Need Advice- Very ill in Nepal

Hey,

This is probably the wrong forum, heck probably not even the right website, but anyway, i need your advice.

I am Ill, very Ill! - It started with a light cough, then progressed to a seriously sore throat, i have a fever, ache almost everywhere, diarrhea and just now phlegmy vomit.

I have been to the doctors and was checked for strep throat and maleria, bother were negative, therefore he c\gave me medicated mouthwash and 500mg amoxicillan 3 times a day.

any idea what this sounds like to you?

so far I've traveled through: Delhi, Agra, Varanasi, Bodh Gaya and now I'm in Nepal.

If you could point me in the right direction, either on this site or a medical site, it would be much appreciated!

Regards,

James

Mod note: Moving this thread with a title edit to "Crossing the Border". It will have an automatic redirect


Members comment: Get to a good doctor. If you are 'very ill', a medical site is not good enough.

Taking your question at face value, no I have no idea what this is wrong with you, and those symptoms are so general it's unlikely that anyone else can give you any idea either.

To answer the unasked question about what you should do, unless the antibiotics have only just been prescribed (in which case I would give them chance to work) the only sensible answer has to be go and see another doctor straight away.

Maybe its just a bad case of the flu? I dont know, but your symptoms do sound like they can just be the flu, except for the diarrhea part. I'd highly recommend you go see another doctor & try to spend a night or so in a hospital. Good Luck.

Trouble is, diarrhoea could be an important symptom of your illness, or it could be entirely unrelated.

Which is why you need to see a doctor.

P.S. It is definitely not the flu, that comes on very suddenly. Besides, I have had influenza once and it is a serious illness. Believe me, if that's what you had, you would not be in any fit state to get online to ask about it.

Ignite is probably talking about "Man Flu" which is what us women call "A Bit of a Cold".

And Soon!!!

Hopefully the antibiotics will do the trick and you'll feel better soon, but if your condition worsens do remember that you also have the option of just phoning your travel insurance company and letting them deal with the arrangements for you to be taken to hospital and then if necessary flown by air ambulance to a more suitable hospital or even all the way home!

Assuming you're well enough to read this, it might be an idea to sort your papers out now so you have the phone number and policy number to hand, in case someone else has to call them for you.

One test may not be enough to rule out malaria.

Apart from that fragment of information, I can only suggest you not only go to a(nother) doctor, but maybe go to hospital and get yourself looked after for a day or two. Probably cost you less than a good hotel! They can look after your fluid levels, for a start. An IV can be very refreshing

Not only is the wrong antibiotic useless, some illnesses, like glandular fever, can make you feel even worse if you mix anti-biotics with them.

Hopefully you are not allergic against the antibiotics....

Jamie, if you are in Kathmandu and have not already tried it, I really recommend the CIWEC clinic- it's not cheap, but good. It's near the French Embassy. Good luck.
http://www.ciwec-clinic.com/

EDIT: First the usual disclaimer- I Am Not A Doctor Nor Do I Play One On TV. But, some of your symptoms sound like salmonella- the aching limbs, fever, diarrhoea and vomit certainly are. You can take antibiotics for it, but in my case I just rode it out. This was years ago- took about a week and a half to clear it out and I couldn't eat anything for about 5 or 6 days. Dreadful headache too. But you need a stool test to confirm that it is salmonella (or some other food bug).

As for the sore throat- I had one for weeks and weeks last year, and finally landed up at the doctor's in Bangkok, who told me it was due to not drinking enough water. My throat had dried up and that made it more susceptible to infection. My point being that your symptoms are not all necessarily related. But you need to see a doctor, of course.

The most common allergic reactions to antibiotics include rashes, sometimes on the skin or in the mouth, itching, swelling, wheezing, or a feeling of bloatedness and heat in the stomach. But this does vary.

Your symptoms do not point to flu or malaria. You do not have chills or shivering.
You have diarrhea. This may be a result of unknowingly eating infected food (food poisoning). You also vomited once. Another indication, though not necessarily, of food poisoning. Gastroenteritis is the proper word for your symptoms.
Sit tight. Complete the full course of Amoxicillin antibiotic for prescribed number of days (generally three days). Do not stop the medication before 3 days even if you feel that you are getting better. Stopping the antibiotic medication before the full course has been taken will result in development of drug-resistant strain of bacteria.
Amoxicillin is used to treat many different types of infections caused by bacteria, such as ear infections, bladder infections, pneumonia, gonorrhea, and E. coli or salmonella infection. 500mg thrice a day is the standard dosage for an adult.
However, diarrhea may be caused by reasons other than infection by bacteria. For example, virus can also cause diarrhea. In such cases, antibiotics will have no effect.
Gastroenteritis causes dehydration. Dehydration can be fatal. Do not let yourself be dehydrated. Drink plenty of fluids.
Eat a lot of ripe bananas. Take a lot of curd (yogurt), preferably sweetened or with sugar added. Do not take milk. Milk will make it worse. Do not eat greasy, oily or fried food. Take soup and bread or rice. In Nepal, you will get boiled rice and dal (lentil). Mix the two and eat. Ask the cook not to add spices in the dal. Drink plenty of fluids (water, preferably boiled or treated, juice, soup, soft drink, etc.). Do not take diet soft drinks. Do not take alcohol in any form.
Do not let yourself become dehydrated.
If you do not vomit again, diarrhea will cure itself in two or three days. You do not have to go to hospital.
But if you again vomit more than two times or become dehydrated due to frequent passing of watery stools with mucus, or if you see blood in your stools, immediately go to a hospital and get admitted. Take an intravenous saline glucose (dextrose) drip with vitamins added to it. The doctors will administer you a stronger medicine direct into your blood stream through the drip. Metronidazole may be such a drug.
Though Loperamide (Imodium) is used for curing diarrhea, you have to consult a doctor before you take it. Do not do self-medication.

Hi Jamie,

When I was first in Nepal, I came down with an acute ailment and lost significant amounts of weight (vomiting & diarrhoea).

The guest house in which I was staying, phoned the Australian consulate & they sent an ambulance for me (that cost me nothing). I was taken to the local hospital (run by ex-pats) and they gave me an IV drip & a series of tests.

Medication was determined & I was discharged. Within a couple of days I was starting to get back to normal.

So, my suggestion is to either get yourself to a hospital or, phone your Embassy/Consulate for assistance. DO NOT leave this to possible answers from non clinically-trained people.

Cheers
Zoltan

Thank you guys/gals!!!

I am feeling significantly better today, still have diarrhea and a very sore throat and cough, though i think the fever has broken, which has to be a good sign.

Going to take it a day at a time, finish the course of antibiotics and keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks for the advice, it has all been taken on board!!!!

last January i travelled too to Varanasi Bodhgaya{for the 4th time} and Nepal.After eating at Bodhgaya in Om Restaurant{the Hindi one} and already had caught cold from Varanasi, i started having diarrhea ,it continued to Kathmandu{that means for more than 20 days} and as soon as i returned home still i had diarrhea for 10 days and more.I was scared but i was sure that this shit food i ate in Om was the problem!!!!It spoiled my whole journey!!!!!!!!!!I took western prescription and ayurvedic in India and finally recovered after almost a month of diarrhea.I drank lots of water daily and some coca cola

This is all dime store medical advice, of course, and getting to a good doc sounds like the best advice... But flue like symptoms... do we have Dengue Fever in India? Have had friends get that in Cambodia and there's not much a person can do other than drink water and wait it out.

I hope you get better soon.