stomach sick - preparing for live aboard in 2 days - should I cancel

[brycejohnson]

Hello everyone,

I am reaching out last minute to seek advice while visiting Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, from Seattle. I'm headed to Raja Ampat to board the Jaya Live aboard on May 10th (I fly to Sorong in about 24 hours). The live aboard is six nights/seven days, and I am considering the need to abandon the live aboard all together.

I am experiencing severe stomach pain, including diarrhea several times daily and the sensation of throwing up constantly. These sorts of things are often short-lived and my fear is that I give up the entire cost for the flights, live aboard, other travel, etc., and everything will get better in the next few days. Alternatively, I board the boat and have a miserable experience while sick as a dog. I plan to visit a family doctor tomorrow AM and will reevaluate based on how I feel tomorrow.

I have been diving for a year; this will be my first live aboard. I do not want to dive when sick, but this is a tough pill to swallow.

I am asking, what would you do? To put this into perspective, my flight to Sorong is at 8:00 pm tomorrow, and it's currently 6:00 pm (14 hours ahead of Seattle).

I appreciate helpful feedback and apologize in advance for my panic post.

With gratitude,

Bryce

 

[Ukmc]

See your physician. If he clears you for travel, you could go. It is a difficult situation.

 

[MB NZ]

Oh dear, that's a tough one. Your doctor will probably advise you to cancel. Understandably, doctors tend toward caution in these situations. If I was reassured by the doctor that nothing serious was going on (e.g. appendicitis), then personally, I would probably go. Even that will be difficult in the time frame that you have. There is no right/wrong answer here. Hopefully, you have insurance that will cover the loss of the trip if you decide to cancel.

 

[brycejohnson]

See your physician. If he clears you for travel, you could go. It is a difficult situation.

Thank you, for replying

 

[brycejohnson]

Oh dear, that's a tough one. Your doctor will probably advise you to cancel. Understandably, doctors tend toward caution in these situations. If I was reassured by the doctor that nothing serious was going on (e.g. appendicitis), then personally, I would probably go. Even that will be difficult in the time frame that you have. There is no right/wrong answer here. Hopefully, you have insurance that will cover the loss of the trip if you decide to cancel.

Thank you for replying.

I have annual travel insurance through DAN and I guess I should review the documentation. I assume a trip cancellation due to an unexpected illness is 1 of the many covered claims however, I’ve never dealt with DAN outside of purchasing their products.

I appreciate the logical feedback, it’s a waiting game for about 10 hours.

 

[dlofting]

As another poster said, just make sure it's a digestive system bug rather than something more serious and then get on the plane.

 

[Imla]

This could be a couple of different things. If it is short lived, and you have reason to believe it might be food-poisoning, you should feel better within a couple of days.

However... the combination of diareah and vomiting could possibly be Noro virus or Rota virus, which is highly contagious. Especially in cramped quarters. At least here in Norway, the common curtesy is to stay away from other people for a minimum of 48 hrs after last "throw-up".
One thing is not wanting to dive yourself... please also consider your fellow trip-mates. Norovirus on a live-aboard could turn out to be a real s**t-storm.

Keep in mind, that most cases of diarreahs, and especially the kinds that comes on quickly are infectious and contagious.

 

[Searcaigh]

It's quite likely you may have food poisoning but testing in some parts of the world may not be fast to confirm a proper diagnosis.

Blood tests as well as a stool sample are usually required to confirm / eliminate various diseases and possible parasitic infections especially when traveling in third world countries and eating some street foods. That said I picked up Salmonella in a Dubai Five Star hotel last year and lost 6 Kg over the period of a month before it was properly diagnosed and treated.

I also agree with @Imla you don't want to be traveling and infecting other people, so please be respectful of other people who have also travelled far to enjoy RA too.

Claim your travel insurance for a cancelled trip and go back to RA another time.

 

[brycejohnson]

This could be a couple of different things. If it is short lived, and you have reason to believe it might be food-poisoning, you should feel better within a couple of days.

However... the combination of diareah and vomiting could possibly be Noro virus or Rota virus, which is highly contagious. Especially in cramped quarters. At least here in Norway, the common curtesy is to stay away from other people for a minimum of 48 hrs after last "throw-up".
One thing is not wanting to dive yourself... please also consider your fellow trip-mates. Norovirus on a live-aboard could turn out to be a real s**t-storm.

Keep in mind, that most cases of diarreahs, and especially the kinds that comes on quickly are infectious and contagious.

Thank you

 

[brycejohnson]

It's quite likely you may have food poisoning but testing in some parts of the world may not be fast to confirm a proper diagnosis.

Blood tests as well as a stool sample are usually required to confirm / eliminate various diseases and possible parasitic infections especially when traveling in third world countries and eating some street foods. That said I picked up Salmonella in a Dubai Five Star hotel last year and lost 6 Kg over the period of a month before it was properly diagnosed and treated.

I also agree with @Imla you don't want to be traveling and infecting other people, so please be respectful of other people who have also travelled far to enjoy RA too.

Claim your travel insurance for a cancelled trip and go back to RA another time.

Thank you and understood