 70/30. Got taken out of the dining room on a stretcher and went to the infirmary. EKG, several things via IV and I was there for around an hour. Scared the hell out of me, but it passed and I was ok. $250 bill from the infirmary, and doctor said he would get me the list of ingredients for my meal. He never did, and the pursers desk called twice each day after that asking if I was ok. I started getting the feeling they had found some unlisted shellfish in the sauc eor something like that. Never did get the ingredients.

 

So my question is, would you try to get Carnival to drop the $250 bill? I am on the fence on this. I believe any shellfish should always be listed in a meal since this is a common allergy. On the other hand it is not 100% that is what caused the reaction, but even the doctor thought it was very likely. Anyway, comments welcome.

 

perhaps they prepared it on the same surface/used same knife they they used with shellfish? Jerk spice usually has no fish anything in it, it is a seasoning

[lovetodream]

So sorry to hear about your incident. I'm glad that you are okay. As a nurse, I got frightened for you when I saw how drastically your blood pressure dropped.

 

I can't speak to your question about reimbursement for the $250, as it's not something that I would do ONLY because I am EXTREMELY reticent about such things. However, I was not in your shoes.

 

Having said that, you probably want to inquire with your Internist about obtaining an epi-pen to have on you at all times because your allergies are obviously serious.

 

Take care and good luck!

[Rhealsmom]

I wasn't too worried about this -- but obviously I will have to be very alert as well.

 

I have serious allergies to nuts as well as shellfish. I always carry 2 epipens and am very careful when choosing my meals and will ask if I am not sure --- but there have been occasions when I have just gone ahead and eaten something that I "assumed" would be safe.

 

I am glad that you are OK - and although the pricetag was relatively low (any amount is too much I know), it certainly wouldn't hurt to contact Carnival so that they can be better prepared to disclose the list of ingredients that are used in preparing their meals. It worries me that the doctor told you that he would get you the list of ingredients -- but then did not follow through with this. Perhaps he just forgot! No one really knows except him/her -- but it certainly doesn't make it sound any better for Carnival.

[soozles]

Honestly, unless you told your waiter you have shellfish allergies, I don't think you will get very far as far as reimbursement goes. Yes, you could assume that it didn't have any shellfish, but it's possible there was some cross contamination somewhere. Unless you make your waiter or kitchen staff aware, they can't be held responsible for your decisions. You can go ahead and try it, but the way I see it, $250 is a small price to pay for your life.

[fireofficer5]

Ask for it. Whats the worst they can do, say no.

[kdr69]

I fell in an unlighted parking lot and broke a bone and it cost me $4000 for going to ER. ($2400 was just for xrays and they insisted on a iv for pain meds, wouldnt give me a pill). I dont have health insurance, too costly at my inbetween age, over 50, etc.

 

$250 is peanuts, lucky you to have a cheap infirmary bill.

 

Did you tell your server you were allergic to shellfish, are you sure there was shellfish in the jerk pork and just not a new reaction to some of the spices?

 

You can write about the bill, but from what I read you sound darn lucky to get such fast and excellent care. i.e. it never hurts to write a snail mail letter to Carnival, they just might give you something off a future cruise even if they dont forgive this charge. I would write.

 

Glad I live in Canada where health care is covered man it must be expensive if its easier to pay 4000 dollars all at once than pay for health coverage.

[doodlefan]

Glad I live in Canada where health care is covered man it must be expensive if its easier to pay 4000 dollars all at once than pay for health coverage.

 

I was thinking this very thing. Wow. I cannot imagine having to pay those high bills just for a slip and fall. I have 5 kids and have visited the ER ALOT, for all kinds of things. It's always free. My 13 yr old DS just had his appendix out in Nov. by emergency surgery at 1:00 am. He had a 2 day hospital stay. My bill $0.00. This is all covered by our provincial health care not personal or work insurance.

 

It's things like this that make you stop and realize how lucky we are with health care in Canada.

 

Tara

[firefly333]

Glad I live in Canada where health care is covered man it must be expensive if its easier to pay 4000 dollars all at once than pay for health coverage.

 

Well I havent had it the last three years since I moved home to take care of my parents. I was told if Im over 150 lbs at my age Im considered uninsurable unless I loss weight, so Id have to get bad coverage for about $800 a month.

 

Yea, the ambulance was over $500, the doctor was over $500 and there was a bill for the xray tech to read the xray and then the $2400 for xrays and pain meds via IV.

 

If I could get any reasonable insurance I sure would, but at that price for what coverage I could get no thanks. I did actually have a policy for the uninsurable. It was more like a discount policy than real insurance. I would have still paid up to 70% of any hospital bill with the policy I had and they went out of business.

 

Im no Hillary fan, but she is right there are lots of us who dont have insurance in this country. The funny thing was when they told me I was uninsurable, I didnt have one darn thing wrong with me and was in almost perfect health. Its just bad luck I was on the wheelchair ramp that night in the dark in a downpour of rain and my feet went out from under me and I landed on my shoulder.

 

I was working for american express before I quit to move back to Texas. What they did about 4 years ago, and why I didnt have trouble quitting was if you had not turned 40 or had enough years in, they decided they were no longer going to pay your insurance when you retired. A bunch of women had to stay to keep their insurance who were going to retire. We had 3 women who started with the company in their teens, all 3 had more than 20 years with Amex and they had not turned 40, they were all 38 or 39 so they lost their insurance when they retired. I think this was horrible for Amex to do, no matter how many $$$ it cost them when women had been with them that many years with certain expectation.

[LegalCat]

I think a $250 is really reasonable, it could have been so much worse. I am also allergic to both shellfish and fish. I literally spend over $30,000 a year for the past two years getting 8 shots in my arm each week, take over $600 of prescriptions per month and still have allergic reactions to even the smallest trace of seafood... a few weeks ago my entire face swelled up as we sat there after I literally ate a piece of grilled cheese the size of a dime that was on the edge of a seafood dip... what a mess... I never assume that something I'm eating is safe, but what can you do... sorry but most waiters dont seem to like their jobs at least in my area lol... I just carry my epi pen with my every where and know what to do if something happens... I would ask Carnival to cancel the charge, but if not, I would pay it and consider myself lucky

[jessemon]

Just got off the Freedom this morning. I had an incident at dinner early in the week. Ordered Jerked Pork Loin for dinner. I have shellfish allergies and am always pretty careful to be sure the meal is not listed with any shellfish. Pork, beans, spices....it seemed fine. Took 3 bites and felt it coming on. Hoped it would pass...tingly throat, head spinning, light headed....ended up layed out on the dining room floor with that drifting away feeling. Luckily a Dentist was sitting 2 chairs from me and he got me out of my chair and layed out and got to work even before any of the ships's medical people arrived. BP dropped to 70/30. Got taken out of the dining room on a stretcher and went to the infirmary. EKG, several things via IV and I was there for around an hour. Scared the hell out of me, but it passed and I was ok. $250 bill from the infirmary, and doctor said he would get me the list of ingredients for my meal. He never did, and the pursers desk called twice each day after that asking if I was ok. I started getting the feeling they had found some unlisted shellfish in the sauc eor something like that. Never did get the ingredients.

 

So my question is, would you try to get Carnival to drop the $250 bill? I am on the fence on this. I believe any shellfish should always be listed in a meal since this is a common allergy. On the other hand it is not 100% that is what caused the reaction, but even the doctor thought it was very likely. Anyway, comments welcome.

Glad to hear yoou are OK. I have a reaction to something in salami believe it or not. i also have epipen while traveling. Not sure what it is in that but it could be in other things......

Let me just say first...You should always contact the cruiseline to let them know any dietary needs or things that may make you ill. It in on all cruiselines websites. Also notify the waiter and Maitre' D on arrival during the day.

Now the thing no one wants to say...if you did not follow these measures to insure your own safety (you only knowing you have this problem) please do not hassle Carnival. It is not their fault if you did not take these steps to insure your own safety...

Also...put that dentist on your Christmas card list and make sure you thank him every year........;) ;)