Mexico

Has anybody been to Mexico while flaring? As I taper off of predmy symptoms are returning and I am waiting to see any affect from Imuran. In november my father inl aw is getting married in Mexico. he has rented a 16,000 sqft villa for the family. My mom is so scared that I am going to catch something she doesn't want me going. She is afraid of everything from ice to eating off of dishes washed in mexican water. I understand her concern but the more she talks the more paranoid I get.

Any ideas of what I can do to plan ahead? Is mexican bottled water different than US bottled water?

What am I not thinking of? Help!

I was married in Aruba 1.5 years ago and I was not flaring but I did get stomach sick the night before my wedding (I think it was just nerves that I did not let myself feel and it built up). Other than that I was completely fine. Also I was in Aruba 5 years ago and was fine.

A couple pieces of advice.
1. Only eat cooked food, don't eat fresh fruits and veggies - why? Because it is not washed in bottled water, unless you wash it, can you bring fruit and veggie spray w/you? I just thought of that. A friend got sick in the Domincan and her doc said it was probably from the water they use to wash the fruits and veggies. Pack your own cleaning products and snacks in your suitcase.
2. Bring kaopectate, immodium, etc. just in case (sure you would do that anyway).

Also for destination wedding tips and advice, I highly recommend theknot.com and go to the 'destination wedding' board (you can look me up there I am Aruba2006) there are people there that are going to weddings abroad and having their own weddings abroad. It was a great help to me so many helpful tips and advice and the ladies on that board were so nice.

I've never been to Mexico..
But if I were to go...I'd bring Pepto Bismol and probiotics that don't need to be refrigerated.

q

Ask your GI about Xifaxan, it is used to treat traveler's diarrhea and sometimes they use it to treat IBD flares.

Personally if I had the option I would not take a trip to Latin America, Africa, or Asia unless I had to. The way I look at it is that it is really not worth it even though I probably wouldn't get a flare from it but I wouldn't want to take the chance. I would rather go to Hawaii.

If i had to go to Mexico for my family I would go without hesitation but like I said I would rather go to some place else.

Here is a helpful link for traveling with UC http://www.ccfa.org/living/travel?LMI=1.0

--Keith

Ditto on the advice above.............I would definitely go....my focus and concern would definitely be on having food outside as a low priority - only eat and drink what you know to be super safe. Bring some items from home as suggested and definitely the UNopenED bottled water for everything from brushing your teeth and cleaning your toothbrush. Definitely avoid ice and fruits and vegs. washed in their water. It may be overkill but I would bring some of the thin paper plates and maybe some plastic cups. If necessary bring an extra small suitcase with food items.

The water there as I understand it just does not agree with a lot of Americans as our insides don't have the tolerance to their water as it is not subject to the same US standards and there may be parasites (?) that don't harm the Mexicans but bothers us.

We went once in 2000 and stayed at an all inclusive resort for a week in Playa del Carmen area. It was considered a 5 star resort and they used filtered water in food prep. In our rooms were dorm sized fridges with bottled soft drinks and plenty of bottle water and a note in the bathroom instructing us to use the bottled water for brushing our teeth and cleaning the toothbrush which is why I stress that as well.

We had a blast, loved our trip there and just made sure when we went off site we did not eat elsewhere as some people did and did get ill with diahreaa. I would go back but would be very careful that's all.

Enjoy the wedding and the vacation.

My husband and I are planning a trip to India this December for 5 weeks, so this is something that we've been worried about as well. Traveler's Diarrhea is one of the most worrisome factors for travel for people with UC. Here's what we're planning to do for our trip:

* Don't drink any other that isn't bottled and sealed.
* Use bottled water to wash face, brush teeth, and wash any fruits to eat (that haven't been peeled).
* Don't eat any uncooked food (such as salads, or fresh fruit)
* Don't drink anything in which they add ice or water.
* Eat plenty of the local yogurt (Yogurt is available with most meals in India)
* Stick to eating vegetarian food as much as possible, since meats and shellfish etc are more suspect
* Only eat where the local population eats. Avoid roadside (outdoor) food stalls, and special "American" food places, since food there is likely to be stale (since it doesn't sell out very fast)
* Take plenty of probitotics (in our case VSl#3)
* Carry enough medication with you, in case the UC flares (including antibiotics that are safer for people with UC)
* Keep yourself well hydrated
* If the food is not hot, don't eat it (if the food is cold, it's been sitting for a while) - so insist on hot food
* In restaurants, take the utensils and plates they give you, and make sure they are fully dry and don't still have water on them. If they do, rinse it out with bottled water and wipe dry.
* We found this product called Travelan that says it wards off traveler's diarrhea caused by e-coli. This product is sold from Australia, and from what I read they are currently in clinical trials to see if it will be of use to people with UC as well. In any case, it seems to be good to ward off traveler's diarrhea caused by e-coli. We're going to talk to our GI about this during our next visit, and see what his recommendation is. You could ask your doc about it as well. Here's a link to Travelan:
http://www.travelan.com.au/
* Make sure your GI knows you are traveling out of the country, and that he'll be available to consult with you over the phone or via e-mail should the need arise.
* Take the powdered gatorade with you, just in case you have a flare and you need electrolytes.

My husband takes VSL#3 as a probiotic. We intend to take this to India with us. I believe a note from your doctor that this probiotic is needed for your UC and that it needs to be kept cold, is enough to take it through airport security. I bought a polar bear cooler with some re-usable techni-ice sheets to carry the VSL#3 on hand baggage to India. I know people who've traveled like this without issue.

I hope this helps, and you have a good trip to Mexico. Wish us luck as well.