Medical Tourism Nicaragua #NailedIt

Medical Tourism Nicaragua #NailedIt

I picked up the above brochure from a hospital in Nicaragua and thought, “Damn, if this doesn’t sound like fun.” So, with the help of a dehydrated and seriously ill Mister (way to take one for the team!) we visited clinics, pharmacies, labs, emergency rooms, and even sprang for an overnight stay. Bravo Mister. You did good.

Kidding aside, it was a very scary holiday. One we don’t want to repeat or have anyone else subjected to so we put together a list of must have’s if you are travelling to the don’t have’s (developing world).

  1. Bring electrolyte tablets. We’ve been travelling with these since we all (all but Mister, that is) had a bout with stomach flu on a trip to Cuba. Essential on any holiday and they help with a hangover as a bonus!
  2. Pack a thermometer. It may sound like just another thing you have to pack, and it is, but if the room is hot and you or one of your babies ‘feels hot’ it is good to actually know they are not running a fever.
  3. Don’t wait before seeking medical attention. One day could be a virus and I always ride that storm. The second day with severe abdominal cramps and lack of food is something to look into.
  4. Ask about the water before you drink. Make sure water is bottled. Ask about ice. Watch how they wash the glasses at the beach bar. Ask if they use filtered water to wash their salads. I only drink beer from the bottle at the beach on holiday and think I’m brilliant because there is no possible contamination from ice or unsterilized glasses.
  5. Make sure you know how to contact your travel insurance company and find out how to organize care in another country. We just paid and now I’m filling in so much paperwork when, apparently, they could have organized it for me while there. Ugh. But, at least it gives me a reason to remember the fun we had with Medical Tourism Nicaragua.
  6. Download the Google Translation App. We would speak English into the phone and it would say and show the translation in Spanish. And, the nurses would talk to us in Spanish and we’d just read the results. It worked 95% of the time which stopped the incessant pointing and pretending I knew Spanish by adding the letter O to the end of English words.
  7. Check with a travel clinic before leaving. There are shots (Mister was the only to do this, as an aside) and over-the-counter travellers aids which would help stave off dehydration. You don’t just take them a couple of days before leaving so you need to plan a month or more in advance. I did not do this and wish I had.
  8. Don’t be overly concerned if you have a few pounds to lose before going on holiday. Let’s just say I’m only three good parasites away from fitting into my wedding gown and Mister wasn’t into sharing. Selfish.

If you travel in the developing world you assume the risk; however, it is important to ensure you eliminate as many as possible so you don’t have to eliminate as much as humanly possible. The bonus is that medical tourism keeps the trip top-of-mind even when you return home for your follow-up appointments and medications. This was the trip we won’t soon forget. Thanks, Nicaragua Medical Tourism. You get a five star from us!

Just because it seemed like a nice tie-in, I will remind you of my I Got Salmonella parody.


Comments

  1. Sigh. I’ve been dreading the next ER story, but I thought you had it covered with the skiing incident. Poor Mister. I thought the black cloud only circled your head.

  2. It sounds kind of scary but, really, you’ve made traveling to some remote areas more appealing. It’s good to be prepared no matter where you go—things could go wrong in a luxury hotel—and having a good idea how to prepare makes travel more fun.
    Christopher recently posted…Where They Lived.My Profile

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