A Guide To Healing And Recovery For Expats

Whether you’re recovering from an illness, injury or surgery, the healing process may be longer and more complicated when you’re living abroad. This is often because accessing the right services, specialists or follow-up care can be less straightforward in a new country.

These practical barriers can affect more than just your physical health. Being away from familiar support networks, routines and healthcare systems can also cause emotional distress, which may influence how well and how quickly you recover.

In this article, we’ll explore ways to support you through your recovery. We’ll focus on both the physical and mental sides, touching on practical tips to improve the effectiveness of your recovery.

In this article

• What do we mean by ‘healing’?
• Recovering from an injury
• Recovering from an illness
• Looking after your mental health
• Treat recovery as a lifestyle
• Take advantage of your insurance

How can location influence healing and recovery?

The country you are in can make a big difference when it comes to the time it takes you to recover. One study found an enormous discrepancy in the median time it took patients to heal from traumatic injuries, ranging from 4 days in the United States to 5 days in Iran, 6 days in Canada and 24 days in Kenya.

These variations help explain why recovery can feel so different from one place to another, and why healing is rarely just about the injury or illness itself. To understand recovery more fully, it helps to look at what healing really involves, and the different forms it can take throughout the recovery process.

The information in this article is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

If you have an injury, medical condition or ongoing symptoms, you should always seek advice from a qualified medical professional.

This includes speaking to a doctor or healthcare provider before starting, stopping or changing any treatment or medication, and if you have any questions or concerns about your health or recovery.

Our international health insurance helps you find high-quality medical care abroad when you need it most

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What do we mean by ‘healing’?

Healing is a broad term that describes the process of repairing and recovering your body after an illness or injury.

We often say that healing is a ‘journey’, because rarely do any two healing processes look the same. The time it takes you to recover, the short and long-term side effects, and the effectiveness of your recovery can all vary.

There is never a ‘right’ way to heal.

Types of healing

Recovery is always different depending on the illness or injury you have experienced. 

For instance, if you have a wound, your body will require time to stop the bleeding, disinfect the area, rebuild the tissue and remodel the skin. This occurs in four main stages:

1. Homeostasis: platelets gather at the site of the wound and coagulate to form a blood clot, which stops the bleeding
2. Inflammation: white blood cells arrive to clean the site, which in turn causes inflammation around the wound
3. Proliferation: fibroblasts create granulation tissue to fill the wound bed. Blood vessels and skin cells also regenerate
4. Maturation: collagen collects in the granulation tissue, producing scar tissue and giving the skin back its structure

If you have had a viral infection, your body will launch an all-out war against the virus, killing both the viral cells and a number of healthy cells, which can in turn lead to inflammation throughout your body, a heightened level of cytokines and even physical damage to cells – all of which take time to repair. This can lead to long periods of fatigue and lingering symptoms, even after the virus has been defeated.

There is also the process of emotional healing. This can occur after periods of intense mental or emotional exhaustion, such as grief, stress or an acute period of mental illness. The process of emotional healing is rarely linear, but is usually acknowledged to be completed when a person experiences a transformative period of acceptance.

Let’s go into the major types of healing in more detail and explore some of the ways to make healing more effective and manageable when you’re living abroad.

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Recovering from an injury

Recovering from an injury requires plenty of rest as your body mends its damaged area(s). For more severe types of injury, you may require surgery and ongoing physiotherapy to help you recover use of the damaged area and alleviate pain. 

Either way, you should be prepared for a long healing process and several lifestyle changes along the way – for instance, doing daily strength-training exercises, stopping playing sports or using mobility aids.

Types of injury

There are many types of physical injury, ranging from simple skin abrasions and soft tissue injuries, up to traumatic injuries such as fractures, dislocations and lost limbs.

Depending on the type and severity of injury you have sustained, your recovery process may look very different. The Injury Severity Score (ISS) divides the seriousness of injuries into six points:

Severity score

Explanation

Examples

1 – Minor

A small, localised injury that does not require immediate medical attention beyond First Aid. No major bleeding or loss of consciousness. Poses no threat to life.

Minor cuts and bruises, sprains and pulled muscles, minor burns.

2 – Moderate

A significant injury that requires medical attention beyond First Aid. Associated with loss of function of the affected area until physical symptoms resolve. May require surgery and an extended recovery time.

Fractures, torn ligaments, moderate concussion.

3 – Serious

A major injury that is likely to have a long-term or permanent impact on a person’s life and wellbeing. Recovery may be extensive, and full recovery may not be possible.

Traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, major burns.

4 – Severe

An injury that will lead to serious long-term effects, requiring long periods of rehabilitation. High risk of permanent disablement, paralysis, cognitive impairments and chronic pain.

Massive brain injuries, major spinal cord injury, serious burns, amputation.

5 – Critical

An injury that is immediately life-threatening, requiring emergency medical intervention to protect the life of the patient. Often leads to substantial blood loss and unconsciousness. Will result in severe long-term effects impacting the patient’s quality of life.

Major damage from blunt force trauma, penetrating injuries, explosives, burns covering a significant portion of the body.

6 – Maximal

The most extreme level of harm. A catastrophic level of injury that is both untreatable and unsurvivable.

Catastrophic damage to organs and limbs, fifth- and sixth-degree burns.

The severity of an injury also corresponds to the region that is damaged. These are, in perceived order of severity:

1. Head
2. Face
3. Neck
4. Thorax (chest)
5. Abdomen (stomach)
6. Spine
7. Upper limbs
8. Lower limbs
9. Skin or other regions

The overall severity of your injury will determine how long your healing process will take. For more severe injuries, you may be in for a long recovery period, during which time you may need to make substantial lifestyle adjustments. Minor injuries may heal faster, but you still should not underestimate the impact these injuries can have on your day-to-day life. 

It’s also important to remember that a minor injury which doesn’t heal properly could become a major injury.

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Supporting your recovery from injury

No matter how minor or severe your injury, or where on your body you are affected, it’s important to give yourself adequate time to heal. This means getting plenty of rest, not overexerting yourself and not putting too much stress on the injury site.

For minor soft tissue injuries, it’s recommended you follow the RICE procedure. This stands for:

• Rest: stay off the injured area as much as possible, giving your tissues time to rebuild
• Ice: keep the area cool, ideally with an ice pack, so that blood vessels constrict – this helps stop bleeding
• Compression: apply gentle pressure to the injured area to control swelling
• Elevation: keep the injured area raised, ideally above the heart, to lower your blood pressure and reduce swelling

For major injuries, especially more serious injuries, you should follow the instructions of your healthcare provider. This may involve an extended period of rest, wearing supportive bandages, compression sleeves or a plaster cast, and taking prescribed medication.

Your healthcare provider may prescribe you painkillers to support your recovery. For minor injuries, you may be able to rely on over-the-country medicines such as paracetamol (to alleviate pain) and ibuprofen (to reduce swelling). For soft tissue injuries, you may wish to consider applying ibuprofen gels to the injury site to directly reduce swelling.

You may also be prescribed daily exercises, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, especially if your injury has impacted your mobility. It’s important to follow these treatment plans, as it could both accelerate your recovery and improve your chances of recovering fully.

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The challenges of recovering from an injury when you live abroad

Living abroad can make recovering from an injury seem more difficult.

This is especially true if your injury is severe, as you may need to attend surgery, spend longer recovering in hospital, or attend ongoing support such as physiotherapy. After the injury, you may also need to adapt to lifestyle changes, especially if your mobility is affected.

Some of the challenges you may face as an expat include:

Navigating a foreign healthcare system

You may face challenges when it comes to finding specialists, getting referrals or accessing the support you need. If you don’t have private medical insurance, you may need to pay out-of-pocket for the services you use.

Language barriers

If your healthcare providers are not fluent in your native language, it can make it difficult to understand their advice. You may therefore miss important information related to your recovery.

Limited support network

Recovering at home may be more challenging and isolating without a support network of friends and family around you. It’s important to reach out to friends and neighbours in your local community. You may also want to consider travelling home while you recover.

Sick leave

If you are unable to work due to an injury, you may need to navigate complicated legal and cultural frameworks. For instance, you may not be entitled to sick pay, or your inability to work may affect your visa status. You may also experience cultural pressures to return to work sooner than you feel comfortable.

Continuity of care

If you require ongoing support, you will need to navigate a potentially confusing system in order to receive it. You may face logistical issues attending appointments, or communication problems in the course of receiving your care.

Emotional turmoil

Finally, it’s important to be mindful of your emotions while you recover. As you may be unable to take part in the things that make your life meaningful, such as work and exercise, you are likely to experience grief and emotional turmoil.

If you start to experience negative emotions, it’s important to reach out to someone you trust – whether a friend, a co-worker, a medical professional or a counsellor – to help you process these emotions.

There is a good reason to look after your emotional health while recovering from physical injuries, as studies have shown that emotional stress can complicate the healing process and delay healing.

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What can you do to help recover from an injury?

Thankfully, there are many things you can do to help you recover fully and quickly, even when you’re living abroad. Here are some of the best practices you may wish to follow when recovering from a physical injury.

1/ Make recovery a priority

While it can be tempting to push through the pain and carry on as normal, this can end up having a detrimental effect in the long-term. Focus on your healing until you are sure you feel fit enough to return to work, exercise, your social life and all other facets of life. This often means having the strength to say no.

2/ Reach out for support

It’s important to remember that you don’t need to go it alone. Reach out to friends, family, co-workers and anyone else in your life who might be able to help. Whether you need help shopping for groceries, changing bandages, or you just want someone to spend some time with, your loved ones will likely be more than willing to help.

3/ Lean on healthcare providers

It’s also important to reach out to your healthcare providers to ensure your recovery is progressing. Once you have left hospital, be sure to regularly check in with your physician or attend your scheduled sessions. Receiving regular updates on your progress can help to put your mind at ease, or help to identify challenges that need solving.

4/ Keep on top of nutrition

When you’re bed bound or less mobile than usual, it can be tempting to reach for comfort foods. But remember, nutrition is a key part of your recovery. You need plenty of vitamin C to promote collagen production, protein to aid muscle repair, zinc for cell growth, calcium for bone repair, and antioxidants and essential fats to control inflammation.

If you have international health insurance

Your insurance will usually be able to cover the cost of ongoing care and consultations. That can help you to focus on your recovery without worrying about mounting costs. If you have questions about your policy and the care you’re entitled to, it’s important to reach out to a claims advisor. If you’re a William Russell member, you can speak to us here.

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Recovering from an illness

Like injuries, illnesses come in many forms. Some are relatively minor and can be treated at home. Some are more severe and may require hospitalisation. And some are life-threatening, requiring emergency medical care and an extensive recovery time.

Unlike a physical injury, the symptoms of an illness may not always be visible, nor localised. An illness could affect one or more of your organs, causing pain that radiates throughout the body and a host of other symptoms such as fatigue, nausea and headaches.

Types of illness

There is an almost endless list of known illnesses, and new illnesses are constantly being discovered. They tend to fall into a number of categories, including:

• Infectious diseases caused by pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites, which can spread through touch, sexual contact, contaminated air, or surfaces
• Non-infectious diseases caused by a combination of genetic, physiological, lifestyle and environmental factors such as diet, smoking and alcohol – they cannot be spread between people
• Hereditary diseases caused by genetic factors, which may be present from birth or occur after a spontaneous mutation
• Deficiency diseases caused by a lack of an essential nutrient in one’s diet, such as vitamins or minerals
• Physiological diseases encompassing organ failure, which is the malfunctioning of an organ or bodily system
• Degenerative diseases meaning the wasting away of cells, tissues and organs
• Allergies and inflammatory diseases where the body’s immune system produces an inflammatory response
• Cancer, the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells

These illnesses may be classed as acute (meaning they develop quickly, are more severe, and may only last for a short period) or chronic (meaning they develop slowly, but are more long-lasting or even life-long).

Because illnesses are so multifaceted, it’s hard to find a single scale for the severity of illness. However, doctors may use the APACHE II Acute Physiology score, basing their assessment on a number of criteria including:

• Temperature
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate
• Respiratory rate
• Alveolar-arterial gradient (a measure of how much oxygen passes from the alveoli to the arteries)
• Arterial pH
• Serum sodium
• Serum potassium
• Serum creatinine
• Haematocrit
• White blood cell count
• Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (assessment of the patient’s level of consciousness)

The combined observations from each of these areas will give doctors a score allowing them to calculate the severity of an illness, and the necessary course of treatment.

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Supporting your recovery from illness

Illnesses and diseases can produce all sorts of effects, sometimes requiring complex treatment plans. You may find yourself requiring medication, surgery and ongoing consultations with your physician.

At the end of the day, the one thing that all diseases have in common is that they require plenty of rest in order to support recovery. Whether you have a common flu or something more serious, it’s important to take time off to recuperate, giving your body the time it needs to fight infections and repair any damage caused. This means taking time off all physically and mentally strenuous activities, including work and studying.

You may feel well enough to get some light exercise, such as walking. This is important to do, as it will help to relieve boredom. Try also to get into a daily routine – having structure in your day will help to keep you motivated – which includes plenty of time for fun.

Pay close attention to your emotional and mental state of mind. If you start to feel down, reach out and speak to someone. Even a quick phone call to a friend or family member can help you to feel happier. Looking after your emotional well-being is not just good for your overall wellbeing, studies have shown it can support your recovery too.

The challenges of recovering from an illness when you live abroad

Living abroad brings a unique set of challenges when it comes to battling and recovering from an illness.

These are some of the ways recovering from an illness as an expat can be more complicated:

Isolation and lack of support

Whether you are enduring a lengthy hospital stay or recovering at home, as an expat you may find you have less of a support network in a foreign country. This can make your recovery period seem more lonely.

Navigating a foreign healthcare system

While recovering, you may experience complications with your country’s healthcare systems. This could include getting access to medications, ongoing treatment and medical support. During your recovery, it may be helpful to read online resources and leaflets to help you understand how best to get the support you need.

Language barriers

If your healthcare providers are not fluent in your native language, it can make it difficult to understand their advice. You may therefore miss important information related to your recovery.

Taking time off work

It’s important to stay off work until you feel strong enough to return. This will ensure you have the best chance of making a full recovery. Still, your employer may try to pressure you to return to work quicker, or you may find it hard to access sick pay. You may also experience complications with your visa.

Continuity of care

As part of your recovery, you may need to access additional services such as physiotherapy, mental health counselling or regular check-ups with your physician. In a foreign country, it might be harder to find and access these services.

The emotional burden

The final thing you must consider is the emotional strain you will be under while recovering. This can be caused by isolation, lingering side-effects of the illness, or complications causing long-term health implications. If your illness is life-threatening, you must also consider the impact this will have on your mental health. These impacts can feel especially pronounced when you are living in a foreign land.

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What can you do to help recover from illness?

Thankfully, you don’t need to suffer in silence. There are still many steps you can take to make your healing process more manageable.

1/ Make a schedule

Having a daily routine can help you to feel in control. Plan your day around when to take medication, when to take light exercise, and when to enjoy entertainment. The daily routine will become easier as your health improves, helping you to keep track of your recovery.

2/ Surround yourself with friends

Assuming your disease is not infectious, be sure to make time for catch-ups with friends, family and co-workers. It’s been widely proven that loneliness can delay healing, so consider this a medical priority for yourself.

3/ Don’t push yourself

Recovery can take a long time, and you may grow restless. Even so, it’s important not to over-exert yourself before you’re ready. However much you want to return to sports, exercise and work, remember that your recovery is more important. You should only start to push yourself when you feel absolutely ready.

4/ Watch what you eat

Your illness may affect your appetite and cause you to eat less, but it’s important to keep your calorie intake up to ensure your body has the nutrients it needs to fight the disease. At the same time, watch that you’re getting the nutritional content you need from your food: make sure you’re getting plenty of vitamins and minerals to support cell repair, plus protein and healthy fats to keep your strength up. Avoid eating too much sugar and greasy foods, and steer clear of alcohol.

Make use of your international health insurance

If you have international health insurance, make full use of it. You may be entitled to additional support services such as counselling, which can help you to manage the emotional burden of your recovery. Remember, your insurance is there as your safety net: make full use of it.

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Looking after your mental health

One of the biggest challenges you’ll face while healing from an injury or illness is the impact on your mental health.

This is especially true if your injury or illness is serious, life-threatening or is likely to leave you with a permanent disability or chronic pain. Experiencing a sudden shock to your lifestyle is likely to trigger a grief response, which can leave you feeling emotionally damaged.

Stay mindful

It’s important to remain mindful of your experience. You may benefit from daily mindfulness activities such as journaling or meditation, as a way to process the intense emotions you will be feeling. Keep track of your emotions – you may spot patterns that point to certain triggers, which will help you to know what to avoid.

Take recovery slowly

You may have a long road ahead of you, so don’t try to go too fast. Just because you are not at full strength today doesn’t mean you will never be again. Try to take your healing process one day at a time and avoid the temptation to think too far into the future.

Be wary of burnout

Burnout occurs when your mind is overloaded with too many thoughts, especially if those thoughts are negative. Burnout can lead you to feel demotivated, depressed and anxious. When you feel your mind start to race, it could be because you’re taking on too much of an emotional burden. This is your cue to say ‘no’ to things that don’t help your recovery, and to focus instead on rest.

Speak to someone

Speaking to a counsellor, therapist or doctor can help you to process your emotions and work through them. Don’t be afraid to reach out when the situation seems dire – speaking to a professional could be exactly what you need to get back on track.

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Treat recovery as a lifestyle

Another thing that may help you is to make recovery and healing a key part of your lifestyle. De-prioritise other aspects of your life for the time being, such as work and your fitness goals, until you are ready to resume these things again.

In the meantime, make choices that you know will support your wellbeing, such as:

• Eating a healthy diet
• Getting light exercise every day
• Sleeping at least 7–8 hours per night
• Practicing mindfulness
• Spending time with friends and family
• Practicing hobbies
• Getting light mental exercise, such as reading

This is especially important when you are living abroad, as you may be tempted to resume your expat lifestyle earlier than you should.

Remember, you can always come back to your expat life, but you’ll never get another chance to heal properly.

Take advantage of your insurance

If you are a William Russell member, you may be able to take advantage of your international health, life and income protection insurance to help you through your recovery.

For international health insurance members

Suffice to say, your international health insurance will help to pay for any medical bills related to your illness or injury (so long as it is included in your policy).

This includes:

• Cover for doctors visits and diagnostic tests
• Hospital treatment including surgery, nursing care and doctors fees
• Cancer care including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy

If your injury or illness produces lasting effects that require ongoing medical treatment, you will be entitled to medical support for these effects under the same claim.

Our mental health benefits also ensure you will also be covered for specialist mental health consultations, inpatient and outpatient psychiatric treatment and medication.

And our dental care benefits ensure you will be entitled to restorative dental treatment if your teeth are lost or damaged in an accident, or as a result of cancer treatment.

International health insurance gives you the added peace of mind of knowing your hospital bills are taken care of. That’s one less thing to worry about while you recover.

For international life insurance members

If your injury or illness is serious, you may be entitled to support from your international life insurance policy.

As the policyholder, you can choose to take an early payment from your plan if you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness that has a prognosis of 12 months or less. This is your choice – you can also choose to keep the money aside for your beneficiaries after you pass – but it could help you make the most of the time you have left.

If you have chosen an optional accident benefit with your plan and you suffer a serious injury that leaves you permanently disabled, you will be entitled to a lump sum of up to US$500,000 to support your recovery.

And, if you’ve chosen to add critical illness insurance to your plan (for you, or your children), we’ll also pay up to US$100,000 upon diagnosis of certain conditions (or up to US$5,000 per child) to support your recovery.

Your life insurance plan is not just there for after you’ve died. It could also help to support you while you are recovering from a major illness or injury.

For international income protection members

Your international income protection plan is there for you when you are unable to work due to long-term illness or injury. It’s designed to support your healing by ensuring you won’t need to worry about loss of earnings while you are out of work.

Income protection insurance replaces up to 80% of your usual income up to a maximum of US$144,000, when you are signed off work for three months or longer, and after completion of a deferment period.

When you start to feel enough to return to part-time work, it also provides a proportional benefit to compensate for the days you are unable to work.

If you are worried about what might happen if you are living abroad and rendered unable to work, income protection insurance could be perfect for you. It ensures you’ll never be left out-of-pocket by an unexpected medical event, and allows you to focus fully on your recovery.

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Taking advantage of your complimentary services from Elevate

As a William Russell member, you’ll be entitled to complimentary services from Elevate. These can help to support your recovery from an illness or injury while you’re living abroad.

Elevate your health

Our health benefit includes access to a virtual telemedicine service called My Global Doctor. If you’re recovering at home and need medical advice, My Global Doctor allows you to speak to a primary physician from the palm of your hand. If you live in certain territories, you may also be able to order prescription medication directly to your home, saving you a trip to the pharmacy.

Elevate your mind

If you have a William Russell international health insurance plan, your Mind benefits unlocks access to a personal counsellor for up to six sessions. Recovering from an illness or injury can take an emotional toll, and these sessions may help you manage the mental and emotional challenges that can arise during your recovery journey.

Elevate your well-being

The TELUS Health Engage platform gives you access to a dedicated well-being space filled with supportive content. During recovery, you can use the platform to monitor your mindfulness and overall well-being, with daily and weekly targets designed to help you stay balanced and supported.

Elevate your safety

During recovery abroad, feeling safe and informed can help reduce stress and uncertainty. Elevate includes access to Solace Secure, a global safety and travel intelligence service that provides country-specific insights and real-time alerts about potential risks. This added layer of awareness can support peace of mind while you focus on rest, recovery and getting back on your feet.

Elevate is available now with all* new and renewing William Russell individual and group insurance policies.

Discover Elevate

*Elevate Well-being and Safety services are available to health, life and income protection policy holders. Elevate Health and Mind services are only available to health insurance members.

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Wherever you go, go with total peace of mind with insurance tailor-made for expats

No matter where you go, you can take one thing off your mind. William Russell offers international health insurance that covers you for everything from minor injuries to long hospital stays. We can even offer emergency medical evacuation to patients who require emergency life or limb-saving treatment in other countries which isn’t available locally.

At William Russell, we have been providing worldwide health cover for over 30 years, helping expats like you and their families to settle into their new homes. Speak to us today to find out more about how international health insurance could support you.

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Terms & conditions apply to our insurance products and services. You can find full details of what our plans cover (and what they don’t cover) in our plan agreements.

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