Anyone experience any GI issues after dining at Disney?

[nanadeb]

One of those things not often thought about when it comes to nausea, vomiting, and the "other" aftermath is an electrolyte imbalance. With all the heat, and all the perspiring, and all the drinking of beverages, electrolytes tend to get out of balance and cause multiple types of gastric distress. It can even feel like a virus or a case of food poisoning, but it can be "cured" with a judicious dose of Gatorade.
To prevent the problem, start your day with orange juice and a banana. You'll replenish all the electrolytes at the same time. I
f you want to make it really enjoyable, go to the MK and get a Dole Whip float. Pineapple juice. Mmmmm. Electrolytes with flavor.
Forget the Frozen Coke and go for Frozen Lemonade.
Electrolytes can be fun.
Another alternative for the calorie conscious is the Crystal Light On The Go single serve packets for water bottles that are specificly marked for hydration.
In a real pinch, add a tablespoon of sugar and 2 pinches of salt to a bottle of water. It won't add the needed potassium, but it will help in an emergency situation.
Chugging numerous bottles of plain water can actually make it worse, since it leads to electrolyte leaching and imbalance.

 

[Katiebell]

Disneymom3 and Leota are right on the money. I've had true food poisoning one time in my life (I was 14), and it's unmistakable. Two exits, no waiting, if ya know what I mean, bed spinning, horrible stomach pain -- I wanted to die. Literally. I ended up sleeping on the bathroom floor all night -- what little sleep I got and was sick for a few days. I've had other times when food didn't agree with me, but nothing like that -- and hopefully never like that ever again!

In many cases, I think vacation tummy troubles are probably due to overindulgence -- too much food, too rich food, too many sweets. And I know for a fact that strange water is a huge problem for me. I can never drink water anywhere when we are on vacation. Not even that the water is necessarily bad, just that it's not what I'm used to, and my system doesn't tolerate it well. So I drink bottled water exclusively, but also have to watch fountain sodas, iced tea, coffee, ice cubes, etc. And Immodium -- don't leave home without it!

 

[Leota]

DisneyMom3 - We can tolerate a little ice, the water is filtered in the ice machince. New building codes in Orlando dictate filtered water in restaurants & resorts, so I've heard & you can taste the difference. But, even too much ice can put us off a little. I pack Immodium too.

Katiebell - I get traveler's tummy almost everywhere as well, curiously, it is worse for me in the South. There must be some kind of micro-organism more common down there that my system is unable to deal with. Ever since I was a kid, it's a bummer, isn't it?

I use bottled water for everything, even making my coffee. I don't like having my vaca impacted by GI issues.

Born 2 B a Princess - Both DS & I are on meds that cause alot of naseau. He's on Zofran & I take compazine for it. We don't have any more issues in WDW than we do at home if we keep to our bottled water & eat fairly reasonably. We don't deprive ourselves, but we don't do a ton of junk food even on vacation. We just don't like it. Pack your meds for sure & some back up, but don't sweat it too bad.

 

[Born 2B a Princess]

Thanks, Leota. I take Zofran as needed plus a daily dose (2x daily) of other stomach medication. I'm going to make sure I have my prescriptions filled before we go, plus take additional OTC meds just in case. And I think we'll stick to bottled water....I'd rather not take chances. My diet is rather restrictive because of my stomach problems, but hopefully I won't have too much trouble finding things I can eat.

 

[ToyStory]

Beaches and Cream did me in. We had dinner there and walk over to Epcot to see Illuminations. Half way through Illumination by stomach starting flipping and knew it was time to find a bathroom fast!

I think I hit every bathroom on the way out. My DH drove as quickly to our room at POR since I felt like I was going to get sick again. The next morning I was quesy, but functional.

 

[katerkat]

I have a mild case of IBS. I don't take any drugs for it..I can look at certain foods and know if they're going to kill my stomach! I thought for sure WDW would do me in..esp. the buffets since overeating can spur it on. Anyway...we were there for 9 days last Aug. and I didn't have any problems the whole time!! Knocking on wood here but I am hoping for the same results this June!!!

I, too, have mild IBS, and I usually know my triggers to avoid. However, every time I'm eating outside my "comfort" zone (too many days in restaurants, etc) I tend to have issues. I had a terrible attack from the hot chocolate at MVMCP in 2003 - wasn't the chocolate, it was me.

This last trip, though, I don't know what happened. I had something I shouldn't have at the Rainforest Cafe (Coke....on a warm day. Stupid IBS. I also can't have ice cream when it's more than 70 degrees out.) It knocked me out for days - I know where EVERY bathroom in the World is now. Stole baby wipes from my son... I eventually got better after about four days, which is a really long time for me to have IBS issues. But I quite enjoyed my meal at Teppanyaki near the end of the trip!

We know what real food poisoning looks like - my sweet darling husband ate a spinach salad last September. Thankfully, my issues have never been that bad - or lasted that long.

 

[LaLa]

We know what real food poisoning looks like - my sweet darling husband ate a spinach salad last September.

Did he get the spinach salad in the World? And did they tell you it was Arugula?

 

[HOGFAN]

Once after eating at Biergarten
Once after eating at Nine Dragons.

all lower GI problems.

 

[katerkat]

Did he get the spinach salad in the World? And did they tell you it was Arugula?

No, this was in Albuquerque. We didn't even think of it until afterward when he started getting sick - then he said, "Oh, there was SPINACH in that salad!" Even worse, we were on a road trip, so I got to know the rest stops really well, and the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, Vegas - not so much. (Though, the Bellagio apparently has nice men's rooms.) I generously offered to take him to Urgent Care instead of Disney Land, but he was sweet and managed to tour the park with us.

 

[WeluvDisney2]

In 1999 when I was pregnant with DS#2. I had eaten a Cobb Salad at Rainforest Cafe at Animal Kingdom. Not sure if it was from that or something else, but it was terrible!

 

[nanadeb]

- my sweet darling husband ate a spinach salad last September.

Hmm. I had spinach in my Le Cellier appetizer on our first night. It was the tomato stack with so called wilted (not cooked) spinach. By the next morning, I too knew all of the bathrooms in WDW. We were on the free dining plan, but obviously did not take full advantage of the opportunites.
I was sick as a dog but did not hear about the spinach problem until I got home. When I checked the list of food suppliers with the tainted spinach, Sysco was right up there, and I remembered seeing the Sysco trucks at some of the resorts behind the scenes.
My doctor gave me antibiotics for the secondary infections I picked up and the saga lasted 3 weeks.
It was definitely a Disney vacation to remember.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

We ate at Germany and made a word for what happens after you eat the food there..
You get the sh**zels!...

 

[eemmie1]

 

[jjatwdw]

During our 2005 trip my DS got sick after H & V. We really try to avoid buffets. There is just such a high chance of contamination - luke-warm food, sick people coughing or breathing on food, kids touching or tasting and then putting back. I just can't stomach it. Once, at TE, I saw a 7 or 8 year old roll all of the apples around on the floor as his mother watched and then instructed him to put them back. Yuck!

 

[jpaulgor]

Once, at TE, I saw a 7 or 8 year old roll all of the apples around on the floor as his mother watched and then instructed him to put them back. Yuck!

UGH!!! *** is wrong with people?

 

[MickeyNicki]

In all the years we have been going to WDW I was only sick once, from the pasta in cream sauce at Chef Mickeys. I know it was that because we all ate the same food that day and the day before...I was the only one that ate the pasta dish.

Man I was so sick a few hours later and all night long! Made for a miserable vacation.

 

[perdidochas]

A couple things, like other posters have said, it's not necessarily the food. We used to have tummy troubles & it turned out it was the water. We just aren't used to FL water no matter how often we go.

True food poisoning is not puking a couple times or having a bit of the runs. It is full out, can't leave the toilet, purging from all orifices sick. For days. It is not a puke twice, felt punk for 24 hours & then back at it. It is I want to DIE now sick. In many cases, this means going to the hospital sick. I know, I have been there twice, neither time at WDW. Although I have an acquaitance who was hospitalized after confirmed FP from the shrimp at Chef Mickey's. She spent a week in the hospital in Orlando, then came home & wound up back in the hospital for another 3 days. She wasn't quite right for several weeks.

So, while you may have a meal that doesn't agree with you, or you overindulge or you get a bug or the water doesn't work with your system & it's not pleasant, don't be so quick to label it food poisoning, but rather be glad that it isn't.

Having had true food poisoning once, I concur. You know it's really food poisoning, when, you aren't afraid you'll die, but are instead afraid you'll live.

 

[Kath2003]

Our first few days at WDW were once ruined when the one half of our party who had the chicken sandwich on the plane spent most of the first 2 days in the bathroom. The rest of us who had the cheese sandwich were fine...I don't think it was food poisoning by any means but whatever was in that sandwich did NOT agree with them.

 

[LionKingRules84]

This is what I fear the most at WDW, especially since both my boyfriend and I have sensitive digestive systems. Seems we will either be making a grocery store stop or being really pickey at where we eat and what we eat. Though I plan on indulging still I should probably watch how much junk food I ingest or I will be suffering later.

I like the person who suggested the electrolyte problem, that makes alot of sense, I'll probably try and stick to fruit while I'm down there for snacks if at all possible instead of going for something sugary and hope the fruit is fresh.

I'm real paranoid about this issue though because nothing can ruin a vacation faster than having the runs or stomach cramps.

 

[Disneyolic]

Back in 1997 we had my birthday dinner at Fulton's. I got the crab legs and key lime pie for dessert. I don't know which one caused the sickness but I did mention to our waiter that I thought the key lime pie tasted funny - almost cheesy. He assured me snottily that there is no cheese in and it is fine. Stupid me ate a couple more bites of it.

Flash forward to about an hour later at the Adventurer's Club. I think I was on the toilet for about 20 minutes with di***** (you get it ). Thankfully, they have Pepto-Bismol tablets behind the counters in the shops and that did help me out.

So, needless to say, we will NEVER dine there again.