On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things in Ho
>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>
>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of bird flu.
>
> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
> contracting measles more than anything else.
>
> -sw
>
True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
the bird flu does.

--

Xeno.

On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things in Ho
>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>
>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>> bird flu.
>>
>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>
>> -sw
>>
> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
> the bird flu does.
>
It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
literature on traveling to those countries.

I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over cautious.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>
>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things in Ho
>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>>
>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>>> bird flu.
>>>
>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>>
>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
>> the bird flu does.
>>
> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
> literature on traveling to those countries.
>
> I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
> in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over cautious.
>
I understand health issues quite well. My point is that all too often
people focus on the item they are least likely to become infected by and
forget the more subtle ones. As an example, on my last trip to Thailand
in 2001, I visited the family farm in Ayuttaya. I took a look inside the
water tanks, something you should always do. I had been drinking from
the local rainwater tanks on previous trips but this time the tanks had
mosquitoes in them, Not a good sign. The people were getting old I guess
and didn't maintain the tanks as well as they should have been. Anyway,
on seeing the mosquitoes, I determined then and there that I would only
drink bottled water for the duration. I was brought undone by my brother
in law who topped up my water bottle from the tank... it didn't affect
them as they were immune. I partook of but a sip before I realized that
the water tasted strange. That tiny sip was enough. Within 2 hours the
fever had begun and I was pretty much stuffed for the next two weeks of
my time in Thailand. Unfortunately that episode left me with some rather
long term consequences. On my return to work I lasted about 2 or 3 weeks
before it became acutely apparent that I wasn't recovered. I spent 6
months on sick leave, another 18 months on provisional retirement, then
permanent retirement since. I have only just begun to make reasonable
progress back to good health in the past 2 or 3 years but I am still not
back to where I was nor am I likely to be again.

All for the sake of a sip of water.

For the record, everyone else drank that water, including my wife, but
they had no issues - immunity developed over their lifetimes being the
key.

--

Xeno.

On 1/23/2015 6:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>> On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
>>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things
>>>>> in Ho
>>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>>>
>>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>>>> bird flu.
>>>>
>>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>>>
>>>> -sw
>>>>
>>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
>>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
>>> the bird flu does.
>>>
>> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
>> literature on traveling to those countries.
>>
>> I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
>> in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over
>> cautious.
>>
> I understand health issues quite well. My point is that all too often
> people focus on the item they are least likely to become infected by and
> forget the more subtle ones. As an example, on my last trip to Thailand
> in 2001, I visited the family farm in Ayuttaya. I took a look inside the
> water tanks, something you should always do. I had been drinking from
> the local rainwater tanks on previous trips but this time the tanks had
> mosquitoes in them, Not a good sign. The people were getting old I guess
> and didn't maintain the tanks as well as they should have been. Anyway,
> on seeing the mosquitoes, I determined then and there that I would only
> drink bottled water for the duration. I was brought undone by my brother
> in law who topped up my water bottle from the tank... it didn't affect
> them as they were immune. I partook of but a sip before I realized that
> the water tasted strange. That tiny sip was enough. Within 2 hours the
> fever had begun and I was pretty much stuffed for the next two weeks of
> my time in Thailand. Unfortunately that episode left me with some rather
> long term consequences. On my return to work I lasted about 2 or 3 weeks
> before it became acutely apparent that I wasn't recovered. I spent 6
> months on sick leave, another 18 months on provisional retirement, then
> permanent retirement since. I have only just begun to make reasonable
> progress back to good health in the past 2 or 3 years but I am still not
> back to where I was nor am I likely to be again.
>
> All for the sake of a sip of water.
>
> For the record, everyone else drank that water, including my wife, but
> they had no issues - immunity developed over their lifetimes being the key.
>

Thanks for the story. I am now well warned.

I will only drink bottled water when we are ashore. I guess we should
be wary of raw vegetables as well as they are washed in the water.

I have to start taking my malaria preventative pills next Friday. One a
week for two weeks before leaving. One a week while gone and one a week
for 4 weeks after coming home. I am bringing 98% Deet spray as well as
spraying certain items of clothing with a special insect repellant spray.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On 24/01/2015 12:04 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 1/23/2015 6:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
>> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:

<snip>
>>
>
> Thanks for the story. I am now well warned.
>
> I will only drink bottled water when we are ashore. I guess we should
> be wary of raw vegetables as well as they are washed in the water.
>
> I have to start taking my malaria preventative pills next Friday. One a
> week for two weeks before leaving. One a week while gone and one a week
> for 4 weeks after coming home. I am bringing 98% Deet spray as well as
> spraying certain items of clothing with a special insect repellant spray.
>
One more thing I might warn you of. The insect sprays you use at home
may not work abroad. I found that with a common spray in use here -
aeroguard. It works for me here but, in Thailand, it seemed to attract
the mossies! I was forced to use the local varieties. They worked..

--

Xeno.

On 1/23/2015 7:17 PM, Xeno wrote:
> On 24/01/2015 12:04 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>> On 1/23/2015 6:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
>>> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
> <snip>
>>>
>>
>> Thanks for the story. I am now well warned.
>>
>> I will only drink bottled water when we are ashore. I guess we should
>> be wary of raw vegetables as well as they are washed in the water.
>>
>> I have to start taking my malaria preventative pills next Friday. One a
>> week for two weeks before leaving. One a week while gone and one a week
>> for 4 weeks after coming home. I am bringing 98% Deet spray as well as
>> spraying certain items of clothing with a special insect repellant spray.
>>
> One more thing I might warn you of. The insect sprays you use at home
> may not work abroad. I found that with a common spray in use here -
> aeroguard. It works for me here but, in Thailand, it seemed to attract
> the mossies! I was forced to use the local varieties. They worked..
>
I'll keep that in mind, though everything I've read says that the
highest percentage of DEET should work.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

Janet Wilder wrote:
>
> On 1/23/2015 7:17 PM, Xeno wrote:
> > On 24/01/2015 12:04 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> >> On 1/23/2015 6:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
> >>> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> >
> > <snip>
> >>>
> >>
> >> Thanks for the story. I am now well warned.
> >>
> >> I will only drink bottled water when we are ashore. I guess we should
> >> be wary of raw vegetables as well as they are washed in the water.
> >>
> >> I have to start taking my malaria preventative pills next Friday. One a
> >> week for two weeks before leaving. One a week while gone and one a week
> >> for 4 weeks after coming home. I am bringing 98% Deet spray as well as
> >> spraying certain items of clothing with a special insect repellant spray.
> >>
> > One more thing I might warn you of. The insect sprays you use at home
> > may not work abroad. I found that with a common spray in use here -
> > aeroguard. It works for me here but, in Thailand, it seemed to attract
> > the mossies! I was forced to use the local varieties. They worked..
> >
> I'll keep that in mind, though everything I've read says that the
> highest percentage of DEET should work.

I've always wondered about applying insect repellent to your skin on a
frequent basis. It *does* soak into your skin. Perhaps you should look
into that. It can't be good for you and your immune system is already
working full time without that.

And then the water issues and the raw or undercooked food issues...
Those people that live over there are used to it and somewhat immune
to it. USAins are too sterile and fragile without all the shots and
precautions.

I had a chance to go there 40-some years ago, all expenses paid. I
declined the offer. And you're paying your own money to go there?

As for me, I'm content to google Vietnam or watch a documentary. And
I'll let Andrew Zimmern tell me about the local food. And sw can
tell me about the cuisine from the top Vietnamese neighborhoods in the
U.S.

On 1/23/2015 2:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>> On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
>>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things
>>>>> in Ho
>>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>>>
>>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>>>> bird flu.
>>>>
>>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>>>
>>>> -sw
>>>>
>>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
>>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
>>> the bird flu does.
>>>
>> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
>> literature on traveling to those countries.
>>
>> I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
>> in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over
>> cautious.
>>
> I understand health issues quite well. My point is that all too often
> people focus on the item they are least likely to become infected by and
> forget the more subtle ones. As an example, on my last trip to Thailand
> in 2001, I visited the family farm in Ayuttaya. I took a look inside the
> water tanks, something you should always do. I had been drinking from
> the local rainwater tanks on previous trips but this time the tanks had
> mosquitoes in them, Not a good sign. The people were getting old I guess
> and didn't maintain the tanks as well as they should have been. Anyway,
> on seeing the mosquitoes, I determined then and there that I would only
> drink bottled water for the duration. I was brought undone by my brother
> in law who topped up my water bottle from the tank... it didn't affect
> them as they were immune. I partook of but a sip before I realized that
> the water tasted strange. That tiny sip was enough. Within 2 hours the
> fever had begun and I was pretty much stuffed for the next two weeks of
> my time in Thailand. Unfortunately that episode left me with some rather
> long term consequences. On my return to work I lasted about 2 or 3 weeks
> before it became acutely apparent that I wasn't recovered. I spent 6
> months on sick leave, another 18 months on provisional retirement, then
> permanent retirement since. I have only just begun to make reasonable
> progress back to good health in the past 2 or 3 years but I am still not
> back to where I was nor am I likely to be again.
>
> All for the sake of a sip of water.
>
> For the record, everyone else drank that water, including my wife, but
> they had no issues - immunity developed over their lifetimes being the key.
>

Sorry to hear this - that's one shitty deal. What did you get infected
with?

On 24/01/2015 1:25 PM, dsi2 wrote:
> On 1/23/2015 2:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
>> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>> On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
>>>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things
>>>>>> in Ho
>>>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>>>>> bird flu.
>>>>>
>>>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>>>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>>>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>>>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>>>>
>>>>> -sw
>>>>>
>>>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
>>>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily
>>>> than
>>>> the bird flu does.
>>>>
>>> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
>>> literature on traveling to those countries.
>>>
>>> I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
>>> in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over
>>> cautious.
>>>
>> I understand health issues quite well. My point is that all too often
>> people focus on the item they are least likely to become infected by and
>> forget the more subtle ones. As an example, on my last trip to Thailand
>> in 2001, I visited the family farm in Ayuttaya. I took a look inside the
>> water tanks, something you should always do. I had been drinking from
>> the local rainwater tanks on previous trips but this time the tanks had
>> mosquitoes in them, Not a good sign. The people were getting old I guess
>> and didn't maintain the tanks as well as they should have been. Anyway,
>> on seeing the mosquitoes, I determined then and there that I would only
>> drink bottled water for the duration. I was brought undone by my brother
>> in law who topped up my water bottle from the tank... it didn't affect
>> them as they were immune. I partook of but a sip before I realized that
>> the water tasted strange. That tiny sip was enough. Within 2 hours the
>> fever had begun and I was pretty much stuffed for the next two weeks of
>> my time in Thailand. Unfortunately that episode left me with some rather
>> long term consequences. On my return to work I lasted about 2 or 3 weeks
>> before it became acutely apparent that I wasn't recovered. I spent 6
>> months on sick leave, another 18 months on provisional retirement, then
>> permanent retirement since. I have only just begun to make reasonable
>> progress back to good health in the past 2 or 3 years but I am still not
>> back to where I was nor am I likely to be again.
>>
>> All for the sake of a sip of water.
>>
>> For the record, everyone else drank that water, including my wife, but
>> they had no issues - immunity developed over their lifetimes being the
>> key.
>>
>
> Sorry to hear this - that's one shitty deal. What did you get infected
> with?

The doctors at the hospital I ended up in had no idea. By the time I got
there, the nasty had wreaked its havoc and moved on leaving me quite
debilitated. All they told me was that, given the symptoms, it was most
likely a virus. I suspect it might have been a form of Dengue though
they hang around for quite some time in an active state. A friend of
mine got infected with that when he was working offshore in Indonesia.
He ended up in Jakarta, then Singapore and they eventually medivacced
him to Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in Melbourne. He was off
work for up to a year from memory. He has lived permanently in Thailand
now for the past 30 odd years so I hope he has built up an immunity in
that time....

The obvious answer is to avoid contact with water that has not been
extensively purified. I remember when I was in my sister in laws house
in Bangkok, I remember having a shower and the water was leaving a
burning sensation on my lips as it flowed across them. Later on I was
discussing this with my brothers in law and one, who worked for the
Bangkok Water Authority, told me that I didn't want to know what was
needed to be put into the water to purify it.. ;-) Even they didn't
drink that water!

--

Xeno.

On Friday, January 23, 2015 at 4:44:02 PM UTC-10, Xeno wrote:
> On 24/01/2015 1:25 PM, dsi2 wrote:
> > On 1/23/2015 2:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
> >> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> >>> On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
> >>>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> >>>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things
> >>>>>> in Ho
> >>>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
> >>>>>> bird flu.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
> >>>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
> >>>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
> >>>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> -sw
> >>>>>
> >>>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
> >>>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily
> >>>> than
> >>>> the bird flu does.
> >>>>
> >>> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
> >>> literature on traveling to those countries.
> >>>
> >>> I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
> >>> in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over
> >>> cautious.
> >>>
> >> I understand health issues quite well. My point is that all too often
> >> people focus on the item they are least likely to become infected by and
> >> forget the more subtle ones. As an example, on my last trip to Thailand
> >> in 2001, I visited the family farm in Ayuttaya. I took a look inside the
> >> water tanks, something you should always do. I had been drinking from
> >> the local rainwater tanks on previous trips but this time the tanks had
> >> mosquitoes in them, Not a good sign. The people were getting old I guess
> >> and didn't maintain the tanks as well as they should have been. Anyway,
> >> on seeing the mosquitoes, I determined then and there that I would only
> >> drink bottled water for the duration. I was brought undone by my brother
> >> in law who topped up my water bottle from the tank... it didn't affect
> >> them as they were immune. I partook of but a sip before I realized that
> >> the water tasted strange. That tiny sip was enough. Within 2 hours the
> >> fever had begun and I was pretty much stuffed for the next two weeks of
> >> my time in Thailand. Unfortunately that episode left me with some rather
> >> long term consequences. On my return to work I lasted about 2 or 3 weeks
> >> before it became acutely apparent that I wasn't recovered. I spent 6
> >> months on sick leave, another 18 months on provisional retirement, then
> >> permanent retirement since. I have only just begun to make reasonable
> >> progress back to good health in the past 2 or 3 years but I am still not
> >> back to where I was nor am I likely to be again.
> >>
> >> All for the sake of a sip of water.
> >>
> >> For the record, everyone else drank that water, including my wife, but
> >> they had no issues - immunity developed over their lifetimes being the
> >> key.
> >>
> >
> > Sorry to hear this - that's one shitty deal. What did you get infected
> > with?
>
> The doctors at the hospital I ended up in had no idea. By the time I got
> there, the nasty had wreaked its havoc and moved on leaving me quite
> debilitated. All they told me was that, given the symptoms, it was most
> likely a virus. I suspect it might have been a form of Dengue though
> they hang around for quite some time in an active state. A friend of
> mine got infected with that when he was working offshore in Indonesia.
> He ended up in Jakarta, then Singapore and they eventually medivacced
> him to Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in Melbourne. He was off
> work for up to a year from memory. He has lived permanently in Thailand
> now for the past 30 odd years so I hope he has built up an immunity in
> that time....

We had a dengue fever outbreak on this rock a few years ago. That was kind of scary. I have not heard of this disease being passed by water though.

>
> The obvious answer is to avoid contact with water that has not been
> extensively purified. I remember when I was in my sister in laws house
> in Bangkok, I remember having a shower and the water was leaving a
> burning sensation on my lips as it flowed across them. Later on I was
> discussing this with my brothers in law and one, who worked for the
> Bangkok Water Authority, told me that I didn't want to know what was
> needed to be put into the water to purify it.. ;-) Even they didn't
> drink that water!

Well okay, you got me sold!

>
> --
>
> Xeno.

On 24/01/2015 5:24 PM, dsi1 wrote:
> On Friday, January 23, 2015 at 4:44:02 PM UTC-10, Xeno wrote:


<snip>

>>> Sorry to hear this - that's one shitty deal. What did you get infected
>>> with?
>>
>> The doctors at the hospital I ended up in had no idea. By the time I got
>> there, the nasty had wreaked its havoc and moved on leaving me quite
>> debilitated. All they told me was that, given the symptoms, it was most
>> likely a virus. I suspect it might have been a form of Dengue though
>> they hang around for quite some time in an active state. A friend of
>> mine got infected with that when he was working offshore in Indonesia.
>> He ended up in Jakarta, then Singapore and they eventually medivacced
>> him to Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in Melbourne. He was off
>> work for up to a year from memory. He has lived permanently in Thailand
>> now for the past 30 odd years so I hope he has built up an immunity in
>> that time....
>
> We had a dengue fever outbreak on this rock a few years ago. That was
> kind of scary. I have not heard of this disease being passed by water
> though.
>
>
I as under the impression it was transmitted by mosquitoes. That's why,
when I saw the mosquitoes in the water tanks, I determined to avoid
drinking that water and stick with bottled water. The best laid plans....

Anyway, as I said, the doctors at the Bangkok hospital I attended
couldn't find a trace of what the cause was. It may not have been the
Dengue virus but I'm damned sure it was one of his cousins!


>
>> The obvious answer is to avoid contact with water that has not been
>> extensively purified. I remember when I was in my sister in laws house
>> in Bangkok, I remember having a shower and the water was leaving a
>> burning sensation on my lips as it flowed across them. Later on I was
>> discussing this with my brothers in law and one, who worked for the
>> Bangkok Water Authority, told me that I didn't want to know what was
>> needed to be put into the water to purify it.. ;-) Even they didn't
>> drink that water!
>
> Well okay, you got me sold!
>
Wise man! ;-)

PS Not even for cleaning your teeth... ;-)


--

Xeno.

"Xeno" > wrote in message
...
> On 24/01/2015 1:25 PM, dsi2 wrote:
>> On 1/23/2015 2:07 PM, Xeno wrote:
>>> On 24/01/2015 10:32 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>> On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
>>>>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>>>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things
>>>>>>> in Ho
>>>>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>>>>>> bird flu.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>>>>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>>>>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>>>>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> -sw
>>>>>>
>>>>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who
>>>>> work
>>>>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily
>>>>> than
>>>>> the bird flu does.
>>>>>
>>>> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
>>>> literature on traveling to those countries.
>>>>
>>>> I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
>>>> in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over
>>>> cautious.
>>>>
>>> I understand health issues quite well. My point is that all too often
>>> people focus on the item they are least likely to become infected by and
>>> forget the more subtle ones. As an example, on my last trip to Thailand
>>> in 2001, I visited the family farm in Ayuttaya. I took a look inside the
>>> water tanks, something you should always do. I had been drinking from
>>> the local rainwater tanks on previous trips but this time the tanks had
>>> mosquitoes in them, Not a good sign. The people were getting old I guess
>>> and didn't maintain the tanks as well as they should have been. Anyway,
>>> on seeing the mosquitoes, I determined then and there that I would only
>>> drink bottled water for the duration. I was brought undone by my brother
>>> in law who topped up my water bottle from the tank... it didn't affect
>>> them as they were immune. I partook of but a sip before I realized that
>>> the water tasted strange. That tiny sip was enough. Within 2 hours the
>>> fever had begun and I was pretty much stuffed for the next two weeks of
>>> my time in Thailand. Unfortunately that episode left me with some rather
>>> long term consequences. On my return to work I lasted about 2 or 3 weeks
>>> before it became acutely apparent that I wasn't recovered. I spent 6
>>> months on sick leave, another 18 months on provisional retirement, then
>>> permanent retirement since. I have only just begun to make reasonable
>>> progress back to good health in the past 2 or 3 years but I am still not
>>> back to where I was nor am I likely to be again.
>>>
>>> All for the sake of a sip of water.
>>>
>>> For the record, everyone else drank that water, including my wife, but
>>> they had no issues - immunity developed over their lifetimes being the
>>> key.
>>>
>>
>> Sorry to hear this - that's one shitty deal. What did you get infected
>> with?
>
> The doctors at the hospital I ended up in had no idea. By the time I got
> there, the nasty had wreaked its havoc and moved on leaving me quite
> debilitated. All they told me was that, given the symptoms, it was most
> likely a virus. I suspect it might have been a form of Dengue though they
> hang around for quite some time in an active state. A friend of mine got
> infected with that when he was working offshore in Indonesia. He ended up
> in Jakarta, then Singapore and they eventually medivacced him to Fairfield
> Infectious Diseases Hospital in Melbourne. He was off work for up to a
> year from memory. He has lived permanently in Thailand now for the past 30
> odd years so I hope he has built up an immunity in that time....
>
> The obvious answer is to avoid contact with water that has not been
> extensively purified. I remember when I was in my sister in laws house in
> Bangkok, I remember having a shower and the water was leaving a burning
> sensation on my lips as it flowed across them. Later on I was discussing
> this with my brothers in law and one, who worked for the Bangkok Water
> Authority, told me that I didn't want to know what was needed to be put
> into the water to purify it.. ;-) Even they didn't drink that water!

I still worry about what damage may have occurred to me when we lived on
Cape Cod. My husband was away at school so my MIL and nephew helped me to
move in. She drank coffee so we bought a pot and had made and drank a few
pots of it plus had been drinking tap water when we got the call. It was my
husband, telling us that the water was not potable.

I bought bottled water after that and used it for cooking and drinking but
we were showering and brushing teeth and washing clothes in it. At times
they would put something on the base TV channel telling us not to wash with
it and they would bring us gallons of water. Other times when there was no
such warning, the water would run red. My hair took on a reddish cast when
we lived there and no amount of hair dye would correct that.

I know that there was a pollution plume that originated on the base. There
used to be websites that tracked it and the people who lived outside of the
base were furious about it because it was leaking into their soil and water.
Scientists (at least that is how they were dressed) once sneaked back to the
house behind me and set up a meter to monitor the soil. I looked at it but
couldn't figure out exactly what it was for. I do know from looking online
that there was jet fuel and chlordane in the water. So a filter wouldn't
have helped with that.

AFAIK, I was healthy when we moved to Cape Cod. My only health issues that
I knew of were seasonal allergies, a bad knee and high BP. But as soon as
we moved away, a cavalcade of health issues began to crop up for me. And my
MIL's health rapidly declined not long after we took her back home from
helping me move in.

I guess I will never know for sure but I can't help but wonder if the
tainted water might have had something to do with this. I am no longer in
contact with anyone from that area save for one woman that I used to work
with. I really don't know her well at all. She was hired in to replace me
so we only worked together for a couple of weeks. Her husband worked there
as well and I knew him a bit better. For some reason she still sends me
Christmas cards each year but there is never any accompanying letter. She
used to send pics of her kids but now that I think about it, I don't even
think I got a card from her this past year. They moved to Holley NY when
her husband got out of the Coast Guard.

On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:32:34 -0600, Janet Wilder >
wrote:

> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
> literature on traveling to those countries.

I guess they figure it costs less to give an unnecessary vaccination
than it is to treat you after you get your one in a million chance of
contracting a particular illness.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room

On 1/23/2015 10:00 PM, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:32:34 -0600, Janet Wilder >
> wrote:
>
>> It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
>> literature on traveling to those countries.
>
> I guess they figure it costs less to give an unnecessary vaccination
> than it is to treat you after you get your one in a million chance of
> contracting a particular illness.
>

There was no vaccination involved, just a warning.

My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On 1/23/2015 11:13 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:

> My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
> suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
> usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.
>
Many years ago, I had a series of three typhoid shots. Within a half
hour of the first one, my arm blew up like a balloon, and my blood
pressure dropped. The second one, a week later, wasn't quite that bad.
The third one was tolerable.
It was a combination of typhoid, paratyphoid, and typhus vaccines, IIRC.
I hope they've improved since then.

"S Viemeister" > wrote in message
...
> On 1/23/2015 11:13 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
>> suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
>> usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.
>>
> Many years ago, I had a series of three typhoid shots. Within a half hour
> of the first one, my arm blew up like a balloon, and my blood pressure
> dropped. The second one, a week later, wasn't quite that bad. The third
> one was tolerable.
> It was a combination of typhoid, paratyphoid, and typhus vaccines, IIRC.
> I hope they've improved since then.

It is too be hoped so. The shots were hellish then.


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 1/24/2015 10:38 AM, Ophelia wrote:
> "S Viemeister" > wrote
>> On 1/23/2015 11:13 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>> My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
>>> suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
>>> usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.
>>>
>> Many years ago, I had a series of three typhoid shots. Within a half
>> hour of the first one, my arm blew up like a balloon, and my blood
>> pressure dropped. The second one, a week later, wasn't quite that bad.
>> The third one was tolerable.
>> It was a combination of typhoid, paratyphoid, and typhus vaccines, IIRC.
>> I hope they've improved since then.
>
> It is too be hoped so. The shots were hellish then.
>
Indeed they were. What made it worse for me - I had asked my GP if there
were any likely side effects - he assured me there wouldn't be.

On 1/24/2015 8:11 AM, S Viemeister wrote:
> On 1/23/2015 11:13 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
>> suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
>> usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.
>>
> Many years ago, I had a series of three typhoid shots. Within a half
> hour of the first one, my arm blew up like a balloon, and my blood
> pressure dropped. The second one, a week later, wasn't quite that bad.
> The third one was tolerable.
> It was a combination of typhoid, paratyphoid, and typhus vaccines, IIRC.
> I hope they've improved since then.

They must have because I got one shot and no reaction.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On 1/24/2015 11:05 AM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 1/24/2015 8:11 AM, S Viemeister wrote:
>> On 1/23/2015 11:13 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>
>>> My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
>>> suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
>>> usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.
>>>
>> Many years ago, I had a series of three typhoid shots. Within a half
>> hour of the first one, my arm blew up like a balloon, and my blood
>> pressure dropped. The second one, a week later, wasn't quite that bad.
>> The third one was tolerable.
>> It was a combination of typhoid, paratyphoid, and typhus vaccines, IIRC.
>> I hope they've improved since then.
>
> They must have because I got one shot and no reaction.
>
I'm glad to hear that!

On 1/24/2015 12:07 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 22:13:20 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>
>> There was no vaccination involved, just a warning.
>>
>> My insurance company's nurse didn't say anything about bird flu but did
>> suggest I get a tetanus shot along with the Typhoid vaccine, Hep A and
>> usual flu and pneumonia vaccines.
>
> Yet they didn't ask you about measles, which is the current epidemic?
>
> -sw
>
They absolutely did ask about measles. I had measles as a child so I am
immune.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 17:32:34 -0600, Janet Wilder >
wrote:

>On 1/23/2015 4:25 PM, Xeno wrote:
>> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>> On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
>>>
>>>> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things in Ho
>>>> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
>>>>
>>>> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of
>>>> bird flu.
>>>
>>> Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
>>> chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
>>> getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
>>> contracting measles more than anything else.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>>
>> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
>> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
>> the bird flu does.
>>
>It was my friend's travel nurse who is with Kaiser. It is in Kaiser's
>literature on traveling to those countries.

Then they are incorrect. Bird flu is not transmiited through the
eating of chicken (or eggs). Check with the CDC.

JB

>
>I've had more than my share of health issues and I live with (currently
>in remission) lung cancer, so please understand if I'm a bit over cautious.

On Sat, 24 Jan 2015 09:25:35 +1100, Xeno >
wrote:

> On 24/01/2015 7:47 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> > On Fri, 23 Jan 2015 13:36:36 -0600, Janet Wilder wrote:
> >
> >> Neither of us can tolerate hot-spicy foods. What are some things in Ho
> >> Chi Minh City that you all would recommend we order?
> >>
> >> No chicken--the travel nurse said not to order chicken because of bird flu.
> >
> > Your nurse is paranoid and over-reactive. You stand a much better
> > chance of getting salmonella or listeria here in the U.S. than you do
> > getting bird flu in SE Asia. Your best bet in Vietnam right now is
> > contracting measles more than anything else.
> >
> > -sw
> >
> True. It seems the only people who contract bird flu are those who work
> full time with live chickens. The paranoia spreads far more readily than
> the bird flu does.

Thanks to Rupert M.

--
A kitchen without a cook is just a room