Sheryl

My IO does the opposite...they take my handwritten form and then type up their own and have me sign that. Ditto if I give them a filled in types downloaded form.

Exactly. Stress alone will not usually do this, if it did a good percentage of the population would be bald. 1. Thyroid panel 2. Complete blood count with ESR (will detect iron deficiency anemia and inflammation) If above tests are normal and she has actual bald patches on her scalp she should see a dermatologist, there are several skin conditions that can cause this. Is she on birth control pills? If so which brand? Some can cause this.

I suggest https://rsuhealth.com/product/ตรวจสุขภาพ-24-รายการ-standard-check-up-package-สำ/ And add on to it: 1. HB1Ac 2. Exercise Stress Test (will give an indication of your overall cardiac fitness as well as detect about 80% of coronary artery disease. Fitness aspect especially pertinent given obesity and lifestyle.) 3. PSA (mainly just as a baseline for future reference)

This thread has accumulated many inaccurate posts and is now closed.

@guru First off - you need to see an endocrinologist and have your parathyroid function checked!! Hyperparathyroidism can cause both low Vitamin D and elevated uric acid. It can also elevated blood glucose. Investigating this should be your first priority. If your parathyroid checks out OK then you probably just need supplemental Vit D for the long term (especially since you must work indoors). You do not mention your age..... production and metabolism of Vit D decreases with age, raising the requirement to levels many cannot get through food and sun alone. The recommended minimum daily Vit D intake up to age 70 is 600 iu but this increases to 800 iu after age 70 and some experts believe it should be 1,000 at that age. Depending on your age I would suggest rather than these intermittent high doses of Vit D, a daily dose of 400 - 600 iu. depending on your age. This is a completely safe dose. You may have trouble finding this dosage in Thailand (which may be why your doctor had you take intermittent larger doses) but it is easily obtained on iHerb https://www.iherb.com/pr/now-foods-vitamin-d-3-400-iu-180-softgels/6108 (You can however get these lower Vit D doses in combination with calcium here in Thailand easily enough. See below re Calcium). Whether you also need calcium supplementation depends on your diet, age and bone health, none of which did you specify, and also whether your paraythroid function is normal. The recommended daily calcium intake is 1000 mg for men aged up to 70 and 1200 mg for men aged 71 or older. Most adult men can get this from their diet, but of course it does vary. If you do need calcium supplementation, regarding your concern about it causing calcium build up in your arteries, this can be mitigated by dividing calcium supplementation (if needed at all) into 2-3 doses daily as it is the sudden surge in serum calcium that is hypothesized to potentially cause a problem (still not completely clear as most studies on this involved post-menopausal women -- often ones with osteoporosis or osteopenia - not men). However best option is just to make sure you get enough from your diet. See https://healthybonesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/calcium-rich-food-list_en_1_healthybonesaustralia-iof-version-draft-1.pdf Regarding your HB1Ac, I really would not worry about a level of 5.7 especially if you are over 60. Just monitor it periodically (once or twice a year). The "prediabetic" range is 5.7 % to 6.4 % but plenty of people at the lower end of that never progress to diabetics. If it starts inching up (6.0 and above) then more reason to be concerned. Regarding your elevated uric acid, as initially mentioned this might be due to a hyperactive parathyroid. If it is not then: - what (non-gout) medications are you on? As some can cause this - how much beer/wine/other alcohol do you consume? This is a prime cause in many cases (and will also affect your blood glucose) -is there a family history of gout or uric acid kidney stones? If you have no history/strong family history of uric kidney stones or gout then consensus is that hyperuricemia need not be treated until/unless levels rise above 12. See https://www.ccjm.org/content/ccjom/69/8/594.full.pdf

You are thinking of the Red Cross Anonymous Clinic. OP might be referring to one of several TRC hospitals. He has not specified his location.

In what part of Thailand? And which Red Cross Hospital or Clinic do you mean (there are several)? How old are you? Any underlying risk factors or health problems that you know if? (affects what tests you should have)

I have a 30 year land lease and built a substantial house here. (Technically own the house though not the land) So, no, I can't move.

They are not. There is a listing for family of Thai national (souse, parent) but I suspect it is only for a 60 day extension after entry on a TR or VE, as no financial proofs are asked for. Interesting though to see that 30 day extension of VE and TR are included. Does anyone know if this is province specific or can anyone do this? It seems one still has to go in person to IO to get the actual extension. https://thaiextension.vfsevisa.com/

The issue is that ketchup is not tomato sauce. (though that is the way Thais and many other Asians apparently view it). It is a condiment that is made from tomatoes, vinegar and sugar. It is in no way similar in taste to the tomato sauces used for pizza and pasta. The addition of a vingar-y condiment completely alters the taste of these foods, and not in a good way....

That would certainly be so for regular health insurance but are you sure it is true for travel insurance? Most would insure you but exclude anything related to your various pre-exisitng conditions. A few would also cover "acute exacerbations" of your pre-existing conditions, often for an extra cost.

Definitely they conflate tomato sauce with ketchup. And indeed many Thai "pizzas" use ketchup for this purpose . And they use it for spaghetti sauce too Same in Cambodia

Unofrtunately most IOs do not have service like this. And in any case, for me at least, the preparation of documents is not the issue. It is the interaction with very nasty IO that I would prefer to avoid.

And they likely would not accept it. I have found that the agents who deal with farang expats and those who deal with migrant workers are completely different and one will not handle the other.

All hospitals should have the equipment for measuring intraocular eye pressure. But if OP is wanting this because of visual problems should get more than a glaucoma test. Should also have a retinal exam.

I do it all myself because I have no choice. My IO is highly unpleasant (in fact downright abusive) and I would gladly pay for someone else to do this on my behalf. But cannot find a single agent willing to come out to my province (there are none in it) and do not want to get an extension from a province where I don't live with all the attendant risks that can carry and issues for 90 day reporting etc.

Sounds like she was not saying she would refuse to accept an online TM30 but rather thought it is not possible to do. She is wrong about that, not surprising since the online system is not managed by provincial IOs and many of them know very little about it other than it is what hotels etc use.

Not the "gold standard" and not often done, anywhere, due to very high cost. And not available in Thailand AFAIK. It was approved in the US only 3 years ago so very new. Scans of any sort cannot conclusively diagnose cancer, that needs a biopsy (in the case of the prostate, preferrably MRI guided)

Technically it is, but it is the expat renter who will suffer the consequences if not done. Including the fine. And yes, some owners are lazy to do it; others have no idea about it.

I haven't seen a single report of Jomtien refusing to accept an online TM30, have you?

Exactly

Tamsulosin can also be taken alone, and is a definite alternative to doxazosin. May also be cheaper. Severe drop in BP is less common (bt still occurs in some people) with tamsulosin than with doxazosin

More likely the (temporary) effects of the radiotherapy. Can cause nausea/queasiness and defintely causes fatigue/general "icky" feeling. ALso clouded thinking. These last 2 are usually linked to drops in blood ocunt. It is important to see your doctor again if weakness etc increases for a repeat blood count even if last count was normal and not yet due for another test. I have seen patient's blood counts take a very sudden nose drive. There are treatments that can be given for this.

Not only is it safer to get MRI firts, but the odds of a biopsy finding cancer if it is present, is greater. A biopsy samples only a small amount of prostate tissue and in early prostate cancer it is entirely possible for biopsy to be negative simply because the sample was nto taken from the right spot.

Sending you a PM