Pain in negril

[Tattoo]

Any stories of getting hurt/ And if so what dod you do and how did you cope with the situation?. What avenues and tools did you use to handle what happened. I slipped broke my ass during hurricane gustav rode the storm out on my belly hey no jokes now jajajaja. Ive had my elbow blow up bunch of times the dr chris had stop by at sea star was great. Its just an aspect not given much thought by some when traveling. Anyone by health insurance incase of da emergency/. Older i get the more i thing about it. puff.

[likkle red]

I always fly with medivac insurance to get me to the states if needed once stabilized. As we age I think it is a good thing to plan ahead.

[johng]

Mushroom omelette washed down by a couple cups of Ganj Tea and shots of Overproof should fix just about anything!!!

[love2travelchic]

Other then being eaten alive by the critters and by the grace of GOD no injuries...(knocking on wood)

[Lady Jane]

I injured myself last reach. The second night. We were walking the road back from Alfreds. It was very dark, I saw Niah coming out of Wavz so I turned to say hi. My ankle turned over on loose gravel/rocks and I skinned my leg badly and had 2 large cuts. One on my knee and one on the top of my foot. That was March 15th. The scab on my knee finally came off 9 weeks later. Looking back I should have had stitches in my knee and top of foot. I basically bathed it in the sea, then applied fresh aloe to it and I had brought antibiotic cream which helped a lot. And I didnt cover it as the breeze helped dry it up. A young person from our place, Nirvana, kinda did the same thing only it was sand burn. He dove to catch a frisbee and really skinned the front of his shin on the hard sand. Both of us limped around Nirvana comparing healing stories. LOL
I always buy medvac insurance. you never know when you may need it.
PS I limped over to Niahs the next day to thank him for helping me. He cut a piece of aloe and rubbed it all over the cuts and scrapes and he didn't hold back rubbing the aloe in. I saw stars!

[brihinds]

I have my favorite Doctor in Sav. They try their best and will take the time to talk to you. A friend of mine suggested checking into an all inclusive if in need of medical care. They are supposed to always have medical care available. As a side note my neighbor had very good medical care for her and her family as part of her employment package at the RIU.

I also had a great Dentist from Santiago Cuba in Sav. Like the police they are working with very limited resources. And the price of medical and dental care in Jamaica is very affordable.

[brihinds]

Lady Jane there is nothing like the sea and aloe to cure all kinds of ailments. I often tell my Doctor here that graduated from the University of the West Indies Medical School that all I needed was a couple of weeks in the sea to take away my aches and pain. We also have an awesome Jamaican Doctor overseeing the Interns at the Western Michigan School of Medicine. We have been blessed with many great Jamaicans here in Kalamazoo including a visit from Michael Manley.

[kchristopher]

I was staying in Whitehouse at the South Sea View Guest house back in 2001. On my birthday, I decided to climb down the ladder into the sea to snorkel. Well, the ladder broke and cut my leg (side note- be careful on ladders from the sea. I bet they generally rust quickly, and don't last long). Not life-threatening, but it was obvious that I needed to be stitched up. Luckily, I was traveling with a friend who was raised in Bluefield's Bay, Jamaica - but lived in Athens, GA, like me. We jumped in our rental car and he flew to the Black River Hospital.

I signed in, and waited in the ER with several Jamaicans. It seemed like they gave me special treatment, as I didn't have to wait that long. I remember them asking for me before some of the Jamaicans that had been sitting when I arrived. But, there may have been other reasons for that. Specifically, they called me before a child with a burn injury. I declined, and they took him first. Shortly after this, they took me back, stitched me up, gave me a tetanus shot, and prescribed me an antibiotic. It was way more clean and professional than I had expected. And more efficient than in the US.

Then, I was given a bill and my prescription and told to go to the pharmacy (on site). I got in a line, handed in my prescription, and waited. They called everyone back up to tell them what the meds would cost and see if they wanted to fill the scrip. I was shocked that my medication only cost about $13.00 US. And, when I went to pay the bill for the surgery, it was about the same!

I had seen Blue cross sign in the billing office window, and contemplated whether my insurance from the US would be accepted there. But, when the whole thing cost me around $26 US, I was amazed. On the way to the hospital, I thought I was about to spend the reminder of any money I had for the trip. Overall, I was very impressed with the care I received. In a strange way, I am glad I was injured, so that I could have the experience.

I remember the hospital sitting right on the sea. There are several long buildings that sit out behind the main building, and overlook the sea. Whenever there is a hurricane threatening Jamaica, this image pops in my head, and I think "What do they do with all of the patients in those buildings during the storm?"

[Chickster]

The year was 2001 and was our first day in Negril and after a whole day at the pool bar it was time to go back to the room to and get ready for dinner. My wife got out of her wet suit first and was heading out to the balcony to hang it up. on her way out she put her beer down on the likkle table with the glass top that was right in front of the door. i came out of the bathroom with my wet suit in hand heading out to hang it up. Just as i got to the door i stepped in a puddle of water left by her bathing suit I felt my feet going out from under me. I bumped the table the beer bottle fell and smashed as the table started falling over i took one more step to try and save the glass top and stepped right on the broken bottle. by the time she came in it had looked like a murder scene, blood everywhere. I fell back onto the bed and asked her to look and see if there was any glass stuck in my foot. WELL! one look at my foot and she goes down screaming like she was hit by Muhammad Ali. Out to the balcony she goes losing all that precious Red Stripe that took her all day to consume and 15 seconds to get rid of. I sat up on the bed and called reception and informed them what had happened. what seemed like forever Security and Housekeeping showed up and right away called for the nurse. housekeeping later told me she used 22 towels to soak up the blood on the floor. The nurse arrived, took one look at my foot and called for the Dr. In the meantime i asked the nurse to check on my wife(still hiding on the balcony hates the site of blood) the Nurse came back in and informed Housekeeping that there was a clean-up needed on the balcony. I asked if there was any chance of getting something to eat as I was starving security said no problem and came back with two plates of jerk chicken. He took a plate out on the balcony to my wife... and there it goes again...yup more dam Red Stripe wasted. The Dr. arrived told me to get on my belly took one look at my foot and said Mon dis gonna hurt. after he got all the glass out and cleaned it up and a tetanus shot where the sun don't shine it was time for the freezing. Keep in mind i'm still eating my chicken when I hear him ask are you ready? I wish I had a bullet to chomp down on but the next best thing was the biggest bone on the plate. I have never felt pain like that before as he stuck the needle in the cut three times that chicken bone did not stand a chance snapped it in two along with knocking out a filling in my back tooth. Well 22 stitches later a massive bandage wrapped on my foot a sore tooth and $422.00 later Dr. had a credit card swipe in his bag found that hilarious. $10 tip for Security $25 for the housekeeper considering all she had to clean up and then sat with my wife while all this was going on.
The Dr. gave my wife some Gravol and before you knew it every body was gone. Every morning 9am sharp I was first in line at the Nurse's office to have the bandage changed. Next night at the bonfire i was dancing on the beach.

[rocknrollfarmer]

One vacation, staying at the Club Hotel Riu, I went out into the water {very murky in front of that Riu!} I dove, came up, then stepped on a black Sea Urchin! Ouch! A couple people helped me limp to the nurses station. Gosh, it really stung! Laid down on the table {wifey didn't want to pee on the stingers, like they say you're supposed to do ??}. The nurse proceeded to flick out the stingers with a long surgical needle {about 14 to 15 stingers in all} Couldn't walk on that foot for 2 to 3 days. This wasn't a major thing, like a broken leg or car accident, but it was my incident. I've had other self inflicted screw-ups...too embarrassing to mention. But, yeah, it is something to think about... What would happen if a person gets really hurt? But if it does, you just roll with it, and given the kind hearted dear Jamaican people & other people to help, we're in good hands ! Good Luck, be careful, use common sense, think ahead mon' Respect. This Negril.com forum is the coolest thing! Have ta go on it everyday!