Dysentery

[JohnN]

If you have a good relationship with your healthcare provider, ask for a 3 to 5 day course of Cipro to take with you on your travels in high risk areas. May save a vacation. I am generally not a fan of antibiotics but I keep Cipro in my first aid travel kit.

As a word to the wise, check out the CDC's recommendation for SE Asia. Most intestinal bugs there are Cipro resistant (thank you India), Z-Pak (azitromycin) is the drug of choice.

If you believe in 'take-no-prisoners', levofloxacin (described to me as Cipro in a black leather jacket) is the drug of choice outside of SE Asia.

 

[redacted]

Have you tried the garlic conch at coconuts? Sometime you just need to enjoy a good sh**.

 

[uncfnp]

Thanks JohnN. I haven't had the great good fortune to travel to SE Asia yet but will definitely add that to my kit when I do. Of course, who knows what the resistance patterns may look like by then.

As for Cipro vs Levaquin, both are good choices but for GI I don't know any advantage to Levquin and it use to be much more expensive. But now that both are generic, I guess the cost is close enough not to be a factor.

 

[Chilidog11]

My husband and I got hit last June at PR. Nobody else in our group got sick so I'm not gonna blame the hotel. I got it much worse than my husband. Nothing stopped it. We went through 2 bottles of Imodium and Pepto. We lost a combined 17lbs in 5 days.

Hope you can find something that works for you.

 

[TSandM]

The vast majority of even infectious diarrheal illnesses are self-limited. PLEASE do not self-medicate for these with broad-spectrum antibiotics like Azithromycin and Levaquin! Antibiotic treatment should be reserved for persistent cases, invasive organisms, or people with compromised immune systems.

I've made 14 trips to that part of Mexico, and I have had one bad day, GI-wise. I take essentially no precautions, although I don't eat street food. My husband used to have a bad day every trip, but I suspect he has adapted to the local bugs, because it hasn't happened in the last several trips. When I travel to areas with sanitation standards below those of the US, I'm far more worried about hepatitis than I am about gastroenteritis.

 

[cvchief]

I am pretty sure I had amoebas. Lil' amoebacide and I was right as rain....

 

[Skittl1321]

As a word to the wise, check out the CDC's recommendation for SE Asia. Most intestinal bugs there are Cipro resistant (thank you India), Z-Pak (azitromycin) is the drug of choice.

If you believe in 'take-no-prisoners', levofloxacin (described to me as Cipro in a black leather jacket) is the drug of choice outside of SE Asia.

If people keep self medicating these other drugs are going to become resistant too.

Antibiotics HAVE to be taken in appropriate courses, usually well beyond when you feel better; and with the side effects of things like levo, people who prescribe them to themselves are likely to stop early.

Leave last resort antibiotics like levofloxacin to the people who TRULY need a last resort drug. Or we won't have any more antibiotics left for severe cases.

 

[DandyDon]

I am pretty sure I had amoebas. Lil' amoebacide and I was right as rain....

I am curious, got to ask - did you have a medical test, or just play a hunch? So many of these things are self limiting as the doctor said above, and you get over them whether you take medicine or not.

How long does a head cold last usually...?

If you see a doctor, maybe 6 days.

If you don't, then it's a week.

I did call the local health department today about measles vaccinations for us old coots. The lady who answered the phone tried to answer questions but it soon became apparent that she really wasn't qualified. I asked tougher questions and got passed to someone of some professional qualifications. He couldn't really give me a good answer tho. I don't remember ever having the week long measles, just the 3 day type - which is a different bug (something the first lady didn't know, which is how I got to someone better), and my mom is not around to ask. I think I was out of school before the vaccine became available. Some of the people who caught measles at Disneyland recently are older than me. Either way, they're not sure if immunities last a lifetime. He said I didn't need to worry unless I left the US, and I explained that I do.

There is a Dallas church that used to preach against vaccines until a group of them went to the Philippines and came back with measles. They changed their faith.

 

[loudives]

As a prevention I always stay away from any kind of cream sauces. I've noticed that the refrigeration in Coz is difficult to maintain with the constant opening of the fridge door. Especially all the sauces, salad dressing, and creamed dishes on buffet tables which no way can keep those things cold.
I just use a bit of lemon on salads. Been there 50 times in 22 years and only had a problem the first time. I swear it was the creamy cole-slaw.

 

[Skittl1321]

I did call the local health department today about measles vaccinations for us old coots. The lady who answered the phone tried to answer questions but it soon became apparent that she really wasn't qualified. I asked tougher questions and got passed to someone of some professional qualifications. He couldn't really give me a good answer tho. I don't remember ever having the week long measles, just the 3 day type - which is a different bug (something the first lady didn't know, which is how I got to someone better), and my mom is not around to ask. I think I was out of school before the vaccine became available. Some of the people who caught measles at Disneyland recently are older than me. Either way, they're not sure if immunities last a lifetime. He said I didn't need to worry unless I left the US, and I explained that I do.

Could you have your doctor do an antibody titer? That would tell you if you already have the immunity.