It was a busy Saturday morning when Joycelyn and I were greeted by a woman with a predicament.
Her son was getting married after lunch and her soon-to-be daughter in law, the bride, was on her third bout of diarrhoea. They think it may have been the start of gastro because her family had come to stay and the mother of the bride had been recovering from lots of loose bowel movements.
Joycelyn and I exchanged that “uh-oh” look.
I talked the lady through a few options and together we compiled a “kit” for the bridal party.
The said items chosen were:
Diarrhoea relief
I was confident this would work, especially because the diarrhoea was not “severe”. In an ideal situation, you would let the virus or food poisoning (which normally causes diarrhoea) “flush” out. Blocking it can extend the time it takes to resolve the issue however, as everyone had acknowledged, there was no other option in this scenario. I recommended taking 2 immediately and then one after each loose bowel motion. 2-3 doses generally do the trick.
Hydralyte
I suggested this to help hydrate the bride. Losing fluid and electrolytes with diarrhoea can lead to tiredness and lethargy. The electrolytes would help with some much-needed energy to “perk” her up. The bridesmaids could get onto this too if needed.
Murine Clear Eyes
Apparently there had been tears as the mother of the groom left the house that morning. These decongestant eye drops would clear up the red eyes almost immediately. They’re great for short term use when you need to show up with crystal clear eyes (often used before important meetings or after a hard night out).
Paracetamol
Just in case.
Ibuprofen
For good measure.
Bae Juice
According to the mother of the groom, all brides are “cold, skinny and hungry” so the Korean pear juice would help with hangovers incurred from the day ahead with little food and a lot of drink.
It didn’t start out funny but in the end, we really did need to see the lighter side of the situation. What else can you do?!
The mother of the groom was very grateful for the advice and empathy and walked away feeling a little more upbeat.
That scenario had obviously left an impression on young Joycelyn because by 2pm as we were about to close, Joycelyn turned around to me and said: “I hope everything went okay!”
To which I replied, “So do I!”
- Yen Tran, Founder and Pharmacist
