Getting "Sick" in China

[XMarine]

I think, Now! that getting "Sick" in China, is Your Choice!!

On My First Visit to my Fiance'; I REALLY GOT SICK!!! that was in August, 2003, Just After SARS......and, I might have had it.....The Chinese Doctor gave me some pills that reduced the fever; and a few days later, I had no problems getting through those Heat Sensors at the Airport; But, I Felt Awful.....

A little over a month later, I went Back to China, and got sick again, though not as bad....and I did Not go to a Doctor.......

In June/July, 2004, on my Third visit with Ruihua; I Did Not Get Sick!!!

 

And, Here Is "Why" [ I think! ]......... About 2 years ago; I loaned my Juiceman juicer to my stepson, and had been Skipping That Part of Staying Healthy......And; I also think that the STRESS of trying to get So MANY DOCUMENTS [ on first visit, and 2nd. visit ] may have contributed to a weakening of my immune system, and that I had Not been doing as Much as I previously had been, to Staying Healthy.....!

On the 3rd. Visit; Ruihua and I went to Walmart, and bought as good a juicer as they had; and "Juiced" EVERY DAY!!! NO SICKNESS, EITHER!!!!

 

After I returned home; my Daughter went to Walmart, and bought me a GE 450 watt juicer, that I think is the equal of My Juiceman juicer.......Now, take This Into Mind, Too...... I Have Been, And Continue to do: Hard Exercises!!! But; along With the Exercises, the "JUICEING" seemed to make a Huge Difference!!! On Our IM Everyday, We Show each other our glass of juice! Hahahaha......! As We say to each other; "Your Health Is My Health!"

As a side note; it is possible that there is a Slight difference in in the germs, in China, compared to where I [ You ] live, and if the Immune System is Only "Balanced" Here; then, with the additional Stress of Airports/waiting, and airlines, And those slight differences in germs; as the saying is: "That's" an Accident Waiting to Happen!!

 

"Have a Nice Day!"

Gerald in Georgia, and For Now, Ruihua in Nanning....

mailed K-1/K-2 Dec, 2003 P-3 Mailed to Guangzhou July, 2004

.................waiting on P-4...................

[Jason+Joanna]

Last time I went (and the only time I have gone thus far), I took some some amodium-AD. I was actually ok until the last day or two of the trip. I think the pork did not agree with me, so I am going to avoid pork next time.

[turtle]

I know a guy who's been to China 3-4 times, and like clockwork, each time he gets sick. I've spent about a year in China, and never had any problems. I spent a semester in Russia about 10 years ago, where I ate something really horribly bad and got the worst stomach bomb of my life. I think that episode built up my immune system to a point where I can handle just about anything.

 

Also, I do think some of it is mental. I mean, a lot of people going to China totally overcompensate. Before my first trip to China, my doctor's eyes bugged out and he started telling me all these shots I needed, all this medicine, like I was going on a trip to the moon! I know people who go there and carry around hand washing solution, clean out tea cups and plates before eating, carry their own chopsticks, etc. I think you can basically convince yourself that you're going to get sick if you take it that far.

[umgoblue]

Actually I recently just came back from China and this trip, my third, I finally got sick. I don't consider I have a particularly strong stomach and was worried about this on the previous trips, but never any problems at all. And then on this trip I got food poisoning from a pizza from the western restaurant at the Marriot in Sanya, Hainan. I think thats pretty ironic actually, as I'd eaten all kinds of local food and sometimes at places that weren't super clean, and then I end up getting sick off the food at the Marriot, a 5-star hotel that was totally immaculately clean.

 

And I wouldn't say it was super bad, I've had worse situations, but I was in the bathroom most of the day and unable to eat, and yet had to catch a flight back to Shanghai that night. My girlfriend ended up making a phone call and setting me up at a hospital where her friend works. It was quite cheap, for $10 total I got a doctor to tell me I had a common bacterial infection (#157) and he put me on an IV with antibiotics and glucose to get my strength back, and I just lay there for maybe 3 hours then left and the next day ate rice soup all day to recover even more. But then 2 days later, probably because the bacteria weakend my immune system, I got a pretty bad chest cold and finally flew back to the US coughing all the way.

 

I think its all just part of travelling, and I certainly don't mind paying that price to spend time with my girlfriend, I just wish it would hit when I come back and not ruin the time with her. Hopefully better luck on next trip!

[yave20b]

Well for me I have been traveling to China for over 15 years. Oddly enough I seem to have gotten sick only while eating at the 5 star hotel restaurants and KFCs.....never at the "mom and pop" places in China. So I've taken 5 star restaurants and KFC in China out of my diet. And almost have not been sick in all the trips I've taken since doing so.

 

My other secret weapon is Pepto-Bismol tablets (or generic equivalent). The active ingredient, bismuth subsalicylate, it a well documented anti-bacterial, as well as an intestinal protectant. I start taking 1 tablet twice daily the day before I go there and continue to take until the day I come back to the US. I've been in some absolutely poor areas of China where there is almost no running water, buckets for toilets, and no soap for anyone to wash hands. I have not gotten sick even in these areas while taking the Pepto-Bismol. CAUTION for anyone allergic to aspirin or who is taking blood thinning medications such as Coumadin (warfarin) as the subsalicylate part of bismuth subsalicylate is essentially aspirin.

 

Oh the other thing, try to drink only bottled water, bottled softdrinks, bottled beer, etc...DO NOT drink any fountain drinks or from tap. If you have to drink the water coming out of the tap it MUST BE BOILED as long as possible. DO NOT use ice as it is usually made from the same untreated water that makes you sick if you drink it....even at the nice places and especially KFC. AND NEVER, NEVER, NEVER brush your teeth with anything but boiled water, or preferably bottled water. When washing the face or taking a shower keep your mouth closed as tight as possible to avoid any water getting into your mouth. Afterwards rinse your mouth with boiled or bottled water quickly. And I'm not just barking up the tree on any of these.....I'm a medical professional with a lot of experience in less than sanitary countries. Trust me, you do not want to get dysentary in China.

[Guest jayandwenjie]

I have been into China four times and covered quite a few cities with out ever getting sick. I drank only bottled water on the streets and never ate anything from a street food vendor. I drank tea, some coffee or bottled juice or pop as well. I took the Pepto and such with me but never had to use it, so I think it is just a matter of being extra cautious. Maybe I was just lucky?

[Robert S.]

The only place I went in China was Dalian which is most likely the cleanest city in China. I brushed my teeth with the local water. I even drank the water right from the tap, which did not taste too great but it did not make me sick. The water from the family's big filtration system in the corner of the sitting room was just fine with me, no problems. I ate anything I wanted and did not worry and had no trouble. I did fine up until the night we went to a restaturant where we were doing hot pot and I foolishly ate a couple of oysters raw, just wanting to try doing that like back home. I did not have any Imodium but Ping gave me a tiny little pill which stopped the problem in just a few hours.

 

Nevertheless if I were to travel around anywhere but Dalian I would follow the strictest recommendations.

 

I was worried when my wife and stepdaughter came over here that they would have some initial intestinal trouble from not being accustomed to the local flora but surprisingly they had none.

[perryf]

I went to Nanning in August and got sick, the flu. i felt bad for a day during the trip. Then felt better. The trip back was a nightmare, 6 hours sleep in 2 days. And I wasn't able to have a free day to sleep before work, like I wanted.

 

It wore me out enough that I was got really sick for 2 weeks. I ran into 2 other people from the US on the trip back and we were all sick. i think it was the incredible humidity in Southern China. I think it's a prime breeding ground for bacteria and germs.

[Jeikun]

Guess I got lucky. I stayed in Jun's apartment in Beijing. The stairwells of the building were so dirty, if I brushed against the walls, I'd have to wash my shirt. And yet... I drank the tap water (granted not much)... ate food from street vendors, pretty much gave no care or consideration to potentially getting sick. And didn't. I really don't care to limit my experience for fear of becoming sick. If you do, you do - often whether you tried to avoid it or not.

 

*** One exception though, and something I would like to recommend to ANYONE considering a trip to China. Many people worry about things like SARS, Bird-flu, and other diseases made infamous by the media. But you are far less likely to catch either of these, as you are Hepatitis. If you will be returning to China, get innoculated against Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B. They are practically a pandemic there. You might just feel like you have mild flu, then be fine, or you might be bedridden for months or worse. The vaccination is simple and inexpensive. Get it. ***

[tywy_99]

I had gotten all the shots; tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis-A/B, Immune Globulin. I guess they helped because I didn't get sick in China and we ate nearly all the time from the street vendors, with my wife leading the way, of course.

I did bring a big $7 1/2 box of Immodium AD but alot of good that was. After a week in China, I would've gladly traded it in for a big bottle of pepto-bismal or milk of magnesia!............

[alaskagypsy]

Several friends told me to take Pepto-Bismol daily on the trip. The day I arrived in China I started taking Pepto-Bismol every morning. At first I brushed my teeth using the water, I used their ice. We ate at a lot of small restaurants where I was a little worried. All with no problem. When I left Nanning I threw away my Pepto-Bismol. I should have taken it on the plane on the way back but didn't. Close to Seattle I started feeling a bit quezzy. After a 19 hour flight I felt a little sick, but not too bad. The next morning I was sick, diahhrea and vomiting. I was down for 10 days. Thank God I didn't get sick in China.

Later a friend told me I should have taken the Pepto-Bismol for a few more days and I should have been okay.

Next time I will.

[DaveR]

I just got back after 2 weeks in China. I was all over ShenZhen, HangZhou, GuangZhou, JiangXi, PingHu and only had one day where my stomache was upset. So I put it down to what I ate, and I had Immodium AD along. I brushed my teeth with the tap water, but drank bottled water, or Cokes the rest of the time. We ate in a lot of resturants and at home(I cooked spahetti one night), but no street vendors, so I may be lucky. Unfortunately, my fiance has been feeling sick since I left. I think it is because we did so much traveling and had the A/C on so much. She is not used to it being so cool during her sleep.

 

Dave

[DaveR]

I should say I was not ill except for the Hangover I had from dinner with her brother. The 5 bottles of Chinese wine that night make it a big blur.

The next day was a long day.

 

[beijingjenny]

Adjusting to the food, rather than the food itself, can often be the problem for many people. (Though I too have had friends who ate on the street bt got sick at 5-star restos). When I go back to the US, I get more of an upset stomach from the rich food than I ever have here (my former digestive probs have almost disappeared here, not sure why since it's still pretty oily)... !

[Jason+Joanna]

Actually, I got more sick from my last trip from Las Vegas then my trip from China. My stomach was only a minor problem coming back from China, I just could not eat anything. Last trip from vegas, I was sick for 3 days....