Upset stomach blues...

[andrewc]

Saturday morning I had diarrhea,   Saturday evening my back & arms were aching and I was a bit trembly though my temperature seems OK.

This carried on and I spent most of Sunday & Monday in bed, very little appetite.

The aches & pains have gone and my appetite is now OK, but I've still not had a solid stool since Friday PM.    Nothing explosive, just mild abdominal discomfort and a Bristol 6/7 every hour or so. 

Problem.  I've got a 10 hour flight to the USA on Sunday for a 4 week cycle tour.... temperature where I'm heading is high 20's to mid 30's.

I phoned my GP yesterday who said they don't bother with a stool sample unless the problem has persisted for 5 days and even if they did one I was unlikely to get the results before I go. 

What's my best plan ?   Bung myself up with Loperamide and hope that it clears up in the USA ?

[mike]

sounds like it's getting better, so I'd avoid the pills if I could... How about eating eggs and bananas for a couple of days and see if it sorts itself?  Take some immodium instants with you to the airport, just in case

(did me well on regular flights home from India )

[Biggsy]

I dunno what the chances of a GP agreeing to this (unless you fib and say you're in pain), but........

Opiate/opiod pain killers will slow your guts down so you won't have to go to the bog too often.  It'll also make the flight less mentally stressful.  Recommended: tramadol.  It works because we have brain cells in our digestive systems, which respond to drugs in the same way as the head brain does.

Eggs: is it a real fact that they bung you up, or a myth?  I'm not sure aeroplane air conditioning is powerful enough to cope with the side effects anyway.

[andrewc]

The GP did suggest CoCodamol for the flight, which he said would slow things down.

[Biggsy]

The GP did suggest CoCodamol for the flight, which he said would slow things down.

Did you get a prescription for some?  It's not available in the UK without prescription any more.  Might be in the USA though.

(Only trouble with CoCodamol is that you can't get a big dose of codein without also having a dangerous amount of paracetamol, but hopefully a normal dose will be enough).

[hulver]

Did you get a prescription for some?  It's not available in the UK without prescription any more.  Might be in the USA though.

(Only trouble with CoCodamol is that you can't get a big dose of codein without also having a dangerous amount of paracetamol, but hopefully a normal dose will be enough).

Yes it is. I bought some last week.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Maybe I am supersensitive to it but I find even one 30/500 cocodamol will completely stop the progress of food through my gut for up to 12 hours. I've got loads. I can post you some of mine if you like 

[andrewc]

Maybe I am supersensitive to it but I find even one 30/500 cocodamol will completely stop the progress of food through my gut for up to 12 hours. I've got loads. I can post you some of mine if you like 

Thanks, but I've got to go shopping now as I've run out of toilet paper !   I may as well pop into a chemists on the way.

Would Neurofen Plus do the same job, as I have some of them in the bathroom ?

[Biggsy]

Yes it is. I bought some last week.

Sorry I got that wrong.  (I'm shocked).  But checking Wikipedia I see that you can't get a higher dose than 12.8mg codeine per 500mg paracetamol without prescription.  That's not enough codeine to do anything for some people, and taking more than two tablets every few hours would be dangerous because of the paracetamol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Co-codamol

[Biggsy]

I may as well pop into a chemists on the way.

I reckon it's worth making an "emergency" appointment to see a GP again to get a stronger dose than you're allowed from a chemist without prescription.

Or take Kirst's offer, seriously.

(I take tramadol and I can eat a whole pack of prunes and yet still not have a dump for two days).

Would Neurofen Plus do the same job, as I have some of them in the bathroom ?

No.  No opiod content.  It's also harder on the stomach and can cause beeding.  Don't take it on an empty stomach.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

When my pelvic fracture pain was at its worst and I was taking regular cocodamol throughout the day, I didn't have a poo for five days, which was quite distressing because like all ladies', mine are gold and sparkly and smell of lilacs. So I stopped the cocodamol for a day. The resulting shifting of the blockage was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I genuinely wondered if I'd been zapped with a ray which turned the contents of my lower intestine into a fully grown hedgehog.

[AndyK]

I just take a 5ml dose of kaolin and morphine solution if I ever get the trots. Freely available at most chemists.

[andrewc]

When my pelvic fracture pain was at its worst and I was taking regular cocodamol throughout the day, I didn't have a poo for five days, which was quite distressing because like all ladies', mine are gold and sparkly and smell of lilacs. So I stopped the cocodamol for a day. The resulting shifting of the blockage was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I genuinely wondered if I'd been zapped with a ray which turned the contents of my lower intestine into a fully grown hedgehog.

       I've got to ride a bike after taking these things!

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Yeah, luckily my broken pelvis prevented that. 

[Kim]

(Only trouble with CoCodamol is that you can't get a big dose of codein without also having a dangerous amount of paracetamol, but hopefully a normal dose will be enough).

The trick is to combine OTC co-codamol (8/500) with Nurofen Plus (12/200).  Unfortunately, it's probably counter-productive to take ibuprofen for a digestive problem.

What about hyoscine?  Buscopan is available OTC, and the abdominal antispasmodic effect sounds like exactly what you're after.  It calms things down without being as severe as Immodium, and unlike opioids won't make you stoned or giggly.

[andrewc]

Yeah, luckily my broken pelvis prevented that. 

If you will go doing Superman impressions....... stick to riding rocking horses in dodgy Liverpool clubs...

[Butterfly]

I would have thought that avoiding blocking yourself up at this point was best - drink plenty of fluids and dioralyte equivalent and let it take it's nasty germs out of you. The flight is a different matter.

[Wowbagger]

I think there's an awful lot of persistent gutrot around at the moment.

[andrewc]

Well 2 days on and I'm pretty much the same.  I've been in work with no dramatic sprints to the loo, but it's still not solid! 

Food type seems to make no difference. Boring pasta or dangerous curry it all comes out the same.

A little package has arrived from Scotland, with an email warning me to kiss my ringpiece goodbye......     does this mean I'm being dobbed into US Customs for importing illegal drugz....?

[andrewc]

Yes !   Solids at last !

[Butterfly]

Yay!

[Blodwyn Pig]

Read a few times in adventure lone traveller type books, that bananas and live yogut is the way to go.

[andrewc]

Is the yoghurt to lubricate the banana ...?