Had a friend visit the Capital from Las Terrenas. She became so sick with amoebas that we rented a car and drove her back home. She says that she has had them for a while.. that they seem to come back every three months... that she has used FLAGYL (arsenic) but they still come back. And that she was going to use the local folk remedy which has pumpkin seeds and garlic.
So I did some research and found that you need to take a course of TWO different medicines in order to really get rid of amoebas
Amoebic dysentery - What treatments work for amoebic dysentery?
then you need to have stool samples taken afterwards to make sure that they are all gone.
Note please that this is not for just a case of travellers tummy. IF you have dysentery, you will know it because death will seem preferable. The first time that I got it in Mexico, I was the most angry at Pepto Bismol for making it all sound so easy. There it is called Montezuma's Revenge.. and I did not really understand how very very angry Montezuma was!
I took the Flagyl for a long course.. about 15 days or so... lost 35 pounds (which, alas, did not stay off... Ladies, this is not an effective diet) and felt like someone was continually punching me in the stomach.
Considering the sanitation here, I am really surprised that there is not more of this.
And, of course, since there is now the possibiltiy of cholera... remote but possible... any severe diarreaha should be taken very seriously ... rehydrate, get lab work done, take the proper medicine. ALWAYS carry the gel hand soap. And if you are new here, do not eat food from the street, unpeeled fruit or salad if the place looks the slightest bit suspicious.
I always check the ladies room before I eat. IF there is no soap there... well.. do not eat there!
So I did some research and found that you need to take a course of TWO different medicines in order to really get rid of amoebas
Amoebic dysentery - What treatments work for amoebic dysentery?
then you need to have stool samples taken afterwards to make sure that they are all gone.
Note please that this is not for just a case of travellers tummy. IF you have dysentery, you will know it because death will seem preferable. The first time that I got it in Mexico, I was the most angry at Pepto Bismol for making it all sound so easy. There it is called Montezuma's Revenge.. and I did not really understand how very very angry Montezuma was!
I took the Flagyl for a long course.. about 15 days or so... lost 35 pounds (which, alas, did not stay off... Ladies, this is not an effective diet) and felt like someone was continually punching me in the stomach.
Considering the sanitation here, I am really surprised that there is not more of this.
And, of course, since there is now the possibiltiy of cholera... remote but possible... any severe diarreaha should be taken very seriously ... rehydrate, get lab work done, take the proper medicine. ALWAYS carry the gel hand soap. And if you are new here, do not eat food from the street, unpeeled fruit or salad if the place looks the slightest bit suspicious.
I always check the ladies room before I eat. IF there is no soap there... well.. do not eat there!