Dentist Everett

Each night time while holidaying in Ismir Turkey, we came across a eating house and the head waiter tried to tempt us to dine.  Each time we listened to his sales pitch and looked at the display but decided to keep looking.  Then, on our second last night in Ismir, we relented.  We ate at the cafe.  That was a MASSIVE MISTAKE!

The meal was quite tasty and the service above average.  As my wife and I finshed our meal , we sat lazily in our chairs and finished our drinks.  I noticed that a young American couple had ordered the same dish as I did,  adana kebap.  I wonder if they suffered the same fate as I did? 

Anyway, we were searching around the cafe and noticed the huge wood-fired oven, much like a pizza oven.  The waiter came to collect our plates and my wife asked about the oven.  The waiter said that they used the oven in the mornings to cook all the meals and then they place the completed meals in the refrigerators at the front of the cafe.  I thought nothing of it but my wife was very surprised.  In fact she broughtit up  in conversation as we walked home.  That’s not where it ended…

That night, I awoke at about 1am with a splitting headache and was perspiring profusely.  Within minutes I was freezing cold and shivering profusely.  Then it struck – the to be avoided at all costs – diarrhea!

We were planning to travel to one of the local attractions the next day but I was not anywhere well enough to go.  The guide was due to collect us at 8am and I asked my wife to go solo.  I was so sick; there was no way I could continue.  So she left for the day and I lay there wondering if I would survive.  Then an amazing thing happened.

Our hotel manager came to see me.  My wife had explained to him I was sick and not to care about serving the room that day.  Anyway, he brought with him a small plate of red grapes and a full dish of yoghurt.  Anyone who has travelledto Turkey will know that the locals eat a plenty of yoghurt!.  He explained thet the yoghurt would cure all my stomach problems.  I did not really feel like eating at all but made a token effort and placed the dish next to my bed after he left once he had gone.  Then I remembered something i should have thought of before…

I have been writing about probiotics and the merits of taking probiotic capsules for a few years now !  These “friendly bacteria” are beneficial for the gut.  With two days of bus travel coming up , there was no way I wanted to be embarrased with a public incident !  So I consumed the yoghurt.

The next day I was on the mend and although still suffering a stomach problem , was able to travel.  I had my fill of natutal probiotic supplement in the form of yoghurt again that morning and was on the mend.

The lesson I have learned from this bad experience in Turkey is that probiotics are a wonderful friend to have and I will not travel to a another country without a supply of probiotic supplements on hand.  You just never know how indespensible they may turn out to be!