Alright to avoid the dreaded tummy bug, wash hands, drink lots of water, very easy to get dehydrated, if you get runs ect go to local chemist, anything you bring from UK does not work period!

avoid this avoid that jesus h christ shall i just lock myself in my room and not leave i might get a cold

We are have lots of theories on pharaohs revenge as it is known, but mine are fact based actually from two separate Egyptian Doctors. So once again i will pass on my information from them to you.

If you travel between the end of April to the end of October you will/may encounter loose bowels and aggressive gut spasms, in the winter months you may encounter none.
I was advised by the Doctor in Resort to: -

1) DO NOT drink to much water, it makes bowel movements very loose.
2) DO NOT have A/C on all the time in your room especially at night, it is reconditioned and is icy cold, this is where you get the cramps from. Basically the hot air and cold a/c reacts with the gut causing spasms.
3) DO NOT drink their water at all costs, even to brush teeth, use bottled.
4) DO NOT drink any alcohol in the day when it is very hot.

5) DO drink plenty of SPRITE it has antibacterial agent namely lemon and that kills germs.
6) Keep off COKE, Fanta etc, this gives you loose motions.
7) Egyptian tea is good for you.

Once this bug has got you unless you have a cast iron stomach it will be painful.
Keep under the umbrella, wear a sun hat etc.

If you get loose motions, eat lots of bread, fish, but keep off steaks and red meats. Red meat does not digest like white meat and fish.

DO NOT eat water melon, this is water based, therefore looseness again.

Salads are fine to eat as most good hotels have a water filter going on, ice cubes are fine, again a water filter.

My advice also is this............................

a) You can buy strepoquinn and antinel from pharmacy anywhere in the resort, but be-careful, some do rip you off, if you pay more than 50p for them, you are ripped off. Of course they assistants will know what is wrong with you, but you take the chance that sometimes antinel doesnt work.
b) My advice is take yourself to the resort doctor, it isnt expensive and will possible cost you nothing. I always went in the summer as always had to have injections to stop the runs and cramps. The insurance that you buy from travel agents or your own supplier you can have the excess waived. What i mean by that is, normally if you claim from your insurer you may have an excess of £25 to pay up front , and lose that money when you claim the money back. Well if you pay and ask to waive the excess for around £8, you will not pay the doctor anything, and he will take temps and give you a proper examination, to give you the correct medicine. I always do this, then i have peace of mind where ever i travel in the world.

Also a tip, is you want to spend the earth on pills and potions from the health shops, a cheaper and better thing to take is pure natural yogurt, it has the same effect, and in resort when you go for breakfast you can eat the bio yogurts to keep topped up. But to be honest the doctor said that there is no evidence it works as your body has got a gut infection and it only works with proper medication.

IMMODIUM only works if you have slight looseness, it will not work if you have a gut infection, all it does is compact your bowel and can make you over all worse. It will however work in other countries, but not very well in Egypt. Alot of advice on here is peoples experiences which is good, but only theories as everyones body is different. My advice i got from the Doctor, so i hope i have helped some of you

Michelle.

Ps, the injection you get from the doctor is in the bottom, and usually stops cramps and runs in a day or so, antinel and strepoquinn can take up to a week in some cases.

Hi Michelle
I have taken your advise well this year. I have waivered my excess on insurance. I will be (have started already on Acidipholius in January for July ) and will be taking those sachets for dehydration and anti bacterial wipes, as well as drinking lots of sprite instead of water!! (may as well throw in a few bottles kaolin and morphine), I know I'll suffer always do. But at least this year I won't be throwing my money to an over priced chemist through sheer desperation.
Where do you get these tablets for 50p from?
Oh yes that injection stings a bit doesn't it?

Hi Beth, yes the injection does sting, but to be honest i don't care as long as it fixes the problem.

The 50p streptoquinn etc comes from the GP on site, as you are already aware, if the excess is waived on the insurance (in which anyone can do at all time), you will get ALL your money back within a week of getting back usually.

If you are getting treatment from a pharmacy, you will have to pay out of your own pocket, then comes the decision that it may not work !

That is so true Michelle. I spent so much in that chemist I couldn't believe it. In the end I went in moaning that I had tried all their remedys but I still had the runs (though thankfully the cramps had gone), but I still needed to recover for the airport and flight home. They then gave me some sachets free, as I said nothing had worked to fully cure the problem.
I look forward to returning to Eygypt but not the guts ache.
It annoyed me last year as a woman said to me 'If you suffer, why come to Egypt '. I calmly replied 'I would have to stay and holiday somewhere in the UK then'.

The fact is Beth that in the cooler months meaning Nov through to April you dont normally suffer with pharaohs revenge, it always happens through the summer months. This is one of the reasons why we switched to November. I never had any cramps and runs, with IBS i normally get everything, plus the weather was great 85 every day.

Hubby though got cramps in Florida drinking coke too quick with ice in it.

Hot countries you will noticeably suffer unless you have a cast iron stomach.

As for why do we go to Egypt to suffer, thing is, i look forward to seeing my doctor, my holiday wouldn't be the same, whether or not i have treatment, i always say hello. In any case its only for a few days. Difference is in Tenerify and places that holiday-makers do get ill, imodium does work, its a shame it doesn't really work in Egypt. Its only bulk medicine anyway to put it crudely, its not a gut bacterial medicine.

I have been going to Egypt for a few years now and have not really suffered the trots I normally go 6 times a year so maybe my guts are used to it!!???? Dont know.

I honestly believe the dodgy tummy is due to the heat and cold.

Sitting in 40 degrees all day gulping ice cold drinks ( even water ) will affect your tum - then after sitting in heat - you go and chill in your room and put the aircon on straight away upsets your tum.

Even on our Nile Cruise we were the only ones not to get the trots as we didnt put aircon on when we got in cabin. Could be coincidence everytime!!??? but it certainly works for us - lay off the aircon!

We eat out all the time and eat in Egyptian local restaurants. Started off with anti bac hand gel etc etc etc. I now dont bother and still dont get guts ache but still stick to my aircon rule.

BTW try the local food - koshari is fab at 3 le for a big tub full!

I agree Nana, the mixture of AC and heat, been saying this for a long time. Last November it was hot in the day 85 degrees, never put AC on once and it never affected us

Well just returned yesterday . Having been to Egypt several times before and only ever experiencing what I call the odd "loose day" I thought my cast iron stomach would cause me no further problems this time .

boy was I wrong . Day 3 I was struck down by the old pharoahs revenge . I must have expelled the entire contents of my body and had to take to my bed with fever, feeling clamy and then shivers , then back to the toilet again . Never have I felt so bad on a holiday and I dont think I ever really recovered all week. Felt very delicate and was still very loose . Every time I sat in the sun I felt dizzy.

On reflection I wouldnt automatically blame the food but then Ive never been particularly careful and if I like the look of something I eat it . I have always enjoyed the salads ,plain and mixed , rice dishes etc with lots of colour . Interesting it was myself and middle son that sufferred the worse and we are the 2 in the family that arn't fussy , enjoying a wide variety of different food. Also I was the only one to eat bowl fulls of fresh fruit salad for brekkie and lunch every day.

sunstroke is another high possibility but more than likely a mix of mixture of both.

It put a real dampener on our holiday TBH and it's probably the first time I have come home from holiday not weighing half a stone more . I feel very sorry for myself this morning but it wont be putting me off Egypt .

lyn

So sorry to read this Lyn. I am just back from my third trip, but first trip AI. I must admitt I was pretty careful as the Holiday Village Red Sea has periodically had dreadful reports on food/sickness.

I had one bout of the trots, couple of hours after eating a bit of gateaux (fresh cream and meringue it was impossibe to resist it lol ) never touched dessert after that apart from ice cream. My DH and DS had something similar a couple of hours after eating meatballs and spagetti at the lunch buffet. No meds needed or anything. Didn't visit a chemist or Doc. We gave the meatballs a swerve after that.

I don't buy the it's the aircon or the temperatures theory, although I know a lot of people do. Everybody in Sharm is experiencing the same temperatures and not everybody is getting the sweats and vommiting their guts up. The only real variable is the food and the food preperation areas etc. So much for our thought that it only happens in the summer months of June, July, Aug when temperaturea are nearly 50' thats blown that theory.

Having read your report I feel we got of lightly. In fairness both times we went B&B and ate out all the time (suppose the food was cooked to order) we didnt even have one 'dash to the loos' episode.

Did you try this antinal that folk talk about ? So gutted for you as I know how this can destroy a holiday as I had it in Kenya one year. You come back and think, 'What was the point?'

No didnt try the Egypian remedy Chris . The imodium plus capsules seemed to do the trick in that department . It was the light headed dizzy clamy feeling that concerned me more . I can normally brush things off quite easily but to have to take to my bed on holiday is a first .

There were lots of others ill . Thats all you constantly overheard people talking about . People certainly wernt embarrassed to be talking about their holiday bowel habits . People would arrive at the pool later in the day and shout "sorry Ive had the Squirts "

Hi Lyn,

You poor thing, that must have been awful to feel so rough on holiday. We fly out on monday for our 1st visit, I have to say, this is my biggest dread. We are taking the Acidophilus tablets & I have bottles of antibacterial gel & will obviously be very careful what we eat & drink, but I know this can still happen however careful you are

I hope you feel better very soon & glad it hasn't put you off going back again.

Still looking forward to it tho just have to keep fingers etc crossed!!

Deb. x

lynwestie wrote:

No didnt try the Egypian remedy Chris . The imodium plus capsules seemed to do the trick in that department . It was the light headed dizzy clamy feeling that concerned me more . I can normally brush things off quite easily but to have to take to my bed on holiday is a first .

There were lots of others ill . Thats all you constantly overheard people talking about . People certainly wernt embarrassed to be talking about their holiday bowel habits . People would arrive at the pool later in the day and shout "sorry Ive had the Squirts " :rofl

PSML. Yes people certainly aren't backwards in coming forwards when talking about toilet problems on holiday. I suppose at least you all have common ground if there is a lot of it going on. (Eww!).

I would have been tempted with the antinal Lyn, when I get that rough the fact that it's not licenced over here or is given to cattle etc would have gone straight off the agenda.

I can honestly say that I never heard anyone mention about toilet issues at the Holiday Village, which I think is some acheivement considering this is catering on a mass scale. I think having the three included a la cartes is a bonus as it takes the strain off of the buffet. I thought the lack of public toilets near the restaurants and pools was poor, I guess people go back to their rooms.

The pool talk at the HV was how early you had to get up to get a sunbed we must have been to some right dives in the past as we thought 8am was quite civilised.

Deb, I really wouldn't worry too much about the food at the HV, provided you avoid anything that looks like it has been sitting about for ages I am sure you will be fine. Also there are lots of lovely plain foods, breads, chips, croissants, plain salad you could live on this alone without all the fancy stuff they do.

Chefs are always coming out from the kitchen replacing stuff with fresh food. I had foods from the silver turrens that were pipping hot.

I had ice all the time, cleaned my teeth in tap water and forgot to use my antibac gel. I also handled the money, always do as I don't see how you can pay for things otherwise.

I think it will be a lot less busy when you are there Deb which I think helps. As we were in the first week of UK Easter School Hols & I the pool boy at the top pool said the place was at 100% capacity.

Doe x

Hi Lynn, sorry to hear you were ill. What a bummer[no pun intended there!] Never mind get better soon and start looking forward to Turkey in the summer! I booked a holiday in Egypt just last night but am having second thoughts now as I have never been before and wasn't aware so many people were ill out there. I thought it was just a case of the change of food,more of it etc wherever you went on holiday but it's obviously more than that. I booked for late November for hubbies birthday but if anyone is going to get a tummy upset it is him. Really considering changing my booking now

Thanks Doe, you have made me feel better. I quite like plain foods anyway so should be ok. Hubby's the one who'll try anything, but he has a cast iron stomach, so hopefully he'll be ok!!

Oh well, back to packing.

I will report back when we return.

Thanks again.

Deb x

Dont worry minione . Egypt is lovely . It hasnt put me off and this is the first time I've suffered in this way .

Ive spent all year scrubbing other peoples toilets to pay for this holiday and spent the whole week sitting on yet another one . But Hey ho I will be back next year
Have a lovely time Deb .Do you know this year I tried to be healthy and think of my waistline . I think thats where I went wrong . I chose salad and fresh fruit salad instead of all those lovely danish pastries and bread. big mistake

Please dont worry minione, loads of people go and are fine. Dont let reading the reports ruin it for you. I can't remember which hotel you are going to. Is it the Holiday Village ? If so it's really well run and I think the current management there are very customer focused. They are particularly concerned about the food and drink aspects of the hotel and run a very tight ship. I think at the first whiff of a major problem they would be on to it.

You do make me lol Lyn.

I have booked the Sunrise Mamlouk Palace in Hurghada. I think i will take your advice and leave it as it is,I went to Crete once and had the worst flu of my life which was sheer bad luck so I am not going to worry about what might not happen. Glad I've seen your posts though because forewarned is forarmed!
Anti bacterial wipes will be on holiday shopping list! To be honest before I went top Turkey the first time people who had never been seemed to enjoy telling me what a dirty country it is and that I would get Bodrum belly or whatever but we all know that is absolute rubbish. So, I'll keep an open mind on Egypt and judge it for myself,anyway got a deal too good to resist Thanks for your replies