Page 11 | Need a handhold- ill and due to fly home tomorrow

holidaytummytrouble · 2022-07-29T11:00:45+00:00

Posting here for traffic. On holiday with DH and two young DC. I started with diarrhoea at 2am. It's showing no signs of stopping, even though I've had nothing but water since last night and we're due to fly home at midday tomorrow. It's a 4 hour flight and on the way here there was a queue for the toilet pretty much the entire flight. I don't know what to do. If I'm still like this tomorrow I can't possibly fly, can I? Presumably the insurance wouldn't pay for all of us to stay so DH would have to fly home with the DC and leave me here? DH has taken the DC out to give me some peace but I'm just lying here panicking about tomorrow in between running to the hotel bathroom. I don't even know where to start with the practicalities if I can't fly tomorrow, would we contact the airline or the insurance company? Will they definitely pay out? If anyone has been in a similar situation and had any advice it would be very much appreciated.

rosemarysageandthyme · 30/07/2022 21:01

Years ago i has terrible upset stomach on holiday. We were going on a cross country bus journey. Immodium sorted me out

TheLadyofShalott1 · 30/07/2022 21:04

You are probably exhausted this evening OP, but can you pop back here tomorrow to give us an update please. Hopefully you are home now, feeling a lot better, and without any disasters en route xx

IndiaRose22 · 30/07/2022 21:10

Here's hoping you got home without any accidents on the coach/plane/anywhere else and are now feeling better and having an early night to help recovery x

Ultimate123 · 30/07/2022 21:17

Yes loose tea. I normally tear open a teabag and have about half of it dry with water. My brother on the other hand prefers it like black tea. I find dry method more effective.

Rosscameasdoody · 30/07/2022 21:30

Imodium and Dioralite . Food isn’t important - maybe best avoided before the flight, but you need to stay hydrated. Get some incontinence pants or pads for the plane - the more padded you are, the more secure you’ll feel. Take along some wet wipes and a change of trousers or sweat pants in hand luggage. Be comfortable for the flight - loose clothing that’s easily pulled down in the loo !! Hope you feel better soon.

GettingItOutThere · 30/07/2022 21:36

hopefully you got home OP? preferably without shitting ones pants!!

Meem321 · 30/07/2022 21:46

Fingers crossed you're home x

Jadebanditchillipepper · 30/07/2022 22:01

Hope you made it home OK, op.

Immodium should only be taken short term for emergencies such as this, otherwise, it's better to just let the illness take it's course, Hence the advice to only take it on the morning of the flight and to get you through the flight - then stop taking it again.

Most traveller's diarrhoea isn't transmissible and is usually due to food poisoning, or sensitivity to differences in food/water etc. Even if it were a virus, if there's no vomiting (there is some aerosol spread from noro infected vomit), it will only spread via the faecal oral route, so you won't transmit it to a plane full of people as long as you are scrupulous about hand washing, cleaning the loo and loo seat after you have used it etc.

I can't imagine an insurance company paying to extend a stay for a case of traveller's diarrhoea unless the person was very unwell with it. I suspect the op had no choice, but to get on the plane unless she got worse after posting.

SteveTP · 30/07/2022 22:37

A colleague of mine, he is ex military, used to be “our man in India” and was occasionally taken Ill by the local food. He often had no option but to turn to and complete his meetings, sales events etc. He swore by Imodium and tampons. I’m not joking. He said he would rather that than an unfortunate accident.

if needs must and you have to take the plane you’ll at least have the comfort of not being embarrassed.

I feel for you in your predicament.

Secretroses · 30/07/2022 22:38

I had diarrhea before I boarded a 17 hour flight once - it was awful. A doctor at the airport (abroad) prescribed me some charcoal tablets and I managed the whole flight with no issues. Good luck!

boredwithfoodprob · 30/07/2022 22:58

4 hours isn’t too bad. I had to fly from Peru - Gatwick (12+ hours 😵‍💫) in a similar situation but all was ok. It’s better to somehow get home than not. Do everything you can to somehow feel better (brat diet, paracetamol, sleep as much as poss tonight) and drag yourself onto the plane. The alternative is much more hassle.

Smokealarmwakeup · 30/07/2022 22:59

SteveTP · 30/07/2022 22:37

A colleague of mine, he is ex military, used to be “our man in India” and was occasionally taken Ill by the local food. He often had no option but to turn to and complete his meetings, sales events etc. He swore by Imodium and tampons. I’m not joking. He said he would rather that than an unfortunate accident.

if needs must and you have to take the plane you’ll at least have the comfort of not being embarrassed.

I feel for you in your predicament.

What the hell was he doing with the tampon?

Wigglewump · 30/07/2022 23:10

Just to add, and not to frighten you, but make sure it's not COVID, maybe do a quick antigen test if you get the chance, the newer strains are presenting with gastric symptoms.

BoffinMum · 30/07/2022 23:10

See a doctor or a pharmacist that can prescribe, and get some Codeine Phosphate - miracle product for travel diarrhoea. It’s got me out of some tricky situations (excuse the pun).

Somethingneedstochange · 30/07/2022 23:24

You need to tell the hotel. The room has to be deep cleaned and they can't have anyone staying in that room for two weeks. The hotel would usually put the well parent and children in a separate room. Plus you shouldn't be flying with dioriagh. For the same reason you wouldn't send a child into school with it.

BeenthereGotTee · 31/07/2022 00:08

I had issues like this for years and had a consultant telling me " anxiety makes it worse " - as I said to him you would be anxious too if you were going to shit yourself in public.

Bindayagain · 31/07/2022 00:34

Somethingneedstochange · 30/07/2022 23:24

You need to tell the hotel. The room has to be deep cleaned and they can't have anyone staying in that room for two weeks. The hotel would usually put the well parent and children in a separate room. Plus you shouldn't be flying with dioriagh. For the same reason you wouldn't send a child into school with it.

Where does that rule come from? I can't imagine many hotels sticking to that, when they have the next family booked in the same day!

Topseyt123 · 31/07/2022 02:14

Somethingneedstochange · 30/07/2022 23:24

You need to tell the hotel. The room has to be deep cleaned and they can't have anyone staying in that room for two weeks. The hotel would usually put the well parent and children in a separate room. Plus you shouldn't be flying with dioriagh. For the same reason you wouldn't send a child into school with it.

That's bollocks. And hotels are often booked solidly throughout peak season without the spare room capacity to just keep people who have diarrhoea separately.

I've flown with diarrhoea many times too, because I have to live with IBS and it is normal for me.

whatdoIknowabout · 31/07/2022 10:10

Is it not obvious? But sounds dangerous!

whatdoIknowabout · 31/07/2022 10:11

The tampon thing...

Original poster

holidaytummytrouble · 31/07/2022 10:34

UPDATE

I am home!!! Sorry for not posting sooner. To cut a long story short the insurance company were completely useless, but I saw a local doctor Friday evening who told me my illness was caused by contaminated food rather than a virus and gave me an injection that he said would stop the diarrhoea to allow me to get home. I was a bit sceptical but it worked, I managed to get a full night's sleep and woke up feeling fine yesterday. No issues on the flight home or overnight. The diarrhoea is back again this morning, but nowhere near as bad as it was, so whatever bacteria it is I ingested obviously still needs to work its way out of my system now the injection has worn off.

Thank you all so much for your kind replies and advice. Sorry for coming across as a drama queen, Anxiety is a bitch and makes bad situations seem a million times worse but the supportive responses on here really helped to calm me down and I'm very grateful.

OP posts:

Original poster

holidaytummytrouble · 31/07/2022 10:36

Somethingneedstochange · 30/07/2022 23:24

You need to tell the hotel. The room has to be deep cleaned and they can't have anyone staying in that room for two weeks. The hotel would usually put the well parent and children in a separate room. Plus you shouldn't be flying with dioriagh. For the same reason you wouldn't send a child into school with it.

The hotel could not have been less bothered, honestly. All they did was point me in the direction of the nearest chemist and repeatedly stress that we needed to vacate the room at the previously agreed time.

OP posts:

Quia · 31/07/2022 10:40

Somethingneedstochange · 30/07/2022 23:24

You need to tell the hotel. The room has to be deep cleaned and they can't have anyone staying in that room for two weeks. The hotel would usually put the well parent and children in a separate room. Plus you shouldn't be flying with dioriagh. For the same reason you wouldn't send a child into school with it.

For food poisoning? That would be insane.

Original poster

holidaytummytrouble · 31/07/2022 10:43

Also can confirm I didn't have to resort to shoving a tampon up my arse as per a pp's colleagues suggestion! I understand desperate situations call for desperate measures but this sounds like a really bad idea.

OP posts:

Natsku · 31/07/2022 11:47

Glad you went to the doctor and got treatment so you could get home ok. Hopefully it'll be fully out of your system soon but at least you're able to suffer at home now, always better than somewhere strange.