Ever Been Locked in the Airplane Bathroom?

Dec. 30, 2009— -- The first terrorism scare on Northwest Airlines flight 253 this week inspired the public and the government to rethink airport security.

But the second terrorism scare on Northwest Airlines flight 253 Sunday got some of us rethinking air sickness.

A 36-year-old Nigerian petroleum engineer who stayed in the bathroom past the flight crew's call to return to his seat landed him in handcuffs awaiting interviews with the FBI when the plane landed in Detroit. Officials and the flight crew were on alert after the attempted terror attack Christmas Day.

FBI officials reported he was "belligerent and uncooperative" when asked to return to his seat an hour before landing, but promptly released him after the incident, concluding that he was sick with food poisoning.

"Indications at this time are that the individual's behavior is due to legitimate illness," Homeland Security spokeswoman Sara Kuban told ABCNews.com.

Now, the unidentified Nigerian man is free to go, but many people will likely find themselves in hostile social situations as travel illnesses meet amplified security precautions and decreasing space between passengers.

The following are true travel illness horror stories from our readers, in addition to some expert tips to help you avoid the worst travel sickness around.

Don't Stay in the Bathroom Too Long

Francisco Hernandez, of San Francisco, Calif., just wanted some Pepto-Bismol the first time he flew back from visiting Mexico City.

Unfortunately, the stewardess thought he was interested in other sorts of drugs.

"I went to the bathroom with an upset stomach. When I entered the bathroom, I noticed a lot of white powder all over the floor. I think it was baby powder," said Hernandez. "It was like five or 10 minutes that I was in there trying to get whatever was in my body out."

Hernandez said he felt ill but couldn't vomit so he returned to his seat. Shortly afterward, a stewardess came over and began asking about the white powder.

"I was so embarrassed and angry, but crippled by the stomach pain. She asked, 'tell me the truth, are you using drugs? Be honest,'" said Hernandez.

Keeping Calm Through In-Flight Illness

Nervous about being in pain and embarrassed that he was sick, Hernandez said he tried to talk as little as possible.

"She kept on insisting maybe three or four times. I was so angry that I pulled myself up from the seat and looked her in the eyes and said, 'I never do drugs!'" said Hernandez. "Now I laugh about it, but at the time, I was really irritated."

Hernandez partially blames himself for the incident, especially for being unprepared to get food poisoning abroad. "Oh, my god, Mexico City -- I should have known better. We didn't have any medicine with us," he said

According to experts in infectious disease, Hernandez may have a point.

Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University said Hernandez and any traveler should take a few precautions to prevent "La Turista" or "Delhi Belly" as some call traveler's diarrhea.

"It's due to a variety of infectious agents where the food that you eat or drink may be contaminated," said Schaffner.

Schaffner recommends people first eat only cooked food and drink from bottled water while traveling in developing countries. Only eating fruit that can be peeled and steering clear of salads will also reduce the risk.

"As my mentor used to say, 'You can't clean salad unless you use a blowtorch,'" said Schaffner.

Sick with no medication? Schaffner suggests sipping on a carbonated beverage for nausea and drinking plenty of safe water to keep hydrated.

Despite the common "don't drink the water" advice, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 20-50 percent of international travelers -- an estimated 10 million people -- develop diarrhea each year.

Dr. Brian Terry, medical director at the Healthy Travel Clinic in Pasadena, Calif., often tells his patients to be prepared, even if they're traveling in an area they think is free of diseases. That could mean anything from getting a tetanus shot or asking for an emergency supply of antibiotics from a doctor in case of traveler's diarrhea.

Be Prepared to Stay Healthy In-Flight

"The basic things are to make sure that you've got sunscreen, make sure you've got hand sanitizer," said Terry, even if you're traveling between U.S. airports.

Parents may also want to bring plenty of wipes for the youngest of ill travelers.

"While flying back from Iceland to the USA with my 10-month-old daughter, I heard some gas-like noises coming from her," Liz Clabaugh wrote in an e-mail to ABCNews.com. "The plane bathroom had no changing table area in it, so I laid her down on the vacant seat between me and the other woman passenger to change her diaper."

Once down, Clabaugh said, "everything went squish."

"She had poop all the way up her back to her ears and into her hair," she wrote. "Her pants and shirt were totally unwearable. With the help of the very kind lady next to me, we managed to strip her down and wipe her up."

It took the entire box of wipes to get things in order, and Clabaugh said she had to wrap her daughter in a blanket for lack of clothes.

"Thank goodness that the lady next to me was extremely helpful and had a good sense of humor about the whole thing, instead of being totally disgusted," she wrote.

ABC News' Richard Esposito and Brian Ross contributed to this report.