When will my stomach agree?

[FDiH]

So today is my third week in Peru. Since day one I have been battling with my stomach. 5-8 toilet visits a day are seriously starting to become annoying. I know that my body needs to adjust to Peruvian bugs/bacteria etc but when will that be. The only thing that is fairly accepted by my body is Bembo's (yeah I know, typical).

How long did it take for your body to adjust? And no I am not drinking the water are eating from street food stalls/vendors.

[rgbjr]

If you DON'T drink the water and are VERY careful about that you should not have any problems. Try cooking your own food for a couple of days. If you are still having problems than you should seek medical attention RIGHT away you might have a bug. It's too long that you are having problems. If it is not possible to cook than make sandwiches with peanut butter, fried egg, egg salad or go to a BIG supermarket like Wong, Vivanda or Plaza Vea and buy cold cuts. Try it for 3 -4 days it might help your stomach to adjust. Also NEVER buy anything to drink or eat from the street vendors until you are stable. This is a good rule to follow about street venders in any country including the U.S.A..
Bobby

[danjaker]

Honestly, a lot of people have stomach issues, not just gringos.. something youll have to get use to, dosent matter how long your here.

[caliguy]

Bobby gave some good advise.
another thing is to avoid fresh salads at the menus. don't know how well they're cleaned, and most of the time the salad is swimming in water.

[teamoperu]

A bit worried for you. 3 weeks of 5-8 toilets visits a day seems a bit much. Might want to get that checked out. Make sure you keep well hydrated!

[adrian Thorne]

Get yourself a pack of "Gatorade". Start getting as much as you can inside you and toddle over to the medico. Imodium is a good stopper upper, but is not a cure. Please stay away from the Ceviche and any salad, which is usually washed in tap water, while you are unfit.

[ironchefchris]

In addition to the other good advice offered; yogurt or some form of acidophilus to replace the good bacteria in your system, and after three weeks I'd go visit a doctor or clinic.

I've been lucky in that my body never went through an adjustment period or had any major issues. To this day I still refuse lettuce when out at most restaurants unless I know they're using hydroponic. I also try to avoid drinks made in large batches such as you might find in a menu restaurant, though I've occasionally drank them without incident. I just doubt they're made with filtered water, but I wouldn't know for sure.

[ardilla]

Your stomach will eventually settle down. For now make sure you are drinking some gatorade to get electolytes until you are feeling better.

In the meantime try staying away from aji, any uncooked vegetables, heavy foods with lots of fat or cream, any fruits you cannot peel.

When you brush your teeth, use bottled water .... just for now until you feel your stomach is better.

Try taking probiotics or eating plain yoghurt (avoid the kind with lots of sugar and/or fruit for now). This can help repopulate the good bacteria in your stomach.

Regardless of where we live and what we eat, the best way to stay healthy? washing our hands with soap or alcohol-based gel immediately before we put anything in our mouths. The bacteria we have on our hands gets transferred to the food we eat and this is what causes a lot of stomach upset.

Hope you feel better soon!

[captcosmic]

My doctor recommended probiotics in pill form. Seems to have worked for me.

[calygirl]

I've been coming to Peru since the 70's (probably before many of you were born) and travelled extensively throughout Latin America. I thought myself somewhat immune to intestinal problems, having suffered through several bouts early on. Last year proved me wrong. I too endured almost 3 weeks of diarrhea, trying several remedies, including probiotics. I finally saw a doctor and started antibiotics for 5 days and had relief within a day. Also continued on probiotics to offset the effects of the antibiotic in my gut. As others had said, you must keep yourself hydrated...very important. I hope you get some relief soon and I would recommend seeking some medical attention if you haven't already.

[cmcarriemarie]

Ohhh man, I feel for you! I just went through that after a trip to the Caribbean. I was sick the whole three weeks between that trip and my arrival in Peru - strangely enough, the airplane ride here is the first time I was able to keep food settled, and I've been right as rain since I got here.

My friend who is an NP thought I might have contracted giardia, which seems pretty likely and might be similar to what you're going through. There are some scripts that can help, but I was too late to get any before I left. Most likely it will clear up, but if that's what it is, the advice about probiotics and yogurts are good ideas.

Hope you feel better soon!

[FDiH]

Thanks everyone.

I started drinking black tea (bit of sugar), eating a bit of small bread rolls, rice, yoghurt. So far so good. The stomach pains I had, probably due to an empty intestine system, seem to have gone and toilets runs are down.

I will also switch to boiled water for brushing my teeth. Never touched the salads (was warned by my business partner already). I have been pretty careful with food/drink intake. My weekend burger has been a real treat so far. Will also stock up on Gatorade.

Will keep you posted how it is going this week. I can't wait to eat many of all those delicious Peruvian dishes (am a true food lover).

Thanks again for all the great advice!

Steven

[FDiH]

So today I stocked up on Gatorade, yoghurt and someone told me to make tea out of Huacatay (Peruvian Black Mint) leaves the local medicine against stomach problems. The result was a toilet free day. I actually had to smoke a cigarette to make me go (Cigs do the trick for me). To be continued...

[cmcarriemarie]

I've never been so glad to track someone's bowels. Hahaha. Glad you're feeling better!!

[inscop]

My wife is Peruvian and she swears by Yerba Luisa (Lemon Grass). You can buy it in the produce section of your local grocery. Boil the stalks into a tea and enjoy. It has a lemony flavor and smell and IT REALLY WORKS on most tummy upsets. If you have a large pot on a balcony, you can easily grow it, as well as Huacatay. Huacatay grows to about the height of a man and is a prolific reproducer. It is also great for making that delicious green sauce you see everywhere.

[tupacperu]

Vinagret de mazana (Apple Cider Vinegar): 2 tablespoon with a 2 tablespoon of water (mix). Drink it down and viole!

That will clean your system and stablize your stomach... The best is at the Kaita Stands (aged for 2 years)...

[FDiH]

Last night I had severe stomach pain so today I went to the hospital. Thankfully my business partner knows the chief surgeon here. After an interview they checked for infections (blood sample). In short, all was fine. No infections, just my stomach not willing to adjust. I have to go on a carbohydrate diet and drink lots of green tea and (bottled) water. No veggies, fruits, diary products, except a little yoghurt. We'll see in three days... sigh

[rgbjr]

Did they do a stool & urine sample? I am not a doctor but every time I got sick that was one of the first test they did besides blood.
Bobby

Last night I had severe stomach pain so today I went to the hospital. Thankfully my business partner knows the chief surgeon here. After an interview they checked for infections (blood sample). In short, all was fine. No infections, just my stomach not willing to adjust. I have to go on a carbohydrate diet and drink lots of green tea and (bottled) water. No veggies, fruits, diary products, except a little yoghurt. We'll see in three days... sigh

[FDiH]

No, after the blood sample came back postive they did not need it as this time. They did give me a stool sample container (with a lovely spoon) in case things don't improve. Hopefully I won't need it...

[FDiH]

One week later I am very happy to announce that after 1 month my stomach has given up battling Peruvian food.

Here's what worked for me:

- High carb diet: rice, bread, potatoes. Use salt (you can use a lot of salt) and a bit of black pepper to add flavor.
- No veggies, fruits, no lime/lemon and def no spicy food
- No beef, pork. Some well cooked chicken is fine.
- No diary products (cheese, eggs, milk. Except yoghurt)
- Herbal tea (lots), pref made from (well washed) fresh herbs. Green tea is also fine.
- One teacup of plain yoghurt per day
- Lots of (bottled) water. (at least 2 liters per day, more if possible)
- Try to eat little meals throughout the day to make sure your intestine systems is always busy.

Last night had my first Peruvian cuisine meal (pollo pikante). What a delight!

Hope this information helps other fooks with stomach problems. Thanks everyone for help and advice!

[asgp]

Wow... this is shocking, how can you survive walking in front of a restaurant of comida criolla? Jesus, it must be really hard.

I had to adjust too, only with bottled water, that was it for me the first months, now I have almost two years here and I'm cured lol. Also I buy the local pepto, wich is called Bismutol... But I rarely use it.

Do you have any updated about your process?

byebye

[lyndelld]

Vinagret de mazana (Apple Cider Vinegar): 2 tablespoon with a 2 tablespoon of water (mix). Drink it down and viole!

That will clean your system and stablize your stomach... The best is at the Kaita Stands (aged for 2 years)...

What is a Kaita stand and where do I find one?