Tips for preparing for times when you experience health issues while away from your sticks-and-bricks home.
By Mike Wendland, F425141
October 2015
It wasn’t pretty. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, either.
I knew something was wrong as soon as I got up that morning. I was feeling queasy and very chilled. Yet the sun was shining, and it was already in the 70s outside. We had arrived in Naples, Florida, the afternoon before. We ate dinner at a local restaurant, and 12 hours later, I could feel that dinner still sitting in my belly like a brick.
I’m not sure whether it was food poisoning or the stomach flu, or if there really is much difference between the two. But for all of that day, I was ill.
You know that saying we Type B motorhome owners have — “Small House, Big Yard”? Let’s just say that Jennifer spent as much of her time as possible that day in the big yard.
I stayed curled up, covered up, shivering in our Roadtrek motorhome, grateful that the bathroom was two steps away in our small house.
It’s not fun being sick. Ever. But this lasted only about 18 hours or so. I even drove Jennifer to a local shopping center, and I slept in the back of the coach until she returned. When your home is your RV, your home is wherever you are . . . in a campground, at a boondocking spot, or in a shopping center parking lot.
Being in the motorhome was cozy and comforting, and despite the fact that I felt miserable, the day passed surprisingly fast. By the next day, I was back to normal.
If you travel enough in your RV, it’s inevitable. You will get sick on the road. According to a recent survey commissioned by World Access, a travel-insurance and assistance company, more than 35 percent of business travelers said they or a colleague have become seriously sick or injured while away from home.
Since that episode in Naples, we’ve traveled many miles. And we have been sick again in our motorhome.
Most recently, it was this past summer. And this time, it was Jennifer. She had been coughing for a week. But just as we reached the town of Red Lodge, Montana, on the edge of the Beartooth Mountains, it suddenly became very serious.
I took her to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. She ended up hospitalized for three days. I spent the nights in the RV in the parking lot.
When they discharged her, they sent her off with strict instructions to take it easy and stay home as much as possible. Home is our RV. That was easy.
The hospitalization part was certainly a bump in our road this summer. But it showed us that even in the most remote locations, good health care is available. Turns out that little 10-room hospital in Red Lodge — the Beartooth Billings Clinic — has been voted one of America’s top rural hospitals. Jennifer had a private room with a great view. They even let our dog, Tai, hang out with her in the room during the day.
We have experienced other illnesses along the way. Last year, on our wedding anniversary, no less, we both came down with terrible colds. We were in Dubois, Wyoming, at the time. Instead of moving on as we had planned, we just booked three more nights at the campground where we were and stayed put until the worst of the sneezing and coughing passed.
What we have learned is that worries about health issues — unless, of course, one has a chronic and longtime situation — should not keep you from enjoying the motorhome lifestyle.
Here are some other suggestions:
- Take your medical records with you. Almost every hospital and physician’s office now uses electronic medical records. You can access your latest test results and records right over the Internet, in most cases. Either print out the last few tests or, as we do, copy them to a thumb drive. That way, if you need to see a physician or visit a hospital while out of town, you can save a lot of time by giving them your results.
- Bring a copy of your prescriptions with you as you travel. We suggest that you have your prescriptions handled by a national chain, if at all possible. Generally, if you use a national drugstore chain (CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, Rite-Aid, etc.), it’s pretty easy to get what you need. They usually have centralized records and can find and verify your prescription.
- Make sure the first-aid kit you carry in your motorhome includes a thermometer. Those readings, your doctor will tell you, are essential information a health care provider needs when diagnosing an illness. If you are not feeling well, take your temperature every few hours so you can give the doctor a trend.
- To find a doctor in an unfamiliar town, do some online research. Sites such as vitals.com, ratemds.com, and healthgrades.com can help you find lists and ratings of local physicians across the United States and, in the case of ratemds.com, Canada. In addition, campground staff usually can provide a list of local physicians.
- Always know your location. In case you need to summon emergency help, be sure you know the name of your campground, the street address, and your site number. Learn how you can access the GPS coordinates on your navigation system. Always be aware of the street or highway you are on. Valuable time in responding to an emergency can be lost by first responders searching for a vague location.
Bottom line: Be prepared, but realize that your motorhome is your home, and because of that, no matter where you are, you will be in familiar surroundings.
Stay healthy, everyone!
Farewell To Tai
In July, the Wendlands lost Tai, their 11-year-old Norwegian elkhound who has accompanied them on their many adventures during the past four years. Tai was diagnosed with an incurable cancer.
“Tai loved Roadtreking,” Mike wrote in his blog post honoring his beloved pet. “When we were home, he’d sit next to it in the driveway, anxiously awaiting the next adventure. And adventure he had. I have hundreds of photos of him. Hiking riverbanks and forests, mountaintops and canyons, beaches and meadows. He barked at bison, sniffed bears, chased elk and deer, mixed it up with raccoons, got sprayed by a skunk, and made friends across the country. He had a good, full life. But now ours is so empty.”
You can read Mike’s entire blog post at http://roadtreking.com/farewell-to-a-friend/
The Wendlands note that they wish to thank so many FMCA members for their kind words of encouragement. And, yes, when the time is right, they are thinking of getting another pup.