third day in london and im sick

You should immediately let the hotel or B&B where you are staying know that you are ill. Pick up the phone and speak with someone at the front desk. If you are at a hotel, speak with the hotel manager or assistant manager. If you are at a B&B, speak with the owner or manager. They can do you a lot more good at this point than we can. They will know the location of the nearest pharmacy, and will probably be glad to run out and get you the meds you request. They likely will know of a local doctor if you need to go to one, and the location of the nearest emergency room. So sorry to hear you are feeling so badly. I hope you feel better soon, and this just passes, like many stomach bugs do! Please let us know what the hotel staff does to help you, and how you are doing as time goes on!

There is a Boots in Waterloo Station with a pharmacy, see the webpage at http://www.boots.com/en/Store-Locator/Boots-London-Waterloo-Station-New/ The pharmacy is open 7 days a week. M-F from 7 am to 10pm, 8am to 10pm on Saturday, and Sunday 9am to 9pm, except over Christmas. I agree that that should be your first port of call. If you are physically unable to get there after 2 or 3 days you should be considering asking for emergency help. If you are at a hotel telephone the desk.

Sarah, There appears to be a Boots Pharmacy right at Waterloo Station, on Cab Road, closer to York Road (looks like it's inside the station). This might be a case where something like Ciprofloxacin might be appropriate, or perhaps an OTC medication. There are some side effects and contraindications with Ciprofloxacin, but a Physician will be able to recommend the best med's for your particular situation. Your Hotel should be able to recommend a local Physician who does "house calls". Given your lack of energy in getting around, that might be a better option than struggling down to the Chemist. That way you'll have more of a definitive idea on the cause of your ailment when you do go to the Chemist. Good luck!

Thank you all! I know no one is a do tor and can't diagnose defi itively, just wanted to see if anyone else had similar trouble. I feel better for a short time after ( insert nasty, tmi details here) but it seems to always come back in anothee wave. So far nothing has actually come out of my stomach as I've had no food!
I appreciate all your help and I'm gladto k iw about boots in waterloo so opefully tomorrow I can make it over there. Sorry for throwing this at you all, its just the first time I've traveled, I'm here alone, and am feeling a bit overwhelmed!

Yes, we've all had similar trouble at one time or another when traveling.
Try to drink only bottled water, or Gatorade, or weak tea made with water that's been boiled or microwaved. Travelers diarrhea (IF that's what it is) is sometimes caused by impurities in tap water, such as giardia and/or cryptosporidium. Have you contacted the front desk at your hotel yet? What did the front desk at your hotel have to say about helping you? Get to a hospital emergency room if you feel worse and worse.

The same happened with me on my seventh day in London last spring. Probably too much pub food, in my case. Definitely not the beer,that's a health food. The weather turned terrible that day, so I stayed in, and both the nausea and the weather cleared up by the following morning. I hope it clears up as quickly for you.

I think it has nothing to do with london or travel, I think you flew over in a plane filled with hundreds of people and one of them gave you the flu or some other virus. It sucks, but getting sick happens on holiday just like it can at home, we just all really hope it doesn't. Sorry, its a bummer to have to slow down when you really want to be out doing stuff, and its harder to take care of yourself like at home where you have the tea kettle and chicken soup and crackers at hand, and laying in bed all day seems almost like an indulgence, not missed opportunity to be out sightseeing. Take it easy for a day or so , drink lots of fluids,, and in my case since I always bring my own little medicine chest so to speak, pop an anti nauseau pill.
I once got violently ill in Florence and had to lay in bed all day, it really sucks, but it did help and I did feel a bit better the next day. Take care of yourself. It will hopefully pass quickly. Avoid eating anything deep fried or greasy for now.. ( no fish and chips!) . Good luck.

Remember to stay hydrated! And flat ginger beer can be an excellent soother for a dodgy tummy. Hope you feel better soon!

Sarah,
I have to agree with Pat that you likely picked up something from a fellow traveler during the most recent leg of your trip. Hopefully it is a short-term bug and you'll recover soon. While in London seek out a "Boots" pharmacy shop. The chemist (pharmacist) there should be able to give you something based on your symptoms to help you feel better. Wishing you a speedy recovery.

Hi, There is a pharmacy at St Pancras station on the ground floor.

As Kira said, remember to stay hydrated. Best thing to drink is Gatorade; it stays down pretty well. Hopefully, your "bug" will pass in 24 hours. If it continues or you begin to have other pain, get to a hospital emergency room. Not trying to be an alarmist; just be aware that nausea can be "just a 24 hour bug" or the beginning symptom of a medical emergency.(Hopefully not!) Here's to your speedy recovery and enjoyment of the rest of your trip!

Sarah, Sorry to hear that you're not feeling well. That's not a good thing to happen on a much anticipated holiday. I agree with Pat that the most likely cause is exposure to others on the flight. I had a similar experience when I returned home from Europe this year and came down with what seemed like a really bad cold, which I attribute to the flights. My travel day was about 22 hours, so I was probably a bit worn out too. That's never happened to me before. The worst part lasted 3-4 days, but it was a good two weeks before I finally got over it. I agree with the previous reply that Gatorade (or similar) might be good if you're very dehydrated. As I recall, that provides some replacement of electrolytes. I'm sure you're taking all the "usual" measures - lots of rest, regular fluid intake, etc. I always pack along extra Vitamin C as well as multi-vitamins, and I increase the "C" dosage when I'm not feeling well. Hopefully you've obtained some remedies at the local Pharmacy, and that you're now feeling better. You might find THIS article interesting to read, as it may be somewhat related to your current predicament. Good luck!

So far I've been naseois with diarrhea and dry heaves for about a day now, though nausea started yesterday. Trying to drink watrr and resting all day. I'm right by waterloo station so I don't know if there is a pharmacy around here but I'm so nauseous it
s all I can do to shuffle fron room to bathroom. How long should I eait before it might be necessary to ser a doctor?

Sounds like what I had a few weeks ago and is going around my workplace. It was only really bad for 2 days, and I thought I needed to see the doctor too, but it passed. Everybody I know who has had it was really bad off for a day or two and felt worlds better by the third day. It was hard to keep fluids down, but get some gatorade for sure. It helped me feel much better. If you can't stay hydrated, you will continue to feel bad. If you do start feeling better tomorrow, take it easy on what you eat, soups and bland foods. Drink plenty of fluids, but not caffeine. I hope you feel better soon.

I'm not a doctor, just a nurse, so I can't diagnose anything, but the others are probably correct in their assessments: you might have gastroenteritis, commonly known as the "stomach flu." I had a bout myself right around my birthday in September (total drag), although not as severe as yours. Try to keep hydrated. If you can't keep anything down, please go to an emergency room-you can get very dehydrated when you vomit frequently. Chances are this won't happen to you, and it will pass within a day or two. While Gatorade is good, plain water is just fine too, especially if you can't tolerate the high sugar content of Gatorade. A small cola works surprising wonders on queasy stomachs. Don't gulp anything, just sip.
I hope you feel better soon!

I'm working up the ability to go down there right now. I'm staying in a hostel woth a rowdy bar on the first floor and I'm on the fifth so the thought of all those stairs is no good haha but I know I should go down there. So fr, yes, I've only dry heaved while also expelling out the other end so maybe I'm just grossed out by myself haa. I had pepto bismol earlier today but to no effect sadly. Ill pluck up the energy to head downstairs to see what they might be able to do for me but its not a hostel that strikes me as being overwhelmingly responsnive to our needs...no heat in my room in december! Yikes!

I'd agree - start by going to Boots and speaking with the pharmacist. There is one right in Waterloo Station. If you find that you need a doctor, there is a place called "Medicentre" in Victoria Station (also one at Paddington Station as well as some other locations). This basically works like an Urgent Care clinic in the U.S. You can walk in without an appointment. I've used it before. Here is link: www.medicentre.co.uk/Medicentre_Victoria.html

Thanks ralph ill cowboy up since that's what texas is all about. Sorry for the spelling errors I'm.typing on my phone and shaking like mad.
Cheers to you all.

I'm so sorry to hear that you're sick. How long after you arrived in London were you hit with nausea? Do you have a fever? It's possible that you're dehydrated, in which case Gatorade is a great suggestion. Something similar happened to me my first night in London. I was fine until dinnertime and then I got really nauseous and had diarrhea 4 times in an hour (sorry for gory details). I think I hadn't drunk enough water earlier that day and it caught up with me. But I started drinking a lot of water as soon as I could, and it passed in about an hour, so you might have something else.

Thanks sarah.the nausea started on day three and diarrhea on day four which is today. I finally got down to the train station and got some pretzles and vitamin water which was as close as I could get to crackers and gatorade. Took me a while to get down there since I was walking so slow, but it was the five flights of stairs that reallly got me....heart pounding, out of breath. I'm sorry if I sound wimpy or lame, I'm just nervous being so far from home for the first time and I have prettu severe anxiety and OCD so feeling crummy only makes these worse!

Sarah, When you went down to the train station to get your pretzels and vitamin water, did you see the Boots pharmacy that Nigel was posting about? Maybe you can call them and see if you can speak to the pharmacist to see what he or she recommends you take for this. Telephone: 02079281073 You have a phone, because you are using it to post here, right? The pharmacist can refer you to a nearby doctor. I am beginning to think you should see one.

Yes I did see boots! I had no idea it was a pharmacy, thought it was skincare or something. Nfortunately they were closed, but ill head iver tomorrow.

Sounds a bit like the "Norovirus" bug aka winter vomiting bug. Doing the rounds here at the moment. Had it once, no fun at all! This NHS link has info and advice on treatment. http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Norovirus/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

Linda, that does soind similar. If so ill feel awful if I spread it to other hostel guests! Hopefully I don't catch it again as I still have five weeks of travel!

Sarah, The fact that you're on the fifth floor of a Hostel with no Elevators explains a bit more about your situation. This does sound like a situation in which medication might be required. Are you in a Dorm room with a few roommates? Rather than suffer on your own with no one being aware of it, you might ask one of your roommates to stop at the front desk and tell the Staff that you're dealing with a medical problem. I'm sure they'll be able to help you either by calling a Physician or providing assistance in other ways. They may also be able to find you a room on a lower floor. Cheers!

Sarah - you can ring NHS Direct, open 24 hours, and talk to a nurse about your symptons and get advice.. No charge apart from the cost of the call. http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/en/About/UsingNHSDirectOnlineServices Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

Linda, wow that's great information thanks. I've always heard wonderful things about the health systems in europe: )

Should have given you the link to the Home page, has a section on Norovirus as it's a hot topic at the moment! http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

Sarah, Hopefully your ailment wasn't the result of the airline food? If it is Norovirus, it should get better in 2-3 days. Be sure that you stay well hydrated during that time. Once you recover, I hope the rest of your trip is fantastic!

I did eat the airline food....haha we will hope that wasn't it. Hoping for a quick recovery and continuing my travels.

Hi Sarah, You've gotten all the good advice you need. Just wanted to sympathize... I was sick for three days in Paris a few years ago, spent the whole time between the bathroom floor and the bed. It was awful. And the temp was 105 which made it even more miserable. I hope you feel well really soon!

I doubt it would take that long for airline food to make you sick. Hope it is "just" a bug. Thinking of you, know I am not only only one, keep us posted!

But she could well have had Norovirus, which is often associated with traveling-it is a big probelm on cruise ships but could be picked up on a plane as well, from the food or the ice in the drinks. A whole plane load of college athletes heading to a swimming championship were infected a couple of years ago . . . three different teams (including ours), all on the same plane. They had to postpone the meet, but only by a day. The kids recovered quickly and apparently suffered no adverse eeffects on their performance. If that is what Sarah has/had, hope she recovers as quickly and is back to full tourist mode soon.

Sarah... right now I am at CDG, semi-sick and flight delayed because of 2 inches of snow! I have a throat and cold thing, but not as bad as yours. I would ask if they could move you to a lower floor... that may help make you not feel so confined. I was sick last year with a cold in Krakow and up 4 flights of stairs and it was pretty miserable... especially when you do not have enough energy to just get some fresh air. I was traveling with friends and they were going to bring me some food & water.... however, they were having such a good time they forgot about me and by the time they rolled in the restaurants were closed (so sometimes its better to travel alone and rely on yourself) Hopefully tomorrow will bring you better health and at least you have lots of time to make it up:)

Sarah, as far as meds for upset tummy and the trots,, Pepto Bismal is very mild, take lots, and take often, read the directions, one little dose will do nothing. I practically had to drink the whole bottle, and then thank god someone brought me some Imoddium, now, that stuff works, but I think its good to take it after you have "cleared " your system out a bit, I mean the trots is your bodies way of expelling stuff right Take it easy and don't let this get you down, it really has happened to most of us who travel a fair amount, I mean it happens to everyone as some point or another, but if you are travelling it does seem worse, as I said its easier at home, you don't have to deal with 5 flights of stairs, an unfamilar bed and bathroom , Sipping rather then drinking is pretty key,, literally take only a sip or two every 4 -5 minutes, rather the say drinking 1/2 cup of liquid at once .. Wait a few more minutes, and then repeat Don't overload your sytem at all.

I'm not a doctor and realize you could have a more serious bug that may need other meds... but for diarrhea symptoms I always use Immodium. Always works for me. I never travel without it. I'm sure you can get some in London.

Thank you all for the good advice. I'm feeling a bit better today and I had to change rooms but am now on the first floor so only one set of stairs! Hopefully I'm on the road to recovery though I plan to rest again today ad my energy levels are pretty nonexistant. Still on a diet of 7up and pretzels, proably not up for the fish and chips : )

Sarah, thanks for the update and hope you feel much better soon.

Pharmacists in Europe can be very helpful in getting you the treatment you need. In addition to anti-nausea medication, there is also an anti-diarhhea medication. Once you feel empty enough, one pill may be enough to slow things down. I have used this medication a few times and it does work. I've been sick in Europe more times than I want to consider, but mostly of a respiratory nature. I never could connect my illnesses with plane travel as the symptoms didn't appear until a week or more into trips. I have been paying close attention to healthful practices for the past few years and haven't gotten sick again. For what you have, the usual health practices may not have made a difference. I hope you are better.

Nobody on this helpline knows Sarah's medical history, her current vital signs or can examine her, so the only advice we should be offering is how to get medical assistance if she is still sick. And no, Sarah is not suffering from what is commonly known as "Traveler's Diarrhea", because the water in the UK (and almost all of Europe) is sanitized. "Traveler's diarrhea" comes from drinking untreated, contaminated water sources, to which the local population has developed immunity. Hence, it only affects travelers and not locals.

Sarah, I hope that by now you have called the NHS. When I got sick up in Scotland, the TI booked me an appointment at the local clinic. All it cost me were the meds. So call, if you have not already. Pam

Well it sounds like Sarah is improving and feeling better, so I doubt she needs to go to a clinic now, time , rest, and clear fluids have seemed to helped, as they do in most cases for upset tummy system type things, if she was not improving then yes, seek help. I think at this point her body is fighting through and winning, hurrah!
Remember Sarah, start with food slowly and easy to digest stuff.

Thank you all! I made it out to a museum today and though I only lasted a few hours, that sounds like progress! Cheers to you all, this is a wonderfil community and you've given me lots of useful tips if I start feeling under the weather again!

Glad to hear you are getting better, take one day at a time, keep us posted.