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.

MercuryOnTheRise sums it up neatly, of course, not nearly.
i can't see mu keyboard cleatly

I'm sorry you are in this situation OP. I really sympathise, it's awful.We had the same situation in Paris. We had to stay, contacted the insurance company, saw a local doctor. They said no way should we travel with a bug.
I'm sorry, but how would you feel if someone else did that and infected a plane of people. It's not on.. Please get proper advice. I hope you feel better soon.

This

I really feel for you. I had this just before a long flight back from Peru. The only thing I could do was pay the hotel extra to keep my room as long as possible and stuff myself with immodium. I was on my own and didn’t really have any other choice.

Sending you sympathy as I've been there! I caught dysentery while working in Morocco and made the choice to fly home.

I haven't read the whole thread but If I didn't have sickness or a temp I would dose up on immodium and fly home. The immodium will work but pack a change just to keep your mind at rest. Tell the cabin crew you are unwell and ask to sit near toilet.

Good luck, I hope it's a quick flight!

Immodium should work - I had serious food poisoning in Africa and was flying into a larger airport on a plane with no loo. I was terrified but it was fine as was onward journey.
However after return to England I got much worse. After tests it turned out I had a notifiable strain of salmonella and both the GP and the environmental health person who called said that in taking the Immodium I had trapped the bug in my system rather than expelling it and it had worsened. I don't see I had any choice - it was that or try to get treatment in Tanzania!

Responsible cabin crew will not accept you on the flight if you ask for special help for a d&v bug. Get your plans ready op. There has been some horrendous advice on here.

I have flown twice with an upset stomach (not illness related).

I avoided eating anything for as long as possible before and just sipped a little water. In both cases it was fine.

You need some immodium, rehydration sachets, plenty of water and some plain crackers. Eating is important when you have diarrhoea so don't starve yourself. I'd also pack plenty of pants in your hand luggage just in case. Nobody wants to shit themselves in front of a plane full of people but I highly doubt insurance will pay out on this.

I think you should try to get a later flight. Not because of your totally understandable fear of having an ‘accident’, but because you could have a bug and could infect others, including babies, pregnant women, the elderly and vulnerable.

Yes, it’s very, very annoying, but if you don’t know what it is, you shouldn’t fly.

I agree, reading the dreadful and unsafe advice some people post I am glad I do not fly, shitting diarrhoea into an adult nappy, its mind boggling.

If you had a contagious bug though, while you might have got better, you may well have made other people sick. Either to the extent you were sick, or worse if they are less well than you in general.

If you’re in Tenerife I’d see a Dr. They may come to the hotel. I worked as a rep and came across this scenario a few times (in Goa especially). Several of my customers ended up having an injection that helped. To be honest, if you are not fit to fly then see a Dr. They will know best. The ‘worst case scenario’ will be that you all stay for a few more days, a Dr will know how to deal with insurance firms. Are you on a package? Is there a Rep?

I had a similar problem just after Christmas. I actually started to feel ill at the airport. I said to my DH I don't think I can even walk and get on the plane. The cramps were horrendous.

Somehow or other I managed to get on but I had to make sure it was all clear on the plane so I could rush to the toilet when I needed it. I knew I couldn't stop once I stood up. 😀 Once I got up that was it. I had my DH checking the toilet was empty so I could have a mad dash. Thankfully I only needed the toilet once. I seemed to recover quickly. Good luck OP.

Just take some Imodium? You’re on a commercial airline, not a rickshaw. You’ll cope. You’re ending extremely dramatic.

I was going to suggest this. Codeine was the only thing that stopped the diarrhoea when I had campylobacter.

For some reason, my GP found the concept of self-medicating because I wanted the side-effects highly amusing, but it worked a treat.

Another bonus is that it makes you sleepy, OP!

Are you in Spain? Their pharmacies are fantastic. When I had a bad stomach they sorted me out with some strong tablets that stopped the squits after a couple of doses, plus rehydration drinks that made me feel a lot better.

I completely agree.

And you have insurance OP.

This is what it's for!

Imodium is your friend here. Take a dose now and keep taking doses.

You’re panicking about a lot of “what ifs” - get your husband to a pharmacy or ask at the reception desk of your hotel for medical help. Insurance might not pay out, but they might! You need to check sooner rather than later.

Imodium works but I would wait a few hours before taking that yet to give your body chance to get rid of whatever illness you have, or see what a doctor suggests first. If you’ve still got diarrhoea when it comes to flight time then you should make every effort to reschedule because it’s really not fair on other passengers if it’s a potentially contagious bug.

Get some Imodium instants if possible, they dissolve on your tongue so get into your system faster. If it’s really bad double the dose, it won’t harm you. Imodium draws water from your digestive system which in turn solidifies the poo.
You will feel thirsty and may have a dry mouth but it’s a temporary thing. Every time you have motion after the double dose take another one up to the maximum per day.
A hospital consultant told me that.
If you can, get a packet of Always long plus pads, they have a good absorbency without feeling like you’ve got a brick in your knickers.
If you only have panty liners put one right at the front, one in centre of the gusset and another two in a fan shape either side of the centre one in your undies.

Sip water, not acidic juices, no alcohol, especially beer or lager. I find it’s better to eat something light, scrambled egg, or chicken and boiled rice instead starving. It gives the digestive something to work on instead of itself.
I never travel without a shed load of Imodium and Always pads.
Hope you soon feel better.

Just take some Imodium? You’re on a commercial airline, not a rickshaw. You’ll cope. You’re ending extremely dramatic.

I am sorry for sounding dramatic. I've already explained a few times I suffer from anxiety. The thing about anxiety is it makes situations genuinely feel "extremely dramatic" when to other people they might not seem that bad. It's an absolute fucker at the best of times, let alone when you're ill. You're right, it is a commercial airline not a rickshaw, but as I've explained already, on the way here there was a queue for the toilet for the entire 4 hour flight other than when we had to remain seated. Also several posters have berated me for even contemplating getting on a flight (despite me explaining I will take advice from the insurance company etc) so with all the conflicting opinions on this thread its clearly not that straightforward.

She absolutely is not being dramatic. Terrible diarrhea is absolutely miserable and can make you dangerously dehydrated very quickly. Add to that the stress of a 4 hour flight, hot weather, trying not to frighten her children and being away from home - she’s hardly just got a bit of belly ache. Food poisoning or gasterentoritis is horrible.
I do agree with the immodium comment though, even if just to get you home.

Immodium. And don’t drink too cold water, at least with me it sets it off again. Good luck.

DH is on hold to the insurance company. I spoke to a member of staff at the hotel reception and they just advised that there is a pharmacy over the road that should be able to give me something OTC.