On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 23:06:50 -0800, "FST"
wrote:
>Yikes, don't go overboard!
Never a good idea on a cruise.
>Yes, it's true that there are
>days at sea while traveling in Alaska, but all of the major
>cruise lines/ships have amply stocked medical supplies and
>pharmacueticals on board. There should be absolutely no
>problem with having adequate antibiotics or medical supplies
>on board for an illness in a toddler or passenger of any age.
>There's no need to even consider a helicoptor evacuation for a
>kid that needs antibiotics. Sheesh!
I said that as a last resort which it is. I don't believe that
antibiotics should given at will and actually believe that antibiotics
are used far too frequently. That being said, I have a medical
condition for which I occasionally need antibiotics and carry them
with me. I'd rather have my own than rely on the ship having them.
There are many different drugs on the market and the ship may or may
not have all of them. It's a lot easier to carry them than make
inquiries.
If it can be anticipated that antibiotics, or anything else, may be
needed, it's probably better to carry them. I remember spending a half
day of vacation in Bar Harbor, ME trying to find the specific
anti-hypertensive that my mother needed. She tends not to react well
to generics and it looked at one point that we were going to have to
go a long way to get it. Her mind is fine. She thought she had enough
but made a mistake.
>
>For what it's worth, I live in Alaska, know the ports of call
>in Southeast, and I'm an avid world cruiser. Have you ever
>toured the medical facilites on the cruise ships? I have --
>and the medical clinics I've visited and toured on the ships
>are impressive.
But really, really expensive.
>
>Probably the most frequent medical problems that are
>encountered on a cruise ship come from one of two sources --
>
>1) Travelers on vacation start having such a good time that
>they get lax about following their special diet or taking
>their medication regularly, and their chronic medical
>condition (diabetes, heart disease) flares up. OR
>
>2) Travelers get lax about hand-washing, and that can lead to
>trouble within the smaller confines of a cruise ship.
True but that occurs a lot more often in other places. It just doesn't
get press.
>
>I might not recommend bringing a 15 mo old on an Alaska
>cruise, but I also wouldn't let concerns about the
>availability of antibiotics hamper a vacation.
>
>Cheers -- FST
>
Certainly don't have any disagreement with those. |