We don’t want to bring up any bad memories for you, but for today’s poll, we’re curious to learn if you or a partner have ever needed emergency medical care while RVing.
If you’re comfortable sharing the story after you vote, please do so in the comments. This can be a big concern for RVers who are constantly traveling, sometimes far from the nearest city or town!
We know this is a little different than needing emergency medical care, but this article by Lisa Adcox about what to do if you get sick as a full-time RVer may come in handy.
Wow, It’s amazing to hear how many have dealt with emergencies while traveling.
Update on Rick and I. We sold our RV and are living close to family now. We are doing good. Miss our travels but we are ok. He is doing well. Keeps working at getting better. Love reading about everyone’s travel.
The DW and I traveled with my cousin and she wasn’t in the best of health. Went to the ER a couple of times. My cousin passed last winter.
Stung by a bee, the bee landed on my neck and my 3 yr. old son knowing I was allergic to them decided to grab it by the wings to remove it. Stung, within minutes the hives started. My wife drove me to the nearest hospital about 15 miles away with me giving her directions. When we got to the center of the small town, I could not remember which direction to the hospital, and it was becoming hard to breath. There was a policeman sitting at the corner, my wife stated blaring the cars horn to get his attention. A police escort brought us less than a mile to the hospital where I was given two shots of epinephrine before even getting out of the car. About 5 hours later I was release and have virtually no recollection of the first 2-3 hours. Thanks to everyone that assisted me that day, including my now 40 yr. old son for looking out for daddy 37 years ago.
Wow! What a great story, Tom. Brought tears to my eyes. Have a good night. 😀 –Diane
I hate to answer these types of questions, I don’t want to jinx us!
This year my husband passed out for about 10 or 15 seconds (tired, dehydrated and it was very hot). The fall on the pavement ended up requiring 10 stitches on his nose. We had just pulled into a campground and immediately a lady called 911 while i was making sure he was okay (beyond the bleeding). While paramedics were there, another camper came over and asked if he could unhitch the trailer and set it up for us. Oh my gosh – what a relief. This same man came and picked us up at the hospital a few hours later. Several people at the campground came by the next day to find out if he was okay and if we needed any help. Very reassuring and heart-warming.
We were traveling in Alaska with my wife’s parents and her father required medical assistance twice during the trip. However, we have not required such.
Kidney stone #1, Cottonwood, AZ, 1ER visit
Kidney stone #2, Custer, AZ. 3 ER visits, laser treatment to break up the mountain
Severe blood in urine, San Jose CA.
what made all of this worse was my wife does not drive the MH. we were in camp when all of this happened and the worry about how my wife would take care of herself or even get home should the worst happen or even if I were to be hospitalized added to my stress. during the last incident in CA I joined the Good Sam Travel Assist program just in case I couldn’t drive home to Illinois. I never had to use it, thankfully. We are now selling the coach. We had 36-good years and we will miss it but with her mobility issues she is unable to really give me meaningful help and it’s just become too much work for me. More work that pleasure.
My husband. In the Keys. At a restaurant. Finished eating a late lunch. He had a glass of wine with his meal. Got up to leave. Took a few steps and fell to the floor. Everyone was great. Paramedics called. They happened to be near by. One of the servers helped calm me down. I was in a panic thinking he might have had a heart attack or stroke. He came to. Took him to nearby hospital in Key West. Hospital was great. After a while all his vitals were good. Got to go home later that evening. Thank goodness I know how to drive a stick. Drove our MINI Cooper back to RV park 20 miles away, in the dark (hate driving at night). Later, he confessed he figured out he thought he was taking something he normally takes, but took a muscle relaxant by mistake. With the wine….no bueno.
Once. Broke my leg in two places while out mountain biking in eastern Washington. Luckily, I was able to get the wife to come meet me near where I wiped out and pick me up in our Jeep, and our daughter had come to visit us at the campground for July 4th weekend. Between the two of them, they got the Jeep hooked up to the RV and my wife drove us home a few days later, with me laying on the couch in a temporary cast. Thank heavens for good Union health insurance!
OK here’s the laugh for the day. We are full time and while spending a month on the Bolivar Peninsula, I got the end of a cotton swab lodged in my ear. (Go ahead, laugh). Had to take the ferry across to Galveston to the University of Texas Medical Branch to have it removed. All went well, and we were back to sitting on the beach.
I was 60 when I had a nasty bike wreck in the San Juan Mountains near Silverton, CO and took a 2-hour ambulance ride down to Durango. A CT scan showed no apparent brain injuries, so I was released after getting patched up and being observed for a few hours. My husband did drive separately (someone mentioned that below) and we got back to our RV parked along Mineral Creek later that day. I healed up well but have had trouble mentally focusing ever since. I assume I got a mild TBI. In 13 years of extended or full-time RVing all over N. America, we never had major problems finding good medical or dental care while traveling.
We’re full timers. We were on our home base property last year for the summer and on the 3rd of July at 11:30 pm an esophageal ulcer that I didn’t know I had exploded. Nearest emergency room was 30 miles south. By the time we got there I had filled two IV bags with my blood. No blood available. Two more bags filled while I was there, the nearest hospital with the needed facilities was 60 miles further south. Ambulance ride at max speed allowable in MN (speed limiting governor) is 70 mph. Threw up two more bags of blood when we pulled into the emergency bay. I was awake for all of this. The doctor said I had thrown up 1/3 of my blood. They had one unit of blood available for me and that was it. Within an hour I was in surgery getting my esophagus repaired. Spent 3 days in the hospital and I was good to go home.
So far, that’s the only time we’ve needed emergency services.
My husband was newly diagnosed with cancer and was extremely exhausted after our drive to AZ. After 4 days unable to get going he called his cancer doctor and was told to get checked out in the emergency room.
No and I hope never but am empathetic with those that have had to.
Determined 2 days into a trip with my wife in our truck camper that my appendix had ruptured. My wife drove home as I lay in the cabover bed.
If your better half requires medical transport to a hospital, DO NOT ride in the ambulance with them. Follow the ambulance in your own vehicle or you could be stuck at the hospital with no ride back to the campground.
not me, but my (late) Father-in-Law. this was a LONG time ago (25 years?) and he was towing his 5th wheel to Florida to think about retiring. He had a heart attack near Tallahassee. When he was discharged, we drove him and his RV to our home in Alabama, where he stayed and recovered. He NEVER went back to Florida. (he lived for over 20 years after that)
We haven’t, but our puppy broke her foreleg.