Upset stomach on holiday advice please

[InfernalPenguin]

I always seem to get an upset stomach when I come to Florida, it is not something that I normally suffer from and I am always careful what I eat when at WDW (ie nothing that I would not normally eat at home).

Last year I think that I visited every restroom at MGM often in a hurry!.

Any advice would be welcome as it is a shame when some days of your holiday are spoilt.

Ah, Welcome to my niiiiiightmaaaare,


Yeah, I suffer from IBS, emotionally triggered. Actually, there's some foods that'll occasionally do it, but that's besides the point.

I get way too excited/nervous when I go to disney, so I tend to get it somewhat bad there for at LEAST the first day.

Carry Immodium with you. Don't get the chewable tablets cuz they're gross. Watch HOW MUCH you take though, as too much will sort of make it hard for you to go AT ALL, if you catch my drift. When you start to get the grumbles, take the dose and that should do it for the rest of the day. Even if you go back to the little boy's room, rest assured you'll probably feel ill for a little bit and then feel better a short time afterwards.


Take it slow. Relax. Try not to do anything that'll stress you out a good deal. Eat gentle foods (i.e. avoid anything SAUCE-heavy, at least during. After you feel better it should be fine).

Water. Hydrate as much as you can.


....oh, and eating cold things/Itzakadoozies sorta helps me, but I think that's more of a soothing, psychological thing than it is medical.

EDIT:


Oops, didn't mean to contradict that advice above about the Chewables. By all means, if they do it for you go head. I just find them a bit chalky for my taste and they end up making me more upset than I was before.

 

[minnie2000]

This is so interesting. My 11 year old daughter suffers from IBS. She has never enjoyed food, probably because of the after effects. We have seen a paediatrician, and she has had all sorts of tests. There is nothing wrong with her, he just said that her stomach is very sensitive. She is fine when she eats at home, but gets an upset stomach if we go out for a meal, even to her grandparents' house. She only eats very plain food, so its not as if she is eating spicy food.

I suffer from an upset stomach when travelling, or if I eat something very different from normal, but it is not too often with me, while it is very often for her.

I am interested to know how people cope with this. I don't really want to give her immodium or other medicines at 11, unless the doctor recommends them. It is interesting about the water. She does like ice in her drinks, perhaps we should stop that, and also not let her drink from the fountains.

I feel really sorry for her as it affects her life quite a bit. She doesn't want the other kids at school to know, but I have had to tell the teachers in case it happens in school. Luckily it never has.

I'd be interested in any advice from others who suffer from this.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

My advice is to steer clear of any drinking water that isn't bottled, avoid ice cubes in drinks and probably also ice-cream

 

[SeaBreeze]

This is so interesting. My 11 year old daughter suffers from IBS. She has never enjoyed food, probably because of the after effects. We have seen a paediatrician, and she has had all sorts of tests. There is nothing wrong with her, he just said that her stomach is very sensitive. She is fine when she eats at home, but gets an upset stomach if we go out for a meal, even to her grandparents' house. She only eats very plain food, so its not as if she is eating spicy food.

I suffer from an upset stomach when travelling, or if I eat something very different from normal, but it is not too often with me, while it is very often for her.

I am interested to know how people cope with this. I don't really want to give her immodium or other medicines at 11, unless the doctor recommends them. It is interesting about the water. She does like ice in her drinks, perhaps we should stop that, and also not let her drink from the fountains.

I feel really sorry for her as it affects her life quite a bit. She doesn't want the other kids at school to know, but I have had to tell the teachers in case it happens in school. Luckily it never has.

I'd be interested in any advice from others who suffer from this.

I feel like we should have a group IBS Mice or something :lol: I'm very sorry to hear your daughter has this... I've had it since I was 15 so 9 years now. I'll send a PM with some of what I've learned :wave:

 

[unkadug]

As others have said, it is probably the water if you are drinking tap water. We have really good water in Chicago, but the water in Orlando upsets my stomach.

Florida water is gross....could be that. Maybe your body rejects "their water". It's common from state to state

Lets not get into this argument again.

Ah, Welcome to my niiiiiightmaaaare,


Yeah, I suffer from IBS, emotionally triggered. Actually, there's some foods that'll occasionally do it, but that's besides the point.

I get way too excited/nervous when I go to disney, so I tend to get it somewhat bad there for at LEAST the first day.

Carry Immodium with you. Don't get the chewable tablets cuz they're gross. Watch HOW MUCH you take though, as too much will sort of make it hard for you to go AT ALL, if you catch my drift. When you start to get the grumbles, take the dose and that should do it for the rest of the day. Even if you go back to the little boy's room, rest assured you'll probably feel ill for a little bit and then feel better a short time afterwards.


Take it slow. Relax. Try not to do anything that'll stress you out a good deal. Eat gentle foods (i.e. avoid anything SAUCE-heavy, at least during. After you feel better it should be fine).

Water. Hydrate as much as you can.


....oh, and eating cold things/Itzakadoozies sorta helps me, but I think that's more of a soothing, psychological thing than it is medical.

EDIT:


Oops, didn't mean to contradict that advice above about the Chewables. By all means, if they do it for you go head. I just find them a bit chalky for my taste and they end up making me more upset than I was before.

I think that sums up the water issue. It's all psychological.

 

[lilclerk]

And definitely keep hydrated! I get dehydrated easily, so in WDW (or anywhere hotter than here) I always need a bottle of water with me or else I get horribly nauseous.

 

[uklad79]

It's a few things that cause this. Firstly the water which seems to have too much fluoride in it and tastes nasty. This means avoiding tap water, ice, and any uncooked foods that could be washed with it such as salads which is hard because the second thing is the food in America. Hygiene standards do not seem as high as they are in the UK, you only have to look at buffets and online at bad restaurants that are allowed to carry on trading with multiple health violations. It's also hard to avoid the poor quality of food from processed foods, hormones in milk and beef and various other nasties our bodies are just not used to.
Finally the heat and moving from cold air con buildings and back into the heat causes imbalances in the body for those not used to it.
All these things added up and are bound to have an effect on people not used to all of them.

 

[unkadug]

It's a few things that cause this. Firstly the water which seems to have too much fluoride in it and tastes nasty. This means avoiding tap water, ice, and any uncooked foods that could be washed with it such as salads which is hard because the second thing is the food in America. Hygiene standards do not seem as high as they are in the UK, you only have to look at buffets and online at bad restaurants that are allowed to carry on trading with multiple health violations. It's also hard to avoid the poor quality of food from processed foods, hormones in milk and beef and various other nasties our bodies are just not used to.
Finally the heat and moving from cold air con buildings and back into the heat causes imbalances in the body for those not used to it.
All these things added up and are bound to have an effect on people not used to all of them.

you did not just say that.

 

[DivineMadness7]

Oops, didn't mean to contradict that advice above about the Chewables. By all means, if they do it for you go head. I just find them a bit chalky for my taste and they end up making me more upset than I was before.

No, I agree with you, they were sorta gross. I found that while I didn't NEED water, I sort of needed SOMETHING to get the taste out of my mouth afterward. No offense to that poster but :hurl: I keep some in case of emergency where I really can't get water right away (since I already had them, might as well.) I would say to take the Immodium pills if you can, as drinking water will also help with the symptoms, you should be drinking it anyway.

 

[nicnic]

my nephew got this problem last time we went, we found it was mainly the food. Most things are fried, greasy fast food and very little veg. He was sick of burgers and chicken, even whe he had veg in the table restaurants they were par boiled and too hard to eat. First thing he asked for upon returning home was a plate full of veg and did not want to see another burger, he was only 8!!

 

[disneydiva72]

Ematrol for Nausea works wonders, I can tell ya that. It is a liquid so it'll work quicker too.

Be careful with Ematrol, it works sooo good, my mother took it one year thinking she had a terrible stomach ache, it ended up being food poisoning, she didn't throw up right away so the poison went into her blood stream, not good.

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

No, I agree with you, they were sorta gross. I found that while I didn't NEED water, I sort of needed SOMETHING to get the taste out of my mouth afterward. No offense to that poster but :hurl: I keep some in case of emergency where I really can't get water right away (since I already had them, might as well.) I would say to take the Immodium pills if you can, as drinking water will also help with the symptoms, you should be drinking it anyway.

None taken :wave: It's really all a matter of preference.

 

[figmentmom]

This is so interesting. My 11 year old daughter suffers from IBS. She has never enjoyed food, probably because of the after effects. We have seen a paediatrician, and she has had all sorts of tests. There is nothing wrong with her, he just said that her stomach is very sensitive. She is fine when she eats at home, but gets an upset stomach if we go out for a meal, even to her grandparents' house. She only eats very plain food, so its not as if she is eating spicy food.

I suffer from an upset stomach when travelling, or if I eat something very different from normal, but it is not too often with me, while it is very often for her.

I am interested to know how people cope with this. I don't really want to give her immodium or other medicines at 11, unless the doctor recommends them. It is interesting about the water. She does like ice in her drinks, perhaps we should stop that, and also not let her drink from the fountains.

I feel really sorry for her as it affects her life quite a bit. She doesn't want the other kids at school to know, but I have had to tell the teachers in case it happens in school. Luckily it never has.

I'd be interested in any advice from others who suffer from this.

My advice to the OP is to avoid the Florida water (and ice made from that water) - not because there's anything wrong with it, but just because it's "different." Stay hydrated with bottled water, though, especially if you're making, um, multiple trips to the bathroom! :lookaroun As may others have already pointed out, Immodium is a miracle-worker - keep it handy. Avoid eating too many fruits and vegetables washed in local water, and I'd also avoid eating a lot of ice-cold foods - for some reason, ice cream, ice pops, etc., give me immediate stomach cramps. Take it easy, eat lighter and more frequent meals, and try to avoid becoming overheated.

As far as your daughter's problems, minnie 2000, I'm sure it's very upsetting for her to have IBS. I read somewhere that the digestive system is almost entirely controlled by the nervous system - which would explain why your daughter has difficulties eating outside of the home. It's probably become a vicious circle for her - worry about eating out, become ill, worry MORE about eating out, become MORE ill, etc.

I would make SURE she drinks only bottled water, especially when eating and drinking outside your home - and avoid ice at all costs. Easy on the fruits and vegetables washed in tap water, etc.

 

[PinMadness]

This is so interesting. My 11 year old daughter suffers from IBS. She has never enjoyed food, probably because of the after effects. We have seen a paediatrician, and she has had all sorts of tests. There is nothing wrong with her, he just said that her stomach is very sensitive. She is fine when she eats at home, but gets an upset stomach if we go out for a meal, even to her grandparents' house. She only eats very plain food, so its not as if she is eating spicy food.

I suffer from an upset stomach when travelling, or if I eat something very different from normal, but it is not too often with me, while it is very often for her.

I am interested to know how people cope with this. I don't really want to give her immodium or other medicines at 11, unless the doctor recommends them. It is interesting about the water. She does like ice in her drinks, perhaps we should stop that, and also not let her drink from the fountains.

I feel really sorry for her as it affects her life quite a bit. She doesn't want the other kids at school to know, but I have had to tell the teachers in case it happens in school. Luckily it never has.

I'd be interested in any advice from others who suffer from this.

I was recently diagnosed with IBS. I can't imagine dealing with these tummy problems at such a young age - your poor daughter It really does affect my life quite a bit when it acts up and unfortunately it chooses to act up at the most inopportune times.

I am on a medicine called Bentyl and it works wonders. I used to take Immodium and that would work relatively well but Bentyl works better than anything else I've tried. It is a pill I can take if I am nervous that my stomach is going to act up or it is a pill I can take when I start to feel my stomach acting up. I know you're hesitant about having your daughter take medicine at her age, but you may want to ask her doctor what he would recommend for her.

My doctor stresses the importance of eating three square meals a day. I generally skip breakfast and he told me that I should always eat breakfast so that I have something in my stomach to give the acids something to digest. Saltine crackers without salt are my vacation snack - they are always a safe bet. And it may be smart to keep her off of the ice and fountain water while she is on vacation here. I carry bottled water around with me everywhere I go because the Florida water is different from what I am used to.

 

[kiawahman]

sounds like a painful trip. don't go.

 

[minnie2000]

I feel like we should have a group IBS Mice or something :lol: I'm very sorry to hear your daughter has this... I've had it since I was 15 so 9 years now. I'll send a PM with some of what I've learned :wave:

Thanks for the information - very helpful!

As far as your daughter's problems, minnie 2000, I'm sure it's very upsetting for her to have IBS. I read somewhere that the digestive system is almost entirely controlled by the nervous system - which would explain why your daughter has difficulties eating outside of the home. It's probably become a vicious circle for her - worry about eating out, become ill, worry MORE about eating out, become MORE ill, etc.

Actually the doctor said it was possibly made worse by stress. You would think that an 11 year old wouldn't have much stress but she is a bit of a worrier. She's also not very happy at school - she has a great group of friends, but there are some very nasty girls in her class, and they seem to get pleasure out of picking on her. She is moving up to a new school in September, and she is really looking forward to it. Obviously she is a bit nervous about it too, so we can't really expect her to relax until she has started school and settled in a bit.

Thanks everyone for all the advice - I will be watching this thread regularly!:wave: