Post: #1

Hey guys,

I'm a newbie here, but have been an avid lurker of this travel forum for while. It's great to find a site with a bunch of guys that have similiar interest as my own.
I have a decent amount of experience traveling through Mexico, and Peru, and aside from chasing women, I also love to sample the local food. My last trip to Peru, I spent 1 month in the country, and sadly about half that time I barely left my apartment. I literally spent my first 5 days in Lima glued to the toilet after eating at a local restaurant, and as I was starting to feel better after 5 days the symptoms returned several days later. I was told by a local friend of mine, that a medicine called Bactrim would help subside the runs, and it did for awhile, but I was just curious as to what you guys do when you travel down south. I am planning a trip to Colombia in Febuary, and wanted to take some precaution before I get there.

Do you mostly cook your own food? or take special medication that helps kill the bacteria in the food. Needless to say it really can fu*K up your trip, any help would be appreciated.

Thanks guys!

Post: #2

I get vacines, and keep some chalk tablets, if/when shits hit the fan, makes my stomic relax. If im out of tablets, or they dont work.. I eat raw, uncooked rice. like a tablespoon full and swollow. Keeps it together. Good trip!

Post: #3

This vaccine is amazing:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera_vaccine

I was working with another westerner in India. During his one year stay, he showed remarkable resiliency in avoiding diarrhea and food sickness. I asked him what his secret was, and he said it was this cholera vaccine he took before coming to India.

Post: #4

I've been a few times to DR and everyone I've gone with has had diarrhea. I haven't. But when I travel there I take a probiotic that's called Intestinex. I think it has acidophilus and goat milk.

Post: #5

A bit off topic, but I occasionally get upset stomach and diarrhea as well. I've considered Culturelle for it, but have stuck with either Dexilant (RX) or Prevacid (OTC) for treating this. I even went for a test to determine I had no bleeding ulcers, which I didn't. So can a daily probiotic really make a massive difference?

Post: #6

I rarely cook as the food has been really cheap in most places. I have been pretty sick to my stomach, but I usually just ride it out with plenty of fluids. You have to watch out for how your food is prepared and how long it sits out. When I was in Cambodia I walked away from most places that let the flies run amok on the food after getting sick a few times. If you're on a shorter trip and want to play it safe you can ask other travelers for recommendations or stick to things like soup.

Post: #7

Get antibiotics prophylactically when you travel to third world places.(there are WHO recommendations for which countries you need to take antibiotics prophylactically).If you get diarrhoea with fever take ciprofloxacin.

Post: #8

Thanks for the info guys, i think i'll head to the doc for anti-biotics before I head out to Colombia. Being that I only have a month there I want to be at the top of my 'game' the whole time there.

Post: #9

I never had any problems in Colombia although I didn't eat much street meat there, only a handful of times. Actually in Colombia I was impressed by how clean most of the restaurants were, you'll see the waiters and food attendants scrubbing things down a lot. Once when I was getting a shake at a fruteria in Medellin and there was a municipal food inspector there doing an inspection, very reassuring.

I've been in Thailand for just over two weeks now and spent all of last night pissing out of my ass and just got back from the pharmacy where I got some pills. I'm pretty sure its from the street food I ate two nights ago, it was late, around 2300 and I was starving so I went down the road to this little place and had a bowl of noddles and chicken. When I asked for water, all they had was a cooler jug full of ice cubes and water and I foolishly drank from that. All the others meals I've been eating at proper restaurants and malls, its more money but I"m willing to spend to avoid getting sick.

Post: #10

(11-23-2012 01:52 AM)scotian Wrote:  I've been in Thailand for just over two weeks now and spent all of last night pissing out of my ass and just got back from the pharmacy where I got some pills. I'm pretty sure its from the street food I ate two nights ago, it was late, around 2300 and I was starving so I went down the road to this little place and had a bowl of noddles and chicken. When I asked for water, all they had was a cooler jug full of ice cubes and water and I foolishly drank from that. All the others meals I've been eating at proper restaurants and malls, its more money but I"m willing to spend to avoid getting sick.

Your stomach gets used to it, Man. It's usually caused by your gut being exposed to new bacteria and, most often, new spices rather than a case of poor sanitation. It happens to everyone when they first get there at least once, and this will probably not be the last time you go through it.

I wouldn't avoid the street food though. It's not as bad as you think, and you'll miss out on a lot of great food if you do that. Just make sure when you do eat at a food stall that the place is nice and clean, keeping in mind that nice and clean means something a bit different there, and has a high turnover.

High turnover ensures fresh food and, as always, a steady stream of locals going there counts for a lot when it comes to assessing sanitation and how good the food will taste.

The jugged water is a personal call. I drank it all the time and was fine.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #11

(11-22-2012 01:42 PM)CMan0928 Wrote:  So can a daily probiotic really make a massive difference?

"Overall, probiotics reduced the duration of diarrhoea by around 25 hours, the risk of diarrhoea lasting four or more days by 59% and resulted in about one fewer diarrhoeal stool on day 2 after the intervention."

http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD003048/p...-diarrhoea

In terms of over the counter remedies, Zinc also appears to have an anti-diarrhoeal effect, but this has only been confirmed in third world children and adult AIDS patients.

Post: #12

(11-23-2012 01:56 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

(11-23-2012 01:52 AM)scotian Wrote:  I've been in Thailand for just over two weeks now and spent all of last night pissing out of my ass and just got back from the pharmacy where I got some pills. I'm pretty sure its from the street food I ate two nights ago, it was late, around 2300 and I was starving so I went down the road to this little place and had a bowl of noddles and chicken. When I asked for water, all they had was a cooler jug full of ice cubes and water and I foolishly drank from that. All the others meals I've been eating at proper restaurants and malls, its more money but I"m willing to spend to avoid getting sick.

Your stomach gets used to it, Man. It's usually caused by your gut being exposed to new bacteria and, most often, new spices rather than a case of poor sanitation. It happens to everyone when they first get there at least once, and this will probably not be the last time you go through it.

I wouldn't avoid the street food though. It's not as bad as you think, and you'll miss out on a lot of great food if you do that. Just make sure when you do eat at a food stall that the place is nice and clean, keeping in mind that nice and clean means something a bit different there, and has a high turnover.

High turnover ensures fresh food and, as always, a steady stream of locals going there counts for a lot when it comes to assessing sanitation and how good the food will taste.

The jugged water is a personal call. I drank it all the time and was fine.

Thanks for the info man, I had to skip my muay Thai class today due to the green apple splatters but still stopped by to let them know what was up, one of the guys said to not consume any tap water under any circumstances, even while brushing your teeth! Can any of you confirm this, should I start brushing my teeth with bottled water?

Post: #13

(11-23-2012 05:07 AM)scotian Wrote:  

(11-23-2012 01:56 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

(11-23-2012 01:52 AM)scotian Wrote:  I've been in Thailand for just over two weeks now and spent all of last night pissing out of my ass and just got back from the pharmacy where I got some pills. I'm pretty sure its from the street food I ate two nights ago, it was late, around 2300 and I was starving so I went down the road to this little place and had a bowl of noddles and chicken. When I asked for water, all they had was a cooler jug full of ice cubes and water and I foolishly drank from that. All the others meals I've been eating at proper restaurants and malls, its more money but I"m willing to spend to avoid getting sick.

Your stomach gets used to it, Man. It's usually caused by your gut being exposed to new bacteria and, most often, new spices rather than a case of poor sanitation. It happens to everyone when they first get there at least once, and this will probably not be the last time you go through it.

I wouldn't avoid the street food though. It's not as bad as you think, and you'll miss out on a lot of great food if you do that. Just make sure when you do eat at a food stall that the place is nice and clean, keeping in mind that nice and clean means something a bit different there, and has a high turnover.

High turnover ensures fresh food and, as always, a steady stream of locals going there counts for a lot when it comes to assessing sanitation and how good the food will taste.

The jugged water is a personal call. I drank it all the time and was fine.

Thanks for the info man, I had to skip my muay Thai class today due to the green apple splatters but still stopped by to let them know what was up, one of the guys said to not consume any tap water under any circumstances, even while brushing your teeth! Can any of you confirm this, should I start brushing my teeth with bottled water?

I believe it says in the Lonely Planet safety precautions that brushing your teeth with the tap water is fine - give it a look though before taking my word on it. If it makes you feel better, go ahead and brush with bottled water, but I personally think it's an unnecessary nuisance.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #14

The best thing I have found is "Po Chai". The one's made in Hong Kong are the best (look for the sage dude and the funky chinese writing), the Chinese one's I don't find to be as effective. (just scientific looking with plain and minimal packaging)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Po_Chai_Pills

You can get them in Chinatown herbalists pretty easily.

Also, I've found some Ayurvedic pills to be ok. Diarex is available from a lot of Indian shops and is worth carrying as well.

http://www.himalayahealthcare.com/products/diarex.htm

The other Ayurvedic tablets are ok, but I've found Po Chai to really be killer. How it works is by nuking the bugs. Immodium or equivalent actually doesn't work for me, and as I recall, it just hardens the stool. Your bowels are trying to wash out the bugs, so that may not be the best tactic anyway.