Food and Waterborne Illness

This might not be the hottest topic on the board at the moment but I think it deserves some consideration, especially for those who haven't experienced it.

I followed the advice of my MD when I came to Thailand. i.e. drink only bottled water, avoid anything washed in tap water like salads, eat well cooked meats, etc.

I just finished a 10 day treatment on some nasty antibiotic that made me feel only semi-psychotic after four days not to mention the other undesirable side effects. I remember a similar trip to Acapulco at the turn of the millennium that net the same result, stomach parasites and treatment with the same antibiotic, Metronidizole, which I was told has the least bothersome side effects.

I kind of suspected that something was up, but my MD assured me I had some virus that would go away. After five months, I decided to get a second opinion from another Dr. who actually took the extra 10 seconds to write up a lab request and sent me off for some tests. A week later I was told I has some tropical amoeba living in my stomach which I probably picked up from contaminated food/water or maybe even that boy who sat on my face. :love8:

The type I had there are two strains, one that mostly inhabits the digestive tract, the second more invasive and serious, spreads to other organs and penetrates the tissue wall.

In your experiences, what is safe to consume and what is not?

Is there a definitive guide somewhere on what's safe, what to avoid and what's borderline?

I recall reading that the tap water in Bangkok had improved but not to drink it. If I happened get some in my mouth while showering or accidentally forgot and rinsed with it after brushing, it wouldn't be a big deal.

Street food stalls?

Ice cubes (Pattaya Bar) - (stupid but was drunk and had a couple drinks at a Thai bar one night)

I walked down a side street around MBK and noticed that a few people had their carports converted into giant freezers and make and crush on the spot for restaurants and bars. Now that I recall seeing that, it can't be a very controlled and sanitary environment.

Most of the time I ate in restaurants, and actually come to thing of it I had ice tea/ice coffee a few times at the Bug and Bee?

In your experiences, what is safe to consume and what is not? I have a water filter on the kitchen tap, and drink water from that and use it to clean my teeth. Elsewhere if I want water I buy bottled. I'd have thought the act of making the ice might destroy most bugs; I've certainly never had a problem drinking anything with ice in it. As for the rest, you're at the mercy of the hygiene standards of whoever's doing the cooking, and that's no different in Bangkok than anywhere else. I eat on the street, I buy pineapple and melon and watermelon from the street vendors, all cut up in front of me, in those little plastic bags. If I get dysentery I'll take some Imodium - usually only one is necessary - and it self-corrects

[rincondog]

It is possible that what you contracted was in fact due to the type of sexual activity you engaged in with the boy.

[netrix]

plentiful ignestion of alchohol kills most bugs

here, here. :cheers:

It is possible that what you contracted was in fact due to the type of sexual activity you engaged in with the boy.

If I didn't think it had any relevance I wouldn't have mentioned it. It's like Russian Roulette, except not fatal.

It's an activity I engage periodically and only with a specific body type, (big muscles, bubble butt and masculine) that I'll do it. It was something I did with my last four ex's and never had a problem, common sense would dictate that there are no guarantee it'll always be safe.

http://www.dph.sf.ca.us/SFCITYCLINIC/drk/oralsex5.asp

I know I'm not the only man in the whole wide world who indulges in this activity, but next time I'll think twice before loosing face.

I have a water filter on the kitchen tap, and drink water from that and use it to clean my teeth. Elsewhere if I want water I buy bottled. I'd have thought the act of making the ice might destroy most bugs; I've certainly never had a problem drinking anything with ice in it. As for the rest, you're at the mercy of the hygiene standards of whoever's doing the cooking, and that's no different in Bangkok than anywhere else. I eat on the street, I buy pineapple and melon and watermelon from the street vendors, all cut up in front of me, in those little plastic bags. If I get dysentery I'll take some Imodium - usually only one is necessary - and it self-corrects

I've heard that sometimes that's all it takes is a little Imodium, 24-48 hours and the body will take care of itself.

You seem like a seasoned veteran when it comes to Thailand. It's good to know that perhaps my first time was perhaps just an unfortunate happenstance and not the norm.

I know I'm not the only man in the whole wide world who indulges in this activity, but next time I'll think twice before loosing face.As the whole Board knows, getting a boy to sit on my face is one of my preferences. I've only ever once got sick from it, and a shot of penicillin soon fixed that! Oh, and I live in Bangkok

I've only ever once got sick from it, and a shot of penicillin soon fixed that! Oh, and I live in Bangkok

Is that something the local hospital could treat if one was to be so unfortunate?

I've only ever once got sick from it, and a shot of penicillin soon fixed that! Oh, and I live in BangkokIs that something the local hospital could treat if one was to be so unfortunate?Well ... I didn't have to fly myself to Singapore!

[fedssocr]

I think a lot of it comes down to luck. I have managed to get sick on both of my trips to Thailand. The first time was a very nasty case of food poisoning that led to a night in the Bangkok Pattaya hospital. The second time was another stomach bug of some sort that I got on basically the first day of my trip. Not sure where I picked that up. Might have been the food on the plane, could have been my breakfast or lunch but by late afternoon I was not well. I also had gone for a massage at Adonis that day where I had a glass of water to drink while selecting my masseur. So it could have been that or the shower in the room there also had a ton of black mold in it so my problem could have been a bad reaction to that.

My doctor gave me a 7 days' supply of Cipro just in case I have any problems this year. If you really do have any sort of food poisoning you don't really want to do too much immodium to stop everything up.That just allows the bug to keep on doing its thing in your GI tract. Taking an antibiotic should kill pretty much all of the bacteria in your system and you want to keep everything moving through.

I've only ever once got sick from it, and a shot of penicillin soon fixed that! Oh, and I live in BangkokIs that something the local hospital could treat if one was to be so unfortunate?Well ... I didn't have to fly myself to Singapore!

I've read about the high quality of service in Bangkok hospitals, but at home, I wouldn't dare show up at a hospital for diarhea even if it lasted for a week, unless my insides were falling out in the process, and even then I'll probably have a 4 hour wait to be seen.


As the whole Board knows, getting a boy to sit on my face is one of my preferences.

I wouldn't want to be too naive and assume that hospitals are the only venues available to treat people in need, maybe some of your favorite haunts have anticipated all your needs. :daz:

Seriously though, if I knew I could have gone to a hospital there then, I probably would have, and now that I know, if the need arises next time I won't hesitate.

I've read about the high quality of service in Bangkok hospitalsI always use a private hospital here - BNH, for example - where the moment you walk through the door some flunkey is there to take care of your every need. Sadly they are mostly girls for the reception area, but I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes (usually much less) to see a doctor about anything at all! The Thai teaching hospitals are just as good, and probably less expensive, so I'm told. If you're headed for Pattaya I'm sure some of our residents there can fill you in on what, in their opinion, is the best hospital there

Worth getting Hep shots before coming to Thailand, especially if you're into oral sex. For a mild dose of the runs, the best treatment is no treatment (but plenty of fluids). For a more severe cases, proprietry medicines or codeine phosphate (if available). Only bother with a doctor if there's blood, you're shitting water, or the problem doesn't go away after 3 days. Self treatment with antibiotics is a bad idea. Many antibiotics make matters worse (they give you the runs) and will only cure you if the particular antibiotic you take works against the organism causing the problem. A stool sample would need to be taken to ensure that.

[Beachlover]

meinhell, wow, I think you were just very unlucky... or maybe have a weaker stomach (lived too long in an environment too clean).

I've only ever had serious food poisoning once... and that was a well publicised incident so I was well aware which restaurant it came from and evidently I wasn't the only one. Just about everyone in my party was knocked out for a few days. It was caused by a serious imported food regulation breach caught too late... the sort of thing that could've happened anywhere.

Other than that I've never had anything, which was so bad I needed immodium or any medication. Occasionally I get a thing, which goes for a day or two where I need to visit the toilet 2-3 times a day (instead of 1) and find it's a bit runny... but other than that, no problems. It's good to let it run its course (clean it out). But if you've things to do and it's getting in the way, take immodium. I've never had to though.

I generally stick to bottled or boiled water for drinking + brushing. Ocassionally I get laxed and drink whatever water they bring out in a glass (this is probably the cause of the ocassional mild runs). Never worried too much about ice. Careful but not overly cautious about fruit.

A few splashes of water in your mouth while showering is no problem. There's a certain amount of bacteria density in the water. Your body can slaughter a certain amount bacteria. But if you drink in too much, it gets overwhelmed and the bacteria is able to multiply and do some damage.

Brushing with water is no problem for some people (though not advisable)... but if you start drinking the local water, that's really asking for it. Obviously your intake of water-bourne bacteria is massive when drinking compared to just brushing or showering.

Locals are used to drinking more contaminated water, so their immune systems are stronger and they can handle more bacteria than we can... up to a certain limit.

I've heard a lot of food poisoning comes from contaminated utensils... so ensure plates and cutlery are clean.

.....I followed the advice of my MD when I came to Thailand. i.e. drink only bottled water, avoid anything washed in tap water like salads, eat well cooked meats, etc. .....

..... I was told I has some tropical amoeba living in my stomach which I probably picked up from contaminated food/water or maybe even that boy who sat on my face.

I would suggest the problem was most likely what you did with the boy rather than anything you ate.

The boys, esp from the poor rural areas, are more prone to all sorts of intestinal parasites than we might think.

It is possible you picked up the bug from food but much more probable it was from the boy.

I'd have thought the act of making the ice might destroy most bugs .... If I get dysentery I'll take some Imodium - usually only one is necessary - and it self-corrects

Wrong on all counts - and dangerously so.

Most importantly, Imodium is not suitable for treating dysentry; it is loperamide, an antimotility drug, only used for treating diarrhea - its main effect is to paralyse the sphincter muscle, nothing more. A far better, readily available drug for treating various stomach complaints would be Buscopan.

Ice does not "destroy most bugs". In many cases it actually preserves them for longer.

[Beachlover]

Immodium is only for suppressing the (inconvenient) symptom. It just stops you needing to shit.

Yes, it's actually better if you don't take it (unless your situation makes frguent toilet visits unfeasible). It's better to let your body empty it all out... it's part of the process of fighting the bacteria.

[allieb]

My Dr. told me years ago the Immodium is a temporary fix for travelers to be able to go from A to B without shitting their pants.

The tightening of the sphincter by Immodium is an action which can be benificial to some older passive bord members who want to feel like a virgin again. I have on many ocasion taken an Immodium before getting fucked and its quite a nice feeling.

[Lunchtime O'Booze]

In your experiences, what is safe to consume and what is not? I have a water filter on the kitchen tap, and drink water from that and use it to clean my teeth. ... I've certainly never had a problem drinking anything with ice in it. .. I eat on the street,.. I get dysentery ... is necessary -

I've had to edit what the old c**t was saying meinhell as most of what he says is a load of old shite.

"use it clean my teeth" ?..thats a laugh to start with ! Most days he forgets to put them in !. You see a sort of green slime building up in the glass beside his bed as the old set of mollars sit there for days on end.

Look-everyone one gets the dreaded lurgie at some stage in Thailand..it's just a fact of life. There's no use pretending that eating all the right things and drinking bottled water and all that sort of rubbish will save you from --well getting the sh*ts !. Especially not when your going to wrap lips around you know what and stick your tongue up where the sun don't shine.

Just live baby..and do as Homintern advises..eat on the street..or like he often does..eat something off the street.

I would suggest the problem was most likely what you did with the boy rather than anything you ate.

The boys, esp from the poor rural areas, are more prone to all sorts of intestinal parasites than we might think.

It is possible you picked up the bug from food but much more probable it was from the boy.

I'm thinking it was who I ate rather than what. Reality is sinking in, next time I'll do things differently, he can use his own tounge.




Just live baby..and do as Homintern advises..eat on the street..or like he often does..eat something off the street.

Thanks, that's the plan, and to live to do it again...

Thanks for the feedback, I can relax now and have a good time eating, drinking and acting like Mary.