Ghiardiasis

A absolutley terrible terrible sickness. I got this. It was absoulutley terrible. My stomach killed so bad. I was in so much pain. And I lost so much weight that day, It was so disgusting! Not to mention that I spent at least 4 hours in the bathroom and then had to get up AGAIN at midnight to go again! Ugh! Ghardiasis SUCKS! UPDATE: I got Ghardia again! New Hampshire at a public swimming pool! When I came home from vacay, I was so sick, I thought I was going to die. The toilet was my salvation for about an hour.

This is another fun one I picked up while serving in the Peace Corps. I had a pretty good case of it while flying from Budapest to New York City. Symptoms include sudden and violent diarrhea, massive amounts of foul smelling flatulence, fever and weight loss. I was a very very unpopular person on that Hungarian Airlines flight to New York, let me assure you. I did lose a sizable amount of weight and I could just see Jim Carrey on SNL or Troy Mc Clure touting the new Ghiardia diet- Crap your way to a thin you!

I understand that this list is about foreign travel but I go this one while backpacking in New Hampshire. Filled my canteen from a spring that was more like brackish water. My doctor prepped me (don't ask) for a Barium Enema.. which was then cancelled. Then she put me on something called Flagyl which was as bad as having the original problem. Abdominal cramps like you wouldn't believe. Do not get Giardia.