Post: #1

I guess this thread is kind of pointless, more than anything it´s just a venue to bitch and complain.

I´m wondering if other guys on here have gotten sick for exteneded periods of time while traveling, getting up early for red eye flights, airports, and airplanes, it kind of seems inevitable that a guy can get sick while traveling.

I´m on my third day here in Oaxaca, Mexico and I think that I´ve come down with a fever. It didn´t help that the relative I was staying with before my flight was sick, then my flight in Houston got repeatedly delayed and then eventually canceled. We got rescheduled for an early morning flight which meant waking up at 4:30 AM to get to the airport.

On the plane I started feeling light headed and sick to my stomache, I was sweating bullets for a bit there and thought I was going to throw up, but was fortunately able to pull it together. When I got to my hostel I basically crashed for 3 hours, then woke up feeling pretty good, and thought everything was going to be all good.

Then yesterday I woke up with a sore throat, runny nose, and cough. No bueno. I decided to power through and busted a workout at a gym I found online, squat, bench press, and bent over row 5X5. Last night I ended up having insomnia for some reason, as much as I tried to fall asleep, I couldn´t, and today I have been feeling like death.

I barely managed to go out for lunch, and was basically picking at my food with no appetite, I ate all the chicken from my enchiladas, but didn´t eat any of the tortillas. The rest of the day I spent bed ridden. I have a pounding headache, cold chills throughout my body, and sweats. Not exactly the ideal way to start a vacation.

Oaxaca is definitely not pussy paradise, but I am hella frustrated because I feel like I could be pulling here. Despite what guys say about hostel chicks, my hostel is full of cute girls right now, and virtually no male competition. I feel like if I wasn´t sick, it could be shooting fish in a barrel. I have the only private room in the hostel, and the courtyard area is full of girls drinking beer by themselves. I thought about trying to pull it together, but I would be absolutely worthless in the state I´m in right now.

Tomarrow is Saturday night and it´s supposed to be the big night out here, so I´m sure the bars will be packed with locals and tourist chicks. I am hoping I feel better tomarrow, because I want to go out at least one night while I´m here, but I´m not sure if I should push my luck, and wreck my immune system with alcohol after just being so sick.

Cést la vie I suppose, at least on the bright side I got plenty more time for my trip. It just sucks to go on vacation only to start things off being bed ridden with a fever.

I know that when Roosh did his S. America trip in ADBIP, he was sick and had the runs a bunch, I´m sure this impeded his ability to party and pick up chicks.

Hopefully I will beat this thing and come back stronger than ever, if anyone else has any tales of getting sick while traveling, mysery loves company, it might make me feel less bad about my situation.

Post: #2

It happens. I never got to surf La Herradura because I was too busy projectile spraying out both ends in a random girl's Barranco townhouse. Nothing you can do but live it out.

Post: #3

Yes, this happened to me too, several years ago when traveling to Florianopolis, Brazil. Long flights + new environment is a recipe to get sick very easily. I had a 1 week trip planned there, but was sick for almost the whole time there. Really sucked. In the future, I would recommend taking longer trips, and planning 2 days at the start just to acclimate. Also, for those with allergies, don't go during springtime in any new country. Maybe stay at a nice hotel to start instead of a hostel.

Post: #4

yeah sucks..best thing to do is rest and get better...put everything aside and get better..if u try go to the gym, go party u just make it worse and prolong it...i would get some good food, vitamins, heaps of water and sleep. it will all still be there when u wake up.

if u havent got ur health u got nothing.

Post: #5

Pretty much happens to me EVERYTIME I travel. I get sick for at least a day upon arrival or shortly after. No idea why. Medellin is the first city where this has not happened to me. Probably because the air and weather is so amazing. In Bogota I came down with a massive fever and shits for 4 days. In the States I have not been sick in over 3 years. I think it's the fatigue, lack of sleep, and stress before a trip (for me anyway)

Post: #6

I carry cipro with me now whenever I travel, it will knock out most stomach bugs within 24hours

Post: #7

I've read that a couple drops of grapefruit seed oil in your drinks will kill a bug in your intestines from someone who witnessed a group of people in the peace Corp dropping it all the time.

Post: #8

I always get a prescription for an antibiotic when I travel to South America.

Doxycycline is an antimalarial that is often used to treat bacterial skin infections. It is relatively cheap and can be prescribed for long durations of time. I had 100mg/day for 3 months last year.

Also:

Tylenol is called acetaminophen or paracetamol in many parts of the world. If you ever have a fever and you're in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar language, find a pharmacy and ask for that. It sounds simple but anyone who has traveled out of his language's sphere knows how much of a barrier language can be.

Post: #9

Fuck!!

I'm on the same boat. Yesterday a friend of mine came and we were talking about going to medellin next week. The M***er fucker had the cold and now I feel my chest congested

I hate being sick.

Post: #10

After a week in a new country, I'm still having serious stomach cramps on and off pretty consistently. Been pounding yakult to overload with healthy bacteria, but still no help. I was told that you literally need to develop new gut flora in each new environment.

Anybody got other suggestions? I want to avoid antibiotics.

Post: #11

This seems to happen about 1/2 the time I take an extended flight. Don't fight it. Stay in for a couple of days sleeping, drinking and eating. You lose a couple of days but can enjoy the rest of your time.

Post: #12

The only 100% effective solution to that is to take longer vacations. If you get sick, you hunker down, get better in peace without worrying about time running out, and then resume. But I understand that this isn't the option for most people.

Post: #13

I once spent 3 days in a Salvadoran hospital. I was sick as a dog. In total I was sick for about 10 days, in that time I dropped about 30lbs and developed a hatred of El Salvador.

I will say that being hospitalized took my Spanish to the next level.

Post: #14

Never really had this problem, but I tend to stick to developed countries, or the developed areas within lesser developed countries. I'm sure the first time I travel to somewhere tropical like India or Vietnam I'm going down with "Delhi Belly" no matter what.

A few people I know who are set to travel to areas with a high disease risk go to the travel clinic and get a vitamin b12 booster shot before travelling. Maybe a series of shots, I don't know. Apparently it improves immunity, amongst other things.

With things like flu and colds once you've got them I'm not convinced there's much you can do except hunker down and ride them out. Obviously crap if you have a limited vacation.

Otherwise, only other suggestion would be to avoid foods that often give problems, like Shellfish. For whatever reason it seems shellfish knock down more people than any other type of food.

Post: #15

(02-18-2013 10:22 AM)Osiris Wrote:  I once spent 3 days in a Salvadoran hospital. I was sick as a dog. In total I was sick for about 10 days, in that time I dropped about 30lbs and developed a hatred of El Salvador.

I will say that being hospitalized took my Spanish to the next level.

Sounds like my trip to India in 2008 where I should have gone to a hospital. I was sick for weeks and if it wasn't for my roomy back then who called a doctor to the hotel I would probably have died there.

I was not the experienced traveler I am today and went on a group tour. So I as pretty much forced to travel while being incredibly sick all the time. I soldiered on through India and Nepal but lost 12 kgs of mostly muscle and my stomach was still messed up for months after returning home.

Post: #16

(02-17-2013 11:54 PM)Arsene Wrote:  After a week in a new country, I'm still having serious stomach cramps on and off pretty consistently. Been pounding yakult to overload with healthy bacteria, but still no help. I was told that you literally need to develop new gut flora in each new environment.

Anybody got other suggestions? I want to avoid antibiotics.

Ride it out and lower your intake of proteins as they tend to be bad for your stomach. (according to my doctor)

Post: #17

Man it only costs 10 bucks to go see the doctor in a mexican hospital or goto a cheaper pharmacia and buy all the drugs you need. I get sick all the time while travelling...its cheap,

just drink lots and lots of water and eat a ton of bananas to maintain your potassium levels. It will get you through diahrea, also a couple of those things of yogurt a day, yogurt will kill the crap in your stomach and give you solid turds within a day or two.... use it with the anti-amoeba stuff and you should be just fine.

In all honesty, Mexico is a great place to get sick, medicare is cheap and drugs are cheap and over the counter, one need not worry.

In China, it cost me about 300 to 500 RMB for an ambulance, X-rays, hospitalization in a private room, my own doctors on call for a couple days, all drugs and immediate care. In the end I just needed more potassium but whatever... The hospitals aren't very nice and can get overcrowded in the bigger cities but you can't beat the price. They love dishing out un-needed checkups and meds cause thats how they make their money.

Post: #18

Health is not everything , but everything is nothing without health (A. Scopenhauer)

It comes down to common sense, won't bother anyone with my sickness and how I had to interrupt my travel and fly back to my country but the bottom line is that is better not to take risks and find appropriate medical diagnosis and care, all the world is there and won't move so it makes sense sometime to stop, cancel all one's plan and come back in the best shape

travelling in a sick state gives also a distorted view of the reality, of the country we visit and the people we interact with, so if the sickness does not go away in a reasonable time it is better for sure to stop

Post: #19

Man, getting sick sucks whether or not you're travelin!!!!!!!!

I've had this damn flu for 13 days already even with meds. Ready to be healthy again!!!!

I feel your pain!!!

Post: #20

(02-19-2013 04:16 AM)BadWolf Wrote:  Man it only costs 10 bucks to go see the doctor in a mexican hospital or goto a cheaper pharmacia and buy all the drugs you need. I get sick all the time while travelling...its cheap,

just drink lots and lots of water and eat a ton of bananas to maintain your potassium levels. It will get you through diahrea, also a couple of those things of yogurt a day, yogurt will kill the crap in your stomach and give you solid turds within a day or two.... use it with the anti-amoeba stuff and you should be just fine.

In all honesty, Mexico is a great place to get sick, medicare is cheap and drugs are cheap and over the counter, one need not worry.

In China, it cost me about 300 to 500 RMB for an ambulance, X-rays, hospitalization in a private room, my own doctors on call for a couple days, all drugs and immediate care. In the end I just needed more potassium but whatever... The hospitals aren't very nice and can get overcrowded in the bigger cities but you can't beat the price. They love dishing out un-needed checkups and meds cause thats how they make their money.

My university had to pay US$800 for me when I was in the hospital. I was in pretty rough shape though, they were considering flying me back to the US for better medical care. I did stay in a suwheet hospital room with cable (watched Jurassic Park!), and got sponge bathed by 3 nurses. Best place I stayed in all of Central America.

Post: #21

I need to complain: yesterday it was a cold night and I woke up with really swollen lymps in my neck, I decided to drink my preworkout and go to the gym, horrible idea.

I've been in bed for the last 6 hours, feeling like shit, my neck is exploding and moving feels painful, already taking paracetamol + naproxen while being alone in Mexico.

Post: #22

Went Scuba Diving with rcraig33hb this past Sunday. It was my first time diving and it was awesome, but I had discomfort in my right ear later that evening and it got worse. Went to an EENT doctor at Davao Doctors Davao and he flushed it, stuck some swabs in it and gave me meds.

The doctors visit was very inexpensive at 450 pesos and the meds were another 280 pesos. Ear still hurts and I hope the doctor was careful when tooling around in there.

That said, I am floored by how inexpensive it was to see a specialist here.

Post: #23

Po chai pills will get rid of a lot of tummy bug and assorted problems that travellers have.

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

Post: #24

Ugh...2 weeks in Peru and nothing happened. Suddenly I have non-stop shitting and fever. Right now my stomach is feels like there is some puritan colonial housewife churning butter in it.

I think I got from eating "chifa" (peruvian chinese food). It's been highly recommended to me by numerous people, but in retrospect was probably a horrible idea. Chinese restaurants are notorious for cutting corners with health and safety standards back in the US...I can't even imagine they do (or don't do) down here.

I guess there is not much you can do but wait it out. A chick I met down here has been brining me food and stuff and even got her friend who is a doctor to visit me tomorrow...things could be worse. It's just frustrating as hell- I had a flight to Cusco booked for tomorrow which I had to reschedule to next week. There's a good chance I'll have to spend Easter alone in a hotel room. When this is over I'll basically have lost a week out of this trip. So annoying...

Post: #25

(03-31-2015 11:35 PM)NovaVirtu Wrote:  Ugh...2 weeks in Peru and nothing happened. Suddenly I have non-stop shitting and fever. Right now my stomach is feels like there is some puritan colonial housewife churning butter in it.

I think I got from eating "chifa" (peruvian chinese food). It's been highly recommended to me by numerous people, but in retrospect was probably a horrible idea. Chinese restaurants are notorious for cutting corners with health and safety standards back in the US...I can't even imagine they do (or don't do) down here.

I guess there is not much you can do but wait it out. A chick I met down here has been brining me food and stuff and even got her friend who is a doctor to visit me tomorrow...things could be worse. It's just frustrating as hell- I had a flight to Cusco booked for tomorrow which I had to reschedule to next week. There's a good chance I'll have to spend Easter alone in a hotel room. When this is over I'll basically have lost a week out of this trip. So annoying...

If it is viral, there isn't much you can do. Just drink lots of fluids and whatever the peruvian equivalent of gatorade is. Rest and relax.

The only way to find out is to pop an antibiotic. Try and see if you can get some amoxicillin.

Getting sick while traveling is always my biggest fear. For me it always ends up being some sinus infection that does me in.