How often do you get sick here compared to back home?

[jak2002003]

I have noticed that the people saying things like: never eat the street food, use bottled water to make ice cubes, take such and such supplements, don't touch anything in a Thai toilet in supermarkets, bleach your house down, cook all your own food, never buy from Thai markets / street vendors, wash your hands all the time.. etc... are the people saying they have allergies, get food poisoning / upset stomachs, colds, bugs and are the ones getting sick!! 

 

 

[Kurtf]

16 hours ago, sirineou said:

 When I was younger back home, I use to never get sick, 61 years old now , and in Thailand, and I seem to get sick more, what's worse is I get body aches and the litle general don't want to go to war sometimes.

Freaking Thailand!!! Grrrrrr

Welcome to the golden years. LOL

[Jeremia Juxtaposed]

14 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

I have noticed that the people saying things like: never eat the street food, use bottled water to make ice cubes, take such and such supplements, don't touch anything in a Thai toilet in supermarkets, bleach your house down, cook all your own food, never buy from Thai markets / street vendors, wash your hands all the time.. etc... are the people saying they have allergies, get food poisoning / upset stomachs, colds, bugs and are the ones getting sick!! 

 

 

And the rest of us are ignored...!!!!

[impulse]

1 hour ago, CGW said:

True, as you are doubtless aware a great number of people joining units offshore get sick the first few days back onboard, sure "one of the above" is true, not sure which, I know it had nothing to do with the alcohol consumed to stay hydrated! 

 

I'm an excellent control group candidate for that.  I took the oath in 1988. 

 

If I were a betting man, I'd say it's exposure to all the foreign flying germs at a time when my immunity is low due to travel fatigue.

 

 

[Kurtf]

I've been living here now for 6+ years and I eat and drink anything I want and I find I haven't gotten sick any more often than I did back in the USA. BUT.....I do wash my hands more often, I drink a lot more water than I used to and I avoid going outside when it is hot and high humidity (which is most of the time) or at least 9 months of the year. I don't eat a lot of street food preffering to cook my own and I wash any veggies I buy in a water and vinegar solution just to get rid of any pesticides.

[transam]

17 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

I have noticed that the people saying things like: never eat the street food, use bottled water to make ice cubes, take such and such supplements, don't touch anything in a Thai toilet in supermarkets, bleach your house down, cook all your own food, never buy from Thai markets / street vendors, wash your hands all the time.. etc... are the people saying they have allergies, get food poisoning / upset stomachs, colds, bugs and are the ones getting sick!! 

 

 

No, just don't have any health issues given by another perhaps.......

But I have never had a problem with ice from anywhere..

Our house is kept clean with basic stuff too, same as back home...

[watcharacters]

10 hours ago, mstevens said:

When I lived in Bangkok I would get sick often enough for it to be annoying.  I'd get an upset stomach once or twice a year and a serious cough / cold around twice a year - and it could take a few weeks to clear completely.  This from someone who eats well, exercises and doesn't drink much.  Back in my own country I almost never get sick.  If I do get a sniffle it never seems to develop in to a full blown cough or cold and always passes within 72 hours.  Healthwise I do much, much better at home than in Thailand.

 

 

Did you avoid street food  in your diet?

 

Even Thais get sick from the food sold by vendors.    It's a crap shoot at best.

 

Oh wait here comes the brigade saying same for restaurants... Yes?

[jak2002003]

7 minutes ago, Kurtf said:

I've been living here now for 6+ years and I eat and drink anything I want and I find I haven't gotten sick any more often than I did back in the USA. BUT.....I do wash my hands more often, I drink a lot more water than I used to and I avoid going outside when it is hot and high humidity (which is most of the time) or at least 9 months of the year. I don't eat a lot of street food preffering to cook my own and I wash any veggies I buy in a water and vinegar solution just to get rid of any pesticides.

You don't go outside for 9 months of the year?

 

That vinegar / water solution to get rid of pesticides is a myth.  The pesticides are actually taken up by the plant and incorporated into their cells... some might wash off the plants skin, but most are stored in the plant / vegetable itself so can't be removed.  

[watcharacters]

 

I think washing vegetables in soap is reasonable.   I need to find a new source  for  that kind of soap.   I also wash vegetables with that soap in  bottled water.  

 

I've been in SEA a while  and other than a severe  case of the flu 10 years ago, I've  not been sick.   

I'm  not a consumer  of street stall food.

 

To each his own.

 

 

 

 

[Rarebear]

36 minutes ago, jak2002003 said:

I have noticed that the people saying things like: never eat the street food, use bottled water to make ice cubes, take such and such supplements, don't touch anything in a Thai toilet in supermarkets, bleach your house down, cook all your own food, never buy from Thai markets / street vendors, wash your hands all the time.. etc... are the people saying they have allergies, get food poisoning / upset stomachs, colds, bugs and are the ones getting sick!!

I use bottled water to make ice cubes because they slide out of the tray easier and don't crack. I got gonorrhea in a Thai toilet once.  It was from the lady who worked the counter at the 7/11 who joined me in the toilet.  

[55Jay]

This ain't no Nanny State.  Have to have your wits about you at all times.

 

And so you survived another day dodging food borne illnesses, allergies, viruses and Dengue Fever. You finally make it home, doff your chaps and helmet, switch on the defungled air conditioner and take a well deserved hot shower only to be electrocuted.

 

You are loaded into a 1987 Isuzu pick up truck cum Rescue Unit where, in an attempt to avoid you dying whilst stuck in traffic, the driver rolls it into a roadside klong.  Tragically, the crew drowns but you are plucked out and finally make it to hospital.

 

The first evening home, thankful to be alive, you limp in for a well deserved session on the bog.  ?

 

 

.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2018 by 55Jay

[impulse]

4 minutes ago, Rarebear said:

I use bottled water to make ice cubes because they slide out of the tray easier and don't crack. I got gonorrhea in a Thai toilet once.  It was from the lady who worked the counter at the 7/11 who joined me in the toilet.  

 

You romantic devil, you...

[superal]

8 hours ago, Jeremia Juxtaposed said:

Exactly the same response that I would have given but may I add a couple of things..?

 

1. If you get caught out in a bad rain storm, especially up North or in Isaan, go for a shower as soon as possible. I am told it is because the rain contains chemicals from the fields. It may be a load of tosh but I have never been sick after getting a good soaking, and I lived out "in the village" for 16 years..

 

2. I walk a lot and always wear a cap and walk in the shade wherever possible, and I have never had a headache that can be attributed to the sun!! I haven't bothered trying to get a suntan since the 70s....

 

 

1.  How true , I am in Issan and once I left the car , coloured white , out in a rain storm thinking that the rain would get rid of some of the cars dirt but the opposite happened , the car was dirtier than before the rain .

2. Sun protection is often disregarded in the quest for a sun tan . I am paying for the years of sun worshiping now with skin cancer  . Now in Thailand where the condition is rare among the Thai folk and the doctors are not  use to treating it.

Apart from that I never eat salad ( which I like ) that has not been prepared by my lady . Prawns can also be a danger for all  and  seafood if not kept and prepared in the right conditions in this hot climate can give you sickness . 

But I think the number one problem here is water and ice . Got to be bottled water every time for me even if it is to be boiled . Ice , I have heard that some of the manufacturers lack good hygiene standards and are unregulated .

.  

[Pdavies99]

For me its not the getting sick that is an issue, its getting treated and a correct diagnosis, then to top it off, they give you multitudes of pills and a huge bill and ask you to come back in a weeks time!

[smotherb]

17 hours ago, sanemax said:

Could be the aircon causing you to get headaches and fever?

I never have headaches and fever and I use a/c all the time.

[JAG]

2 hours ago, robblok said:

You must have good immunity because its an universal truth that like hospitals schools are hotbeds of disease. I don't mean this to sound as negative as it might sound. But its because you get so many people together who might be sick and infect each other.  Same of course goes for other places where people are forced to come together even if they are not 100% well. 

 

As for you oyster story i am disappointed only 3 times ? 

Well certainly, when you get a good virus the children go down like flies - we had a "vomiting" bug last year and I remember the dubious pleasure of leading Primary 1 in a rousing rendition of Old MacDonald had a Farm, complete with animal noises and actions when a little girl said "Oh Mr John" , ran up to.me, grabbed hold of me and threw up all over me. Poor little thing, ah the perils of teaching primary! The cleaning staff cleaned me up as best they could, luckily it happened last period in the afternoon.

 

Never got sick myself though! As you say, must have a good immune system (pickled in gin)?

[khunPer]

17 hours ago, punchandjudy said:

I have been in Thailand around a year now, will my body ever adapt? How often do you get sick here?

Three times in 13 years: Dengue Fever; an infection in my foot from an insect bite, which itched and I probably scratched, and dirt/bacteria got into a small wound, slowly getting worse-and-worse, until I needed a hospital antibiotika treatment; Dengue Fever again, however a bit more unpleasant than first time (there are 4 variants of Dengue, having one makes you immune for that variant, but not the others; two of them are rare, but serious).

 

I my bitterly cold home country – some oyster banks not suitable for comfortable year-around living for humans – I would catch a cold or several during the winter-season, and my fingers would dry out and the skin crack, due to the low humid in the air in the cold weather. Here in nice warm Thailand – I settled a place with average day temperatures of 29­°c to 32°c, and 23°c to 26°c at night – I never have any problems.

 

And by the way, I gave up smoking – not a lot – some years back (simply became too difficult to be a smoker), and I'm not a drinker, but can enjoy a glass of wine (or two) for dinner, however not every day.

 

I often eat street food, and I use ice cubes in drinks (or fruit shakes), and I visit mane local restaurants; but I never got sick from food here or have stomach-problems. Can some few times suffer from mouse-shoulder – need to limit my time on ThaiVisa forum...? – which a neck-and-shoulder thai massage cures; I'm having a full 2-hour Thai massage, including reflexology (foot massage), twice a month, preferable one a week. I take a walk every day, and I always walk to for example 7-Eleven and like, instead of other mean of transportation. I eat varied with many vegetables and fruits, drink both coffee and juice and water – which can also be a soda with lemon, and sometime a sweet soda drink – and the mentioned wine, which is supposed to be (very) healthy, when reaching middle age (both the content in red grapes, and just the little amount alcohol from a glass or two seem to be healthy; beer should be as good as wine because of alcohol and vitamins, according to health studies). Probably also important is that I take a vitamin-C (1000 mg) every day – and a multi vitamin-mineral three times a week – a fine immune-system booster.

 

Your stomach bacterial culture should after some time get used to Thai food; presuming you drink "drinking water", and use ice-cubes from clean sources. Heat and humidity might require some time's habituation; have you tried to stay in different parts of the country – inland Isaan is for example quite different from coastal areas, or an island (where I live) – and noticed if there's a difference depending of where you stay..? 

?

[Stevemercer]

People who live in tropics more likely to die seven years earlier

People living in the tropics are likely to die more than seven years younger than those in other regions, according to the first findings of a new global research project.

From 'The Telegraph' (19/11/2012).

[robblok]

3 minutes ago, JAG said:

Well certainly, when you get a good virus the children go down like flies - we had a "vomiting" bug last year and I remember the dubious pleasure of leading Primary 1 in a rousing rendition of Old MacDonald had a Farm, complete with animal noises and actions when a little girl said "Oh Mr John" , ran up to.me, grabbed hold of me and threw up all over me. Poor little thing, ah the perils of teaching primary! The cleaning staff cleaned me up as best they could, luckily it happened last period in the afternoon.

 

Never got sick myself though! As you say, must have a good immune system (pickled in gin)?

Yes you must have a good immune system otherwise you would probably have gotten sick too. 

 

So keep up whatever your doing it seems to work.

[Rarebear]

5 minutes ago, Stevemercer said:

People who live in tropics more likely to die seven years earlier

People living in the tropics are likely to die more than seven years younger than those in other regions, according to the first findings of a new global research project.

From 'The Telegraph' (19/11/2012).

1.  Is it expats?

2.  Is it Thailand?

3.  Has infant mortality been factored out?

4.  If not how much weight does infant mortality carry on the 7 year figure

5.  Does the study include Central and Southern Africa where 377 in every 1,000 people who live to 15 years old dying before they reach 60.

 

[balo]

You need to check your room for mold. 

 

I became sick with fever and flu symptoms after I moved into a new room , the bath room was clearly not cleaned and mold can be difficult to spot. 

 

After a real cleaning with chemicals and mold remover , I did not get sick again . 

 

Also the air-con units needs to get cleaned at least every 6 months. 

 

If you get more sick in Thailand compared to your home country it could also be the pollution , as we all know the air quality here is not the best , especially in the big cities.  

 

 

 

  

Edited June 11, 2018 by balo

[KiChakayan]

17 hours ago, sirineou said:

 When I was younger back home, I use to never get sick, 61 years old now , and in Thailand, and I seem to get sick more, what's worse is I get body aches and the litle general don't want to go to war sometimes.

Freaking Thailand!!! Grrrrrr

Yeak f...ing Thailand, it gave me old age. 

Caught prostate cancer here too.

[pgrahmm]

39 minutes ago, smotherb said:

I never have headaches and fever and I use a/c all the time.

A dirty a/c system came within 8 hours of killing me once upon a time....

There's some truth truth in that warning from sanemax....

[Thingamabob]

Less sick. 

[smotherb]

33 minutes ago, pgrahmm said:

A dirty a/c system came within 8 hours of killing me once upon a time....

There's some truth truth in that warning from sanemax....

Well, yeah. Like running a car without brakes. You need to do the maintenance. 

[The Theory]

7 hours ago, Rarebear said:

My ac is cleaned every 6 months and I use filtrete.  Why should I stay away from AC?  Where can you buy refrigerated eggs in Thailand?  I eat two oranges daily and walk in the sun why would I need Vit C and D?

It’s not about filtering air, it is about direct cold blow to your body. 

Buying from well known markets is different than buying food with eggs from street vendors. Some vendors even keep eggs under sunlight. 

And being exposed to sun does not mean that your body generates Vit D. 

 

Anyway

keep it the way you think is right and forget about my suggestions. 

[sanemax]

2 hours ago, smotherb said:

I never have headaches and fever and I use a/c all the time.

I never use aircon at home ,but when I stay in hotel and they have aircon in the room , I always switch it on and set the temperature to the lowest point (17 degrees) and leave it on all night long  and I wake up the next morning with a heavy cold and fever

[grollies]

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I never use aircon at home ,but when I stay in hotel and they have aircon in the room , I always switch it on and set the temperature to the lowest point (17 degrees) and leave it on all night long  and I wake up the next morning with a heavy cold and fever

So why don't you turn it off then, same as at home?

[tropo]

5 hours ago, gamini said:

 I can't really understand these posts about "back home". Most of us who live here consider Thailand as our home. Are you reffering to tourists or what?

Obviously "back home" is your country of birth or country of citizenship. That will never change even if you've been here for 30 years.

 

I wouldn't be speaking for "most of us". How "at home" you feel depends on your point of view. We all have different perspectives. I've been here for 12 years and I'm still looked upon as a tourist and have to report every 90 days and get extensions every year. Although I'm comfortable enough, it never quite feels like home. If you ever have the misfortune of getting into a dispute with Thai people, you'll start to feel like an intruder. "F**** ***, this isn't your country" or words to that effect will cement the idea you're not at home.

 

 

 

[tropo]

26 minutes ago, grollies said:

31 minutes ago, sanemax said:

I never use aircon at home ,but when I stay in hotel and they have aircon in the room , I always switch it on and set the temperature to the lowest point (17 degrees) and leave it on all night long  and I wake up the next morning with a heavy cold and fever

So why don't you turn it off then, same as at home?

It's not very smart to aircon to the lowest setting. Sleeping aircon is 27C for me, so when you leave the room you're not hit too hard by the extra few degrees. I never get colds or fever from aircon, and I've been using it for 12 years. I've also never set it below 26C. The colds and flu come from outside the house. Obviously, viruses need hosts... other humans. They aren't hiding in your evaporator ready to set upon you when you switch it on.

Edited June 11, 2018 by tropo