Advice Please! DP ill while travelling overseas

[Ogress]

I'm currently waiting to hear back from the travel insurance people and a few other calls, but I thought I'd pick the brains of the mumsnet hivemind to stop me flapping about while I wait.

DP is travelling solo in Bosnia. Got a call from her at 6am - she's was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night with serious vomiting. She's almost completely incoherent and very panicked.

My impulse is to get on the next flight (not a big problem with my work/care arrangements) and try and bring her back.

Is that sensible? What else do I need to think about? Anyone staged an overseas rescue and can give me some advice?

If it's practical for you to go over then I would do so. It will keep your mind occupied and you will probably be very useful.

So you need transport there and an open ended return option. You also need somewhere to stay, near the hospital, again preferably open ended. Look for an airbnb place so when your dp is discharged you can take them there to recuperate.

I did this for my dd earlier in the summer. Fortunately it was drivable and I lucked out with accommodation plus she recovered quickly and I didn't catch anything from her.

I can well understand the impulse to rush over there, and if DP is quite ill that may be helpful.

Vomiting- could be a bug/food poisoning,in which case situation could improve rapidly. Or, way less likely, a symptom of something else.

I bet you'll feel reassured once you've spoken to insurance helpline- these guys have dealt with situations and have a calm idea what to do.

I would start to enquire re flights out, but keep an open mind as to whether rushing DP back here is going to be desirable or even possible.

Chances are things will look massively better in 24 hours.
Best of luck.

Thanks all. I think I will go. I'm going to have to sit tight for a bit, though. I don't actually know where she is and where she was staying. She's not answering messages at the moment so I'm hoping she's asleep.

Yes, Evidence, I think it's food poisoning too, just because it came on so quick. I don't have any experience of food poisoning on this scale though. At the moment, she is definitely not well enough to travel - is it likely to improve quickly enough that we can bundle her home?

My son was hospitalised on holiday. Initial gut reaction was we need to get home asap. In reality he was too ill and then actually it was better for him to recuperate before making him travel so we ended up finishing the holiday.
Can understand you wanting to be there though if he/she is on their own. If you have the funds/ability then go - a foreign hospital can be quite scary. We were in eastern Europe and while the medical care was excellent there was a very different attitude to communication, keeping you well informed and even the food (food provided but no cutlery and no drinks unless you had your own cup/glass...)

Oh dear, California, she doesn't have anything like that. I don't actually know where her things even are. Probably at the hostel but I've yet to find out which one so I can ring them.

Achh, would really like it if any of the people I've called called me back within the time frames they specified they would. I was feeling quite calm before but now I'm starting to get anxious. I don't want to start looking at flights and tickets and hostels yet until I know what I actually need to do, but I feel like I ought to be doing something.

Awful to think of her out there. I don't know if she has a phone charger, money, passport or anything else with her. I'm hoping they stuffed her case into the ambulance with her, but who even knows.

Can't give advice on travelling but I have had severe food poisoning and if it's bad enough for her to be in hospital then it could be 4 or 5 days before she's anywhere near okay. I vomited for 4 days and then spent another 2 days sleeping. Hope she's okay

Oh dear. Will the airline refuse to take someone who is ill/vomiting? How better would she have to be to come home?

Wait to speak to insurance. They will fund you going out there to be with her if necessary. She may feel better today
I was alone in hospital for a week abroad once, it was ok! Enough pigeon English spoken to get me to understand what was going on and insurance arranged transportation to airport once I was discharged etc
Don’t panic!

Thanks QOD. That's very reassuring. I need to sit on my hands, I think.

Is it likely that the travel insurance would pay back my costs in going to get her? I can find the cash, but that would be one less thing to worry about and would help a lot.

I vomited and slept, I could barely get out of bed to use the toilet let alone board a plane, and yes the airline would refuse to allow her to board, but as others have said don't panic she's better off recovering there and then travelling home when she's better.

Good luck

Thanks all. Looks like she's doing better and has stopped vomiting, so we've sorted her accomodation for the night and will decide what to do from there. PHEW!

It was very good to have this thread to distract me while I waited.

Ogres - glad to hear she is feeling better. We found that we were treated really well as the 'funny foreigners at the end of the corridor'. So when they realised we didn't have stuff like a mug - they found one and would have got cutlery/plates but we were able to sort that out ourselves once we realised it was not provided. I think everyone who worked in the hospital tried to find a reason to pop in but in a nice way - just they don't usually get foreigners!
Have you heard yet about whether insurance will pay for you? If they don't are you going anyway? Xx

Any news OP?

Is she in a major city?

Check into one of the better hotels (4 or 5 stars) and they will sort her out.