POLL: Have You Suffered Food Poisoning in Thailand?

[Terry]

Only once

Back in '93

A whole bunch of us - all working in Bangkok - decided to spend the upcoming long weekend with our wives & girlfriends in a place called Hua Hin - which was rather liked by all

I had been delayed at work by some inconsiderate visitor and as a consequence had got stuck in a monstrous traffic jam caused by torrential rain - 6 1/2 hours from the old Don Muang Airport to Sukhumvit soi 15.

The future Mrs. T was waiting and all packed for the weekend and suggested that maybe we leave for HH in the morning. 'No way' says I - 'I want to wake up in HH and not have to spend the Saturday morning driving down.'

We therefore left around midnight, the rain having stopped and the traffic having eased. My car radio telephone (No mobiles in them days) kept ringing with my 'buddies' telling me how cool the beer was and that the beach football was great

I was hungry and had not ate anything for about 10 hours.

Having cleared Bangkok, we stopped at a roadside bunch of foodstalls - all packed at about 01.30 in the morning!

Mrs.T got back into the car with a favourite of ours - BBQd chicken livers and sticky rice.

As I drove, Mrs.T fed me

One piece of the chicken liver was a bit 'gritty' and tasted a little different - but as I was starving, it went down with the rest.

Got to HH about 3.00am to be greeted by 'the lads' with a few cold ones - which went down very well.

Then off to bed at about 04.00.

Awoke at about 06.00 - throwing up from both ends, sweating profusely and extremely feverish. Stayed that way for two more days and nights. Mrs.T was administering cold towels and attention - (afterwards she said that she thought that she had killed me!)

With the help of one of my buddies eventually got to a Thai doctor who who administered about 6 different pills. After a further 24 hours I had stopped shrinking but felt extremely weak.

A Swedish taxi driver staying in the same guest house needed to get back to Bangkok - so did I with my car - so he drove and I kept reminding him what side of the road to stay on.

Upon returning to Bangkok, I visited a Dr. Coma (Great name that for a doctor) at the English pharmacy then on Sukhumvit between Soi 9 & 11.

THB 1,000 later with some good medicine I was fit for work 24 hours later.

As you can see by my detailed recollection - it was something I will not forget. A great way to loose weight fast - but not recommended.

And yes - I no longer eat chicken livers from anywhere

[buksida]

I had it once many years ago, mother had it more recently last time she visited, also from one of the restaurants in Market Village.

[Roel]

Once, when I lived in Pattaya. Took me two days before I could drink small amounts of water again without immediately throwing up. But I am used to eating from street stalls almost every day and never had any real problems. That day I had fish fillet in yellow curry in a typical small family run Thai restaurant where I had eaten many times before. I reckon due to the relatively strong taste of the curry you will not notice that the fish is spoiled. If it was the fish because - as has been noted before - it is not per se the last thing you ate.

[aragon]

Just the once, back in 1981 on a holiday to Bangkok from the Middle East, spent the best part of 4 days in bed with fever, sweats and action from both ends, even had to cut short a visit to Pattaya. Mind you as I was with a bunch of guys for whom a couple of beers equated to a 12 hour session, the booze might also have played a part in it

[STEVE G]

I've been to Thailand over forty times and have never had any serious food poisoning there. The only time I've had it anywhere was after eating some prawns in Jakarta, Indonesia. Luckily in that case, the reaction was so violent I got over it very quickly. Within an hour or so of eating them I was shivering, sweating and feeling dizzy, then I had projectile vomiting worthy of an exorcism movie and about two hours later I didn't feel too bad and actually a bit hungry!

[sargeant]

no

[Big Boy]

You've still got that one to look forward to then

[sargeant]

simple question simple answer BB i have never suffered food poisoning anywhere

although i have thrown up a lot of beer in my time so i have stopped drinking it

I had a danish friend who was bad and in san paolo for a few days about 4 years ago and it was in buffalo bills as it happened

[tuppence]

Only once, at a restaurant adjacent to the night market in Hua Hin, about halfway up. It was prawns, and after the second prawn I knew I was in trouble, Both ends burning so to speak.

[B6PTW]

In 20 years of visiting Thailand and 6 years of having a house here I have had food poisoning once and that was from a 5 star hotel in Phuket, I know it was the hotel as I ate only there for 3 days before the food poisoning set in. I do eat at market stalls and road side restaurants and have had no problems there.

[Jim]

Only once, a few years ago and I know exactly where it was. The culprit was a bottle of water that had been filled up from the tap and was opened before it was brought to the table; I knew it tasted odd and that I was in trouble. Lesson 1 - always make sure the bottled water is sealed. Lesson 2 - drink beer.

[kendo]

I voted yes but that is sort of questionable, on one of my early visits to Thailand i was with my future wife and on my last night in Bangkok i suggested we went for an Indian meal i ordered the food and some drinks. My wife Palini asked "me what are you eating" so i told her "a mutton curry," she then asked me "what is mutton" so i told her "its old sheep" she then replied "not have sheep Thailand some down very far south where the Muslim's live" all of a sudden i lost my appetite and left the rest of my food, wondering what the bloody hell have i just eaten goat, dog, monkey.

The next day kissed the wife goodbye in the old DM airport boarded the plane and after about 15 minutes after take off then it started, stomach cramps hot and cold sweats and dizziness i had to race to the loo about 10 times during the flight felt very unwell and embarrassed as all the other passengers kept staring at me.

On my return home i was sick for another 3 days i felt week dehydrated and very pissed off, i went to an NHS walk in centre, they told me nothing you can do apart from drink re hydration sachets of minerals, so i went to Tesco's and got these really crap tasting raspberry flavored supplements.

It was such a bad experience even to this day i am very very care full what i eat before flying home although i have never been ill from eating thai food.


Last year my stepson put a bottle of water in the fridge that he had filled up from a tap and this bottle got mixed up with the other bottled water i drank some of that and was sick vomiting for about 12 hours not nice but not really that bad.

Kendo.

[Khundon1975]

Once and I can definitely pin it down to a hot dog from a Jet station, many courses of antibiotics, but it stayed with me for months, till a doc put me on probiotics.

[Super Joe]

boarded the plane and after about 15 minutes after take off then it started, stomach cramps hot and cold sweats and dizziness i had to race to the loo about 10 times during the flight felt very unwell and embarrassed as all the other passengers kept staring at me.

On my return home i was sick for another 3 days

Exactly the same for me with this part. Was a long time ago on a holiday to Pattaya, got back to Bangkok on way back and ate seafood about an hour before taxi to airport. Was in that seafood court down Soi 7, on the right just after the big pool bar (across from that beer garden hole), not sure what caused it exactly as had a few dishes. Wife wasn't sick though, but she got the stomach lining of a komodo dragon. Started off with dizziness even before taxi to airport then on the plane was just the illest I've ever been in my life, dislocating me knee playing football was a pleasure compared to this.

Was sick so many times (mostly with nothing coming out anymore) that the slightest hint of a heave and my stomach muscles were spasming... like your calf does in the middle of the night but with no real way to stop them like you can with your leg. Was 20 odd times at least. So a few hours into the flight I coul only lay on the floor and was doing my puking there as nothing coming out so no point going to the toilet.

Only time in my life I've had it, and it's a million miles from acute gastroenteritus which I've had a couple times here & UK.

Was told on plane soda water is helpful for it.

SJ

[Super Joe]

I can definately pin it down to a hotdog from a Jet station, many courses of anti biotics, but it stayed with me for months

Think I'd have thrown it straight away Don, or was you keeping it for possible evidence in court

Welcome back by the way, not seen oyu on here much lately

SJ