From the category archives:

Medical & Illness Stories

I don’t travel much. Life sometimes changes things and air travel is by far the quickest way. I flew to Orlando for the weekend from Michigan. The trip down was nice and pleasant. The return, however, was another story. The plane was packed; no empty seats. I’m at the window with a newly married couple on my left. Either the husband was sick or hungover, I don’t know. The flight from Orlando to Pittsburgh was just short of 2 hours. The husband on my left spent the whole time vomiting bag after bag right next to me. He never bothered to offer so much in any way an apology. Why they let this couple on the plane is a mystery to me to this day.

Jim from Michigan

Two years ago, on a flight from Lisbon, Portugal to Fortaleza, Brazil, a man who looked a bit inebriated when he boarded decided to take a nap. On the floor. At one point he tried to sleep in the aisle, then, after I notified the fight attendant and she told him to move, he moved to the floor in front of a row of seats. Far worse, he put 2 of 4 toilets in the economy section of the plane out of commission through a combination of errant urination and vomiting. I didn’t see him after we disembarked. I hope he didn’t try to drive home.

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When I was 18, I was flying back (on my second air flight ever!) from visiting my married sister in Nevada. Now, in my extended family, I am known as ‘the sickly one.’ Everything that can happen does to me.

On this flight, I boarded feeling cheery, excited, and well rested. I spoke to the gent sitting beside me about little things, and listened to him. I started listening more and more to him as I began to feel lightheaded and a bit sick in a non-nausea way. My chest hurt and I was having a hard time breathing. I asked him, when I was beginning to gasp, to call the airline attendant.

Bravo to the airline for having considerate attendants, a kind African American gentleman, but no working oxygen tank in the back! It was okay, they got one from the front. I remember passing out, but feeling better as soon as the plane descended far enough for an emergency landing. I asked the flight attendant to apologize to the other passengers for me. I still feel guilty about my health messing up their flight.

A very sarcastic thanks to the New Mexico hospital who assumed I had been on drugs, didn’t run a single test aside from a drug screening and turned me out ALONE with no money, knowing I hadn’t been able to contact my parents and was hundreds of miles away from home, with no answer as to why I was having chest pain, difficultly breathing, and passed out. Thank God my father heard from the only relative I’d been able to contact and came from Texas!

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I was flying home from a relaxing vacation in Lakeland Florida and of course our flight flew from Orlando…. home of Disney World. As my luck would be, the flight was full and who would sit beside me a lady who gets very sick on planes. As the plane took off her appearance started to get whiter. Now, her entire family was on the flight and they had enjoyed 7 days at Disney World! All the sudden she starts throwing up and continued to throw up for 2 hours…. including wetting herself with every heave. Her family wouldn’t even look at her for help. When she left the plane they had to carry her out of the plane. Of course, her family was following behind her with eyes down.

Of all the years of flying I had never had a seat partner as nasty as this one… portly people can sit near me… keep the motion sickness people away from me!

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Many years ago I was on a return flight from Mexico to the U.S. The flight turned to hell when 50-75% of the passengers simultaneously had reactions to food we had all eaten in Mexico. At first, it was just constant people going to the bathroom with diarrhea or vomit. With about an hour remaining in the flight, a young man was so sick in the bathroom we could all hear and smell him. People were vomiting in the little bags provided for the smell alone. The bathrooms had lines the entire flight and they made an exception to let people from coach use the first class bathrooms. Some people and small children were crying and panicking. I don’t blame them, it was like we had been attacked with bioweapons. I literally choked on my first breath of fresh air when I stepped off the plane. Not the airline’s fault, but definitely a flight from hell.

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Air Sickness

November 27, 2009 Medical & Illness Stories

My worst flight ever! Back in the mid-1970s, I boarded a small twin engine commuter flight from Amarillo, TX to Bakersfield, CA. It was a very hot August and the air was very turbulent. About midway through the flight, the air conditioning failed on the aircraft while the turbulence was getting worse. Shortly thereafter someone [...]

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An Arsenal Of Pills

November 22, 2009 Medical & Illness Stories

This story is a reflection of my world. It’s not a hell story, but really funny…
Years ago, I’m taking a short flight from ATL to RDU. I had just gotten back from being stationed in Germany, and was on the last leg of a 19 hour flight day. I was in my BDU’s, so I [...]

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Two Separate Snot Stories

November 2, 2009 Medical & Illness Stories

I had to fly out West for a meeting with some colleagues about a web site kirtasbooks.com. Meeting went well, boarded the red-eye to head back to NY. I was seated next to a 60ish year old man in the dirtiest sport coat you’ve ever seen. He smelled like sour milk, but it gets better. [...]

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A Shocking Experience.

October 14, 2009 Medical & Illness Stories

I was flying back to Fargo from Boston after a spring break. In the six months prior to this flight, I had passed 15+ kidney stones. The very week prior to this flight, I had surgery to remove a rather large stone. After that surgery, I was given an antibiotic to help avoid an infection.
Now, [...]

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Pregnant Passenger Covered With Puke

October 13, 2009 Medical & Illness Stories

I was flying from Las Vegas to Oakland on a late morning flight. My 3 year old son was flying with me and I was 2 months pregnant and was experiencing extreme morning sickness. My son sat down next to the window and I sat in the center seat. A large man sat next to [...]

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Anxiety Attack

October 2, 2009 Medical & Illness Stories

In February of 2001 my granny passed away from a massive heart attack. As to be expected I was quite upset. At the time I was stationed in Ft. Lewis, Wa and my family was in Asheville, NC. I got the first flight out that I could which was early the next morning. I actually [...]

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