In Defense of Disney Cruise Doctors

[GatorMomInNC]

Thanks for the excellent post

I posted on another thread about our experiences aboard the Magic on the WBTA in September. My 81 year old mother (who is undergoing open-heart surgery Tuesday ) became ill about 3days into our 14 night cruise. She was in the infirmary 2x per day. The facilities and doctors and nurses were EXCELLENT. I was very impressed not only with the level of care but the caring, kindness and compassion. And yes, both of the doctors were South African.

 

[wallawallakids]

Very well written. Thank you and I agree.

 

[coloradocutie]

Wise words, OP. Thank you.

 

[wcw57]

i'm not a doctor but i play one on tv:

who said anything bad about the cruise docs? i must have missed something, 'cause i didn't know they needed defending and/or explaining.

 

[ptcbass]

Very well said. Thank you for the post. I am not a doctor but do work in medical education and directly with medical students, residents and attendings. People do need to understand that just because you have MD (or DO) behind your name does not mean you are qualified to treat any and everything. My hat is off to doctors because they do have everything thrown at them. It is so much easier on land because you do have the support of the local medical community to assist if needed. I can't imagine being a doctor on a ship out in the middle of the ocean. I am sure they don't take lightly making the decision of having a family get off the ship for medical care.

 

[mom4mad]

I am an OB/Gyn and I totally agree with OP! Frankly, unless someone needed a Pap smear, hysterectomy or to deliver a baby , I would be of absolutely no use in the middle of the ocean. Those cruise ship docs deserve more credit than they get!

 

[sandrakit]

As a health care professional I couldn't agree more . Thank you for posting !

 

[dsnydaddy]

i'm not a doctor but i play one on tv:

who said anything bad about the cruise docs? i must have missed something, 'cause i didn't know they needed defending and/or explaining.

The family that was removed from a recent Disney Cruise have been making a lot of fuss about the medical care they received onboard for their sick child.

 

[wcw57]

thanx!

those darn doctors with all their high-falutin' edjumication can't take care of my baby!!!

i smell a lawsuit....

disney, traditionally, has been a bad target for a quick buck

 

[twopeasonepod]

Very well said, indeed!

I'm not a "real" doctor (I'm a psychologist haha), but I have seen the facilities. While my issue was extremely mild and I didn't even require actual medical care (just consultation), I have to say that the staff were really kind and caring. And in my profession, that means everything. I'm sure they are well-trained, have tons of experience, and do the best they can. It irritates me that people think that they deserve more than the best someone can do. You can't do better than your best.

 

[Madzac]

Very well said. I am a trained family doctor who has been working urgent care the last 12 years. I see a wide variety of ages and issues. I think one of the best things a good physician can do is to know their limits. Know what can safely be treated at their facility (or ship) and what would get the best care at a higher level center. I know I hate it when we have to transfer patients but it is for their best, I can only imagine how hard it must be in the middle of an ocean to know the impact your decision will have on a vacationing family.

 

[labdogs42]

Well thought out post. At first I was confused, but then I realized it stemmed from the baby that was removed from the ship for illness and not people asking about "can the infirmary treat this or that" type questions.

Most of my "research" had been focused on if the ship is equipped to handle an anaphylactic reaction to my daughter's multiple food allergies in the event there was accidental contact with an allergen. My number one goal is to keep her alive and if that means they keep her stable til we get off the ship for additional medical treatment, that is fine by me!

I assume you'll have your own epi pens with you, too?

 

[MunFam]

I assume you'll have your own epi pens with you, too?

Oh yes, absolutely! We usually travel with 8-10 of them. Yes, total overkill. And Benadryl melts and liquids...and a filled prescription for the steroids needed once an epi-pen is administered. I just wanted to make sure that we would not be playing doctor, I can do a lot of things...but taking vitals or putting in an IV to stabilize a patient is just not one of them. I realize we have to do our due diligence but its nice to know the medical team on board is there to assist until further medical treatment can be sought out.

 

[wxman0]

The most accurate show about medicine ever to air on t.v. was Scrubs.

I am not in medicine, however I read as far as that line and knew right away I was going to agree with whatever you said. One of the most underrated TV shows in my book.

With that said, the rest of the post was very well written. Nice job.

 

[perfectmatch300]

Excellent post, Four Swampers! Thanks,

 

[bengals01]

They diagonsed my husband with kidney stones, but it was an enlarged prostate.

 

[deanimal]

I am not in medicine, however I read as far as that line and knew right away I was going to agree with whatever you said. One of the most underrated TV shows in my book.

With that said, the rest of the post was very well written. Nice job.

I laughed at the Scrubs reference as well. I'm an operating room nurse and Scrubs is the only medical show I can watch without screaming at the tv in rage at all the inaccuracies on the show. (Except for when they stand at the sink scrubbing for surgery with their masks dangling down around their necks!) But the idea that one medical professional can do "everything" is just total fiction.

 

[DynamicDisneyDuo]

They diagonsed my husband with kidney stones, but it was an enlarged prostate.

Depending on the symptomology, that may have been an accurate misdiagnosis. They don't have access to a lot of diagnostic equipment. DW had kidney stones and at no time was a digital exam performed.

 

[wallawallakids]

Depending on the symptomology, that may have been an accurate misdiagnosis. They don't have access to a lot of diagnostic equipment. DW had kidney stones and at no time was a digital exam performed.

I agree with this. I had kidney stones when pregnant with my first DD. The surgeon was called at first because they thought I had appendicitis at first. It wasn't until that was ruled out that they figured out it was kidney stones.