Phuket

bodimila · #1 22-02-2007, 08:38

Well I return tomorrow after a year. Last year I returned and spent 10 days in the hospital to find out I had Mono, Hep E (Yes Hep goes up to G), and Pneumonia. Almost left this planet did not sleep eat or drink much for 18 days. I was sick before i left. I think I left with mono but not sure. Then got Hep there. I had the shots for A and B. I was careful and have traveled in developing countries to know what to eat and what not to. I think I ate street food 2x and both with my talk. This year I am not sick and was not going to go unless I was feeling good. All this said I am still returning since I had such a good time. When I tell people I am going back they think I am crazy. Crazy for LOS me thinks. I won't get mono again since you can only get it once and my guess is I would of been able to fight the Hep off if I was well. So maybe my moral is be careful if you go and you are ill. The 15 hour flight from LA-Hong Kong was pretty bad since I was on the window with the runs. I know that is too much information

. This is the first board I began reading a couple years ago and find it to be my favorite. Not sure why it does not have as much access to nasty pics but heck that can be had in many places. My thanks to all the bm's great posts on here with all the good info. I thinking I will have a little more to contribute after this trip. My first trip was to Ko Samui/ Ko Tao and BKK. This year I am diving in to the deep end. Patts and Patong with a meditation retreat on Ko Lanta. I am excited to get a drink at MTB and meet the other bm-s.

Hey Nicke keep a cold one for me

Patts Feb 24 -March 2 and Patong March 8th to the 14th - Cheers mates Bodi

Tb28 · #2 22-02-2007, 08:50

I had mono a couple of years back, and it was baaad. Thank God you can only get it once. But I guess you were lucky. It can be very dangerous (even fatal) to drink when you have it, and in LOS most people drink a lot.

What is Hep E? I haven't heard of that one before. You got it from something you ate? (To be more precise: I'm talking about food

).

LivinLOS · #3 22-02-2007, 08:54

What is Mono ??? Never heard of it..

I really should get my Hep shots.. I know a couple of guys who had it and one it nearly killed.. Even though he pulled through (with yellow skin deeply sunk black eyes etc for months) docs said he could well shorten his lifespan by 5 - 10 years.

bodimila · #4 22-02-2007, 09:09

Mono is short for Mononucleosis. It is a virus also called the kissing disease. Some who suffer from it get chronically tired after getting it for years. I have had a full recovery. You know I never thought about the drinking thing but your soooo right. I am not that hard a drinker so this saved my liver thanks god. A lot of children get mono. You can, in theory only get it once so no worried there.
Hep E is from fecal matter. Bad food or water. Or if you like sucking that or face I guess but didn't have that as a potential cause

It is only found in Asia, like every other disease, and once you get over it, if you do not die, it is out of your system like Hep C which you carry for life(almost always). To have these plus Pneumonia was more pain than I have ever dealt with. I was on a morphine button and hated it, got nauseous but could not sleep since I was in so much pain. I had a good recovery and back on my feet in a couple weeks afterwords. I have been working out a lot lately and taking good care of myself to prepare for this trip. I can't stop living just cause of this and feel like the guy who goes off the ski jump and goes down it again so he is not afraid. All I can saying is dying is hard. I was so ill that I was thinking, why recover since I am going to have to go through this on my death bed anyways. Cheers Bodi

Tb28 · #5 22-02-2007, 09:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by LivinLOS

What is Mono ??? Never heard of it..

I search the norwegian dictionary (here it's called "kyssesyken" if your'e Scandinavian):

Glandular fever, infectious mononucleosis.

It's a child disease, but when older people gets it it can be real bad. High fever, bad liver, etc.

Tb28 · #6 22-02-2007, 09:24

I did a search on Hep E.

The page told me you could only get it in Africa, but also that it can come with mono.

So maybe it wasn't something you ate after all.

LivinLOS · #7 22-02-2007, 09:24

OK Glandular fever.. Yeah that sucks..

I think the sickest I have ever been was during a Tyhoid infection.. Wifey had recently died.. I was coming home at 7am every night and waking and just starting again.. Not eating.. Days /weeks of 100+ degree fevers..

bodimila · #8 22-02-2007, 10:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tb28

I did a search on Hep E.

The page told me you could only get it in Africa, but also that it can come with mono.

So maybe it wasn't something you ate after all.

Hey Tb I got this from the WHO website
"The highest rates of infection occur in regions where low standards of sanitation promote the transmission of the virus. Epidemics of hepatitis E have been reported in Central and South-East Asia, North and West Africa, and in Mexico, especially where faecal contamination of drinking water is common. However, sporadic cases of hepatitis E have also been reported elsewhere and serological surveys suggest a global distribution of strains of hepatitis E of low pathogenicity."
I got my daignosis from the Mayo Clinc in Minnapolis. They could not figure out for a long time what was wrong. I am ALWAYS careful with the ladies so I was not too worried about that.
Bodi

Tb28 · #9 22-02-2007, 10:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodimila

Hey Tb I got this from the WHO website

Ok. I guess WHO is a more trustworthy source than the norwegian site I looked at.

The smart thing is probably to be very careful with the water. I even washed my toothbrush in water from a bottle. But I ate everything. Loved the street vendor food.

Just make shure everything is cooked or fried. Then you should be fine.

jimholio · #10 25-02-2007, 15:39

Ive had glandular fever aswell in my early teens.. I believe i was 13 or 14. Had high fever for 3 weeks.

Pinot · #11 27-02-2007, 10:32

Mono is also known as the kissing disease.

Everytime I go to LOS I limp out. Every freaking time. This time was no exception. Had a cold while I was there. Never once slowed down. Combine wicked jet lag with the usual intestinal maladies and I'm useless for a week after I leave. It's always worth it. Hep E? Now that might give me pause.

I've got the formula for that goddamn HK to LA flight. 3 valiums, 1 imodine, 4 cognacs and a 1/2 bottle of wine. Woke up feeling like a new born baby. I'm kidding, I felt like shite. But, I made it.