Our trip to hell – part 4 – From cruise ship to hospital

Part 4 of 'Our trip to hell'. I am not blaming either the ship or its owner, Carnival, but fact is that, while healthy at the start of our week cruising to and from the Mexican Riviera, and by the end I was taken to hospital - too ill to fly home. By ‘healthy’, I mean besides multiple sclerosis that I live with all the time. This time I was tired, weak, off my food, and had a serious cough and a bad case of diarrhoea (British spelling).

Coronavirus: Cruise ships in quarantine, symptoms, epidemic vs pandemic, vaccine research

One of the aspects of the coronavirus epidemic that has been latched onto by the Press is the fact that thousands of people are stranded aboard two quarantined cruise ships. As a cruise enthusiast, that piqued my interest. There are 3,711 passengers and crew on Diamond Princess anchored off the coast of Yokohama, near Tokyo, …

Our trip to hell – part 2 – Los Angeles

Our British Airways flight from Madrid to Heathrow was beset with problems. First, there was a ‘technical issue’ with the plane. At least, that was the official explanation but one of the staff at the boarding gate revealed that a bird had got on board and was being removed. Then, once we landed in London, …

Mobility scooters: A question of cruising

Cruise lovers have widely differing opinions about the use of mobility scooters on board ships. And that affects everyone with mobility difficulties, whether caused by a disease such as multiple sclerosis, injury, or even aging. Their views are included as comments on a story appearing on cruise.co.uk website. They vary from calls for mobility scooters …

Wheelchairs: Love to Have, Hate to Need

Wheelchairs, scooters and I have a love/hate relationship. Not hate the actual chair, just the need to use one, hate the fact that my mobility is so badly affected by multiple sclerosis that walking, with a walking aid, any further than 10 to 15 yards is impossible without sitting down. From that, you will probably …

Wheelchair user’s dream: Motorized, foldable and lightweight

As regular readers will know, I am a bit of an advocate when it comes to accessibility and mobility issues and, from time to time, do address these subjects. Those subjects are of particular interest to me as I have to use a wheelchair as my mobility is severely restricted because of multiple sclerosis. Occasionally, …

Tomorrow´s wheelchairs and scooters available now

Being diagnosed with a critical illness, disease or disability - in my case multiple sclerosis - is bad news. But when I was diagnosed, in 2002, it was a relief. Relief? Yes, it was a relief because, although not something anyone would wish to hear, I then knew what was wrong. Over those years, I have become …

Zika set to hit Europe but WHO plays down risk

Health officials are playing down the scares associated with the risk of a European outbreak of the infectious Zika virus - although they admit it is possible as the weather gets warmer. Meanwhile, 279 pregnant women in the US and its territories have tested positive for infection with Zika. Of these, 157 are in the …

All new folding electric wheelchair is light enough to be carried aboard some cruise ships’ tenders

If you are fond of cruise holidays, you are far from alone and if you have any form of disability, you can be assured that all cruise companies will do their very best to help you. What has always been a problem for users of electric wheelchair, however, are those ports of call where the …

Hotel group bans disability scooters

Able-bodied people are being blamed for hiring and misusing mobility scooters leading to one of the leading hotel chains in Benidorm, Spain, to ban the scooters that are essential mobility aids for people with one or more of a whole range of disabilities. As I live with multiple sclerosis and use a powered wheelchair, you will …