Has anyone gotten sick from the water?

[KIS]

I was talking to my mother-in-law about the brita filter idea given the taste of the water.

She has a very sensitive stomach, her son (my husband), has a stronger one, but not that much stronger. She mentioned how we might need to watch not just the taste, but the water itself. I thought the problem with the water was sulphur. She says that something like that might end up giving her trouble.

So, now I wonder. Has anyone gotten sick from the water?

KIS

 

[safetymom]

We haven't had a problem with the water. I don't think it is as bad as people make it out to be.

 

[califred]

Well I haven't been to DW yet, taking my first trip in march, but I've lived in Florida and would never have actually drunk my tap water. It smelled and was so unappetizing.

I have a sensitive stomach though and tend to drink bottled water anytime I'm away from home.

 

[MichaelH]

Well I had an aunt that lived in Cocoa Beach and I think that the water has actually gotten a little better since the '70s. It still has a wang to it, but I don't think that it will make you sick. I tend to drink the bottled water in the parks, because the water out of the water fountains is not cold enough for me after half a day trudging through a park.

 

[disneybred]

We have gotten sick from the water. Thank God for Imodium(<-?)We just use bottled water when we go and we're fine. (Nothing can really help the smell when we shower though)

 

[KIS]

disneybred,

My mother-in-law who has a pretty sensitive system suggested not messing around with the water based on her travel experiences. She mentioned it might not be worth taking a chance when we're there for fun.

I have noticed my husband, her son, tends to have many more negative problems with elimination, shall we say. I would hate to see him all bent in knots because I insisted on saving $100-$200 for bottled water. I'm still on the fence as to whether our 5 year old has his gastrointestinal system or has inherited my genetic proclivity to an iron stomach that can take just about anything.

I'm really leaning to preventing any discoveries of how my husband's intestines responds to the water.

Thanks.


KIS

 

[llp479]

Learned the hard way to go with bottled water. First few days were fine, but by day 3...Nothing worse than a newly trained 3 yr old with lower GI issues.

Now we bring/buy 5 regular sized bottles and refill them from a gallon jug. Everyone has their own character sticker to identify their bottle.

 

[Disney845]

I live in FL and can say that there is nothing "health-threateningly" wrong with the water. I think the problems are associated with the taste/smell of water in other areas of the country/world. If you are used to your "home" water, and do not deal well with water that tastes/smells differently then you just might want to go ahead and buy the bottled so as to not bother an overly sensitive stomach. I do not think that the FL water tastes/smells bad, but it is what I am used to. That being said, while I will utilize a water fountain if the need arose, I am inclined to prefer bottled water. I even do so in my own house and we have a water filtration system.

 

[disneybred]

KIS,
you may want to check out the Brita fil and go water bottles like your mother-in-law suggested. It filters the water so you don't have to buy tons of water bottles. I haven't tried it yet but I have heard that it works well. (we will probably try it for this trip, so if u use it, tell me how it goes)
If you do go for the water bottles, I suggest getting a brand that you are familiar with, that you know your husband's stomach can handle. Last time we got a brand that was from the Florida area and some of us didn't really like the taste too much. (we're from jersey so i think we might have the same taste in water as you do) I don't think it would have made us sick, but we really didn't want to drink enough of it to find out.

Disney845,
we don't meant that the Florida water is bad for our health, but as you said, people are used to water from where they live. When they have to use water from another part of the country, a different smell and taste can be easily detected and it can be hard to want to drink the water. Its just that its the change in water and the chemicals in it that upsets people's stomachs, not the smell or the taste. Especially if all you drink is water, a sudden change in it can really mess with your stomach.

 

[KIS]

I am amazed at what will set my husband's system off: too much corn, milk, chocolate--just to name a few that I'm aware of..... I think it's on the enzyme level. He doesn't even think of it as sick. After seven years of marriage, I'm still amazed how easily his system is set off. I got him lacaid brand milk twice. The first time, he acted like it hadn't made a difference. A few years later, he acknowledged that it was easier on his system, but went out and got regular milk anyway.... I've tried for 7 years to get him to use stuff that agrees with him better. He just lives with it.

If we use bottled water in WDW, it will be to protect my husband who ignores own his own stomach type and might ruin our trip with hours of agony and distraction.

KIS

 

[califred]

KIS,

Those things all upset my stomach also but I have Irritable Bowel Sydrome.

INstead of buying lactaid milk (it tastes gross, beleive me - of course I just don't eat dairy products for the most part) you can buy lactaid pills, you take them with the dairy and it helps you digetst.


Chocolate also makes me ill, so I completely understand. But after 29 years you're so used to it, it's sort of an extension of yourself. (I do still call it gettting sick).


And yep I'd bring a filter or bottled water from home .

Have a great trip.

 

[KIS]

When we first married, I asked him about the Irritable Bowel Syndrome diagnosis but he got tested and it not what the problem is.

The lactose pills that you mention are too "mediciney" for him. I am glad he agreed on the lactaid milk, at least. I've got it in mind to coax him into carrying around a couple of pills instead and just enjoying himself.

Thanks for the suggestion. What we do for love, huh?

KIS

 

[califred]

That's odd b/c you can't be tested for IBS, what happens is they test you for all the other things like Crohn's Disease, Cancer, etc. and then once they rule them all out they tell you you have IBS..

At any rate, I'd be using a water filter, I hope you have a great trip

 

[MLindaG]

IBS and lactose intolerance are two different conditions. I have IBS but not lactose intolerance although someone with lactose intolerance can also have IBS. I know when the kids were little I would bring water for them to mix with the formula so as not to set off their sensitive stomachs. As I have lived with IBS for quite some time I find that what sets me off is stress. So at any time chocolate can do it but other times it's fine........gasy veggies can set me off..........but not all the time...........too much fatty foods seem to do it too.......or too rich of foods.........I would definitely go with bottled water........stop at a grocery store and pick up a case or two.........bring a couple in the park (frozen) at the beginning of the day and it will help to defrey some of the costs of buying in the park all day long.

 

[califred]

Mlindag

I have both things, but it is more set off by stress like you said. ..

 

[KIS]

My husband has a bladder that impinges upon his bowel in addition to whatever else he has. The MD discovered this to help him to unravel some of his problems.

We've only discovered that he does better when he doesn't have any milk. His mother, whose genes he seems to have in this gastro system, does not have IBS nor a lactose problem. She has food allergies. So, her concern is on the enzyme, microbe level. She has lots and lots of food allergies.

My husband would have to be wretching nightly before he'd ungo such tests.

KIS

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

Everytime DH goes to WDW, he feels yucky. Not immobilized or anything but a general "bleh" kind of feeling. We drink bottled water but realized he was still making his coffee with water from the tap. Once he switched to bottled water to use with the coffee, he was better.

I don't even notice any difference in the FL water.

 

[I am JEN]

Just wanted to add my two cents worth. We are huge water drinkers and I was slightly concerned about what we were going to do about water all day long (after reading about it on these boards)...so we packed "32" bottles of water in our luggage to WDW last week. We ran out of water by about the 4th day and just refilled them with tap water (we drink a ton of water) and it tasted fine and we were fine health-wise as well!!! Yes, there is a slight smell to it...but nothing that was alarming.

 

[KIS]

This chat has resulted in me checking in again with my husband of 7 years on what exactly he experiences when he has GI problems.

Apparently, he also has IBS! I can't believe he kept that information so close to his sleeve. He sort of accepted it, like some of you mentioned you do.

I couldn't believe how he takes such discomfort in stride.

I think we're doing bottled water. I'm sure I could handle the water, but I'm not putting him through any chance of GI aggrevation.


It looks like we've found the sensitive GI track WDW-goers board!

KIS

 

[disneychrista]

Yes, I got sick on our trip in December. Let's just say I had to visit the restroom often until I stoped drink the water, as well as fountain sodas, tea etc. If I ever make it back to Florida I will be avoiding the water like the plauge.