My other half managed it from Oz (exactly as you said - when we finally ran out of cash!), by a mixture of begging, borrowing and pleading! He had previously had a good salary and a fairly good relationship with the (BOI) branch.
I, on the other hand, couldn't even get through to my BOI branch - they never picked up the phone or responded to emails. Incredibly bad public service. So no loan for me.
Could you not (I'm not sure of the ins and outs of this) get the loan and the loan approval and not draw down until you need it? Do you need to pay interest before you fraw down the loan? As I said, I don't know one way or another...