How Common Are Gastric Issues Post-African Hunt

RR 314 said:
When in S. Africa, I stick to a strict regimen of Castle and Castle Light. It has worked well in the past and after reading this I shall continue the practice.
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The problem is, the consumption of alcohol and alcohol-based drinks only (like wine, beer) still pose a dehydration risk. You still need to hydrate with bottled water and especially Gatorade for the electrolytes, assuming they have that over there. That’s what I would stick to.

As for food, cooked meat only. No home-made sauces or creamy stuff dumped on top, or for sure anything cooked in the local tribe’s communal pot.

Also, any outfit that’s stingy with the paper products (toilet tissue, paper towels) gets a bad review and no return-business from me. :A Whistle:
 
Jack Stevens said:
The problem is, the consumption of alcohol and alcohol-based drinks only (like wine, beer) still pose a dehydration risk. You still need to hydrate with bottled water and especially Gatorade for the electrolytes, assuming they have that over there. That’s what I would stick to.

As for food, cooked meat only. No home-made sauces or creamy stuff dumped on top, or for sure anything cooked in the local tribe’s communal pot.

Also, any outfit that’s stingy with the paper products (toilet tissue, paper towels) gets a bad review and no return-business from me. :A Whistle:
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Good point. Getting gassed up at night messes up the pituitary gland which regulates the body's fluid level. Then the next day when the gland has sobered up it's in overdrive trying to fix the imbalance = the "day after thirsties." Makes it even harder to sort out rehydration during a day's hard hunting. Been there ... in my foolish younger days. I remember scooping a mouthful of snow every thirty paces and still couldn't quench the thirst.
 
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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Last September, about 2 hours into the flight from JNB to Newark, then layover and flight to Pittsburgh, I developed some sort of stomach/bowel issue. I was able to make it about an hour from the Pittsburgh airport before I had to find a hotel and spent 22 hours there sick as a dog. Upon arriving home I spent 3 days self isolating. I would't wish that experience on my worst enemy.

I now travel with a medical kit from Jase, along with Cipro and Amoxicillin.
 
I always travel internationally with a small bottle of Cipro. The worst gut bug I ever got was in Mexico in 1970- mega-Montezuma’s revenge. Treatment for common gut ailments will depend on the bug/cause, Parasites are different from bacteria are different from viruses are different from chemical toxins. I do not and will never trust water filters. I have never had an issue using iodine tabs cleared with Vit C for treating unknown and likely infested water.

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In 2022 I got severely sick after eating a ham sandwich for lunch. It had thick slices of tomatoes, and by mid evening, I was very ill. I was supposed to hunt the Kalahari, and it was a 9 hr drive, and I told the owner that I didn't if I could make the trip. He went into the lobby, and there was a doc in the house, and I don't know what he gave me, but I was able to do the 9 hr drive. The camp manager was amazing at making special food for me. I still don't know what caused the issue, but I blame the tomatoes.

Oh, and last year, I got tick fever for the first time. That is nasty stuff.
 
fourfive8 said:
I always travel internationally with a small bottle of Cipro. The worst gut bug I ever got was in Mexico in 1970- mega-Montezuma’s revenge. Treatment for common gut ailments will depend on the bug/cause, Parasites are different from bacteria are different from viruses are different from chemical toxins. I do not and will never trust water filters. I have never had an issue using iodine tabs cleared with Vit C for treating unknown and likely infested water.

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I agree on the reverse osmosis filters , they are very finicky and subject to frequent failures. Do to maintenance and repair, living on border and In Mexico, and on a freighter , filtering water from a river or foreign country is a huge gamble.
POTABLE WATER IS A HUGE WORLDWIDE PROBLEM.
We used to be able to keep codine based anti diarrhea medication , but it probably hard to get now ( I had to get a house doctor to get me some after eating some fresh fruit)
 
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Sounds spot on for cyclosporiasis, bro.

Eastern Cape farm fresh produce virus exposure classic Cyclospora setup parasite on greens, slow incubation, 1 2 week symptoms. Your quick recovery rules out most parasites; fits the 2026 US outbreak pattern perfectly. Super common after SA trips.

Test your stool anyway good peace of mind. Rest up, hydrate like crazy.
 
Everyone should go to a travel medical clinic before they go overseas. We usually have our shots updated (as required) and a pack of various medicines (recommended by the travel clinic) that may be beneficial if one should come down with anything.
 
AB2506 said:
Everyone should go to a travel medical clinic before they go overseas. We usually have our shots updated (as required) and a pack of various medicines (recommended by the travel clinic) that may be beneficial if one should come down with anything.
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Are these ‘travel medical clinics” local outfits or a national chain?

And wouldn’t asking your doctor for scripts for Cipro, Amoxicillin et al,, and the same for shots, be more efficient?
 
Most of the docs that were on the Kenya trip also packed cipro and dox.
 
Gick09 said:
Sounds spot on for cyclosporiasis, bro.

Eastern Cape farm fresh produce virus exposure classic Cyclospora setup parasite on greens, slow incubation, 1 2 week symptoms. Your quick recovery rules out most parasites; fits the 2026 US outbreak pattern perfectly. Super common after SA trips.

Test your stool anyway good peace of mind. Rest up, hydrate like crazy.
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Gotta love pooping in a box...
 
Being lactose intolerant and having dysentery are a horrible combination as you never know when you can "Trust" a fart.
 
skydiver386 said:
Being lactose intolerant and having dysentery are a horrible combination as you never know when you can "Trust" a fart.
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You and Joe Biden :cool:
 
skydiver386 said:
Combination of MRE cheese and dysentery while I was in Sattahip Thailand. On the upside I taught the Royal Thai Marines how to sing the Oscar Meyer Weiner song.
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I actually nearly spit out 14 yr Tullamore Dew. :E Lol:
 
Traveled in 21 or so counties.
I have been mildly sick in Egypt.
Pretty bad sick in Ireland.
I have been pretty lucky to not get sick by not drinking any water that is not bottled that I opened. Not eating anything from local markets. A friend of mine was sick from eating a fried critter of some sort in China.
Generally practice common sense.
If the ladies are making bread sitting in the dirt, making the bread on a burlap sack and cooking on a flat stone. You should probably rethink your dinning choice.
 
On a serious note, a lot of my Asian and Hispanic friends swear that freshly squeezed lime juice on nearly everything they eat helps keep some of the bad things in local food in check.

All the other basic precautions should be your primary way of avoiding problems, but I've always wondered if Lime juice had any real effect? @PARA45 may have some valuable input on this one.
 
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