IBS sufferer and work trip to India

[Eve]

I have IBS but not very bad if i manage my diet ( no diary, not a lot of meat or fiber) but my stomach is also quite 'sensitive' and I will get sick / the runs very easily at a change in diet.

I cant avoid a week long trip to India any longer and whilst I will be very careful, in a decent hotel ( not backpacker hotel) will stock up on imodium etc.

Any tips to cope.

( probably the worry of coming down with something is worse)

Hey. I have ibs which was so bad I had to be admitted to hospital as when I go through a really bad spell my body doesn't tolerate any food at all. I work from home so I can be near loo at all times it was really affecting my life, couldn't eat any foods I actually liked as I knew they would react. Anyway it's been bad for maybe ten years. The past 4months I've been near enough normal do still react sometimes but not nearly as much as I did before, I can even drink coffee for the first time in ten years! I've tried every medication going for the ten years, and the last time I had a hospital appointment the doc suggested I tried anitriptaline and codeine, an antidepressant and a pain killer? I thought they were mad but apparently the side effects of them do something to the bowels, and the combination has given me back my life, I don't take the codiene every day now )prescription says 1 tablet 4 times a day but now I just take them if I was going on a trip or on holiday or going for a big meal, it has changed my life xx

Codeine phosphate was the only thing that enabled me to have a life when I had very bad IBS after I had campylobacter food poisoning. The only rider is that you dont really want to be taking anything to bung you up (ie codeine) if you have some ghastly bug in there.

A friend of mine regularly travels to India and she has never had any problems at all. She travels on public transport and eats street food and is always fine. She is a vegetarian, so I dont know whether that might be a short-term answer.

Please do not think that a decent hotel will protect you - I travel a lot to some pretty grotty places and have had some terrible food poisioning in some lovely hotels.

My advice for India stick to the basic rules:
Bottled Water (even for brushing teeth) - but make sure the seal is intact as sometimes they refil bottles from the tap.
No Salad - it is washed in the same water you are trying not to drink.
Well cooked food - hence the street food comment above - if it is well cooked the bugs are dead so a street kebab is fine.
The prawns may look lovely - but do not even think about it.
Imodium is pretty ineffective against what I have had in India - if you have a good relationship with your doctor - explain what is happening and ask to be prescribed the proper antibiotics to take with you just in case. This is what we do and only take them if really required - but they work wonders.

Vegetarian food is easily available in India so I'd stick to that. Try to eat food that is freshly cooked rather than buffet food.

They also understand requests for "bland" food (ie not too much in teh way of garlic and onions and spices) as some people follow a bland diet for religious reasons.

Probiotics would be a good idea.

Be very careful about imodium - better out than in if you do catch something.