All of my life I’ve had a fear of vomiting but it’s only since the past three years that it’s become phobic. Growing up I never obsessed over vomiting on a constant basis. I enjoyed eating out, going to parties, and traveling without a deep fear of getting sick. It was until the past 3 years that the constant fear started creeping into my thoughts constantly and a drastic change in my eating habits and lifestyle began.
My very first airplane ride was during my teenage years. I was incredibly nervous which is normal for most first-time flyers. But I wasn’t afraid of airline safety nor terrorists. I was scared of getting air sick. But since this was a family vacation, I had to go. Chickening out was not an option. And I was fine.
Right before my first cruise I was just as nervous as my first plane ride, maybe worse. I grilled everyone I knew who had been on a cruise about seasickness, including a doctor. The thought of nausea and vomiting from seasickness was so enormous, I started having diarrhea from the anxiety days before going. Again, I was fine.
Since those two “first-time” travel experiences, I’ve been to many places around the globe and have traveled by various forms of transportation. With the exception of an occasional diarrhea, most likely caused from overindulging on fiber supplements to avoid constipation, I have never had any stomach ailment or distress that caused me to vomit. No travelers diarrhea. No Montezuma’s revenge.
Several readers have asked me how I manage to garner up the nerve to travel to places such as Africa or Mexico or any place where food preparation and sanitation is not up to par. My answer is that I’m pretty much used to it by now. By the time emetophobia started controlling my life, I had already traveled extensively. That doesn’t mean I don’t get nervous leaving my hometown. I do, but not enough to prevent me from going. And, I take extra precautions.
Research
When traveling anywhere, especially undeveloped places, I try to understand the environment I’ll be facing. What are the common ailments of that place? Do they have a good standard of sanitation? There are doctors that specialize in travel medicine who given me some very good advice when traveling.
Vaccines and preventative measures
When I went to Tanzania, yellow fever vaccines were required. The thought of getting shots to go somewhere may deter even non-emets from traveling but there is one thing to keep in mind. Only 5% of those getting this vaccination experience mild side effects and none of them are nausea or vomiting.
Same goes with anti-malaria pills. There are several out there but the one I usually take is called Malarone and it’s plant based. No side effects at all.
Diarrhea is a common ailment travelers get and in most cases it does not cause vomiting. However, a mere case of travelers diarrhea would cause most emetophobics to panic so for me – an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
In addition to a prescription for Cipro, which I have never had to take, he gave me some advice on preventing diarrhea. I compiled the information he gave me and what some other doctors have recommended and list them below.
* Probiotics are products containing the helpful bacteria that normally inhabit the human digestive tract, usually Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium, (sometimes they are collectively called “acidophilus.”). Take a probiotic twice a day with meals to prevent travelers diarrhea. (Source: http://www.drweil.com/)
*Always drink bottled beverages including bottled water. Tap water and dairy products should be avoided. Even if the tap water looks clear or clean, never trust that it is free of harmful bacteria. Boiling water and iodine tablets can purify water but iodine may not kill all harmful bacteria.
*Stay well hydrated and limit time in the hot sun.
*Any fruits or vegetables that have come into contact with tap water is not safe to eat. Eat fruits that can be peeled like bananas or oranges. All of the hotels I’ve stayed in Africa catered to Western tourists and all food was cleaned and prepared with bottled water and therefore I never had a problem.
*Never buy food from street vendors or eat any meat or seafood that is undercook. If a local invites you over for a meal I politely turn them down. They say in some cultures it’s insulting to do this but I would rather insult them then ha
*Taking Pepto Bismol 4 times a day helps prevent diarrhea.
*If you do get diarrhea, begin taking Imodium at the first sign. If the diarrhea doesn’t go away after a day, then take Cipro.
*When traveling to underdeveloped countries I usually bring trail mix, granola bars or other meal replacement bars just in case I have very limited options for safe food.
The most important thing is to wash hands frequently with soap and water and bring along hand sanitizer in case you’re out and about and don’t have access to soap and water.
On a previous blog post I wrote about my anti-emetic kit. Regardless of where I’m going I carry a larger version of this kit.
I think my paranoia of getting sick overseas is healthy to some extent. The measures I take to avoid getting sick are better than when I stay home and that’s one less worry to ruin my trip.
I refuse to let emetophobia stop me from doing what I love – traveling.
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