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Hi! Im A Bit Worried, My Fiance Is In Merchant
Posted on
Sun, 15 Mar 2020
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Sun, 15 Mar 2020
Answered on
Last reviewed on
Question : Hi! im a bit worried, my fiance is in merchant navy and is sailing currently. A couple of times lately he noticed his temparture drop from below normal. Right now he woke up from his sleep, felt heaviness in the chest andchecked his temprature which was 35.5 C . Please can you tell if its dangerous and what should we do.
Brief Answer:
Need some details..
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
May I know his age? Is he known to have any known medical illness in the past such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorder asthma or past cardiac illness including irregular heart beats? May I also know where is he currently posted or is sailing from?
Right now, the best suggestion I would give him is to relax and stay calm. Most often symptoms such as these are usually benign especially if he has no previous medical / cardiac illness.
1. The current illness that is affecting worldwide nations has caused cough (dry or with sputum) in more than 80% patients. And if the crew did not board any new passengers, it is not likely that he is going to suffer from it especially with this set of symptoms.
2. Dyspepsia or gastritis is known to wake up patients with heavy chest. If if the pain is not very severe and he has no breathing difficulty, this ache is not likely from a cardiac source.
3. Body temperature fluctuation is not uncommon. As long body temperature stays above 35 deg C, he is safe from hypothermia.
My suggestion to him therefore are:
1. Stay calm and relaxed. Do not be panic about new infection (novel virus) or heart ailment.
2. Keep warm
3. If the heaviness is persistent and severe, report to any healthcare individual on board to rule out dyspepsia. If necessary, a basic cardiac test including EKG may be performed. And acid lowering drugs could be prescribed.
4. Observe and wait if he is able to perform routine activities like walking, climbing stairs without pain / breathing difficulty.
5. Avoid strenuous physical activities like lifting heavy objects unless permitted by healthcare authorities on board.
Hope this helps. Let me know if he has any other specific concerns.
Regards
Need some details..
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
May I know his age? Is he known to have any known medical illness in the past such as diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorder asthma or past cardiac illness including irregular heart beats? May I also know where is he currently posted or is sailing from?
Right now, the best suggestion I would give him is to relax and stay calm. Most often symptoms such as these are usually benign especially if he has no previous medical / cardiac illness.
1. The current illness that is affecting worldwide nations has caused cough (dry or with sputum) in more than 80% patients. And if the crew did not board any new passengers, it is not likely that he is going to suffer from it especially with this set of symptoms.
2. Dyspepsia or gastritis is known to wake up patients with heavy chest. If if the pain is not very severe and he has no breathing difficulty, this ache is not likely from a cardiac source.
3. Body temperature fluctuation is not uncommon. As long body temperature stays above 35 deg C, he is safe from hypothermia.
My suggestion to him therefore are:
1. Stay calm and relaxed. Do not be panic about new infection (novel virus) or heart ailment.
2. Keep warm
3. If the heaviness is persistent and severe, report to any healthcare individual on board to rule out dyspepsia. If necessary, a basic cardiac test including EKG may be performed. And acid lowering drugs could be prescribed.
4. Observe and wait if he is able to perform routine activities like walking, climbing stairs without pain / breathing difficulty.
5. Avoid strenuous physical activities like lifting heavy objects unless permitted by healthcare authorities on board.
Hope this helps. Let me know if he has any other specific concerns.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
thank you doctor. He is 29 years old, with no prior health condition. He has been sailing between Malaysia and Japan (back snd forth) but they have no allowed anyone to board or deboard the ship since the epidemic took over.
No there wasn%E2%80%99t any particular discomfort pertaining to chest pain or heaviness, just got worried because of the drop in his temprature, which happened around a day or two ago as well. Please let me know if he should do anything specific/ or avoid anything. or if there%E2%80%99s anything to worry about.
thank you
No there wasn%E2%80%99t any particular discomfort pertaining to chest pain or heaviness, just got worried because of the drop in his temprature, which happened around a day or two ago as well. Please let me know if he should do anything specific/ or avoid anything. or if there%E2%80%99s anything to worry about.
thank you
Brief Answer:
Keeping calm is priority...
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
It's good to know no new crew/passengers boarded the ship. It keeps them real safe from the new infection. This novel virus is not known to spread beyond 2 meters from the affected individual; so this bunch of crew on the ship are in a safe house away from what is happening around us now.
As far as his problem is concerned, I would encourage him to keep calm and not to panic. Anxiety and fear sometimes worsen symptoms related to chest. If there is a medical personnel available in the crew, it would be good to see him or her. Medication if necessary may be started after we can identify dyspepsia or other conditions. As I mentioned earlier a heart pathology is not likely.
If there are no one with medical background, and if the discomfort is mild then better to wait and observe along with my previous suggestions.
Hope this helped you. I'd be glad to clarify any other doubts you may have.
Regards
Keeping calm is priority...
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
It's good to know no new crew/passengers boarded the ship. It keeps them real safe from the new infection. This novel virus is not known to spread beyond 2 meters from the affected individual; so this bunch of crew on the ship are in a safe house away from what is happening around us now.
As far as his problem is concerned, I would encourage him to keep calm and not to panic. Anxiety and fear sometimes worsen symptoms related to chest. If there is a medical personnel available in the crew, it would be good to see him or her. Medication if necessary may be started after we can identify dyspepsia or other conditions. As I mentioned earlier a heart pathology is not likely.
If there are no one with medical background, and if the discomfort is mild then better to wait and observe along with my previous suggestions.
Hope this helped you. I'd be glad to clarify any other doubts you may have.
Regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thank you so much Doctor. When he checked it next it was normal and hasn’t lowered in the last two days. Any precautions you’d suggest that he should take ? Also best thing to do when such a thing happens is to stay warm and calm? Is that it?
We still can’t figure out why it would have happened. But being careful for now.
We still can’t figure out why it would have happened. But being careful for now.
Brief Answer:
Being calm and relaxed helps!!
Detailed Answer:
Apologies for the late reply...
It's good to know he is fine now.
Many things that happen within human body are still a mystery. There are times when we cannot for certain identify why and how it happens. But we do know that often lot of stress causes imbalance both hormonally and physiologically resulting in varied symptoms. So calming down helps!!
The symptoms he had 3 days ago could be due to the effects of stress, low sugars, gastritis or many other reasons. But I don't feel any of those reasons are of serious concern. However I will suggest getting his physical examination done once he is back home.
For now, I'd advise him to eat a healthy diet and being regular with food. Avoid skipping food and avoid anything that is too hot and spicy. Cut down on beverages especially caffeinated drinks. Sleep well and stay relaxed. If he has a supply of antacids, he can take them for a few days as per advice of medical personnel on board.
Hope it helped you. I'd be glad to address any other concerns you might have.
Regards
Being calm and relaxed helps!!
Detailed Answer:
Apologies for the late reply...
It's good to know he is fine now.
Many things that happen within human body are still a mystery. There are times when we cannot for certain identify why and how it happens. But we do know that often lot of stress causes imbalance both hormonally and physiologically resulting in varied symptoms. So calming down helps!!
The symptoms he had 3 days ago could be due to the effects of stress, low sugars, gastritis or many other reasons. But I don't feel any of those reasons are of serious concern. However I will suggest getting his physical examination done once he is back home.
For now, I'd advise him to eat a healthy diet and being regular with food. Avoid skipping food and avoid anything that is too hot and spicy. Cut down on beverages especially caffeinated drinks. Sleep well and stay relaxed. If he has a supply of antacids, he can take them for a few days as per advice of medical personnel on board.
Hope it helped you. I'd be glad to address any other concerns you might have.
Regards
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
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