Getting Sick While Traveling Alone and How I Dealt With It

The Sickness

In a previous post about my first day in Chiang Mai, Thailand I shared with you how I spent 15 hours sick in my hotel room. During that time I was vomiting, dry heaving, hot and cold flashes, sweating profusely, and only being able to take nibbles of a banana and a sip of water ever couple hours in between forcing myself to sleep with the help of lavender and peppermint oil.

The next day I was able to get myself to Chiang Dao to explore the jungle due to charcoal pills. The pills weren't actually helping... They were just masking whatever had possessed my body. During dinner the second day after the pills wore off I felt round 2 approaching. I parted with my friend to call it a night and wake up later to spend hours making good friends and enemies with my toilet. Unable to keep even water down.

I am not going to lie... I broke down in my little bungalow in the middle of the jungle bawling my eyes out, distressed that I was on the complete other side of home, that I was having to deal with this alone, that I was in complete and utter misery at that moment. All I wanted was to be held and told I was going to be alright. It was not easy but I would not give up! I would ask for support from near and far and be the strong woman I know that I am.

After talking to a couple friends back home I accepted the sickness and let my body purge for the next several hours, repeating what I had gone through the night before, but even worse. 

Finally it had passed and in the morning I was able to drink water. My friend asked if I wanted to explore and I told him it probably would not be the best idea. I walked out of my bungalow to find my friend sitting there with sports drinks for me and ready to give me a ride to get some antibiotics along with snacks(being bread...the only thing I could force down).

For the next two days I was only able drink liquids. Probably cause my body was still recovering along with being traumatized from the last two night. Once I was able to eat again I was oh so very happy!

This was one of the worst sickness I have ever dealt with in my life. I am grateful for my friends back home and nearby that helped me out in this time of need. It was not smart of me to go to the middle of the jungle but I did not realize until it had passed that it had put me out of my mind, causing me to make some irrational decisions. Staying close to where there is an international hospital is the better idea when severally sick in a foreign country. I do have reason to believe this was caused from airline food but it could have also been being exposed to foreign germs or a combination. Either way I like to look at it now as my rites of passage to Asia.

Recommendations

• Do not be afraid to ask for help. That means the locals, the front desk of where you are staying, friends you have made along the way, people back home, fellow travelers, etc. Most world travelers have been through this and they will tell you it is not easy but you will get through this! 
• Do not take charcoal pills... They make work for some but I myself and others have found they don't do shit, only mask it for while you take them.
• Travel with lavender and peppermint essential oils. They help sooth nausea and relax your mind.
• Do not put yourself in the middle of the jungle, nowhere, away from a hospital when you are that sick like I did. You never know if you may need immediate medical attention.
• STAY STRONG AND DON'T GIVE UP!

I would love to hear about your travel sicknesses and how you dealt with them in foreign countries. Don't be afraid to ask me more about this experience or reach out to me if you are struggling with the same or similar sickness. 

Hopefully you find this informative and helpful and stay tuned for more travel tips and experiences.

Namaste

Finding Me Wherever I Maybe