Getting sick

[Jools99]

Hi, this is my first post after moving here about 3 weeks ago.

I have just spent one night in hospital with severe parasitic food poisoning, but I am much better now. I have been to Thailand 6 times and I have been sick on 3 of those times, including a previous hospital stay for 3 nights with a liver disease.

I would be interested to hear how often ex-pats get sick after living here long term. We live in Surat Thani where there are no tourists, so only local restaurants with questionable food hygiene. We live in a condo, which typically has a minimal kitchen, preventing much cooking at home.

Thanks for any replies.

[colinneil]

Been in Thailand 6 times been sick 3 times !!

I have been in Thailand on and off for 19 years never had a problem.

Why can you need eat at home? minimal kitchen why would that prevent home cooking?

When we lived in the mountains in northern Thailand, we only had a small electric wok perfectly adequate for 2 people.

[Crossy]

Over the 20+ years I've lived and worked in the Far East I can count the times I've had serious food issues on the fingers of one hand.

By far the worst was in Inedible India where I was laid up for a few days, but never had a real issue in Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Singapore, Vietnam or the Philippines.

[i claudius]

Get food poisoning from time to time ,think I am dying,take erfuzid and am back to normal in about 1 to 2 days 24 years about 10 times

[CharlieH]

10 years, nothing at all food/hygiene related.

[bapoboy]

in 4 years, never had a probem..

[Kenny202]

Been coming here 3 years and living in Isaan 1 year. Eat on the street everyday and never been sick. Always choose the busier restaurants though who are turning over fresh food every day

[baneko]

I must admit I did accidentally shit the bed in Goa, India. Was bad for 3 days and couldnt get up. Thailand no problems apart from a dose of the trotts from time to time.

[xylophone]

Been living here for nine years now and just occasionally get the trots (mild and gone within a day or so) however I never eat from street carts or anything like that and mostly cook my own food.

Like "colinneil" has said, easy to cook your own food even if you have a small kitchen; for example I have a little gas canister cooker on the balcony for the really smelly/pungent Thai food I occasionally cook, a small induction plate and a Sharp microwave which does everything, including grilling, roasting, warming, defrosting and so on so really it is an oven and microwave combined and doesn't take up much room.

The worst two cases of food poisoning I ever had in my life were in Koh Samui, where I was hospitalised and on a drip for four days, and in the UK when I ate at a multinational company's training facility in what looked to be a fastidiously clean restaurant – – however I ended up spending almost a week in an isolation room (complete with intercom by which to communicate with friends on the outside) in a local hospital for severe food poisoning of some description. Don't know what sort it was, however I was not allowed to cook food for anybody else for about six months or thereabouts (as I recall).

Often wondered what sort it was?

[Gringogazzer]

Very farang unfriendly now days, they're out to kill you...

Only had one bad piece of chicken, but knew as soon as I bit into it. Stayed close to a toilet for a few days after eating.

Took about a year to get a solid poo, just eat a bit more fibre now days, cook for myself in the evenings.

[HLover]

Because your an alien.