Need a handhold- ill and due to fly home tomorrow

[holidaytummytrouble]

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.

Try full sugar seven up or lemonade and salted crisps, always worked for me. When I was in Sri Lanka every hotel would provide lime juice made in a small cordial with salt and sugar to calm things down - as you can imagine stomach upset more common there.

Drink lots of water and, if possible, see a doctor and get a prescription for antibiotics. Almost all diarrhoea is bacterial, but antibiotics can start working pretty fast. Even if you get better, take the whole prescription, even if it is for 5 days or a week.

Hmm if it's norovirus, there's a fair chance that you'll all come down with it.

I don't feel sick at all just diarrhoea. I've had noro before and it was mostly the other end so seems unlikely, at least that's what I'm telling myself!

have a look in the pharmacy and see if they sell silicol gel; great for 'holiday diarrhoea'

I've read that it just prolongs diarrhoea

Not at all - it stops diarrhoea in it's tracks. Take 2 immediately, and then another 1 after each toilet trip. After you've done that a few times the diarrhoea will stop completely.

good abo9ut the bottle water keep drinking it-could it be covid?

if youre planning not to fly you will have to get on to the insurers first

I'm a bit surprised at this advice, there have been a lot of threads like this recently and the advice has been dont fly...you risk infecting hundreds of people on a plane and at the airport, especially if it's something like norovirus. But you're more worried about embarrassing yourself.

Call your insurance company and see what they advise. They are used to dealing with this day in day out. If you have to stay an extra day it's not the end of the world

I had terrible food poisoning once and the doctor gave me a shot ( of what I'm not sure ) to stop the diarrhoea to enable me to fly transatlantic. I also got some incontinence pants based on the nurse's suggestion. I also had food poisoning another time and had to sit in the toilet on a plane the whole of the transatlantic flight!

You should have taken the medicine with you ( I do ) and certainly send husband for it, now
Always take the stuff you can give kids too in future, dioralyte and dioralyte relief.
You will start to feel much better.
Get him to look out for Imodium, Imodium instants and dioralyte, but to ask the Pharamacist too

I have IBS, I live with this every day of my life. So I can't really just stay home or I'd be a recluse! Immodium works, trust me on that! I can't take it every day but, for special occasions, even just one dose helps a lot. Incontinence pads, not nice but will save you if the worst happens. The worst has happened to me and I didn't die! I use varying levels of protection, dependant on what I'm doing, and no one even noticed. However the more nervous you are about it, the worse your stomach will feel. Dose yourself up, wear some kind of pad, and try to relax. Have some spare underwear and wet wipes. I always carry these things in my bag.

you risk infecting hundreds of people on a plane and at the airport, especially if it's something like norovirus. But you're more worried about embarrassing yourself.

That's a bit unfair. There are a lot of worries competing for attention in my head right now. I am worried about infecting others, perhaps I should have been more explicit about that. I am also worried about DH and DC getting ill and how we will cope with all four of us needing to use the hotel bathroom every few minutes. I'm also worried about how much this could end up costing us if I am too ill to fly tomorrow and the insurance company won't pay out. I am worried about DH's work if i have to stay here and he needs to look after the DC as they are not very supportive. But yes, I am also worried about the prospect of shitting myself in front of strangers as I think most people would be.

Immodium will definitely bung you up for the journey. Start it today.

Get some immodium start taking it now. . Wear some tena lady just in case. It clears up really quickly with immodium

Keep drinking water, or even better rehydration sachets (you can make your own with sugar and salt, Google will tell you how). It will almost certainly have run its course by tomorrow. I'd avoid immodium now, but start taking it a few hours before you need to leave tomorrow if you still have diarrhoea. Pad your pants out with something just in case, wear dark trousers, take some clean undies, trousers, plastic bags and wipes. Hope you're better soon.

A friend had this on the coach on the way to the aiport. Saw a doctor at the airport who jabbed him with something that whatever it was, stopped it pretty much instantly.

Been there, done this on several trips to far flung parts of the world. I had amoebic dysentery one time, and was always travelling alone.

First up, you can do this. Your DH can deal with all the stuff to do with the kids and airport admin.

Stay hydrated - sips of water, rehydration sachets or even full-fat coke that you've allowed to defizz
Do not eat a thing. Not a thing. Most likely as it's just diahorrea it's a bug and you starve these buggers out of you.

Most likely it will pass.
Start with Immodium about 12 hours before you go so it has an optimal chance to kick in.
Be prepared to be blunt on the plane if you need to go - I have a stomach upset and need to go now ... the crew are normally on your side in this situ as they don't want to deal with the consequences of you not making it on time.

If you still feel really wibbly, basically just camp outside the toilet as soon as the seatbelt sign is off.

I spent one flight back from West Africa on the floor next to the loo with the stewardess basically shooing everyone away from it.

People are sympathetic to the plight in general and just glad its not them. You will never see any of these people ever again so never mind the embarrassment.

You'll feel more confident if you have wipes, spare nicks and spare set of clothes with you. Bottled water only on the plane - don't fill up from the plane loos.

We're with you, you can do this. It WILL be ok.

That's what it's for , emergencies like this.
You'd only not take it if you were just at home.

I had this on my sisters wedding day. Just had to take Imodium. I did end up passing out when taking photos at reception and start vomiting later. But least I didn’t shit myself walking down the aisle or during the service. 😂

As others have said, contact your insurance company (by email if you can't face phoning). They may say that they'll pay for you all to stay until it clears up (I've never heard of them making everyone apart from the ill person go home). Or they may have a doctor that they can recommend you go to, or a standard procedure to follow.

Also if you're in a hotel, ask them to help your DH find a pharmacy; they can help with translating if you need it too.

Chances are it'll mostly clear up by this evening, and a good sleep will really help. I'd not fly if you think it's a bug, though, as that's not fair on anyone else on the plane.

Immodium should get you through the flight, as others have said.

Happened to my mum. She spoke to a local doctor who prescribed her medication to stop the runs so she could get home.

Have a word at your hotel's reception and ask them to help.

I was in similar situation many years ago. The hotel had a visiting dr and dh was able to get me Imodium equivalent and rehydration meds from local pharmacy. The flight was stressful but ok. You would need to see a dr to claim on insurance for meds, missed flight and other costs.

I would normally avoid Immodium because its best to let your body do it's thing and get rid of the unwanted toxins but in this case get some down your neck and some Dioralyte to balance your electrolyte levels.

You'll be good to fly. Take spare pants and trousers.

I got a bad stomach on an 11 hour flight😬 Imodium is your friend.

I have IBS(D) so understand where your coming for - I usually wouldn't take Imodium and just ride it out as I end up backed up for a day or two afterwards but in this case just so that I could get home to my own toilet and bed, I would be taking some.

I hope you start feeling better soon!

I had DV and was so ill, the dr gave me an injection and it worked. I felt so ill, it wasn’t the easiest 14 hour flight home. Then had to be prescribed laxatives because the injection seemed to last for weeks.
I would also mention Covid started like this for us too.