So, you’ve been enjoying the cheap street foods across Thailand, or any other Southeast Asian country with a similar tropical setting, and now you feel it.
A stomach bug or stomach flu is common amongst travelers all over the world. There are many great foods to eat, but they may not be as sanitary, or the bacteria is not what your body is used to back home.
Some may get lucky and end up with a little bit of diarrhea. Others, like me, have ended up shaking on a hard hostel mattress with a fever, throwing up from even a sip of water.
What is a stomach bug and food poisoning and how do you get it?
A stomach bug or stomach flu, also called viral gastroenteritis is a virus that is transferred from bad sanitation and can spread from person to person.
Food poisoning can be a bacterium, a virus, or a parasite that comes from foods that were not prepared well such as undercooked meats, or unfiltered water.
Both the stomach bug and food poisoning have similar symptoms such as an upset stomach, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and abdominal pains, and even fever symptoms.
Typically, the first 6 hours of symptoms will be the absolute worst. Then, typically, you won’t be able to ingest solid foods for 12-24 hours after symptoms arise without vomiting.
How to treat yourself while sick with a stomach flu?
If symptoms are very bad, you can see a doctor. Typically, if you have a viral stomach bug or food poisoning, it will go away on its own over 24 hours, but a doctor would be able to check if you have any other illnesses that could be much worse.
If you do decide to just rest at our accommodation, get some good rest, like any other sickness, and make sure to hydrate. If you can drink water, drink as much as possible.
If symptoms are very bad, you may not be able to even drink a sip of water without vomiting, in such cases, rest for a few hours and try to sip even the smallest amounts. If your symptoms don’t get better, make sure to seek medical attention.
Sipping water little by little is much more effective in preventing nausea than drinking a lot at a time. When you are having diarrhea and vomiting, you are losing many vital fluids, and it is important to refuel with clear liquids as well as ELECTROLYTES.
Electrolytes
In Thailand, you can go to a 7/11 and purchase electrolyte powder for diarrhea for as little as 6 baht a packet. If your 7/11 does not carry any, most pharmacies will have electrolyte powder, specifically for diarrhea.
The electrolyte powders for diarrhea use less sugar, since sugar is not good for recovery from a stomach bug, and they use different doses of electrolytes than sports powders.
You can also make your own concoction at home by adding a little bit of salt to your water if you can’t get to or find a store that carries electrolyte powder.
When I was going through the worst of my food poisoning/stomach bug, I was staying in a hostel and was lucky enough to have an amazing roommate who picked up some electrolyte powder and medicine for me.
Medicine
There are certain medicines that can relieve some symptoms, but there are no medicines that treat viruses directly.
You can survive with just good rest and good hydration with water and electrolytes, however, there are a few medications that you can get in Thailand, over the counter, to help with your symptoms.
My dorm mate went to the closest pharmacist around the corner, and they gave him domperidone for vomiting, and loperamide for diarrhea. I’ve never heard of these, but I was shaking feverishly, and was so weak I could barely get out of bed, so I took the recommended doses without hesitation.
Just know that drug laws are different in every country, and when I researched the drugs the next day, I found that the FDA does not recommend the nausea drug, domperidone, in the U.S. due to being abused for other reasons that would cause higher rates of heart problems and cardiac arrest.
If pains and cramps are preventing you from sleeping, you can also take a common over-the-counter pain reliever like NSAIDs such as acetaminophen, naproxen, ibuprofen, etc. Be aware however, that if your symptoms are not from a stomach bug, and instead from dengue fever or other illnesses, an NSAID will make symptoms worse since they change the thickness of the blood.
If you have any worries or questions, it is highly recommended that you consult your doctor.
Recovery days after a stomach bug
So, you made it past the horrible 12-24 hours of the bug. Maybe you already feel back to normal. Good for you! Just don’t get too cocky and go back to partying.
Make sure you’re still getting good rest and hydrating well. You should now be drinking at least 2 liters of water a day and adding many electrolytes. You can also purchase vitamin drinks and other drinks with strong gut health and anti-inflammatory properties such as ginger and turmeric/curcumin drinks at your local convenience store.
Coconut water and smoothies are both great choices in helping your recovery.
Avoid dehydrating drinks such as alcohols, and caffeine like coffee and tea. Also avoid spicy foods (hard to do in Thailand), and other harder to digest foods.
Easy foods to eat that are common to find when recovering from a stomach related sickness are rice, breads, bananas, and crackers. They are all strong in calories, and easy to digest, which will make transitioning back to a solid food diet much easier.
Within 2-3 days, you should be up and running back at 100%. I hope this guide has helped you.
If you have any questions or irregular symptoms, make sure to talk to a medical professional. Your health is the most valuable thing, and you don’t want to mess with it to save a few bucks.