Posted by McDIJJ on December 31, 2000 at 10:39:49:
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Hope I can add something to the board that I have gleaned so much from in this post. Sorry to hear about the last half of your trip CapnDave. The symptoms you describe are most often associated with Bacterial infection (not from actually food poisoning) and are very common among travelers in Mexico. The disease is generally self-limiting, lasting 2 to 3 days. It comes from the water. Not just the drinking water, but the drainage ditch that the farmer washed the lettuce off in that they used to make your salad, etc. It is hard to avoid. Fortunately Baja seems to have much cleaner water than most of main land Mexico. My trips to TJ are when I am passing through town on a Sea Kayaking expeditions. Now, imagine that you are sitting out in the water in this little boat and you have the sh*ts ... certain element of humor here. But, add to this the possibility of being remote with a very limited amount of drinking water and you have the potential for a life threatening situation. That is why I carry some antibiotics in my first aide kit. The very same Pharmacia that sells you your vitimin V has signs in the window advertising antibiotics. The one I carry in my "survival kit" is Doxycycline. The one time I have felt it necessary to use this (100mg/3 times/6-8 hours apart) relief came with in a couple of hours and was dramatic. I have heard that Tetracycline works well also. While far more availible, this one makes your skin ultra sensitive to sun light, so northerners beware. The unnecessary use of antibiotics is discouraged by the medical community world wide. But, as one who doesn't have the zona in my back yard, I would view missing the last two days of a four day visit to the zona as "life threatening". |
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