For every high-risk, adrenaline-seeking lifestyle, there are ten thousand high-risk injuries that might happen.
Photo by Mike Warren
You’re in an out-of-the-way corner of Japan, enjoying a mid-morning ride on a cheaply purchased mountain bike, viewing a landscape that only so many places can offer.
A smoking volcano to the left, and a revolving sushi restaurant on the right, not yet open for the lunch crowd.
Suddenly, the front wheel of the bike jams.
Unprepared for such massive deceleration, your body flys over the handlebars, all four limbs flailing in an attempt to adjust to this new gravity-free world.
Not quickly enough, you realize, as your right hand sickeningly crunches into the ground.
Silence.
Your eyes open slowly. Still sprawled on the asphalt, you’re more than confident you can simply stand up, gather your thoughts, and laugh this off as simply another close call.
That is, however, until your right hand refuses to obey any commands, and you instinctively look at the shattered remains of a limb that was once so reliable, so whole.
For every high-risk, adrenaline-seeking lifestyle, there are ten thousand high-risk injuries that might happen.
The human body is fragile. I repeat: the human body is fragile.
The human body is fragile. I repeat: the human body is fragile; it can be broken, bruised, cut, burned, twisted, maimed, strained, overworked, and sickened.
With risk comes adventure, and all adventures that we have on the road, whether they include ascending a vertical ice wall on Everest, or simply lugging groceries back to your beach hut in Thailand, carry the possibility of medical disaster.
If you’re hurt enough to require medical attention in a foreign country, here are 3 points to keep in mind:
1. Learn The Word For Hospital
Hopefully you’ve studied and memorized the necessary words in the native language for ‘hospital,’ ‘help’, and ‘pain’.
What most people don’t do, however, is pick up the skills to describe the kind of pain you’re feeling (dull, sharp, continuous, off-and-on) and from where (head, toe, heart, 3 cm under the left thigh).
Perhaps unearthing a medical dictionary in your country of travel isn’t high on the list of priority items (it’s easier to just play it safe); but you’ll thank yourself if an emergency arises.
2. Can You Pay The Bill?
Consider your financial situation and surroundings before deciding on treatment.
Are you in the middle of the Burmese jungle and will you have to travel for an extended period to reach the nearest hospital? Do you have traveler’s insurance? Maybe you should fly home for treatment, unless it’s life threatening.
Do you trust doctors who won’t necessarily be able to understand your wishes, or you them? It’s all about weighing the risk factors and thinking about the resources available to you.
Work through the pain (yes, even searing pain) and try to keep a clear head.
3. Be Patient
Beware: it will be tempting to shirk your recovery and hit the road if the pain is bearable.
Think about extending your stay. If you’ve got an injury that requires regular visits to the doctor and/or physical therapy, and you’re already a resident expat, you might want to put down roots for the time being.
Beware: it will be tempting to shirk your recovery and hit the road if the pain is bearable. The promise of waking up who-knows-where tomorrow is tempting, but the fact remains you require rest, time for recovery, and follow-up medical care.
Aggravating an injury by quickly returning to an active travel lifestyle will only make things worse.
There will come a time when you will return to the road; keep that running through your head every step of the way, and remember that getting injured and treated in a foreign environment is an adventure in itself.
Talk to the nurses about the kinds of patients they see; make small talk with your physical therapist while he’s torturing your joints. But, never allow yourself to become too complacent.
The wanderlust fire is still burning, just dimmed for the moment.
Have you been seriously injured on the road? How did you deal with it?
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11 Comments... join the discussion!
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When we were younger travelers, insurance wasn’t even on our minds. Now, we carry travel insurance. It covers emergencies, helps you find medical care, and even covers the costs of those last minute flights if you have to go home for treatment. You don’t HAVE to sit around worrying about the costs of seeking treatment if you’ve got insurance, you just get treatment.
And depending on your injury/condition, it can be critical that you get treatment immediately,regardless of cost. Should you really be thinking “Can I afford that x-ray” when the issue is “Will my hand ever work again?” or “Do I have dengue?”
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I was a bit surprised at this article because it doesn’t really answer the question posed by the title. I’ve got travel insurance, and I’ve learned a little of the language, but I’ve fallen off my bike or had an allergic reaction and what do I actually do next?
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I like the tip about knowing more specific words to describe symptoms. That advice would also apply to anyone who had a medical condition or allergy.
One thing I would add would be to figure out ahead of time who to call in an emergency. At the very least, travellers should know how to contact emergency services or hospital, their travel insurance provider (or emergency assistance company), tour operator (if applicable), and local embassy. Government travel advice often provides emergency phone numbers and discusses local health facilities and services.
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My wife and I had medical insurance on our trip to Thailand in 2006. Good thing – she somehow contracted food poisoning…we think from her cooking class! Anyway after 2 days of stomach clenching pain, I took her to the local private hospital in Chiang Mai.
She spent the night in her own private room, a balcony, a dedicated nurse, IV drip, the whole bit. The next day when I came to collect her and pay the bill, I reached for my insurance card and anticipated the astronomical cost…
The cost (including anti-biotics) came to $22.50 in Canadian dollars. I put my insurance card away and just paid cash.
In this instance we were lucky. But I can’t imagine what the cost would have been in the US….
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Step 1.
Find a doctor / nurse / paramedic..
Step 2.
Befriend said person
Step 3.
Entice them into accompanying you on your travels.
Results in:
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Are you kidding? We’ve got the best medical care money can buy (but no one can afford)! Why, we can’t keep ‘em in the hospitals (let alone get ‘em in)!
I’m a little divided on the subject.
But it’s a good thing we’ve got our bubble suits. “Never leave home without your bubble suit!” we say.
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Not at all life-threatening, but I had a root canal emergency while I was living in Japan and getting a dentist who’d deal with it properly was a huge headache (to go with the soul-destroying toothache I already had). As in Tip #1 here, the language you need to describe the pain/problem is the biggest hurdle, I think (as are dentists who advertise as “English-speaking” but can’t). Next time my first step would be to find someone who could translate for me. The happy result is I learned a lot of Japanese words about describing pain =)
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This is something that not everyone thinks about, but definitely should, before traveling.
@Amanda- I like your idea of finding someone to translate. Your state of health is not something to be lost in translation!↵ -
Thanks for the comments, everyone. Sorry it took me a while to respond.
Chris –
I have an American Express card and did not know that – good to know once I leave Japan and won’t have steady medical coverage. Thanks for the tip.Pam -
I definitely didn’t think about it when I first came here. Now that I’ve actually had to go into surgery (even minor), I’ll be keeping a closer eye out for insurance.Marie –
Sorry it didn’t meet your expectations, but I think the key points were conveyed. When I was injured, I spoke a little of the native language, but wasn’t exactly fluent in medical Japanese. Thus, I thought I learned what were to be the essentials of dealing with sudden injuries: if you’re outside, scream “hospital!”; once you’re with the doctor, describe your injury in simple words; when you’re released, think about your finances and how much time you need for a full recovery.Elizabeth -
Point taken. If you’re with a native, this may not be an issue, but if you’re near a payphone or have purchased a cell, you should definitely get the emergency numbers at the border. Unless, of course, you believe the police or physicians in your present environment can’t be trusted.Ian -
USD $896.17Joshua –
Still on the lookout for that giggling nurse.Amanda and Elizabeth again –
Absolutely, getting an interpreter is a good idea, especially if you’re only planning a short stay. However, forgoing an interpreter taught me how to deal with the system on my own – yes, it was painful and confusing (discussing my surgery, the doctor had a few English words for me: “surgery… plate… tomorrow… OK?”), but using an interpreter takes you slightly out of the equation. At least on your own, you’re more in control of the situation. Granted, this may not be the best advice for someone facing amputation or gunshot wound care.For all native-English speakers, consult the local US embassy website – they should have a list of preferred doctors in your country.
Keep the comments coming – my first BNT article.
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I’ve seen more foreign hospitals from the inside than I care to remember. I got Dengue and Typhoid Fever in Thailand, got bent in Indonesia and had a good few too many motorbike accidents over the years, luckily none of them too serious. I only carry diving insurance and included in that is a small travel insurance. I have to pay for everything up to 200 EUR myself. Sometimes it’s frustrating talking to the doctors, but in the end I was always treated properly. Most doctors, even in so called 3rd world countries, speak a bit of English. Couple that with sign language and you can get the essential things across.
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