Today I am feeling like shit. Like literally. It’s maybe TMI, but also very human: I’m experiencing symptoms of traveler’s diarrhea since yesterday and it’s fucking horrible. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced more severe cramps, than the ones I did last night. Even drinking water is painful and nauseating.
“Traveler’s diarrhea occurs within 10 days of travel to an area with poor public hygiene. It’s the most common illness in travelers. It’s caused by drinking water or eating foods that have bacteria, viruses, or parasites. It usually goes away without treatment in a few days. Dehydration from diarrhea can be serious. Symptoms can include: nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain or cramps, blood in the stool, urgency, malaise and fever.”
However, all of this isn’t gonna stop me from embracing this day (and following days). And it shouldn’t stop anyone else either.
Let’s get it over with: Physical health
I’m no doctor and every situation is different, so you should always do your own research and/or get advice from a certified physician when experiencing physical health problems. All of the information below is based on what I’ve personally heard, read and experienced. I’m just here to give you some insight in MY experience so far, before we dive deeper into a more interesting subject: mental health and the emotions that you may go through while being sick (during traveling).
Having said that, I’m so so soooo glad that brought a EHBO kit with me. When traveling, you never know when something will happen. Most of the time, that’s the fun part about it. But sometimes, your day takes an unexpected turn and you find yourself in a situation where you (or someone you’re traveling with) may need some medical help.
Always make sure to bring a EHBO kit with you when you’re traveling! Especially when traveling to areas with limited resources. Sometimes even the most basic things like painkillers are hard to get in other countries. Make sure to cater it to the needs of your travel.
The three things I needed from my EHBO kit today we’re:
- Painkillers, I brought both paracetemol and a NSAID like ibuprofen. Today I only needed paracetemol.
- Thermometer, to check if you have a fever. (Mine isn’t working rn, so please make sure to check before you leave)
- ORS. An Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) is used to treat moderate dehydration. It’s a mixture of electrolytes (salts) and carbohydrates (in the form of sugar) dissolved in water. They are used to replace salts and water that the body loses when you have dehydration caused by gastroenteritis, diarrhoea or vomiting. The combination optimizes the absorption of fluid in the intestines, which helps to quickly replenish fluids.
Since staying hydrated when sick is one of the most important things to recover, taking ORS (like instructed) will hopefully shorten the span of my sickness. It’s disgusting cuz I’m already nauseaus and makes me want vomit, but necessary to make sure I won’t get dehydrated. If that happens, I’ll have a way bigger problem. ORS is in my eyes a necessity when travelling to countries where Traveler’s diarrhea is common:
Mental health, what about it?
Now enough about physical health! You can google that shit if you want to 😉 Next to caring for yourself physically when you’re sick (while traveling), it’s even more important to care for yourself mentally.
In the end, the way you feel physically always has an effect on the way you feel emotionally. So when you’re sick it’s even more important to think kindly of yourself. I think the jetlag, stress and different food together got me. But mostly the stress.
So, what should I do to get better quickly? Probably stress less. Calm down my nervous system to be able to heal better.
Embracing: The key word of today
When sick, you might tend to get into a spiral of negative thoughts like: “Why is this happening to ME?” and “Why NOW?!”. I know those where the first thoughts I had myself. Just when you”re supposed to be having the time of your life and exploring a new culture, you get stopped in your tracks and are forced to take a step back. It felt shitty at first. And it could definitely still feel shitty if I would let it. But I’m not going to let it have that effect on me. I haven’t travelled all the way to Guatemala to feel sorry for myself now, am I?You may find it hard to accept the fact that you’re sick, since you’d rather want to be doing all kinds of fun activities.
What if I told you, it might be exactly what you need?
What I’ve learned lately: You can fight your body all you want, but it’s definitly not gonna make you FEEL any better. And that’s what we want right? To feel better.
In the end, the main reason you want to do fun activities is because you want to feel good. And it does, don’t get me wrong. It’s a great way to add some “feel good hormones” to your life. But it also feels good to give your body some much deserved rest. If you really lean into it, it can make you feel so proud of yourself and satisfied. So that’s what I did, I embraced today.
Have you tried embracing yourself today?
