Q:

I was in Cancun over the break (12/28-1/3) and came home feeling alright, but lately over the past 3-4 days I have a general malaise feeling with fatigue, uncomfortable bloating, some constipation and NO fever. We did travel by bus to several outlying areas so we were not isolated to just our resort.

I tried to be as vigilant as possible in drinking bottled water, eating from "better" places and being as careful as possible about most of the known issues. I did have diarrhea the last 2-3 days while on the trip, but that subsided quickly upon returning to the States. I did not get a pre-trip health consultation not any additional immunizations. I did get maybe 5 mosquito bites while there and I was attacked by a large iguana while I was face down in the sand. I later cleaned up the mostly minor surface scratch marks (but did have one penetrative claw puncture) with alcohol wipes and Neosporin. All of the above seemed to heal normally.

My question: Should I take a strong laxative and then do an over-the-counter parasite cleanse program to see if that makes a difference or should I make an appointment to see someone at SHC?

 

A:

It's fairly common to have the symptoms you're experiencing after a bout of traveler's diarrhea. It's important to avoid all dairy products for now and have fruits and juices, even prunes if constipation is still a problem, and try a daily probiotic source like soy yogurt. I would avoid a strong laxative or cleanse product.

If you're not feeling better soon, you should make an appointment at the health center We would do stool tests to check for giardia or other parasites as well as bacterial infection. Since the long weekend is coming up, you might want to make the appointment for tomorrow if you're pretty uncomfortable.

~The Doc