How Common Are Gastric Issues Post-African Hunt

SA safari in '23 - no issues
Kenya Missionary Trip in '25 - got sick day 2 (felt like summer cold, very tired, diahrea,) by day 5 cough and basically went deaf in right ear, felt awful. It literally took six months to get over the cough and two rounds of anti-biotics to clear my ear. Week after I got back stomach pretty much leveled out. I put the stomach off to diet - reheated foods and no refrigeration. The head "cold" was either something similar or a severe allergy reaction to something in the air. Of the other 20 people that was on the trip, every one got either a stomach issue or "cold/allergy" issue or both. And almost everyone of them were medical professionals.
 
I was talking with a co-worker today whose husband is a Navy Vet. We were discussing how flavorful foods were in other countries. Ironically, we both said that we got sick a few days after being home. I always stuck to bottled beverages, but I think our food in the states is so jacked up on methyl ethyl bad stuff, that when we get a break from it and return, it shocks our systems.
This, or you ate poop on something.
 
Does anyone else take a Z Pack or some other antibiotic with them when they go? I've never had to use one, but it makes me feel better knowing that I have them...
 
Hedge774 said:
Does anyone else take a Z Pack or some other antibiotic with them when they go? I've never had to use one, but it makes me feel better knowing that I have them...
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Doxycycline, I don’t go to Africa without it.
 
Hit a travel med dr. before ea trip for various things to carry along (including the most popular Traveler's Diarrhea)-everything everyone said above. Never an issue, but we were prepared IF it happened. I was offered borehole (well) water out in the bush when it was really hot out-and politely passed! I once went to Africa still taking doxycycline for a tick bite (that promptly went away and I had NO issues!) You should ALWAYS have the recommended strong antibiotics anytime you go to a truly foreign country/continent. Travel 101. Keep the non-bottled water out of your mouth/no street food/no mexi-lettuce lol
 
So sorry for what happened to you. I just never eat any of their fresh vegetables and never drink anything but bottled water even to make my coffee. Also stay away from their fruit. Anything they wash with their water I stay away from. Just me
 
Ontario Hunter said:
Only issue I've had in five safaris was tick bite fever once. Something of an inconvenience but once I discovered the bite site and on the correct antibiotic I was back to normal in short order.

In hindsight I'm very surprised I didn't get sick this last time in August. After shooting my baboon and while waiting for the truck, I picked up a couple of huge mandarin oranges from the citrus bait pile and ate them. Lovely fruit dumped I think the day before, but the animals had already been at it. The stuff was culled simply because it was three times the size of the puny oranges they sell at supermarkets here. Very lucky I didn't find myself sleeping on a toilet during the flights home. What an idiot! But damn those oranges were SWEET. Many years ago I picked up giardia in the back country elk hunting. Could hardly climb in the saddle to get out of there. Alone as usual so no one to help. By the time I got back to the truck the next day I was out of underwear and some heavy duty skid marks in my jeans. I eventually recovered without taking the cure. It's possible the little microscopic bastards are still living in my gut and consuming any new competition that comes down the chute.
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Soak a teaspoon of wormwood in a cup of water everyday, supposed to get rid of parasites. I've been doing it and have zero parasites and with my lifestyle I should have some.
 
No trouble in Africa, but, same as others, meats and cheeses no salads and bottled water. Had giardia once from a northern remote village in Ontario. The only water that wasn’t boiled from the tap was when I brushed my teeth. Now when in doubt everything is bottled commercial water.
 
Would Absinthe work as well,then?
M70375! said:
Soak a teaspoon of wormwood in a cup of water everyday, supposed to get rid of parasites. I've been doing it and have zero parasites and with my lifestyle I should have some.
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What about your showers? I wash my face with the magical Dude Wipes, and keep my mouth away from the water. Am I over cautious?? Yes. Yes I am. A 16 hour ride in a flying tube is bad enough without cholera, my friends.
 
Hedge774 said:
What about your showers? I wash my face with the magical Dude Wipes, and keep my mouth away from the water. Am I over cautious?? Yes. Yes I am. A 16 hour ride in a flying tube is bad enough without cholera, my friends.
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I was just thinking on my most recent trip about this. Not sure how you would handle having something like food poisoning or some other acute vomit/diarrhea situation on a flight like that. Flight crew aren't very forgiving about when they tell you to be in your seat on some flights.
 
I have not been so no personal info.
But from reading this.
If cooler is used if the ice is from local water could it contaminate the cans inside?
Like salt ice for cold beer the rim of the can is salty.

How much whiskey do you need to keep in your stomach to kill the bugs?

And this is a scary post I have bad enough stomach problems here
 
Antibiotics are the only defense against the wide variety of bacterial bugs gunning for you in the Third World. I never travel to Asia or Africa without a bottle of Cipro. I have contracted Shigella (dysentery) three times and common diarrhea half a dozen other times. Cipro will knock them all out within 24 to 36 hours. Common carriers are fresh greens (salads) and drink ice made from local unbottled water. One exception is India. I cannot even fly over the Indian subcontinent without becoming ill.
 
Red Leg said:
Antibiotics are the only defense against the wide variety of bacterial bugs gunning for you in the Third World. I never travel to Asia or Africa without a bottle of Cipro. I have contracted Shigella (dysentery) three times and common diarrhea half a dozen other times. Cipro will knock them all out within 24 to 36 hours. Common carriers are fresh greens (salads) and drink ice made from local unbottled water. One exception is India. I cannot even fly over the Indian subcontinent without becoming ill.
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Totally agree. I always have CIPRO and Doxy with me and am religious about my malaria meds, having contracted malaria once. At the first sign of intestinal discomfort I start a course of CIPRO. It knocks most bugs out in three or four hours.
 
I take saccharomyces boulardii whenever I travel internationally. Never an issue after that
 
I've been to Africa 8 times and South America 3 times. No issues. But, on my wife's first trip, she got pretty bad GI symptoms in Namibia. The pharmacy there honored my US medical license and we were able to get the antibiotics my friend recommended. We were at the tail end of our trip and we made our way back to the US. We got off the plane and drove directly to the hospital where they kept her overnight. We both took a course of stuff to wipe out worms and parasites. None of the tests were ever conclusive. It took about 6 months for her system to get back to normal.

Yes, it can come from water, but just as easily from vegetables, tomatoes, dairy, or just about anything. Now I always travel with Flagyl, Cipro, Doxycycline, and probiotics.

She's a great sport and went back a few months ago. No worries this time, thank goodness.
 
WAB said:
Totally agree. I always have CIPRO and Doxy with me and am religious about my malaria meds, having contracted malaria once. At the first sign of intestinal discomfort I start a course of CIPRO. It knocks most bugs out in three or four hours.
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Ditto with me. wheels up next week and already packed both Cipro and Dicy why take a chance
 
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