Got food poisoning in Chengdu. Here's what actually helped.
I love Sichuan food. I do NOT love what happened 8 hours after that street-side rabbit head.Won't go into details but let's just say I got VERY familiar with my bathroom floor.
What I tried that DIDN'T help:
• Drinking tap water (dumb, made it worse)
• Eating toast to "settle the stomach" (came right back up)
• Powering through and going to work (nope)
What actually helped:
• Oral rehydration salts — bought at any pharmacy, ¥15. Life saver.
• Smecta — white powder you mix with water. Chinese pharmacies have it.
• BRAT diet — bananas, rice, applesauce, toast. But only after the worst passed.
• Rest + time — 24 hours of basically doing nothing.
When to actually see a doctor:
• Fever over 38.5°C
• Blood in stool (sorry, TMI but important)
• Can't keep ANYTHING down for 12+ hours
• Severe abdominal pain
I didn't need a doctor — mine was a 24-hour thing. But I probably should've gone earlier just to be safe.
Prevention tips I now follow religiously:
• Avoid raw/undercooked meat at street stalls
• Check if the place has running water for hand washing
• When in doubt, go to the busy stall (high turnover = fresh)
• Probiotics before big food trips (helped a friend, jury's still out for me)
Chengdu food is worth the risk. Mostly.
Anyone else have a food poisoning story? Or am I just weak?
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