GETTING THE STOMACH FLU (MANTASUMAS REVENGE) NOT SPELLED

I'VE BEEN TO CANCUN ALOT OF TIMES, AND ONE THING YOU DONT WANT TO GET IS THE STOMACH FLU, IF YOU GET IT WHILE YOUR THERE GO TO ANY PHARMACY AND ASKED FOR CIPRO 250 OR 500(ANTIBIOTIC), I BRING IT WITH ME FROM THE STATES, IT WILL CURE YOU IN 1 DAY, NOTHING ELSE HELPS, BELIEVE ME I KNOW, SEE YOU THERE JUNE 4-11TH

 

But if you take it..finish the whole course..one dose is not good..for many reasons.

 

Thanks for the head-up..I was there last May and did OK... But i'm hear people are getting sick in the pass several months. I try not to drink outside the resort unless it's bottled.. And avoid strange foods...LOL...

 

Wow, wish I'd have known that 3 weeks ago. Ryan got it 3 days into the trip and had it the rest of the week. Then he battled it for about a week after we got home.
I will file that bit of info away for next time!

 

Montezuma's revenge is typically caused by a parasitic infection borne by critters in the water - impure water can really lay you low. The trick is that it isn't necessarily anything that is unsafe as much as it is that your system isn't used to dealing with the things it gets exposed to, and the diarrhea is your body's reaction to try to expel the thing that's in there.

Here's a great trick that we've used over and over again - we bring chewable Pepto Bismol tablets and starting two days prior to the trip, we chew two every morning. This is a trick given to me by a pal that's an internal medicine doctor. The bismuth in the Pepto Bismol creates a slightly inhospitable environment for the bacteria and parasites in the water, and the coating effect of the Pepto (it literally lines your stomach and intestines with a coating of bismuth) prevents the bug from establishing an infection.

We've been to Mexico about 5 times as a couple and I go several times a year for business, as well as to other 3rd world locations, and use this trick every time. I haven't gotten sick in more than 10 years doing this.

The other thing that contributes to the Montezuma's revenge is just plain "turista" guts - tourist stomach. You're on vacation, you're over drinking, over eating, over doing in general, and something's gotta give. I find that going on a boy's weekend (golf, auto racing, etc.) will do that to me.

Using Cipro or other type of aggressive broad-action anti-biotic works well AFTER the bug has kicked in, but you can head it off entirely with the Pepto Bismol trick.

Now that said, the Pepto trick won't give you a hall pass to be stupid - don't go drinking things or eating things in questionable locations. Ice is a huge culprit - you can be at a nice bar somewhere and if they aren't buying their ice from a reputable maker, you can get sick.

Last time I got Turista was more than 10 years ago when we were at the Riu Palace in Riviera Maya. One evening we went into Playa Del Carmen and at and drank at Carlos & Charlies - and got sick. We both had salads and we think it was how the lettuce was washed.

Time before that was on a trip to Cancun and we had beachside frozen margaritas out on Isla Mujeres. It had to be the ice on that one!

 

STOMACH FLU

HOPEFULLY YOUR RIGHT ABOUT PEPTO, I'LL HAVE TO TRY THAT, I'VE BEEN TO CANCUN OVER 60 TIMES AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM TILL I TOOK THE FUTURE EX WIFE, IT ONLY HAPPENED ONCE, BUT BOY WILL IT DESTROY A VACATION, I ACTUALLY GOT IT THE 1ST TIME I WENT TO BLUE BAY, AND I WAS TOLD ONCE THE BUG IS IN YOU THATS WHEN CIPRO WORKS, BUT ANYWAY I WONT TAKE A CHANCE, MY DOC GIVES ME SOME EACH TIME I GO, BUT I WILL HAVE TO TRY THE PEPTO THING BEFORE I LEAVE, THANKS MIKE

 

Cool. The trick is doing it on an empty stomach first thing in the AM. Not the most pleasant thing to chomp on first shot in the AM but beats sitting on the mug with flames shooting out of your ass, which is the alternative!

I just do it right out of bed before I brush my teeth - chew it up, brush the pink away and on with the day.

 

We eat yogurt every day for few weeks before the trip. We have yet to have stomach problems. Now, if we could just cure that drinking problem! :daveandmo:

 

Actually you point out one of the biggest causes of travel stomach upset - getting your natural gut bacteria levels out of balance. An evening bender is all it takes sometimes - the alcohol literally sterilizes your small intestine of positive bacteria and then all hell breaks loose.

I gave myself a day of the runs a few weeks ago when I went on a martini bender with a buddy after a nasty stressful week - after 5 vodka martinis in about 4 hours, I was thoroughly pickled and for the next 24 hours it was clear my lower half didn't work so well either.

 

Thanks for all the info....LOL... I have been OK so far..Knock on wood... :bashself: