La Turista

So it finally happened. I have encountered Montezuma's Revenge.

Montezuma

Not just for Mexico anymore, other names for it include:

Gringo Gallup

Aztec Two-step

Delhi Belly

Rangoon Runs

Mummy's Tummy

Thai-dal Wave

Corre-Corre (means run run)

I've blogged before about the wonderful food here, how I've braved eating from street carts and dodgy "restaurants" because it smells SO good, never gotten sick, blahblah. I haven't even been doing any of that. Lately. Only the tried-and-true dining places, plus my own cooking (which may be implicated, see later in post...) I've never worried about the ice they put in drinks, just assumed it was purchased ice from "clean" water. Maybe not...

No, I didn't eat from the Sushi and More cart.

I'm into day three of (stop reading here if you're a pansy) watery explosive bowel movements, maybe 6 or 8 daily. Zero appetite, nausea, general abdominal aching, plus the OMG sharp cramping preceeding a BM, fever, and shaking chills. No fun whatsoever, in fact was uncomfortable enough to Google it this morning. (Yes, I'm a nurse, but I just know kidneys.)

"Most cases are mild and do not require either antibiotics or antimotility drugs".

Good to hear, and coincides with my own (non-traditional-for-a-nurse) belief in letting whatever needs out COME OUT.

 "If diarrhea becomes severe (typically defined as three or more loose stools in a 24-hour period) — or if diarrhea is bloody, or fever occurs with shaking chills, or abdominal pain becomes marked, or diarrhea persists for more than 72 hours — medical treatment should be sought." 

OK, tomorrow is 72 hours, if I'm not better, I'll go to the clinic.

"With serious cases of cholera, there is a rapid onset of symptoms, which include weakness, malaise (feeling rotten), and torrents of watery diarrhea with flecks of mucus (called "rice water" stools)."

Whoa! Cholera? This actually forced me to examine the bowl for "rice water". I don't even know what that looks like. Whenever I make rice, there's no water left when it's done. I didn't see anything that looked like rice. A couple of risk factors for cholera are O positive blood type and immunosuppression. I'm an O and I take antivirals and steroids for my Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome.

I'm hydrating plenty, not worried there. But am pretty concerned as to how I got it, when nobody else is sick.  Hubby's been "malaise-like" for several days, but he ALWAYS has loose BMs. Besides, he'd be utterly prostrate with this, including snivelling and moaning. You know how men are.


I did eat clams I dug, but that was over a week ago. Says it can come from undercooked shellfish, which steamed clams are. They're only steamed long enough for them to open, otherwise they get tough and rubbery.

Our water here isn't filtered whatsoever, and I've seen "bug parts" in it, which is concerning. We don't drink it, cook with it, or make ice with it, but we do wash dishes in it. However, the hot water is REALLY hot, so I don't think that's it. Besides, everyone else gets this same water here...

 

All ingested water comes from here.

We do use the kitchen sink for handwashing and mouth care, as there is no sink in the bathroom. This has always bothered me. But again, the hot water should mitigate...

New bathroom sink, not installed yet.

  

I do wash all the fruits, veggies, and eggs before they get put away, but I've never used that anti-microbial wash they sell for that purpose.

So no real insight here re: how I acquired this, but we will be adding a bathroom sink shortly. And I  intend to go buy that veggie-wash-stuff, just as soon as I can stay away from the bathroom long enough to drive to the village.

UPDATE: Jan.15, 2011
On Jan. 13, I was given Treda, tablets of what sounds like Neomycin (yeah, like the ointment for owies) plus Kao-Pectate.  Only one episode of La Turista on the 14th, and "normal" since. Folks here swear by it.