Home My body. hates. this country. (long/rant)

[rainbowtrout]

Seriously. Since moving here in September I''ve had:

4 colds
1 bout of pneumonia
at least two bouts of giardia
1 flu
3 bouts of food poisoning
3 yeast infections (sorry if TMI! But I never get the damn things!)
1 bizarre outbreak of something that caused nasty lesions.
and last but not least, 6 or so months now of chronic off/on stomach trouble. Mostly on.



I normally love being here but today I am just at the end of my rope!!!!! I got up and just went back to bed. Taking a freaking day. I swear. I am normally a very healthy person maybe 1-2 colds a year, every other year a flu or something!


Anyone who lived/lives abroad know anything to do to boost your immune system? I follow the common sense things---get enough sleep, wash all my produce, drink only tap water I know is safe or bottled, etc. I don''t avoid all fresh fruits and veggies cause that just seems worse than the chance of another bout of food poisoning--but ahhhh!


I have some multis which I take 2 of now a day since I have a distinct feeling I''m not absorbing everything I should. I''ve seen a doctor here but I really have no faith in them after the last one gave my mother a pain med that caused seizures and turned out to have morphine in it without telling us it did

Homeopathic help-the-old-immune system remedies welcome....

Sorry for the rant. My mother came to visit and then ended up staying, and she actually IS chronically ill, and the wear of it plus everything else just made meIt need to vent. It''s like Helga''s House of Plague over here. Or I guess Mohammed''s House of Illness, who knows.

 

[neatfreak]

Well, my experience was a bit different because I was living in Italy, but I had my family send me Emergen-C. It always seems to make me feel better and my body seems to absorb the vitamins better too. Might be all in my head, but I liked it. I just had one pack each morning.

And although it was a different circumstance, I actually DID try to drink some of the water and eat salads, etc. It was a rough few weeks when I started doing it but after a month or so my body adjusted really well and then I was able to eat/drink whatever I wanted without trouble.

But I assume Italy is a lot different than Morocco!

 

[rainbowtrout]

I drink the tap water in the major cities where it is safe, and I eat fruits and veggies---I dont usually eat salads in restaurants unless they are cooked salads, mostly because Moroccans suck at green salads. Also I mostly cook for myself.

If I was going to adjust, I think it would have happened by now

I have heard docs say it can take years but that seems sort of long. Pfft.

I tried going off all tap water and just doing bread and canned good and things got a little better but not enough to justify missing out so much...


What is Emergen-C?

 

[neatfreak]

Here''s a better description than I could ever provide:

http://www.mothernature.com/shop/detail.cfm/sku/40083/S/99616

 

[Independent Gal]

Hey Rainbow. My friends and I have all done long stints in places where the hygiene standards and local bugs are an issue and I hate to say it but I think it's kind of par for the course.

One thing: even if the tap water in major cities is "safe" I'd drink bottled anyway. My guess is the standards and safety checks aren't necessarily up to snuff. Especially after two bouts of giardia!

And make sure anything you eat at a restaurant is PIPING hot.

The yeast issue is probably heat related, unless you've been taking lots of antibiotics for teh other afflictions. Are dairy products there pasteurized? If not, you can get the relevant yeast eating 'good bacteria' in pill form from a good apothecary. That should help.

 

[rainbowtrout]

Knowing its normal helps ID! The other FB-ers didn't seem to have as many issues, despite also drinking and eating similarly, so I was starting to feel like a freak.



I eat a ton of yogurt and its not that hot..so I'm not sure about the yeast. Maybe stuff is just out of wack.

 

[surfgirl]

I work in developing countries all the time and here are some tips:

1. Stop Eating Meat (at least temporarily):

I found that when I stopped eating meat when traveling, I got A LOT less sicker. A.Lot!

2. Treat your fruit & veg before eating it!

I eat tons of veggies, etc. but if you're getting sick all the time, then you should consider soaking your veggies in a purification solution like iodine-treated water. There are tablets you can buy that you disolve in water and then soak your fresh fruit and veggies in that, rinse off and store in the fridge. Think of where your food has been. For example, (and at the risk of being too graphic) in many countries western level hygiene isn't that common. So your fresh veggies are most likely picked by someone who may have wiped themselves with a hand or not washed their hands thoroughly or with soap and water afterwards. It's part of the lay of the land so you have to be more vigilant in how you approach your own food prep so you dont expose yourself to ecoli, salmonella, etc.

3. Take care when eating perishable dairy items:

Lay off the yogurt for a couple weeks and see what happens. Poor refrigeration might be turning your yogurt bad and you're not even aware of it (who knows how long it's been unrefridgerated from the time it's made until it gets to you in a restaurant or at your home).

4. Dont eat uncooked or left out condiments:

When in restaurants, dont eat condiments that are left on the tables all the time (things like relishes, chili pastes, chutneys, etc.) as they may contain uncooked ingredients and/or be harboring germs because they're left out all the time.

5. Drink purified water only:

Do you drink only bottled water? If so, check to make sure the caps are fully sealed when you open to tops. It is a common trick in some countries to re fill bottle water and then the waiter opens the bottle and hands it to you and you dont know if the seal was actually sealed or not. Always ask to open the bottle yourself and if the waiter opens it for you, ask them to bring another bottle.

6. Wash your hands often!

If you have access to hand purifier gel, carry it with you at all times and use it often. If not, wash your hands often. Your system isn't used to the types of colds they have there so you may be more at risk of getting them more often.

Hope that helps...

 

[ljmorgan]

Ahhh, the pleasures of eating in a new country, and all of the sickness that goes with it. I have had the pleasure of traveling to some of the least desirable countries in the world. Unlike the others, I''m not recommending treating your food, avoiding certain foods, etc. if you''re planning on being there a while longer. If you won''t be there much longer at all, go ahead. If you WILL be there for a while... eat as normal. You''re getting sick so frequently because you don''t have native immunity to the bugs/bacteria in the area. Initially you''ll be sick quite often (as you''ve found) but that''s a good thing, because you''ll be building immunity to your new local bacteria friends.

I would second the recommendation of Emergen-C. But as far as other ways to boost your immune system... keep eating that food that''s making you sick. Sucks huh?

 

[rainbowtrout]

Lindsey: I totally had your philosophy at the beginning, thinking it would just get better eventually! Unfort for my body I think that "eventually" may be 2-3 YEARS not months. I''m leaving in a 2 months so I will just try to be extra vigilant until then.

The yogurt idea is good surfgirl, I hadn''t thought of that. I don''t hardly eat meat anyway, so.


I was very worried something deeper was wrong with me, but when I went back to the US in March everything cleared up--whereas my friends who did manage to acclimate got sick when they went *back* to the US for a few weeks. Sigh.

 

[rainbowtrout]

I asked my dad to send me some emergen-C, maybe it will help, certainly can''t hurt. Do you know where to buy those water treatment tablets?

In other news, I have discovered surprisingly effective home remedies for the yeast issue, if anyone is interested.

 

[justjulia]

Ok, this kind of thing happened to me when I was in a developing country. After 6 doctors, I found out that I had a quiet case of Mono. Yes, Mono! It was killing the rest of my immune system and it took 8 months to get over--in the meantime, I got everything else because I was unable to fight stuff off. Just something to think about.

 

[rainbowtrout]

This is actually very strange...


My freshmen yr of college they thought I had leukemia, then they thought I had mono, they did 3 blood tests for mono and they all came back "inconclusive"

Sophomore year caught some other random bug, got some secondary infection, though I had mono again, test again inconclusive....

Rinse and repeat a few other times in college. basically I have never tested POSITIVE for mono but I have never tested negative either.

 

[justjulia]

Date: 6/24/2007 11:38:13 PM
Author: rainbowtrout
This is actually very strange...


My freshmen yr of college they thought I had leukemia, then they thought I had mono, they did 3 blood tests for mono and they all came back ''inconclusive''

Sophomore year caught some other random bug, got some secondary infection, though I had mono again, test again inconclusive....

Rinse and repeat a few other times in college. basically I have never tested POSITIVE for mono but I have never tested negative either.

Now you are giving me goosebumps. I had mono in college and was told that would take care of antibodies and I shouldn''t ever get it again. Ha. Apparantly, when you are under a lot of stress, it CAN come back. Particularly if you did not get a strong case of it the first time. Why don''t you go get tested, just to see. I just wonder...

 

[surfgirl]

RT, who are you over there with, organizationally speaking (school, work, volunteer agency, NGO, etc.)? They should be providing you with the purification tablets. Alternatively, you could call the local Peace Corps office and see if they use them and if they offer a local source for buying.

 

[Mandarine]

I hope you feel better!....I know about body reacting to another country!

When I moved to the US I gained weight....I mean lots of weight, like 50 pounds!....and I gained it so quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Thankfully, after 12 years living here, I lost the weight and have kept it off for a long time now, but my body just wasn''t used to the food here and all the extra stuff that is hidden in the foods!.

And now I think my body got used to my life here...so when we went for vacation in Costa Rica I got sick from something in the water!. Now even when I go back home, I''m careful about what I drink or eat...because my body is not used to that anymore...it takes time.

I would definitely get cheked by a doctor though...

What was your home remedy for the yeast? the only home remedy I know is eating lots of yogurt!

M~

 

[rainbowtrout]

Surfgirl: Fulbright, and they consider the tap water perfectly safe in the cities, so they don''t give tablets or suggest doing much besides rinsing veggies. I seem to be having much more trouble than most adjusting.


Mandarine: Yeow! I have heard this, the US is awful in terms of what we put/hide in our food! That must have been awful.

RE: yeast infections. Well, instead of eating it, you apply directly to the source of the problem, the same way you would a cream at night. You can use a plastic syringe to apply. Must be NON SWEETENED yogurt with active cultures!!! Also you can use peeled garlic cloves as a suppository. Works amazingly well (I am allergic to Monistat--severely, unpleasantly allergic, so something had to be found).


JJ: I might get checked again when I go back to NYU. I don''t let needles get near me here be I am just not comfortable with the sterility level. I have a freind doing a researh project on the hospitals it and scared the bejeesus out of me

 

[surfgirl]

Dont you have a doctor there for your group, or someone to go to? I''d ask them. Or again, call your local Peace Corps office (I think they have one there) and ask the nurse there if they can recommend somewhere to get the tablets. Just because they say the water is fine doesn''t mean you should be drinking it. If you''re getting that sick on a regular basis, switch to only purified water and see if that helps. And use the bottled water for brushing your teeth too...

 

[rainbowtrout]

They do (the Peace Corps). And I can ask at the local pharmacy,that''s where you would find someone who knows where to get it. I''m not sure they will have it, but it''s worth a shot.

 

[justjulia]

When I was in the Peace Corps (oh my, 23 yrs ago), they had a water filter thing we used following boiling the water for a specified number of minutes (can''t remember). Also had the tabs, but I recall they made the water taste funny. I know that they could at least refer you to a clinic/doctor that they use. I can totally relate to the needle thing. I got a kidney infection and had to be rushed to a mission hospital--had to use their needle due to emergency and I was scared to death. The hospital nearby however was run by a Catholic organization, not the city, and had better conditions. Shortly after, PC gave everyone disposable syringes to carry around. I have a hypothesis that since more people are moving around on public transportation, and mingling at market, etc, more germs get around/mutate more frequently. I know that I got that kidney infection because I was drinking coke instead of the water (no such thing as small bottled in those days) and got dehydrated.
I''ll tell you, a group that seemed to have a handle on the food and water was the seventh day adventists that were there. Thinking back, also the Japanese volunteer organization shipped in a lot of food. Someone should be able to provide answers to the best water purifying technique available where you are. My husband and I went through all the giardia, billharzia, malaria, titsi fly, you name it, "stuff," and my heart goes out to you. Hang in there. But, yeah, contact the PC and see what they say.