Preparing for ship board afflictions

Recent cruise was tarnished by all three typical ship board afflictions at once: sea sickness, upper respiratory and tourista.

Being two seniors in robust health, we did not do anything preventive, prepared only slightly and ended up with an over-all feeling of malaise that has put us off cruising ........... hopefully only for awhile. Admittedly, it was a long cruise (42 days) and the first two weeks were great but then it all started piling on.

First was a ship full of hacking and coughing, traversing the equater going in and out of air-conditioned settings and relentless 100 heat. We got it and while this did not make us feel sick, it was a huge discomfort to have a paralyzing hacking cough and constant full and running nose.

Then came a bout with tourista - was it the shrimp at the French hotel in Madagascar? Who knows. But as we all know, when it comes it comes with an urgent ferocity that doesn't care if you are in the middle of a shore excursion or an African game drive.

Finally, when all was not well we hit two weeks of rough seas where being prone, inactive and not eating was the only recourse. Always felt fine once the ship was in port or on land (except for the collective Upper Respiratory and Tourista malaise) but there was no getting away while on the high seas - for several days on end.

What we did not do is get flu shots ahead of time nor establish any preventive routines with "naturals" (ginger, yogurt, echinacia). We cursorily "treated" symptoms with cough syrup, decongestants, Bonine and ginger beer. But always with the idea the combined "treatments" may have been making each other ailment worse.

Did the original Bonine dry out the upper respiratory tract to make it more vulnerable? Did the Lomotil keep the bad bugs from exiting? How much Pepto-Bismol should anyone really take and for how long? And would more Bonine on top of this OTC stew bring the whole thing crashing down more than it was already.

I would do things differently now, but would also love to hear from others what practical things can and should be done both preventively and for active treatment.

Additionally, it was not easy to get OTC symptom treatments we are used to in the US - they never heard of Pepto Bismol in the Indian Ocean, but they did have Lomotil. I like the Peace Corp study that found Pepto-Bismol worked as well as antibiotics but with fewer side effects so I did carry a lot (but not enough for two sick people).

Would a pricy visit to the ship doctor for any of these ailments, let alone the combination of them have provided any better relief than time itself?

Thanks for all input.

FWIW it cost me $70 total for doctor visit + Rx on Princess. They gave me paperwork to file with my insurance company at home for reimbursement, but seeing as I would have paid $25 for an office visit + $35 for the Rx (what it cost to get it refilled on land) I didn't bother.

Sorry about your ailments. Personally I wouldn't have combined the variety of OTC remedies, but I'm cautious on that. I do pack a mini-kit of the brands I know and trust for overseas travel, and make sure I keep hydrated with safe fluids, either boiled or bottled.

Sorry to hear about your experience. I do also pack a few common brands for all type of emergincies that might happen, so I don't feel obligated hitting the ships medical facilities.

Apart from regular hand washing washing and watching what you touch...

A pharmacist friend recommended Dukoral as a preventative measure against tummy issues.

A doctor friend suggested gargling with salt water or mouthwash before going to bed as a way to prevent colds.