Question: What do I do if I get sick while visiting Las Vegas?

Rick in Los Angeles

Answer:

Yes, I'm asking myself a question this week to give readers like you a little bit of guidance for future Vegas visits. Why? Last week while in Las Vegas, I wound up in the hospital. Even while I was hooked up to machines monitoring my vitals I was thinking of how I could use the experience to help educate the people who read my column. How's that for devotion?

(I'm also hoping it will allow me a tax write-off on the portion I have to pay for out of pocket, but we'll just pretend it's all about you.)

I'm fine, thanks for asking, but I started having an irregular heartbeat while working from my hotel room during the day and decided, during a lovely dinner at Hank's restaurant at Green Valley Ranch, that a trip to the emergency room was in order.

Lesson No. 1 is to make sure you are carrying your health insurance information with you at all times. Luckily, I had my card in my wallet, but I know a lot of people will leave everything but cash, identification, and maybe one credit card back in the room while they are out running around in Las Vegas. One extra card is not that big of deal and could save you some hassles if something comes up.

Lesson No. 2, to quote Kenny Rogers, is to know when to walk away and when to run. I know that this is your vacation and the last thing you want to do is spend it getting poked and prodded by doctors, but if you're not feeling well don't ignore it. I ignored my situation for most of the day until it got to the point where I couldn't anymore. While I doubt I would've really passed out during dessert, it sure felt like it for a while. It's easy to get distracted by all the flashing everything in Las Vegas, but don't let it distract you from what's really important -- your health and well-being.

Lesson No. 3 is to know where to go. There are hospitals with emergency rooms all over town, and if you're at any major hotel or casino they can direct you to the nearest ones. Sunrise Hospital on Maryland Parkway at Desert Inn Road and the Desert Springs Medical Center on Flamingo at Eastern Avenue are the closest to the Strip. If you have a problem that doesn't quite reach the level of an emergency room visit, there is the Harmon Medical Center, a 24-hour urgent care facility just one block off the Strip behind the Aladdin.

Lesson No. 4 is to not overdo it. Las Vegas is a town built on excess, specifically yours. They do everything they can to get you to eat too much, drink too much, smoke too much, gamble too much and sleep too little. My problem wasn't really related to any of those things, but remember that no matter how old you are, you aren't as young as you used to be. Moderation will help you avoid a trip to the emergency room and will probably help you have a better time in general (I can say from experience that plane rides home from Vegas with a hangover are not fun).

The last lesson is a general one, not specifically related to Las Vegas: Be an advocate for your own health. It's easy to get intimidated by the surroundings of a busy hospital, especially when you aren't feeling well. You think that there are people who are sicker than you, you don't want to be a bother, you can wait. Forget it!

Make sure that the people who are attending to you know what is wrong and know that you're serious about getting it fixed. While I don't recommend checking yourself out of the hospital against medical advice like I did (long story, later) it's important to make sure that your concerns, if you have them, are heard.

Stay well.

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In Next Week's Column

Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.

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