When I go abroad I always get upset stomachs

WiresDreamDisasters

Whenever I go to Japan, I give it a week before my stomach goes all fucked up.

Last year I went to Switzerland for a couple of days. Day 1 was perfect. Loved it. Day 2 was fine too. That was in Interlaken. Very nice place.

Day 3 we were walking around Zurich and I just couldn't concentrate on the scenery, the food, the family. I was pretty much in pain the entire day, getting worse throughout the day. Stomach felt like it was on fire, I was hunched over and walked around holding my stomach. Took some antacid stuff, didn't help.

We flew back that night with me in agony. I went straight to bed.

Got up the next day, and aside from muscular pain in my abs (lol, wot abzzz) the fiery pain was completely gone.

Never did figure out what it was. Anyway... all the doctors in the house, is this beer/diet/over indulgence on holiday related, something in the water, invasion of the bodysnatchers type shit... etc... ??

Flying to Japan in 9 days. Not looking forward to the typical stomach upsets.

(PS: stomach upset is code for not being able to shit for a few days and then having to utterly obliterate the nearest toilet, AND FAST!!!)

slacker

Imodium

WiresDreamDisasters

slacker said:

Imodium

um... but I'm not 60.

Funkfingers

In the words of the Beach Boys song, “Don’t go near the water.”

WiresDreamDisasters said:

slacker said:

Imodium

um... but I'm not 60.

Irrelevant. 

The symptoms seem connected to either diet or anxiety.

WiresDreamDisasters

Funkfingers said:

In the words of the Beach Boys song, “Don’t go near the water.”

Funkfingers is exactly what I'm trying to avoid!

Funkfingers

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Funkfingers is exactly what I'm trying to avoid!

Use Andrex.

boogieman

My wife was a nurse: her take on it is it’s either stress related or the change in water. Are you drinking tap water while you’re away? If so try just drinking bottled water. You could also try taking high strength probiotics, starting a week before you go.

Or it could just be psychological: some people react badly to the change in toilet habits. Not much you can do about that. 

Pepto-bismol is the best way of dealing with stomach gripes IME. Turns you poo black though. 

WiresDreamDisasters

boogieman said:

My wife was a nurse: her take on it is it’s either stress related or the change in water. Are you drinking tap water while you’re away? If so try just drinking bottled water. You could also try taking high strength probiotics, starting a week before you go.

Or it could just be psychological: some people react badly to the change in toilet habits. Not much you can do about that. 

Pepto-bismol is the best way of dealing with stomach gripes IME. Turns you poo black though. 

Yeah I am drinking tap water when I have tea or coffee; water is boiled though???

I guess if I'm going to do the probiotic route, I should start now!

hywelg

Describe the symptoms. Is it the actual stomach or lower, does the pain come and go? as in griping? You mention it felt  'on fire', did it make you want to throw up? have you tried making yourself sick to see if it helps? was it like acid indigestion, a burning sensation? I'd guess not as the antacid would have helped in that case.

When the symptoms subsided did you get any side effects like loss of appetite,  bloating, wind, diarrhoea?

Just in case you get the impression I'm medically trained , I'm not, just I've had a lot of stomach complaints in my life.

guitartango

Might be worth seeing a Doctor, if you can get an appoitment 

LastMantra

I think it's probably psychological. A lot of people get constipated and that kind of thing when travelling. It's stressful. I find airports to be a great laxative. 

LastMantra

Ask the dr for a few valium. 

Bellycaster

LastMantra said:

I think it's probably psychological. A lot of people get constipated and that kind of thing when travelling. It's stressful. I find airports to be a great laxative. 

They tend to be a little filling for me

Sorry!

Fuengi

What's your range? Does this happen if you go to the Midlands or do you have to get on a plane? 

WiresDreamDisasters

Fuengi said:

What's your range? Does this happen if you go to the Midlands or do you have to get on a plane? 

LOL. No, it doesn't happen in the UK. I only ever really go to Japan tbh, coz I'm a British-psuedo-Japanese nationalist. Obvs.

hywelg said:

Describe the symptoms. Is it the actual stomach or lower, does the pain come and go? as in griping? You mention it felt  'on fire', did it make you want to throw up? have you tried making yourself sick to see if it helps? was it like acid indigestion, a burning sensation? I'd guess not as the antacid would have helped in that case.

When the symptoms subsided did you get any side effects like loss of appetite,  bloating, wind, diarrhoea?

Just in case you get the impression I'm medically trained , I'm not, just I've had a lot of stomach complaints in my life.

Usually a lot of nauseousness but no ability to be sick. In Switzerland it was kind of a fiery feeling just below my solar-plexus. Could barely walk.

In Japan it's usually more of a dull ache in the stomach, then brutal shits that rock the planet. I've caused several earthquakes. People died!

rlw

Stress.  I get just the same only in France the toilets aren’t so good either....

boogieman

WiresDreamDisasters said:

boogieman said:

My wife was a nurse: her take on it is it’s either stress related or the change in water. Are you drinking tap water while you’re away? If so try just drinking bottled water. You could also try taking high strength probiotics, starting a week before you go.

Or it could just be psychological: some people react badly to the change in toilet habits. Not much you can do about that. 

Pepto-bismol is the best way of dealing with stomach gripes IME. Turns you poo black though. 

Yeah I am drinking tap water when I have tea or coffee; water is boiled though???

I guess if I'm going to do the probiotic route, I should start now!

Could be the different mineral content of the tap water that’s causing the issue, rather than it having bacteria in it. Bottled water might be better. 

Yeah, I’d get started on the PB’s now. Try to get the highest strength you can, think we found 15 million strength ones somewhere online. It definitely helped when we went to China last year, neither of us got any stomach issues that time (in contrast I had the most terrible shits when we were in India and ended up having to hit the antibiotics to settle things down ). 

markblack

Pepto-Bismol... A guy I work with traveled a lot and he always takes it even if he doesn't need it. What ever is in it fights off germs, heard a story its what the guys who guard the president take, they can't really afford to have the s***s when guarding old trumpy,... 

Philly_Q

For me it's kind of the opposite - I have an upset stomach pretty much all the time on workdays, but it largely goes away on weekends and holidays.  I think a lot of it is down to stress and/or my state of mind.

jonnyburgo

At least you'll have a robotic bog to give you a clean up and tickle.

ToneControl

slacker said:

Imodium

eh? Someone is bunged up and you prescribe bung-up tablets?