Holiday worry

I expect your husband was given medical advice about the best way to avoid any future bowel problems, so as long as he has been following instructions, you should feel reassured about the holiday.

Both my DH and I have very similar conditions. DH became ill during a camping holiday. Fortunately we know how to deal with it but it was really stressful.
I have twice been admitted to hospital, not realising I was ill. If it weren't for my DH knowing I wasn't well I wouldn't be here to tell the tale.
That said, we still go on holiday; recently drove to Switzerland.
Just be sure that you and your DH eat the right things, drink plenty of clear fluids, not alcohol, and that he stays regular.
Check out local pharmacy, doctors, walk in clinics and A&E. If you have everything to hand you won't need it.
It's a bind but try not to stress as he will stress and that can make his condition flare up.
Have a nice holiday.

Thanks for the replies, it really is awful feeling so stressed, especially when I know logically should be fine

Please don’t tell dollydaydream not to worry about things that might never happen! She’s not choosing to be worried - she’s asking for help to overcome her worries. And thankfully, there is some excellent advice here. I would suggest that ddd uses this trip to practice doing all the things her husband normally does, so that she’s familiar with them. So the next time they are going away, she may be able to approach it with more pleasure - it may be one potential source of anxiety reduced, if not removed.

Before you go;

write down a list of his medical problems, his medications, his GP contact details, the Consultant /hospital which has treated him before, and his NHS ID number.

Keep it in your handbag.

IF you need to summon help on holiday you can hand this over to the medics and be assured they have access to his full medical records to help them look after him.

Both DH and I have needed to attend A&E whilst away in our touring van, more than once and a visit each this year! But I do drive so whichever of us is ill the other can take charge.

My DH is also suffering with a serious back issue so earlier this year I did all the lugging of water, waste and toilet and found it surprisingly "easy". The most difficult bit was standing the water barrel upright when I had filled it, but I managed.

This weekend we are away again in our van and for the first time in years I will be towing it! Fortunately . I enjoy driving (to a point) and am not scared of towing but it will be a first to cope with towing through villages and negotiating crossroads.

I am more concerned about getting emergency medical treatment at home as a 6-hour wait for an ambulance is common, with a further 6 hours minimum in A&E. Last time we needed A&E on holiday we were there and back in under 3 hours - it was a pleasant evening out!

Hope you enjoy your trip and nothing goes amiss.

Go on holiday, if he needs an ambulance call one or take him yourself.

Dollydaydream are you touring or staying on one site? Hubby and I are part time wardens on a site and have had to help when someone has been taken ill while here - not very often thankfully. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Yoj are worrying about something that may not happen. Worst scenario DH needs hospital admission, you have insurance to get him home. Are yoh travelling by car and would you manage to drive home on your own or are you using eg train. That's the only issue I'd consider.

woodenspoon

dollydaydream68
Thanks for your encouragement. I don't drive

Perhaps it’s time to learn!

I think she wants to go on holiday this year, not next…

I know it's ridiculous to worry, I have taken out green flag insurance which if husband I'll or unable to drive will bring car and caravan home.
DH always says plenty of people to help and not necessary. He can do all so doesn't understand my anxiety

DollyDaydream You could ask the site manager whether they are going to be full at that time, or likely to be. That would remove one piece of uncertainty that is making you anxious.

woodenspoon

dollydaydream68

Thanks for your encouragement. I don't drive

Perhaps it’s time to learn!

Now is definitely NOT the time to start learning - going away soon for this holiday, already worried about her husband and about coping on her own with the caravan chores and her responsibility for her husband, and no longer a spring chicken.

Driving lessons would add another layer of anxiety. she doesn't need that.

Mojack26

Why do you need insurance if you're in UK?

In case you have expenses to claim - the NHS will deal with illness but not pay for a wife staying in a hotel while her husband is in hospital. Maybe Dollydaydream should keep that as a back-up plan - move out of the van if she is left alone at the site.
Or if they have AA or RAC they would get her and the van back to her own home.

Why do you need insurance if you're in UK?

It's not that easy, and anyway not everyone is a natural driver. I know I'm not.

Husband just says it'll be fine. I did once have to call an ambulance when we were away.

Thanks Elegran, that's exactly right. What if site full and I can't stay.? Have some notes on how to live in van but I do struggle. Need more practice!

I don't think the OP is posting so much about her husband being OK - she knows how to get an ambulance to get him to A & E, and they will deal with the problem then - but about coping with the logistics of life in the caravan without him, and about visiting the hospital without driving.

Make friends with the organisers of the site as soon as you get there, and mention your worries. They are very helpful if needed, so are fellow caravanners.

Is it a touring van or a static one? If it is a static, daily life will be the same as in a house. It will be wired and plumbed in, with the same facilities as home.

A touring van will need you doing things that your OH probably did (as mine did) - filling the water tank and emptying a Portaloo for instance. You presumably have a rolling water-barrel, and the Portaloo tank can be strapped to a sack barrow to transport it to an emptying point. If you have not done these things, get him to give you a demonstration in case it is necessary.

Same with managing gas bottles if that is how you cook and heat the van (but these days touring vans have microwaves, electric cookers and heaters. When we started decades ago, we had gas lighting with fragile gas mantles that disintegrated if they were shaken around while travelling, a one-burner gas ring and a grill that took one slice of toast at a time and left that pale round the edges. I remember trying to grill sausages after sunset one evening. If I turned up the gas on the grill, the lights went out. If I turned it back down to see, the sausages stopped cooking. We travelled with a box of new gas mantles, and mostly ate tinned stuff or ate out.)

Go - you will be OK.

dollydaydream68

We're caravanning in Cornwall.

Truro A&E is very pleasant😄 I was there on my last holiday to Cornwall.

Hi Catterygirl, it is ok to take Propanalol occasionally - I take it when I have a migraine (thankfully not very often these days), and in stressful situations if I feel I need calming down.
It depends on why you’re taking it as to whether you need to be careful about stopping taking it.
As it’s a prescribed drug you would need to have had advice from a GP anyway.
Glad the deep breathing helps you.

I was given Propanalol for panic attacks before travelling but on the packet, it said not allowed to stop taking it without a doctor’s approval. I used deep breathing instead.

Do you have any family members or friends that could be called on to help out should you need a lift or just moral support in an emergency? Might be an idea to run the possibility of needing help through them before you go.
PS I'm in Cornwall on holiday right now and it's lovely- go for it!

We're caravanning in Cornwall.

Dolly, can you use a mobile phone? If not you need to ensure that where you will be on holiday has someone handy, a hotel manager, or some other person who can make a a urgent call for you, and call for a taxi .

You also need to know how to pay the taxi driver .e,g cash, or plastic card.
I do sympathise with you and your situation, and I understand you need for help on deciding how to cope when on holiday.