Thats how long it was going to take us to get back home from Egypt.
Plus one 45-minute Uber ride to get to our front door.
Ill admit: Too much reading on random medical websites got me to this panicked line of thinking.
Morgan Johnson
Im just wrapping something up!
I proclaimed, before feverishly returning to my Google search results.
Have you been inactive for hours upon end?Yes.
Do you have swelling in your leg?Check.
Egypt wasa bucket-list trip for meand something that I had been looking forward to for quite a while.
In the year prior, I had been through the ringer.
But our trip was booked and I was determined to be ready for it.
On our first day in Egypt, I hiked up the exterior of the Great Pyramid.
I exclaimed to my half-asleep husband.
My body was officially back in business, it seemed.
Our next adventure was a Nile River cruise.
But as it went on, I noticed that my left calf was getting progressively more sore.
I went down to the lobby of the hotel and asked if they had a doctor on site.
They did, but he wouldnt be available until the following evening.
The hospital wasn’t presently open but would reopen in the morning.
So we set our alarms for 5 a.m. the next day, got up, and hailed a cab.
Once we spotted the hospitals red cross sign, I approached the check-in window.
Slowly, I began to get better at acting things out.
Although I didnt speak the language, it was amazing to witness our ability to communicate in other ways.
I tried my best to sayshukran(thank you) as often as possible.
Though the staff giggled at my terrible accent, everyone seemed to appreciate the effort.
I wanted to be as respectfulas gooda touristas I possibly could be.
(I now babied the right side of my body after sustaining my hip injury a year back.)
He gave me the all-clear and wrote me a script for an anti-inflammatory medication, should I need it.
Thankfully, I wasnt dealing with any severe health issues.
But the situation was admittedly stressful.
I was in pain and in a foreign country.
I didnt speak the local language.
In hindsight, I should have been better prepared.
So what should you do if you find yourself needing to check into the ER while in another country?
This is the expert preparation advice I wish I had considered ahead of my injury and hospital visit abroad.
Your health care experience might feel familiar and unfamiliar all at once.
This pretty much describes what wouldve happened if Id gone to the ER back home in Los Angeles.
An open mind is a must, OShaughnessy says.
Map out where health centers are located ahead of time.
If you have insurance, talk to your provider in advance.
This includes surgery, medical tests, anesthesia, and prescription drugs, Sandberg continues.
Emergency medical coverage may also cover sudden dental emergencies, such as a lost filling or a broken tooth.
Keep your personal information and documents somewhere safe and convenient.
Make hospital communication as clear as possible.
you could also contact theInternational Medical Interpreters Associationfor assistance in locating one.
You definitely don’t want any miscommunication during a medical emergency, Donovan says.
Google Translator is a good option, she says.
Study up on the place youre visiting to helpavoida health issue.
