Newssexy

We all like to get a little jolly at Christmas, but if you see someone rolling in the aisles, slurring, or indeed passed out – please do them a favour and check first they aren't seriously ill before assuming they've had too much and ignoring them.
A cautionary tale from the QF from Shanghai.
Feeling just a bit snuffy with a tummy upset on the Maglev turned into dizzy spells then unconsciousness coming round half way to Sydney with a splitting headache. The crew refused to believe it was anything other than a hangover as a result of getting on board drunk and passing out. I'd also thrown up so the crew were pretty much ignored me. I was told to just sleep it off when I asked for help as my temperature rocketed and I was bathed in sweat.
Now recovering after going straight to my doctor who sent me to hospital with every bone aching.
A colleague who was at the same conference suffered from the same flu like symptoms, so we’re pretty sure it was some virus we caught in Shanghai.
But the doctor told me with my blood pressure and temperature were so high I was lucky to not have a more severe result during the flight.
So, please, check on anyone who looks as if they’ve had a bit too much this Christmas. I've learnt, they, as I did, may need urgent medical attention.

number_6

What treatment did you receive in hospital, and how many hours later was that? What could QF crew have done on-board? They are equipped with defibrilator and oxygen, but doesn't sound like either of these would have helped you in any way ... is that correct? Or were you diagnosed as having had a stroke or heart attack?

It amazes me how many people board a flight when they are feeling unfit to travel; something I've observed in the past decade of numerous flights. Maybe we need the temperature checks at the boarding gate

Newssexy

About 3 hours after I landed. Blood pressure 180 over something (normally I'm normal!), temp above 38.
Sure, there's not much you can really do in the air, you can't get hold of paracetamol or anything that would have helped.
Don't get me wrong, the treatment by the crew was OK but they were direct with me to the point of being blunt. Clearly, they assumed and said it was self inflicted, and just wanted me to not-be-their-problem.

Would I have boarded if I knew I would be ill? No. But I assumed it was a slight cold. And how often have we all flown with a not even a full blown cold, just a slight snuffle?

The point I'm really trying to make is that if a passenger specifically says they are unwell, or if they are not totally conscious, please ask or just keep an eye on them. If I had had a heart attack I suspect no-one would have noticed.

nux

Had you been drinking though?

og

.....

Globaliser

Crew can do a great deal on board, and I am certain that they would have been able to get hold of paracetamol for you given that that is about the first thing that you'd put into a first aid kit and aircraft have much more than that. There will also be access to specialist advice that helps the crew to decide whether or not to divert to offload a seriously ill passenger, and as we know there are plenty of medical diversions that obviously first needed the crew to notice that someone was seriously unwell.

So I think it would be quite wrong to tar all crew with this brush, whatever the truth of whatever happened to you on your flight.

m0hamed

QF crew certainly carry paracetamol and other medications on board. It was even discussed Read for Take Off.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

I don't think it can hurt to drop a line to Qantas if you are concerned.

Whether or not you had been drinking, whether or not you should have caught the flight in the first place.. both probably not so relevant. What was relevant was that a passenger - however they go themselves into the situation - potentially needed medical assistance and this was allegedly dismissed.

If you would like this to be mentioned in future training or as a crew advisory, writing in might be your best bet.

eng3

It is important for the crew to know whats going on. In the extreme, you could have had a very serious very contagious illness that would warrant the flight diverting and the passengers being quarantined. There are "air doctors" that the pilot can speak to over the radio to give assistance with identifying illnesses and giving first aid treatment

fakecd

last flight i took someone was puking blood in toilet... they took details of pax as.they had to file a report. the toilet was marked "BIOHAZRD" with yellow warning. i was next to toilet thus needless to say i was verh.concerned if this was airbourne illness. i dont think the pax was.isolated due to full cabin, but onus is on the pax not to travel during illness.

lorkers

They're not always overly interested if they think it is 'self inflicted'.
That is scarily similar to what happened to me, from Hong Kong to Brisbane, just a few days ago.
I felt so ill I passed out within minutes of takeoff and when I came to, I was bathed in sweat, but I was told to just sit in my seat and recover. Alas I had been drinking earlier in the day (just two beers. really) so I believed the crew it was a sharp onset hangover.
Doctor confirmed with blood test its a virus, but sadly I've got home and infected a relation who is now in hospital with identical symptoms.
Don't ignore feeling ill before a flight. My bug went from feeling a bit ill to scary high temperatures causing unconsciousness over about an hour.
The real coincidence – I'd flown from PVG to pick up the HKG flight.

Doc Savage

Get your influenza vaccine, everyone. It could save you from feeling like several of our friends here.

Cheers,

Doc

BD1959

Isn't there a request as part of the standard International announcements to notify the crew if you're feeling unwell?

What is the point of doing so if they are going to assume that anything less obvious than a broken leg is a hangover?

Regards,

BD

NZ_Flyer

QF international flights are equipped with extensive medical kits with quite a range of diagnostic equipment and drugs. From the sound of it (and this is based on the information provided here) even if medical volunteers onboard had been called, it wouldn't have warranted a diversion. I can see both sides though in that you would expect that the crew would call for medical volunteers, give them the medical kit and go from there. In the same token if someone presents with a history of intoxication and then complains of dizziness, sedative effects, headache and vomiting...

It can't hurt to email them and let them know of your concerns. I wouldn't expect anything except an apology, but I would say behind the scenes it would cause them to send a reminder to crew to follow whatever internal policy they have in place for when a passenger complains of being unwell.

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Cabin crew are there for our safety and are well trained. But they're not doctors. They shouldn't be diagnosing or determining the implications of symptoms.