What if you get sick? :o

[dug]

like... so sick you couldn't take care of yourself.

I rarely get sick, and even if I do I suppose I've been able to force myself to get up and out to take care of myself. But being in a foreign country, something might not sit quite right and really knock you off your feet.

I intend to spend most of my nights sleeping in either a tent or on the train, and a few nights at a hostel to meet fellow travelers and make friends.

But I am going by myself, and don't as of yet know anyone on the entire European continent... and I got to thinking. What if I was sick in a hosel bed, would there be anyone that would be willing to help me out? lol that sounds soo pathetic, but I mostly mean maybe running and getting me medicine or a drink, or do hostels have stuff like that?

[agriadam]

well it happended to me.... read my story: VERY Sick In Madrid

[florencia9699]

Jus to be on the safe side drink bottled water... I drink tap water, but like my Dad said, one is used to the kind you get home, in other countries it may change, and although it may be completely drinkable, your system could take a bit to adjut. I never had a problem with this, but it is true that when you arrive at a new place water always tastes funny/different, that's the first thing I notice.

[urOZm8]

I wouldn't worry too much. I'm sure the receptionist or another traveller would be kind enough to help you out.

I remember when I was in Morocco and nearly everyone in the hotel was sick. I went to the pharmacy and got medicine for my travel buddy and a couple of other people too.

ev

[RootBrewskies]

i just left barcelona and i was horribly sick there. i got food poisioning or something but i was puking my brains out and could barely move. i got a little help from some of my bunkmates and they brought me something to drink. i couldnt eat anything so i didnt need anyone bringing me food, and one of the girls in the room gave me some of her tums and some other stomach medicine.

about 15 hours into the sickness i had the thought of what i would do if i didnt get better. i dont have insurance but if i stayed that sick there was no way i was going to be able to do anything without getting some medical treatment, at least an i.v. or something cause i was definately dehydrated from all the ralphing (i love that word 'ralph' haha)

anyway, luckily i got better within about 24 hours. at least good enough that i was able to sit up and speak more than 5 words at a time.

the whole experience was terrible at the time. there is nothing more u want than to be at home when your sick but sometimes u just gotta tough it out.

so whats my advice. nothing much, it sucks if you get sick but theres not much you can do about it. pack some medicine, take care of yourself, avoid random foods sold off the street, drink bottled water if possible, etc. you can take all these precautions but its not a guarentee you wont get sick, and if you do it sucks, but you'll survive. it happens to even the best of us..........like me.

[omisan]

Drink shitloads of water, sleep as much as you can. Buy medicine if necessary, though I try to avoid most medications that, uh, aren't recreational.

[Hollz]

This is kind of gross but a girl at my work at food poisoning on the weekend.
At first she thought it was the flu, and was worried that it might have gotten passed on to her family members that were visiting. The doctor informed her that the food poisoning is ONLY transmitted from… (sorry about this) – hand to mouth contact of…. Fecal matter. So if you get food poisoning, it’s probably cuz someone didn’t wash their hands….

I’m not sure where salmonella poisoning stands with that little fact, because I thought that qualified as food poisoning too. I’m sure some people on here will know a bit more.

I may have even read this on here, but try to eat at popular restaurants and food stands with a bit of a line- chances are that they’re popularity doesn’t stem from people getting sick.

[Hollz]

Oh, and bring along some acidophilus pills and digestive enzymes with you as well. Both the digestive enzymes and acidophilus will help you break down your food and digest it easier. So if you eat some foreign food that you’re not used, to or too much of it, you’ll feel a lot better a lot sooner. They’re awesome, I take them all the time after a big meal.

Plus one of my biggest problems going to Europe last time was trying to eat a big meal to save time and money, and then feeling full and getting cramps for the rest of the day as I walked around.

Acidophilus is live bacteria, kind of like yogurt so it has to be refrigerated. My sister discovered that they now have a form that does not have to be refrigerated, so we’re going to take it on our trip. And you know how some foods like pineapple have something in them that helps you digest food? Well they make vegetable digestive enzymes that are basically little pills of the different fruits and vegetables that have those qualities. You can find both at health food stores. I really wish I would have discovered them a long time ago! Bring them, you’ll be happy you did! (Make sure you keep them in the original bottle though!! The US border didn’t really like it when I took them out!)

[astro25e]

the pharmacies are really helpful in europe. i got sick in paris and my friend probably got every sickness known to man while we were there. since my friend was lame and didn't want to explain her problems i had to continually ask the pharmacists. in sweden i had to try and explain a yeast infection to the swedish lady. i was pretty embaressing, but she was very helpful in explaining the directions since they were, obviously, in swedish. i might have been embaressed, but at least i wasnt the one who had the yeast infection!
p.s. the yeast infection probably occured because of lots of sex without taking a shower afterwards. ladies, make sure you stay clean! the last thing you want on a trip is to have to worry about what's itching down there

[LiveFreeorDie]

If you ask your doctor before you go, its likely he/she will give you an antibiotic, like Cipro, to carry with you in case you get a bad case of food poisoning.

I got food poisoning once in Bangkok (because I was stupid and drank non-bottled water from a street vendor at 2am in a back alley....WTF was I thinking...I guess I was thirsty ). Anyway - lucky for me, a trip to a local hospital was dirt cheap. $25 USD for emergency room visit and 4 prescriptions.

[RootBrewskies]

Originally posted by Hollz@Jun 14 2006, 04:51 PM
The doctor informed her that the food poisoning is ONLY transmitted from… (sorry about this) – hand to mouth contact of…. Fecal matter.* So if you get food poisoning, it’s probably cuz someone didn’t wash their hands….

[snapback]126096[/snapback]

alot of doctors have weird theories but i think you'd have a hard time finding many doctors that would agree with this. sure, hand to mouth contact of fecal matter could definately result in food poisoning but more likely that would cause hepititas.

food posioning is caused by about a million different things, bacteria in soil where vegetables are grown (there is a reason people wash fruit and vegatibles before they eat them). also scientists estimate that roughly 60% of raw meat has some form of bacteria that could result in food posioning if it is not prepared properly.

[omisan]

Oh, I still stand by this preventative measure that I post in every thread that gets to be about food poisoning/drinking the local water: Probiotics! Take probiotic supplements (l. acidophilus/bifidobacterium bifidum/s. thermophilus) or eat/drink yogurt with active cultures. Usually counters most stomach nasties.

[xtremefx]

what about if you like break both legs a few ribs and an arm???or something of that scale...then what ya do

[omisan]

Hospital. And hope that you remembered to buy travel insurance. It's a good investment at a couple of bucks a day - especially if you partake of anything that could cause broken limbs. I.e. extreme sports, cycling, riding a tuk tuk, crossing streets in Paris.

[xtremefx]

wtf @ tuk tuk...and if you dont????

[rachael9]

I know tuk tuks! Actually, I got really sick in Thailand and had to go to the hospital. Of course meds and such are way cheaper there than in Europe, though. But don't worry about other people ... you may end up bonding with someone over the experience... maybe I'm just an optimist. Hope you're stomach treats you well ... take some over-the-counters just in case. :-P

[DC_Jessica]

I got sick alone in Istanbul and it just so happened that my hostel-mates were traveling Australian nurses. I didn't drink tap water but I am pretty sure I dehydrated myself because I was sketched out by the public restrooms (I know, I need to get over it). She ended up giving me some anti-nausea medication...so if that's something readily available over the counter where you live, stock up on some before traveling to countries with uncertain water treatment procedures.

[space virgin]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hollz @ Jun 14 2006, 04:51 PM) [snapback]126096[/snapback]</div>

The doctor informed her that the food poisoning is ONLY transmitted from… (sorry about this) – hand to mouth contact of…. Fecal matter. So if you get food poisoning, it’s probably cuz someone didn’t wash their hands….[/b]

Nope, that doctor is wrong. There are plenty of other things that will make you sick. Most often it's not contaminated hands, it's mis-handled food, i.e. things that have been left out too long in the temperature "danger zone". Besides the obvious culprits of meat, fish/shellfish, eggs, mayonnaise, dairy products, etc-- there are a few others to beware of as well, such as rice(!!!) and cut melon. Don't touch those unless you're positive they've been either kept cold or hot or they're fresh. And try not to eat unpeeled fruits as well-- peel them first or wash the heck out of them and take your chances. This last bit of advice mostly pertains to traveling in countries where food handling techniques are best looked at with a wary eye.