Sheryl

So not coming really from the doctor. The people giving this advice might just tell everyone not to eat and drink since they do nto know exactly what the exam will be for. Anyway for sure should not take food (liquid or solid) for 8 hours before so that the gall bladder can be well visualized. Small sips of water will be OK

https://www.vichaiyut.com/en/profile_doctor/dr-thamrongroj-temudom/ (lower cost hospital but side from the doctor, do not expect much English speaking)

@Ombra. When gallbladder disease is suspected (and it may be in your case) it is important not to take any food (solid or liquid) for 8 hours before it to prevent the gallbladder from emptying. Depending on what is being checked, they may need thd bladder to be full or empty. If an empty bladder is needed then one should not drink much, but small sips of water will he OK. You will be fine taking small sips of water before the test. When you arrive they may either ask you to pee first or to refrain from peeing and drink a lot if water (depending on if they need to visualize the bladder)

Vertigo is a symptom not a cause or disease. OP has vertigo with headache. When accompanied by headache in the absence of alcohol or drug use, vertigo is usually related to blood pressure/ heart, dehydration or blood sugar; much less frequently (unless history of head trauma) it can signal a neurological issue (which should show up on neuro exam). Also rarely it can signal severe anemia (which would show on blood test) but in that case would not be limited to first thing in morning. Vertigo without headache or other signs is indeed usually related to inner ear.

I assure you there is no "fine print" in my policy and I have read the entire policy thoroughly. I have also used the insurance multiple times, both for elective care and in emergency, with no problem. The maximum annual cap on an insurance policy is not what they pay out for the overwhelming majority of their policyholders, far from it. It is expected that in the pool of insured people, most will have no claim in a given year and the others will have claims far beklow the maxiumum. It is very rare for any policy holdrer to receive the maximum pay out in a year and, in the case of Thailand, would be highly unlikely. Bears in mind the cover is nto limited to Thailand, and even covers expensive places like US for emergencies during short travel. I obtained my (lifelong) policy prior to age 65 and when I had no serious pre-existing conditions, which is pretty much what has to be done to be adequately insured in Thailand.

Yes, would be best for him to find a broker in his home country that offers expat policies as these are often designed to work alongside/complement national health service or local insurance scheme. However if he is already over age 65, choice will be limited, and if he already has pre-exisitng conditions choice may be nil. In that case best option if really determined to come to Thailand may be a travel policy aimed at seniors that covers acute exacerbations of chronic conditions - but this only works if he will return to his home country periodically and is also able and willing to be med-evacued back in an emergency (will be up to the insurer whether ti pay for treatment in Thailand or fly him home) and to fly home for any major non-emergent care.

it is perfectly reasonable for owner to want to know enough about your finances to be sure you can pay the rent, and also to want to know your permanent home country address (in case you trash the place and leave etc). Owners also want a general idea of what sort of person you are. Here is where it gets tricky. Among themselves Thais know how to assess other Thais but foreigners are something of a mystery to them and they often do not know what exactly to ask, or how to ask it, and what ends up happening is all sorts of random seeming odd questions (the answers to which do not really help them). Basically they are looking for indications of social and financial stability/respectability vs the opposite but they do not really know how to assess that. I would not walk away based just on the sort of questions you mention, rather answer them patiently and offer to meet and discuss with landlord in person, or supply references. But if that does not do the trick, or the questions start to get completely off the wall, then may be an indication that the owner simply is not comfortable renting to a foreigner.

Such clinics are best avoided. With the exception of a few places (notably Chiang Mai), stand alone clinics here tend to be dodgy and outpatient department of a large hospital is where one should go -- preferrably either a government regional hospital, university hospital, large military hospital or large private hospital. Unfortunately there are no hospitals meeting that description in the Hua Hin area. . If this persists (or worsens) , I recommend you travel up to Thonburi area and consult a cardiologist doctor at Siriraj or Thonburi Hospital. Do you have a home BP monitor? If so, take your BP before getting up and then again right after and record results, will be helpful to doctor to know. What you describe is often due to orthostatic hypotension (drop in BP when lying down and especially immediately after getting up fro ma lying or sitting position). Isolated BP reading while at a doctor's office doesn't really tell much in terms of your hemodynamic status first thing in the morning and after first getting out of bed. Also take your pulse for a full one minute and check to see if it is regular. If it is not, or if it is below 40/minute (counting for full minute) go at once to hospital. Inhaled steroids do over time have some systemic effects (though less than with oral steroids) and a dose reduction will sometimes produce effects related to adrenal suppression such as orthostatic BP. More likely if also taking BP meds, or somewhat dehydrated. Are you on BP meds? One other point to consider, since you mention recent running, is whether you could be dehydrated or lacking in key electrolytes. Have you tried taking electrolyte solutions and more fluid in general? In summary: - get BP device and take your BP immediately upon waking up (before getting out of bed) and then again after standing up, and at any other time you feel dizzy. Record results. Good chance you will find that your BP drops low immediately after getting up. Also note with this whether headache present. - Sit on the edge of the bed for a while before standing, don't just get right up (to avoid risk of passing out or falling). - Take your pulse at rest for a full minute to get accurate rate and above all, note if it is regular.( Ignore heart rate readings on your BP machine, these are not reliable with slow or irregular heart rates.) - Drink more fluids, especially complete electrolyte solutions (electolyte packets from 7-11 or pharmacy, or green coconut water; orange or lemon juice from marker stalls (nam minao, nam som) are also good as they normally add some salt). Do this for a few days now and at any time you have been sweating a lot,. be especially sure to adequately replace fluid and electrolytes after running or other exercise. - See a cardiologist if symptoms persist or worsen, or if heart rate is irregular or below 40/minute when counted for a full minute. Also if BP at home is frequently >130/90 or consistently <90/60. Or if orthostatic changes persist despite adequate hydration. If you are currently on any BP or cardiac meds then see doctor sooner as med adjustment may be needed.

Extraction of a tooth does not lead only to loss of that tooth. It affects the alignment of all the other teeth and n the long run may cause worse dental problems. Should always try to save a tooth if possible. Costs of dental work, like everything else, have gone up a lot in past decade in Thailand so use caution with regard to prices reported from more than a few years ago. Cost of RCT will vary depending in number of sessions required. May be charged per session or they may estimate at first session and charge a flat rate. In general 10 -15K these days is usual but could be less if only 1-2 sessions needed and more if 4-5 sessions needed. Post and crown, if needed, will be additional and crown costs vary with the quality of the material used.

I had not thought of this and it would indeed work. He could just go to a neighboring country and re-enter Thailand from there. As long as he does this before his visa ends, and has by then renewed his insurance, he'll be given another full year stay (going almost a year past his visa expiration date). During that year he can decide if in future he wants to apply for another O-A visa in his home country, do in-country extensions based on the original O-A, or leave and re-enter on other visa. There are pros and cons to all these options...it boils down to how much time he wants to spend in Thailand, whether he would in any case return to his home country for a month or more every 1-2 years, how he feels about having money tied up in a Thai bank, etc etc. Unless he alfready has 800k baht in a Tha bank account this would make sense.

That is correct but note he must have 800K baht in a Thai bank account to do that and I believe it has to have been in the bank there for at least 2 months but perhaps @BritTimcan clarify the rule for very first time extension based on an O-A. After that he can continue ot extend every year in-country but subject to the requirement of having 800K in a Thai bank with restrictions on spending it (800 balance 2 months before and 3 months after each extension and not less than 400K balance in the intervening 7 months). OR proof of transferring at least 65K baht in from abroad every single month in the prior year. The main advantage to an O-A as opposed to an O is that one can avoid these requirements for funds in Thailand. If he can't meet this requirement then he will have to leave and re-enter as otherwise discussed.

If getting in US (and you do not have prescription drug cover there) get online coupon from <goodrx.com> saves $15-$25 on each injection. For those who have prescription drug plan (Medicare Part D or other) , it is free

Normally if last colonoscopy was clear (no polyps) then repeat would be in 10 years. If polyps are found frequency would be more than 10 yearly but depend on type and size of polyps. However regardless of findings, with a close relative with colon cancer you are above average risk so should get one at least every 5 years. https://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2015/0115/p93.html

He can also get a one year extension of stay at CM immigration based on this OA (applying by the 30th) but would have to show up to date insurance policy. Leaving and re-entering after the current visa has expired wull "kill off" the O-A making it possibel ot then convert to an O whoich has no incurnace requirement...but will entail an extra step or 2 (first to convert his visa exemopt entry to a non-O and then 3 months later to do a 1 year extension). Note that, unlike the original O-A visa, both options require funds in a Thai bank account.

No info yet and Shingrix is not yet registered for use here. In fact still not available in a number of countries, many of which have potentially larger market than Thailand so I do not expect Thailand to be a priority for the manufacturer in the immediate future, they are still in fairly early stages of international expansion. CM Mediclinic must somehow be planning in importing it themselves.

Nothing "unspecified" about their fees, you can get concrete quotes for whatever specifics are desired, from the company, on request to them. Both for pre-paid and post-paid though with post-paid, costs in future may change.

Some news sources are saying it may be form Indian rocket (both this and the piece that wasked up in Puket) from Indian Launch Vehicle Mark-III rocket that India fired in July to help launch the lunar landing vessels

EKG and O2 can be normal even with significant coronary artery disease. EST highly advised to pick up any signs of CAD early as well as to check your overall cardiac fitness. @pattayapipYou should also have a colonoscopy if have not had one in past 10 years but those are never a part of check up packages, have to arrange separately. From now until end of September BPH is offering it for 19K which is a very good price for private hospitals here https://bangkokpattayahospital.com/product/gastroscopy-colonoscopy-packages/ Be aware that the following things in the package you have selected are not suitable for mass screening and not recommended for that purpose as both false positives and false negatives are extremely common: 21 Digestive tract cancer screening (CA19-9) 22 Liver Cancer Screening (AFP) 23 Colon Cancer Screening (CEA) These so-called "tumor markers" are useful in monitoring progress of cancer in some cancer patients but are NOT appropriate for cancer screening and should nto be used for such. They can be normal despite presence of cancer and also be elevated from many causes other than cancer. Also be aware that abdominal ultrasounds are extremely likely to pick up benign conditions such as liver/kidney cysts , small asymptomatic gallstones etc that do nto need treatment. For which reason no public health authority recommends routine abdominal ultrasounds ...tends to lead to a lot of unnecessary further tests and treatments (ditto the "tumor markers").

That is one million US dollars. Not baht. More than adequate cover. Most international expat policies provide 500k - 1 million US. The lowest I have ever seen was 250k (US dollars). And their premiums do not reach $500 a month until the very oldest age brackets e.g. 85 and above.

Quotes are just estimates, actual will depend on number of sessions needed.

Please do not create identical threads in different forums. this one closed as already running in Health forum.

A number of posts in violation of community guidelines, and replies quoting them, have been removed.

The office is in Bangkok. But they handle cases all over the country.

Costs have risen considerably since then. Probably around 300k at Newabutr now which remains the least expensive quality option. Note that except for doctors there may not be much English spoken.

For anyone wanting to call the Baltimore office the number is (1) 410-965-0160 Took a few tries but I got an actual human The bad news is they say they never received the form I mailed within the US more than 2 months ago (goes first to Pa of course). ????