Need help rather desperately

As a start, try air-dr.com for an English speaking doctor where you are.

Or this https://www.amcenters.com/en/prague

As far as alternative accommodation goes - try Booking.com to find somewhere suitable.

While you wait for your travel insurance to call back, could you ask your Airbnb host for information about how to get medical help.

Also, you do not mention what nationality you are but could you call your embassy or consulate.

And you are in a major and large city. How about calling Prague Visitor or Tourist Information. See how they might advise you.

Have you looked at the US Embassy's website? They have information on where to go for urgent care - https://cz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/doctors/

Why not just try to see a doctor and see what the diagnosis is before you cancel everything? Maybe rent a wheelchair?

Pasted from the US Embassy website:
Prague
Ambulance: 155 or +420 267 313 333

24-Hour emergency rooms are located at the following:

Motol Hospital
U Uvalu 84, Prague 5
https://www.fnmotol.cz/

Foreigners Department reception: Mon-Fri 7am – 7pm and Sat-Sun 8am– 7pm
Adults: +420 224 433 682
Children: +420 224 433 690
Email: [email protected]
Emergency Motol Hospital : 24/7
Adult: +420 224 436 767
Children: +420 224 433 654

For Pediatric Care, go to Motol.
American patients are requested to visit the Foreigners’ department first.

24-hour care for major and minor trauma, illness. Surgery capability, lab, and other diagnostic testing equipment, including CT and MRI. There is an English speaking representative available 24 hours/day upon request.
Accepts Visa, MasterCard, Amex, and Diners Club.

Military University Hospital
U Vojenské Nemocnice 1200, Prague 6
https://www.uvn.cz/en/
Informace Centrum (main entrance)
Phone: +420 973 203 023 (our POC)
Email: [email protected]

24-hour emergency facility and major trauma center. Has isolation unit, surgery capability, lab, diagnostic testing equipment (CT, MRI). There is an English speaking representative available 24 hours/day upon request.

The following locations also have Emergency Care:

Na Homolce Hospital
Roentgenova 2, Prague 5
https://www.homolka.cz/
Kids: +420 257 272 025
Reception: +420 257 271 111
Foreigner’s Department: +420 257 273 289
Email: [email protected]

NO 24-hour emergency care.
(Many specialists but limited emergency department. NOT for major trauma.)
American patients are requested to approach the hospital through the Foreigners’ department: Mo-Fri 7am-4:30pm

Accepts Visa and Mastercard.

I got hold of our travel insurance before getting the reply here about the embassy. Our insurance recommended calling for a paramedic and have them take him to a hospital. Not sure where they will take us.

Call the embassy and ask where is the best medical facility for this type of injury and take him in a taxi. There will be English speaking personnel there to assist. It may just be a sprain and nothing more serious. Best of luck.

Threadwear, as I understand it, they're staying in a no vehicle access area, and he can't walk, so taxi isn't an option.

Angelafrench, I would advise not cancelling yet. It may turn out to be minor (albeit painful) and you may be able to continue with an amended trip. Regardless, make sure you consult your travel insurer first - they will likely require a full medical report and possibly an unfit to fly (or travel) certificate from the doctor as part of a claim, particularly if you miss travel arrangements or amend or cancel bookings. Keep all your receipts (including anything related to travel amendments, additional accomodation, meals etc) as these may form part of your claim.

Sorry for your troubles. In addition to what Simon said, I suggest writing down everything that has happened so far in detail with times and dates (maybe on the notes app on your phone, so you can access it as you go). That includes the initial injury, the calls to your travel insurance company, the calls to your air b&b host, etc. It's very difficult to remember these things after the fact and it will help support your travel insurance claim if you have that kind of detail.

Even though you are in a no car zone, paramedics would obviously still have to be able to fetch people in that area. This is probably why your insurance suggested calling them over a taxi.

This requires something called "pohotovost" which is initial first-aid (bracing etc) and then you get sent to hospital. Unfortunately this is not an option for non-Czechs.
Option A: You need to get a taxi and go to Motol "Foreigners" reception where they'll take your details and you'll be expected to pay for treatment if your insurance provider is not on their approved list. I'm surprised your Air BnB has not mentioned this.
Option B: call an ambulance and follow the process.
Neither are great options.

I would suggest the following:

• First, try to remain calm, slow down a bit, do not panic, and tackle things in order of their actual urgency/importance - prioritize.
• Don't over-react immediately, give things a little time to get clarity and assess both your medical needs and your options.
• Immediately: Keep hubby stabilized, try to make him as comfortable as you can, have him take over-the-counter pain meds and let him get some rest, settle down, and hopefully begin to feel a bit better. Keep him off his feet! Elevate the leg. Start icing his knee and keep icing it. Don't aggravate the injury, and give his knee a chance to settle down a bit and let any swelling go down.
• Maybe his knee will calm down a bit with a little time and TLC. At a minimum, don't make things worse, and give yourself some calm and mental space to start sorting things. Critical things first - basic needs (stability, shelter, food, time to think).
• You say you're in an airbnb and "have to go." When exactly do you have to go? Today or next week? (makes a difference). One of your top priorities is simply shelter - having a place to be (or to go) where you can start sorting things out. Use booking dot com to find someplace close by. Ask your airbnb host if they know if another place close by you could move to (when you do need to move). Hopefully your airbnb host is a local who is well-connected to their community, not just some distant corporate entity (you'll soon find out).
• Try the places/options mentioned above and see if you can find someone to help if you have to move to another place right away
• Once you have a place to stay for more than a few hours, continue to assess your husband's condition and actual medical needs - it might not be as dire as you first fear, and after a day or two off his feat, on OTC pain meds, and given a chance for the initial swelling/pain to go down a bit, things may look different. (And don't forget to take care of yourself, too, you're under a lot of stress and have a lot of new unexpected responsibilities.) And if things really do turn out to be as bad as you had feared, then at least you have a little time and space to work up a plan.
• Keep things in perspective and prioritze

Good luck!

Not sure how we will do that since he is not able to walk anywhere.
Would a knee brace and crutches help to get him to a doctor?

It’s amazing to me that US travelers do not automatically consult the Embassy’s website in these circumstances.

We went to the hospital. The doctor said 90% sure it's a meniscus tear but only an MRI can confirm and it takes weeks tobge one of those. Same as the states these days. He got a steroid injection and some over the counter drug to take that we've never heard of. They also gave crutches.

We are catching up on some food now.

We have to be out of the airbnb by 10am tomorrow morning. Will be talking with travel insurance again tonight if they are available.

I am nervous having him proceed if it is a meniscus tear. The last tear in his other knee resulted in a new knee 6 months later.

Thank you for all the suggestions

You were wise to have trip insurance! Hope things go well for you.

Am not familiar with all things 'meniscus tear' so a search found this

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/meniscus-tear-injury

There are so many variables it is hard to know what is appropriate to suggest as a course of action.

Hopefully a knee brace and crutches and carrying on with the trip is possible. But there is nothing wrong with a biz class seat home and get the medical care needed at home.

Best wishes

Thank you for all the suggestions. My husband is flying home tomorrow. Our travel insurance company has been wonderful and is providing assistance to him all the way home, as well as a business class seat.

After much discussion between us, and encouragement from my husband, i am continuing on to Vienna and Budapest. Sorry to have missed CK. We have only been to Europe twice before and Ive never been on an overseas trip by myself.

Im ready for the challege.

You have a good husband.

I mean no disrespect to the OP, and my comment is mostly for others seeing this thread, but see a response like this often, someone gets injured while traveling Europe, and of course, in a strange place, different language you are disoriented, but for an injury, or acute illness, the first step really is to seek emergency help, even call an ambulance if you are not able to walk into emergency care. I think we in the US are hesitant to call an ambulance or seek emergency care, for fear of needing a second mortgage to pay for it, even with insurance, even at the risk of our own health.

Emergency care throughout much of Europe is fast, efficient, competent, and being a public service, surprisingly low cost to the user. They will at least stabilize you and make recommendations as to follow-up care. Just an edit, I overlooked: All over the EU, the Emergency Number (Our 911) is 112, it works on your cell phone as well, in the UK it is 999, though 112 will work. No guarantee that you will get an English speaking operator, but they should transfer you to one, easier would be to have someone else call if that works, easy if you are in a hotel, or have a restaurant/shop near by.

Simple illness can be a bit trickier, but if not staying at a hotel (Your hotel is a great resource), then a stop at a nearby pharmacy will at least point you to a local doctor, or maybe they can provide a remedy. From there, yes, every US Embassy in a country maintains a list of doctors who speak English and accept travelers, and it is available online.

Thanks for all these replies to alert US travelers in Europe as to proper procedures. Very good reminders!

Maybe this is too forward, but I’d like to buy you a cake and coffee in Vienna to help you feel comfortable. If you’re interested, please let me know with a personal message.

angela, I'm so sorry this happened to your husband and you, but it sounds like you are doing the right thing and making the best of it. Kudos to you both!

I would encourage you to meet with Emily (and that is a very kind offer, Emily!). It's so helpful to know someone at a new destination and since you are new to traveling solo, I'm sure she can give you some wonderful help, insight and suggestions.

Good luck and I hope your husband's knee gets better soon!

First, Angela I am so sorry this happened and so glad you can continue your trip. Since you said they were wonderful, you should share the name of your insurance company.
Emily, How sweet of you to offer to meet her in Vienna. I'm sure that made her feel less alone. I agree with you that people should contact their embassy but they would not be my first choice because I don't have much confidence in people who choose to work for such a dysfunctional government as the one we have in Washington and it doesn't matter which political party is in power. I am aware of a situation right now with a US embassy in another country that failed to complete a very basic piece of paperwork needed to facilitate an international adoption. "Good enough for government work" has long been a phrase used in the US to describe work that is not good at all.
For everyone, the OP's plight might have been a little less stressful in a full service hotel which hopefully would have recommendations for obtaining medical care from people who speak English.

OP, please enjoy the rest of your trip. Vienna and Budapest are both lovely cities and I hope you have a wonderful time. I often travel solo and I love it, and I hope you will too.

glad that hubby is being taken care of

Nice one, Emily!

I am glad for an outcome for you both and very impressed with your husband's encouragement for you to continue on. And, of course, kudos to you for taking on an unplanned solo trip. I wish you the best!!!!!!

For those of you following along, Angela and I met yesterday for breakfast in Vienna. It was great to meet and talk in person about all the things to see/do in Vienna.

Angela is truly making lemonade out of her trip.

How lovely! -For you, taking the time to meet her Angela making lemonade and for her husband encouraging her to do so.

This was so heartening to read. Another example of how wonderful this forum CAN be. It seems as though everyone did things exactly correct. What a nice gesture from Emily! Emily certainly helped with my plans in Vienna.

Angela, many well wishes for the rest of your trip and for a speedy recovery for your husband.

I just saw this post, so all I can add is have the best trip you can, even though you are by yourself.
And yes, Emily that was so nice of you to meet up with Angela and give her some confidence and encouragement to see Vienna.
Keep us updated if possible.

Hi Everyone. Thanks to Emily and everyone's good wishes. Im enjoying myself, but am pooped! I need to slow it down. So many wonderful things to see though. My husband is safely at home and taking care of himself.

good news, Angela