Home Medical Care and Equipment

[Tommy T.]

9 minutes ago, Mike J said:

That occured after becoming badly dehydrated because of amoebic dysentery.

Geez, Mike!!! Take care of yourself! I also added some content to my last post since I first submitted it, in case you have not yet seen it?

Can you share what the treatment was for the dysentery? I believe it should be Flagyl, known as metronidazole? And, if you take that, DO NOT drink alcohol because it causes side effects similar to antabuse. It will make you extremely sick...

That's one of the antibiotics I carried aboard the yacht. I actually took it on one occasion when I had the running s***s after eating at a restaurant in Fiji. So did my ex and a few other people...

Edited September 16, 2019 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

10 minutes ago, Mike J said:

That occured after becoming badly dehydrated because of amoebic dysentery.

Okay... I have to ask... How did you contract Amoebic Dysentery? Or do you know?

I don't mean to pry into your medical history, but I think you are providing some valuable information to be shared to the members. I am learning a lot from you guys who have been here a lot longer than me and I really appreciate it.

Edited September 16, 2019 by Tommy T.
Fix spelling and additional comment

[Mike J]

4 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

Okay... I have to ask... How did your contract Amoebic Dysentery? Or do you know?

I don't mean to pry into your medical history, but I think you are providing some valuable information to be shared to the members. I am learning a lot from you guys who have been here a lot longer than me and I really appreciate it.

Not a problem.

I have gotten amoebic dysentery twice since moving here.  Source both times was unknown as we buy our drinking water.  Could have been street food, contaminated fruit/vegetables, or maybe some bad ice. The first time I just assumed it was your ordinary diarrhea that would respond to imodium.   After three days of being stubborn, I started to feel weak..  That is when the wife insisted I go to the doctor.  The doctor gave me an IV to get rehydrated and medicine to kill the amoeba. 

It was a week or so later that the kidney pain started.  Having a history, I knew what was happening and went to the hospital in Cebu City.  The treatment was virtually identical to what you would receive in a USA emergency room visit.  They found four small stones, two on each side, via CT scan.  Treatment was pain meds, and muscle relaxers to prevent spasm, and IV to try and flush the little buggers out.  The only problem was that I was exposed to the flu while in the ER and got sick two days later.  I now take sambong, and drink LOTS of water, if I start to feel anything strange in the kidney area.

Another thing to watch out for.  Had a pain in my left hand near the thumb.  Over a period of several days the hand swelled to almost the size of a boxing glove.   The doctor I saw in Cebu City said it was cellulitis, and left unchecked was very dangerous.  As in possibly lose the hand dangerous if spread to tendon or bone.  She said it may have started with an insect bite?   Took four weeks of antibiotics to treat and an additional four weeks for the swelling to completely subside.  This was about 3 or 4 years ago.

 

[Tommy T.]

15 minutes ago, Mike J said:

Not a problem.

I have gotten amoebic dysentery twice since moving here.  Source both times was unknown as we buy our drinking water.  Could have been street food, contaminated fruit/vegetables, or maybe some bad ice. The first time I just assumed it was your ordinary diarrhea that would respond to imodium.   After three days of being stubborn, I started to feel weak..  That is when the wife insisted I go to the doctor.  The doctor gave me an IV to get rehydrated and medicine to kill the amoeba. 

It was a week or so later that the kidney pain started.  Having a history, I knew what was happening and went to the hospital in Cebu City.  The treatment was virtually identical to what you would receive in a USA emergency room visit.  They found four small stones, two on each side, via CT scan.  Treatment was pain meds, and muscle relaxers to prevent spasm, and IV to try and flush the little buggers out.  The only problem was that I was exposed to the flu while in the ER and got sick two days later.  I now take sambong, and drink LOTS of water, if I start to feel anything strange in the kidney area.

Another thing to watch out for.  Had a pain in my left hand near the thumb.  Over a period of several days the hand swelled to almost the size of a boxing glove.   The doctor I saw in Cebu City said it was cellulitis, and left unchecked was very dangerous.  As in possibly lose the hand dangerous if spread to tendon or bone.  She said it may have started with an insect bite?   Took four weeks of antibiotics to treat and an additional four weeks for the swelling to completely subside.  This was about 3 or 4 years ago.

 

Thanks you so much for sharing your experience, Mike! You might just save the life or well-being of another ex-pat here - kudos to you!!!

What is  sambong?

And you better definitely keep your wife!!! She sounds like a very bright lady!

I am glad you have healed up from these illnesses. Not being an expert, I cannot really say, but your symptoms sound a lot like food infections to me... 

It also sounds like you have been receiving excellent medical treatment there - that's great to hear!!!

Please keep us up to date - if you wish - regarding your health. It sounds like you are on the mend or at least temporally "cured" from your latest ailments...

 

Edited September 16, 2019 by Tommy T.
Fix spelling

[Mike J]

16 hours ago, Tommy T. said:

It also sounds like you have been receiving excellent medical treatment there - that's great to hear!!!

Treatment in the Philippines can run from excellent in the larger cities, to shamans in the province.  Moalboal is sort of in the middle to lower spectrum.  The two doctors I have some faith in both have their main practice outside Moalboal.  They have minimal clinic hours here, at most a few hours per day.  For serious care the nearest large hospital is South General in Cebu City.  That would be a minimum of two hours in an ambulance if there were little or no traffic.  So if I have a life threatening issue in Moalboal, Moalboal is where I will die.  But I am okay with that, but I do hope they build a good hospital here sometime in the near future.

[Tommy T.]

1 hour ago, Mike J said:

Treatment in the Philippines can run from excellent in the larger cities, to shamans in the province.  Moalboal is sort of in the middle to lower spectrum.  The two doctors I have some faith in both have their main practice outside Moalboal.  They have minimal clinic hours here, at most a few hours per day.  For serious care the nearest large hospital is South General in Cebu City.  That would be a minimum of two hours in an ambulance if there were little or no traffic.  So if I have a life threatening issue in Moalboal, Moalboal is where I will die.  But I am okay with that, but I do hope they build a good hospital here sometime in the near future.

The nearest hospital to our new home in Tugbok is a "hospital" in Mintal. From the look of it outside, (which may not be fair?) I think that if I went inside feeling a bit ill, I would eventually come out being worse... So the nearest quality hospital that I am aware of is Davao Doctors, which is mostly very modern and up to date and clean.

[Tommy T.]

Cough

Most coughing is fine - just a clearing of the airways and maybe a bit of phlegm in the lungs?

But chronic coughing can be a sign of an underlying condition. See your doctor if it is strong or persists for more than a few days. Coughing sort of feeds on itself - the more you cough, the more irritated your tissues become and more susceptible you will be to continue coughing... (By the way @Jack Peterson, how is your wife now? I have not seen anything from you about her nasty coughing condition. I hope you found the cause and cure for that.)

There are two very available OTC medications for treating coughs and deciding which to use (if either) depends on the nature of the cough. Here are some comments I found online for each:

Guaifenesin is an expectorant. It works by thinning and loosening mucus in the airways, clearing congestion, and making breathing easier. If you are self-treating with guaifenesin, it is important to read the package instructions carefully before you start using this product to be sure it is right for you.

Dextromethorphan (DXM or DM) is a medication most often used as a cough suppressant in over-the-counter cold and cough medicines. It is sold in syrup, tablet, spray, and lozenge forms. It is in the morphinan class of medications with sedative, dissociative, and stimulant properties (at lower doses).

You will find that almost all OTC "medicines" for cough or cold contain one of these plus many will also contain paracetamol and/or caffeine. I would suggest you don't take anything with caffeine. My thoughts only...

I have personally had minimal effect from either medication, but it's what is available on the shelf. Stronger, prescription medications with codeine have worked better for me when I have had the hacking cough, but it is not available here. Try Canada or Australia - Panadiene was available in either country a few years ago. But today? I have no idea...

I found that "Fisherman's Friend" seems to be really good at settling my coughing when I have a cold or allergy problem. It is cheap and effective at reducing the irritation in my nose and throat.

[Jack Peterson]

2 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

(By the way @Jack Peterson, how is your wife now? I have not seen anything from you about her nasty coughing condition. I hope you found the cause and cure for that.)

 Thank You for asking Tom, yes she is fine, It was Tonsilitis in the end but it has been Treated now and as of yet no recurrence 

 

4 minutes ago, Tommy T. said:

"Fisherman's Friend" seems to be really good at settling my coughing when I have a cold or allergy problem. It is cheap and effective at reducing the irritation in my nose and throat.

 Tom, can you Obtain them here or do you have them sent?

[Tommy T.]

6 hours ago, Jack Peterson said:

 Tom, can you Obtain them here or do you have them sent?

Glad to hear your wife is okay, Jack. Tonsillitis? Wow... back when I was a kid, if you got tonsillitis, they put you under and removed them... I still remember them putting ether on a screen over my mouth prior, then having ice cream a day or two later to "cool" the throat...

I have seen Fisherman's Friend at Mercury and Watson Drugs also in 7-11 and Central Convenience here in Davao. They seem to be fairly commonly available. L does not particularly like them as she finds them too strong. They are eucalyptus and menthol mostly. Maybe try a small pack and see how it goes? I found that they were good also with my sinusitis.

Edited September 17, 2019 by Tommy T.

[Tommy T.]

Diarrhea - The Big D!

A common problem here in Philippines - and any tropical destination - is the runs. Probably most of us have suffered from it at least once? I certainly have - many times.

There are a number of causes - as some members have already mentioned in other threads - contaminated food, water, personal contact (as simple as shaking hands or handling money) - these are the perhaps the most common. As, @Mike J posted - he had dysentery twice during his time here. If diarrhea is severe, you must seek immediate medical treatment - it can kill you if it is a nasty bug. At the very least, it can make you very sick so you wish you were dead. It would be wise for everyone to read his entire post.

On 9/16/2019 at 1:26 PM, Mike J said:

The first time I just assumed it was your ordinary diarrhea that would respond to imodium.   After three days of being stubborn, I started to feel weak..  That is when the wife insisted I go to the doctor.  The doctor gave me an IV to get rehydrated and medicine to kill the amoeba. 

The best thing to suggest is prevention. I read and article online a while back that stated that 75% of street food in Davao was contaminated with something bad. Think about it - so many of them have no running water supply and minimal utensils or sanitary conditions... Certification from a health authority?? Oversight from anyone?? Make me laugh... Be careful what and where you eat, wipe canned or bottled beverage containers on the top where you drink. Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer after touching money, another's hands, restaurant menus (they are the dirtiest thing there - more germs than on a toilet seat!), door handles...you get the idea.

L gets the runs whenever she drinks local water when visiting family. So we (after she got sick, I never touched the water so didn't get it) always bring plenty of bottled water for us. The locals often develop immunity from amoeba or other bacteria, so don't believe that, just because nobody there has the runs, that you won't either.

So... you've got the s***s. Whatta you do? A common first step is to let it run (another pun intended). The body's natural response to intestinal infection is to purge it. Check online or with a professional in medicine, but this is usually the first recommendation. But diarrhea dehydrates you, and can do so dangerously and quickly. So you need to re-hydrate, and not just with water, but water with electrolytes that are also depleted.

Most pharmacies carry electrolyte replenishing liquids or powders to mix with water. These are your first choice because they are designed to address the problem directly. A great second choice is to have something like Gatorade or similar product on hand just for the occasion. I always have two or more 1/2 litre bottles at home - just in case. Avoid coffee or caffeinated beverages or medicines because they will stimulate the bowel. Same thing with alcohol - don't try to re-hydrate with beer...sorry guys...

After a day or two - depending on severity of symptoms - if you haven't seen a doctor and it is rather simple (i.e. no debilitating cramps, heavy gas, horrible smell - which indicate a situation that really requires medical treatment) and you are only "going" a few times in a day, then you might consider Immodium or similar OTC medicine. I find it works great, and quickly. Just follow directions - which usually states something like "Take one or two capsules (tablets or whatever) after each loose stool, but no more than 6, 8, ??? in 24 hours)."

If you are overseas and have a good doctor, you might have them give you a scrip for Lomotil - which works even better - and bring it with you on your next trip. It is also in tiny tablet form, so easy to carry a bunch and easy to swallow dry if you must....

Also, another tip... Good idea to bring toilet paper with you wherever you "go" since many public toilets don't have it, or you have to buy a small package from a vending machine (while you are bouncing from one foot to the other and about to let fly!), or you simply just don't want to touch the roll on the wall...

Edited September 19, 2019 by Tommy T.
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