Got the shits?

[scgolf]

Having been to Pats a few times I have always avoided iced drinks in

in fear of getting the shits. I got them once in Chang Mai and went two

days feeling like I couldn't leave the hotel room. I am not a beer drinker

but do indulge in the clear stuff. But I am always afraid to use ice and

everyone knows a gimmlet has to have ice to be good. Any suggestions?

Are there bars that use purified water to make ice?

[The Deported One]

Having been to Pats a few times I have always avoided iced drinks in

in fear of getting the shits. I got them once in Chang Mai and went two

days feeling like I couldn't leave the hotel room. I am not a beer drinker

but do indulge in the clear stuff. But I am always afraid to use ice and

everyone knows a gimmlet has to have ice to be good. Any suggestions?

Are there bars that use purified water to make ice?

 

No bars that I am aware of I have not had any problems with the ice here yet and I’ve been here 4 years now

[wolfy]

I believe that it depends on the individuals system, some can handle it and some can't. Don't worry about the ice in your drink, but what I would avoid is eating the ice directly. If there is anything in there that is the quickest way to get it into you. Besides no self respecting bug would live in the stuff I drink anyway so I just let it melt.

[balls]

dont worry, i get the shits every time i get back in LOS, so its probably just the food, the climate, the sex, its your system cleaning itself out!

[Panudate]

Most bars get their ice delivered, they dont make it in house. I think thats pretty much the same for about 95% of bars so wherever you go its pretty much the same.

 

Feel free to correct me if i am wrong!

[altec123]

I was there in April and had some problems. I just got back from Pattaya, Bangkok and Nong Khai this week and had no problems this time. I did not drink any water unless it was in a bottle (including using bottled water to brush my teeth) nor did I ever take a drink with ice in it. I ate off off street vendors everyday and had no problems. For me the key was avoiding the ice and water.

[Neep]

I eat Thai every day also (i dont just mean pussy), and generally dont have a problem.

Its only if the place isnt clean or the food not very well prepared that i get "issues".

Never had trouble with ice in drinks, but it seldom gets a chance to melt before i down my drink lol.

 

Saying that though, i have had the shits for the past 5 days now, and had a serious night of vomiting and shitting at the same time after eating at cucumber on Pattaya tai opposite tukcom.

I ate chicken satay, then thai green curry, and before anyone says, it wasnt the spices as i like it pet mak mak!

I went out for drinks afterwards, but wasnt too drunk, stuck to heineken, and had a couple of cheeky sambuccas, nothing ccrazy.

 

I was woken in the night with crippling stomach cramps, and puked on my bathroom floor, nearly shit myself too as it was out of control.

Sorry to go into so much detail, but im sure most of you have been there before.

Fucking horrible.

Everytime i thought it was over, i would plod back to bed, only to have to run back to the bog.

Torture.

Its only just settling down now, and i've been dosed up on imodium everyday.

 

Dont want to blame the restaraunt, but it was the only thing i ate that day, and i would never get such a reaction from just booze.

[The Professional]

Taking pro-biotics helps tremendously.

 

But really, at the first sign of loose stools, just buy a pack of 10 Imodium from the pharmacy - take 2 right away, then 1 every 2 hours - you will be fine the next day.

 

but the key thing is sticking 2 one or two good eating places - I eat Pig & Whistle + Marine Seafood and never had a problem - only when I venture away from these places can problems arise

 

personally, I'd never touch salad, from a non trusted place - make up for it by buying lots of pre prepared fruit from Big C and Topps

 

can't understand guys who go from one eating place 2 the next - talk about playing russian roulette

[Eneukman]

I've been here a bit over 2 years and always take ice in my spirits. I've only had one major problem, which resulted in 2 days in the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital and that, I think was due to a dodgy piece of chicken from a restaurant in Soi 2.

 

I also rinse my mouth out with tap water after brushing my teeth.

 

Alan

[Neep]

but the key thing is sticking 2 one or two good eating places

 

can't understand guys who go from one eating place 2 the next - talk about playing russian roulette

 

Russian roulette?

Its ok if you want to eat the same old stuff every day of your two week holiday, but if you live here you have to eat around.

The more of the stuff you expose yourself to, the stronger your system gets, but for sure not worth doing if you are only here for a holiday.

 

I love thai food, and like trying new places, and like eating what the girls eat, but as you say i keep imodium handy.

Thats been the worst attack ive had since coming to thailand.

I used to live in indo, and found it happened more often there.

[rkeener23]

drink bottled beer and eat at places that are busy with alot of thais, you'll be fine

[kw59]

Saying that though, i have had the shits for the past 5 days now, and had a serious night of vomiting and shitting at the same time after eating at cucumber on Pattaya tai opposite tukcom.

 

I was woken in the night with crippling stomach cramps, and puked on my bathroom floor, nearly shit myself too as it was out of control.

Sorry to go into so much detail, but im sure most of you have been there before.

Fucking horrible.

Everytime i thought it was over, i would plod back to bed, only to have to run back to the bog.

Torture.

Its only just settling down now, and i've been dosed up on imodium everyday.

 

Dont want to blame the restaraunt, but it was the only thing i ate that day, and i would never get such a reaction from just booze.

 

I would say you have food poisoning, had it enough times to know the symptoms.

You should have gone straight to the hospital ( I'm sure you will if it happens again)

rather than attempting to "ride it out."

 

Hope your feeling better now.

[kw59]

Having been to Pats a few times I have always avoided iced drinks in

in fear of getting the shits. I got them once in Chang Mai and went two

days feeling like I couldn't leave the hotel room. I am not a beer drinker

but do indulge in the clear stuff. But I am always afraid to use ice and

everyone knows a gimmlet has to have ice to be good. Any suggestions?

Are there bars that use purified water to make ice?

 

Okay, lets start off with ice machine class 101 1st.

Always determine if the ice is from a cuber

or a flaker or a freezer.

 

If it's from a cuber it will be as clear as a piece of glass and you will see through

it, no air bubbles (that give it those white streaks) or cloudiness. If it's clear

then it's pure water ie. no sediments and you can melt these and drink it.

This is the best ice.

 

All others are questionable.

 

I've heard different things to take while there to fight off these "microbes" that

get inside you, Accidoupholus(I know I spelled that wrong) and a Metamucil type

product. I can't tell you if either will prevent this from occuring. The 1st thing I

mentioned should obviously be the type not requiring refrigeration.

 

BTW, I think the bottled water has chemicals in it that cause the loose bowels.

If you have a case of the trots but no stomach pains then your body is adjusting

to something and it's no big deal. Good idea to bring a bottle of something (Kaopectate) that

will remedy that if needed.

[crudski]

[quote name='ben99' date='Jul 13 2007, 04:35 PM' post='101194

 

.

 

but the key thing is sticking 2 one or two good eating places

 

can't understand guys who go from one eating place 2 the next - talk about playing russian roulette

 

 

2 places,i like to go somewhere different everyday and as someone else said this builds your system up.

[nylonmanus]

I had oysters one night , next day I was heading back to BKK from Pattaya and farted. A huge stream of brown Liquid ran down my legs. I then realised the benefit of the shower hose in Thai toilets as I washed my arse and changed shorts. We then started the drive back. I felt cramps again and stopped at a gas station. Ran into the toliets whipped shorts down, it was a hole in the floor loo, crouched and shot a brown Liquid stream 6 feet up teh white tiles for about 30 seconds. my feet were swimnming in the stuff. Washed down with a bucket of water and back in the car. 15 mins later pulled over to side of road , jumped out of car and ran to tree. As I spewed I shat myself again. Reeling fro the agonmy I looked up and there was a policeman standing 2 metres away with another 10 in a pick up truck waiting to go on duty. They let me use their shower . off again and I stopped at a hospital. The doctor who spoke perfect English handed me an assortment of pills which cost about £5 and said its an everynight occurence for him.

Got to hotel in BKK shat myself again and passed out. Woke in morning and got myself straight and a Thai Business class flight back to London. Luckily no mishaps on plane

Stay off the Oysters I say

[scgolf]

Thanks for all the advise. I guess I'll stick to the more traditional eating palces like

Pig and whistle, Rosies, etc. I actually think I got it from a bottle of tea servered on

the flight to Chang Mai. Anyway thanks for all the thoughts. O' and I'll be sure to have

all the medicines listed above.

[eltilza]

the first coupe of times i visited I got the shits when i ate from somewhere i shouldn't usually one of the carts on out way back to the hotel little tilac wanted "hotdog" and she didn't mean mine yet!

 

anyway spoke to nice lady in local pharmacy and checked with a field medic friend of mine who confirmed what she told me

- she said take ciproflaxin ( brand name ciproxin) as she descibed it "kill all bacteria in belly - no more poo poo water"

 

any way i went up country on my next trip and was stocked up with the meds - 50 baht for 2 strips of 8

anyway got to sunny Issan via udon thani and was drinking coke in this village when the cramps started - i knew what should have happened then but i poped a couple of the pills and hey presto after half an hour the cramps subsided no waterworks or nothing

 

have used them a couple of times since out there and got a tame doctor here to do me a script for ciproxin at home in case i need it

 

word of caution can give really bad heart burn - indegistion and leave you blocked up for a day or so but then you feel ok

also if on other meds check before you take as it make react with other strong meds

[brad117]

There are the shits and then there are the SHITS. We all get the shits from time to time anywhere we go. Usually it clears up soon by nature. For slightly more troublesome cases Imodium works great. I even carry some with me so I can get it into me A.S.A.P. Then lay off drinking and obviously not a good idea to eat until you feel it's cleared up. The last thing I want is to be going out looking for a fine piece off ass and having to wonder if I'm going to end up shitting all over the place. Kind of spoils the evening...

 

Then there are the SHITS. If you're having pains, severe continuous runny shits and it's not getting any better, you've got a dose of something bad. Some say that it's best to let the system clear it out naturally. I think this is B.S. You can end up on the bench for 3,5, days or even more. I take an antibiotic by the second day, only drink water and take it easy. It's usually gone in a day or two. There are some antibiotics that are specifically designed to stay in the gut, thus are much more effective. I get a perscription from my Dr. before I leave home. I used it last trip and it saved my ass, literally. I've since learned that the antibiotic I had is hard to find and friggin expensive, but there are others that do the job as well and much cheaper. Well worth it to have a stock of that stuff with you when you head over. The stuff I used is called XIFAXAN. Check with your Dr. and GET SOME, or something similar. It works.

[KP96]

this is actually a big concern of mine. thanks for the great information guys.

[drpaul854]

IMHO

 

- take some good quality Probiotics for a week or two (at least) before your next trip. I personally have seen huge benefits.

 

- Imodium only prolongs your problems by keeping what your body is trying to get rid of inside you. Of course sometimes circumstances will dictate the need to slow/stop the flow on a temporary basis but generally you are better off letting your body get rid of it (beware of dehydration) or taking some antibiotics to help out (just go to any pharmacy and ask - norflaxin worked fast for me after eating some raw crab salad by mistake).

 

- oh yeah enjoy the great Thai food - but be aware of the ingredients that make up the dish

[lincslad]

Got a dose of food poisoning while working in Singapore recently.What made it worse I dehydrated big time due to all the shitting and puking.I'd read a lot of warnings concerning this but never realised how ill you actually feel when you proper dehydrate,I could hardly walk.After a couple of days I started to get worried,the symptons sounded very similar to the early stages of dengue so I went to the hospital.They put me on a rehydration drip and even during this treatment I started to feel better.4 hours later I was back on my feet.

 

If you get the shits and are puking alot take plenty of fluids if your stomach can handle it.Stomach troubles may resolve themselves but if dehydration kicks in you're still gonna feel really ill and will probably need fluids pumped directly into your system to recover quickly.

[Xanthum_Gum]

I’m a big believer in the Pepto-Bismol prophylaxis for preventing the shits. I first heard about in med school from one of our lecturers. It is even mentioned on the CDC website (CDC = Center for Disease Control, one of the big government ‘disease’ branches in the US). Here is the link, it also has some other tips on traveler’s diarrhea:

 

http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowBookCh4-Diarrhea.aspx

 

I find it easy to just buy the chewable Pepto-Bismol tablets and carry some with me in my pocket. Before I eat or drink anything, I just chew a tablet or two before the meal, definitely two when first arriving to a new country or if the meal in question looks really dodgy. The only real downside is black stools and constipation – if the latter occurs I just back off to one tablet before each meal. The active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol apparently dissolves and helps line the GI tract so toxins in food and bacteria can’t adhere to the lining and cause the diarrhea.

 

Since I have heard about this trick I have used it in Turkey, Mexico, Morocco, and Thailand and *never* gotten the shits. I’ve lived in the US my whole life and our water here is pretty good so I can’t claim to have a built up tolerance to anything – I imagine without the Pepto-Bismol, my GI tract would be pretty fragile. I love street food and really don’t take any precautions – I’ve drank Sahara-well-water in Morocco, eaten all the doner kebap with vegetables off the street in Turkey, and wolfed down papaya salad (complete with crushed crab! ) and countless noodle dishes off the street in Thailand. I think you miss out on a lot if you try to be too careful on what you’re eating.

 

As a one-data-point study that it works, when I visited Turkey with my parents, we all ate at the same restaurant the night we arrived in Istanbul. I took Pepto-Bismol before the meal, my parents declined, saying “we don’t like to take medicine if we aren’t sick”. The next morning they both had the shits something terrible; I was fine. Needless to say, they then used it for the rest of the trip.

 

I really like this method – it’s cheap, you can slip a day’s worth of pills into your pocket – the chewable Pepto-Bismol tablets come sealed in plastic so you can even get them wet if you get caught in the rain – and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t prevent you from doing any of the other options, like stronger antibiotics and the like.

[kendall]

Having been to Pats a few times I have always avoided iced drinks in

in fear of getting the shits. I got them once in Chang Mai and went two

days feeling like I couldn't leave the hotel room. I am not a beer drinker

but do indulge in the clear stuff. But I am always afraid to use ice and

everyone knows a gimmlet has to have ice to be good. Any suggestions?

Are there bars that use purified water to make ice?

good question, i had the shits the whole time i was there. it was the ice or the rancid food on the streets. next time i drink beer and no street vendors. i will be prepared next time. pepto bismal wiil be in my shaving kit

[windsors420]

I'm not the most wise person to give medical advice, but one thing has not been mentioned. If you get a severe case of the shits use a hemmoroidal cream. I know that when you want to die extra work is murder, but you don't want your trip ruined by roids.

[BTCmonger]

I have travelled pretty extensively around the world and probably had the shits on each continent. My best advice is a strong dose of Cipro and 4 immodiums, the combo creates the great wall of china for you and you can get on with your business.