Each time that I’ve come back to Poland after being gone for 6 months or more, I’ve had stomach problems resulting in cramps, pain and diarrhea (also known as Traveler’s diarrhea). Its not a pleasant subject, but its something that travelers have to deal with when they encounter new environments and the different types of bacteria within it.
If your body is sensitive to the types of changes that occur when traveling abroad, its only a matter of time before you get sick, but you can minimize your exposure and prepare yourself to deal with the eventual symptoms. I suggest you avoid drinking tap water. Though Warsaw’s water supply is clean, you’re still bound to have a reaction to organisms within it. Also avoid drinks with ice, since the cubes are made out of tap water. You may even decide to take the extra step of using mineral water to rinse with when brushing your teeth.
Its preferable to prepare your own food, but if you’re eating out, don’t buy “street food” from carts or small stands where sanitary conditions are probably worse than in a restaurant. The main thing like this to look out for in Poland are places that sell Kebab.
Even with abundunt caution you’re bound to encounter something that’ll lead to stomach problems, and you’ll be well-served to address both the symptoms and the root cause of the problem.
Probiotics
These health-benefitting microorganisms are used to prevent and treat diarrhea by combatting harmful bacteria. I can vouch for the fact that the Saccharomyces boulardii strain in the Enterol brand probiotic which can be found in Polish pharmacies, worked for me. I don’t anticipate any long trips away from Poland in the near future, so I don’t expect to encounter this problem again soon, but if I were susceptible to diarrhea or were to leave Poland for an extended period and then return, I would take Enterol as a precaution upon my return, and not just to treat it after it started.
Anti-Diahrrea Medication and Activated Charcoal
Medication of this type doesn’t address the bacterial cause of diarrhea, but it can be effective in minimizing the symptoms when it starts. Nifuroksazyd is one of the most popular medications of this type in Poland and can also be purchased in a pharmacy. Activated charcoal (also known as activated carbon) absorbs impurities in your system and can relieve the symptoms of diarrhea.
Mild Foods
Depending on how severe your stomach problem is and how quickly you address it with medication, you will need to watch what you eat for at least a few days to avoid aggravating the situation. Definitely avoid all alcohol, coffee, milk, chocolate and spicy or greasy foods. The basics to consume are toast, bananas, apples, blueberries, white rice, chicken, herbal tea and Greek yogurt (due to the probiotics it contains). Consume a lot of water throughout, as you’ll get dehydrated from going to the bathroom.
Conclusion
This isn’t as interesting of a topic as others I’ve written about, but I can say from experience that getting sick like this is really terrible and can knock you out of comission for a week or more. This is unacceptable if you are on a short vacation and don’t want to waste time treating yourself and worrying about having quick access to a toilet.
Do yourself a favor and have probiotics and medication at hand before you even feel sick. If it does happen, you can start taking the recommended doses right away and hopefully limit the damage to a few days of discomfort. Pharmacies (Apteka in Polish) are widespread and many of them are open 24 hours, like this one on the Plac Zbawiciela. I haven’t tested their English yet, but knowledge of the language is fairly ubiquitous, so you should be able to get a prescription filled or get advice for over-the-counter meds without any issues.
Word to the wise, toilet paper can start to feel mighty harsh if you’re going a lot. Don’t be embarrassed to pick up a package of these little guys to help ease your suffering:
