Back to China for spring festival. How to prevent getting sick

[chilton747]

One other thing, fruits are particularly hazardous along with uncooked foods because of how they are handled. If you go to a street vendor then insist on using Styrofoam dishes.

[NickF]

One thing that cured my jet lag was to sleep the entire time on the plane. Of course I needed medicine for this (Ambien) but it worked. I hit the ground running and was never tired.

 

Sounds like you are very sensitive to certain foods. Are you sensitive to any foods here in America?

 

Good luck with sleeping on the plane. My second trip included 60+ Chinese middle school students returning from a week long trip to Disneyland. Sleep? Not a chance.

 

Insterstingly enough the only time I was ever sick with anything in China was returning from that trip. I cought a cold during the 2 days we spend shopping in Guangzhou at New Year, but it didn't kick in until about the time of my 4 hour layover in Inchon.

 

Was miserable for the rest of the trip, and had to take 2 more days off work to recover.

 

My solution to jet lag is to just stay awake for the 36 hours before I fly.

[Mr. Don]

I did eat fruit on my 3rd day there. Her mom gave me grapes to eat when we visited her. She did wash them but I don't know if washing them is enough.

 

One other thing, fruits are particularly hazardous along with uncooked foods because of how they are handled. If you go to a street vendor then insist on using Styrofoam dishes.

[Kyle]

I would also agree with the advice already mentioned:

 

1. Stick to bottled water (for consumption and brushing your teeth)

 

2. Take some Melatonin with you for bedtime. I disagree w/ drinking a lot of alcohol as doing so may help you fall asleep, but seldom keeps one sleeping through the whole night.

 

3. After arriving in China, as much as your able, get outside during the day hours. There is a nerve on the top of your head that helps fluctuate your internal clock. Sunlight helps this along.

 

4. I did take pepto chewables along w/ Imodium AD pills. I remember my first venture to China; it took some time for my digestive system to adjust to the large amounts of oil used for food preparation.

 

5. If you're stomach can't handle spicy foods, you might try practicing the phrase "I don't want hot spices/pepper" "不要辣椒" bu yao la jiao.

 

I found that a lot of my digestive issues were resolved after my sleeping patterns were back to normal. Lack of sleep, at least for me, threw everything out of whack.

[Mr. Don]

I honestly believe that the majority of my digestive problems were from the jet lag and my sleep being out of whack. I plan to get extra sleep the first few days I am there and probably get some ambien from my dr. to help me along. I think I will be fine if I can get my sleep squared away.

 

I would also agree with the advice already mentioned:

 

1. Stick to bottled water (for consumption and brushing your teeth)

 

2. Take some Melatonin with you for bedtime. I disagree w/ drinking a lot of alcohol as doing so may help you fall asleep, but seldom keeps one sleeping through the whole night.

 

3. After arriving in China, as much as your able, get outside during the day hours. There is a nerve on the top of your head that helps fluctuate your internal clock. Sunlight helps this along.

 

4. I did take pepto chewables along w/ Imodium AD pills. I remember my first venture to China; it took some time for my digestive system to adjust to the large amounts of oil used for food preparation.

 

5. If you're stomach can't handle spicy foods, you might try practicing the phrase "I don't want hot spices/pepper" "²»ÒªÀ±½·" bu yao la jiao.

 

I found that a lot of my digestive issues were resolved after my sleeping patterns were back to normal. Lack of sleep, at least for me, threw everything out of whack.

[honeybun]

not sure how much else i can add. in the end i think it might just come down to "luck of the draw" of each restaurant's cooking oil

 

like kyle, i would absolutely use bottled water for brushing teeth. at restaurants i drink "cha shui" ("tea water") and never had a problem. never get cold or room temp water at a restaurant. "Wang Lao Ji" tea in a can is great as are bottled peach & orange juice

 

i've never gotten sick from street-food, though it's probably a bit of a gamble each time. i've eaten "ma la tang" (hot spicy soup) about 3 times in the street (i think ma la tang would be most risky for gutter oil and probably for germs and bacteria as everyone gets their own food themselves), had "shao bing" (bread/cakes) and "yang rou chuanr" (lamb kebobs, my favorite) from street vendors many times, had little sandwiches and milk teas from windows on side-streets, had cotton candy and sugar coated fruits on sticks, had popcorn made on a bridge overpass. my stomach is not particularly strong BTW. if i have 2 glasses of pepsi or coke i get a stomach ache

 

the plane food always gave me gas, so i started taking an anti-gas pill from walmart, and this helped me feel better on the plane and on my first day there

 

eating strange foods at first might give us stomach problems. i have a very western palate and like my sweets very much in addition to spicies and sours. some of my favorite sweet chinese dishes are:

 

ËÉÈÊÓñÃ× "song ren yu mi" (pine nutty sweet corn)

ÌÇ´×Àï¼¹ "tang cu li ji" (sweet [very sweet] & sour pork)

°ÎË¿µØ¹Ï "ba si di gua" (sweet potatoes in sugary sauce)

Ëļ¾¶¹ "si ji dou" or ¸É±â¶¹½Ç "gan bian dou jiao" (sweet, a little spicy green beans)

 

those are kinda similar to something you would find at a chinese restaurant in america, so they (and the many, many ones like them) definitely shouldn't be any problem, i would think.

 

i usually don't eat "liang cai" (food prepared to be eaten cold). it turns me off.

 

i also don't eat "xiang cai" (cilantro) as it tastes horrible to me. also, i believe it is sometimes added after cooking so it may be a potential source of bacteria. i wouldn't know personally as i always say "bu yao xiang cai!!" (don't want it)

[Zhou Zhou]

The first time I got sick in China was 15 minutes after eating a pizza at the Pizza Hut in Dalian...I had the trots for 7 days. I went to a pharmacy in Fushun and was sold some little pills. I was cured after taking the very first pill...amazing. The second time was in Guangzhou when Hu Po went for her interview...that's another story.

 

I can see by the terlet seat ring you've had quite an active life in Chinertucky, buddy. God only knows what wuz in them tighten up pills you bought in Fushun. After 7 days of trottin' around NE Chinertucky as long as them lil' pills work, who cares aye?

 

Hope you and the lil' missus have a great Hollerdaze.

 

tsap seui

Well I knose 'cause I made a xerox of the label that I pack with me every time I go to the PRC...it wuz "Xianglian Capsules"and the brand was "Bencaogangmu". I wuz told that brand makes good natural meds. It's a capsul thang made of roots and barks, but it stopped my trots as fast as grass goin' through a goose. The second time was in Guangzhou and we stopped for supper on the way to our hotel. The restaurant specialized in spicy Yunan foods...yummm that's for me! It was very spicy but also delicious...'bout as soon as I took my last swig of beer it hit me...I was trottin' all night and swigging Imodium between races to the head. I've done some traveling in my day and always try to prepare. I've been hurtin' in Locolombia, Cuba, Nevis and Paraguay eating all kinds of ugly fruits trying to go or not to go...So I take plenty of Imodium but also Delcolax...I pop Melatonin on the long flights and as needed after touch down. I take a bottle of NyQuil, Aleve, Tums, Alka Selzer and I also wear a ring with a secret compartment that contains a poison pill. If'n I'm lying I'm dying. I still believe in what I tell folks...Never drink the paddy water and don't eat in the western restaurants, eat the Chinese foods. It don't feel like winter down here. It¡¯ s been hotter¡¯ n a goat¡¯ s butt in a pepper patch. Well you and them rabbitz have a great hollarday and Happy Festivus for the rest of us, ya hear.

Zhou Zhou

[tsap seui]

The first time I got sick in China was 15 minutes after eating a pizza at the Pizza Hut in Dalian...I had the trots for 7 days. I went to a pharmacy in Fushun and was sold some little pills. I was cured after taking the very first pill...amazing. The second time was in Guangzhou when Hu Po went for her interview...that's another story.

 

I can see by the terlet seat ring you've had quite an active life in Chinertucky, buddy. God only knows what wuz in them tighten up pills you bought in Fushun. After 7 days of trottin' around NE Chinertucky as long as them lil' pills work, who cares aye?

 

Hope you and the lil' missus have a great Hollerdaze.

 

tsap seui

Well I knose 'cause I made a xerox of the label that I pack with me every time I go to the PRC...it wuz "Xianglian Capsules"and the brand was "Bencaogangmu". I wuz told that brand makes good natural meds. It's a capsul thang made of roots and barks, but it stopped my trots as fast as grass goin' through a goose. The second time was in Guangzhou and we stopped for supper on the way to our hotel. The restaurant specialized in spicy Yunan foods...yummm that's for me! It was very spicy but also delicious...'bout as soon as I took my last swig of beer it hit me...I was trottin' all night and swigging Imodium between races to the head. I've done some traveling in my day and always try to prepare. I've been hurtin' in Locolombia, Cuba, Nevis and Paraguay eating all kinds of ugly fruits trying to go or not to go...So I take plenty of Imodium but also Delcolax...I pop Melatonin on the long flights and as needed after touch down. I take a bottle of NyQuil, Aleve, Tums, Alka Selzer and I also wear a ring with a secret compartment that contains a poison pill. If'n I'm lying I'm dying. I still believe in what I tell folks...Never drink the paddy water and don't eat in the western restaurants, eat the Chinese foods. It don't feel like winter down here. It¡¯ s been hotter¡¯ n a goat¡¯ s butt in a pepper patch. Well you and them rabbitz have a great hollarday and Happy Festivus for the rest of us, ya hear.

Zhou Zhou

 

Great story tellin'. I likes yore writin' style. It's easy to see you have done yore share of travelin', just by the meds you take with you. I usually have a pack with "caca stop pills", "caca go pills", and assorted happy pills. If the caca production is in control, so am I. I like to "walk" to the bathroom, trottin' is for horses.

 

tsap seui

[ktmracer]

I am also going back for Spring festival, leaving Jan 18. Got my Ambien Advil, GasX, ImmodiumAd, AlkaSeltzer Cold+ also.

Jet Lag Killed the first trip. Sister in-law got me some medicine that laid me out, but no sleep.Turned out it was Valium you could buy over the counter then,bought a bunch of boxes later, but no more are sold now.She got some sleep medicine later.

Later trips,I Go down into Syracuse and fly to Chicago and eat lunch. When we board to Beijing , have 1 mixer and down 2 ambien, this about noon to get used to time change. We get to Beijing about 4, then Tianjin about 6. Feel like crap , but go outside and walk to some shops, then about 9, 2 more ambien and good night. I do also pack comfort food,more than clothes. Also, I fly United and pay the money for the Mileage plus section, not much more leg room, but there is always seats open so I sleep across the 3 seats next to the windows.

[Thomas Promise]

Forgive me but what is Jiu

 

 

ANY advice you guys can share with me would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance

 

酒, copious amounts of Jiu.

Wiskey

[Thomas Promise]

Hi all. I went to China August 4th this year and spent 12 days with my fiancee. The jet lag was really bad for me. By the 2nd day I was queasy and nauseous and that never completely went away while I was there. After 7 days we went to Beijing and I ended up with stomach issues. No fever or vomiting, but everything I ate or drank ran through me and kept me in the bathroom for 2 days. We ended up going to the hospital where they did a few simple tests and chalked it up to me not being able to handle their food and water in China. I was VERY careful not to drink the water there unless we boiled it but I still got sick. I am returning to China Jan 21st to spend Spring festival with my future lao po and don't want to be sick while I am there. ANY advice you guys can share with me would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance

I went across the great pond 5 times so far. Some other fellow have went many more times then myself. There all kinds of remedies for jet lag and protecting yourself from illness.

For jet lag it is a bitch for sure. I found coming back to the US worse for me. I use Melatonin sublimingly and follow up with chamolile tea with a dash of honey. I also use Vit B-6 it a good stress buster and with no narcotic effect.

Don't drink the water there unless it is boiled or bottled. General Tso revenge is still after you.

Never buy prepared food unless it is freshly cooked. Then becareful. China is not the USA. There is alot of cross contamination there with food. They think nothing of cutting up a chicken then using the same knife slicing up pork.

You wish to revisit Upton St. Clair's The Jungle find a "Wet Market" in the early morning time in China.

All in all I only got ill once in China and that was from a mild virus. Enjoy your time with your SO. You are for one great treat with the Chinese New Year celbration.

[Ryan H]

The only time I had any adverse affects of a gastrointestinal nature was the very day I had arrived back home from the trip I took in 2010. The likely source was a chain hotpot place in Beijing my wife (then fiancee) and I went to before going to the airport for me to catch the flight home. However, it's entirely possible the source could have entered my system days earlier and it took it's time before it affected me.

[warpedbored]

Never got sick once on any of my trips to China. I took a bottle of water with me to rinse my toothbrush. I only drank tea or Coca Cola without ice. I ate in whatever restaurants my wife took me to. We bought tangerines and pineapple from a farmers market which I ate with no adverse effects. Like others jet lag was more of a problem coming home than going there.

[NickF]

First thing ChunMei does when we get into our hotel room is to boil water to put into the bottled water bottles we always carry everywhere with us. Repeat as necessary.

[Mr. Don]

Thanks for all the responses everyone! Some great advice and examples. I think the main thing I will focus on while I'm there is to get extra sleep, stick with bottled water and watch what I eat. Happy Holidays everyone!