Sheryl

Your friends are confusing different holidays. Visakha Bucha commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha and this holiday -- the most important one-- comes on a full moon day in May or June. Asahna Bucha commemorates the first sermon given by the Buddha and it is in July or August (again, based on lunar calendar). There is a third holiday, Makha Bucha which occurs in February or March and commemorates a time when 1,250 of the Buddha’s disciples spontaneously gathered to hear him preach.

You do NOT want an O-X visa, it requires useless health insurance from a Thai company among other things. Non-O visa is available through the website. On the opening page, under Purpose of visa, scroll down to "Non Immigrant visa" and under that you will see "retirement (pensioner aged 50 or above..."), it comes much later than the "long term stay" visas as it is listed alphabetically. This will take you to a listing of requirements though on that page, it refers only to "Family of a Thai national (Immediate family includes spouse and children)" not retirement (but can be issued for both purposes). Anyhow you qualify as a spouse. I can't walk you through the actual application process as I have never done it, but others have and definitely you can get a non-O that way. There is a downloadable user manual which I attach here. Your account dashboard should show a Manage Application menu where you can edit your incomplete application or simply delete it. Since you are a year away from coming, I would just delete it and make new application when within 3 months of travel as the visa must be used within 3 months. Entering on a non-O, you will get 90 day permission to stay before that is up yo ugo to immigration for a one year extension making sure you have the required funds in the bank. Opening a bank account will be easier with the non-O entry than it would be coming in visa exempt. You can do the one year extension either on basis of marriage (requires only 400k in the bank and no limits on spending it once the extension is granted) or retirement (requires 800k in the bank and spending is restricted). Marriage is certainly better in terms of financial requirements/restrictions but process takes longer and there is an "under consideration" wait period. English-Manual(4).pdf

AA is not gone, but they only handle local (Thai company) policies now. I think due to Thai insurance regulations. Jenny left altogether, Wim might still be there but if so handling only local policy sales, if you ask about international they refer you to AA-world which is based in India and seemingly new. (Website not even up and running yet...) There are other brokers out there handling international policies (i.e. based in Europe, Oz etc) but I just don't have any basis for recommending any of them. Would love to hear from those who do.

No list as such but brokers can usually provide chart of options. Citizenship does not usually matter but age can greatly limit options for those over 60-65 years. I am American and have the French April plan.

Yes, Jenny is gone and effectively so is AA as a broker option for international policies. If anyone can recommend a good broker for international policies please advise (it is possible to reassign brokers even once policy is purchased). In the interim I will deal with my insurer directly if needed.

There have been numerous reports over the years from members with PC policies of this happening. Though I do not know which specific PC policies these were. this is one but there have been others https://aseannow.com/topic/1030783-pacific-cross-health-insurance/?do=findComment&comment=12834029 Have you checked the actual policy document (not the brochure)? look under Exclusions and anything about Chronic conditions. (these are not on the web so I can't access them). There is suggestive (but nto definitive) language on their FAQ page as follows: "What illness, conditions are NOT covered by health insurance? .....The other area that insurers tend to put caps on things, if they offer cover at all, is the routine treatment of chronic conditions because treatment costs can be high and continue for many years. Common chronic conditions include the following: Arthritis Asthma Diabetes Epilepsy Heart disease" and (same site) "What is a chronic condition? A chronic condition is a medical condition that is of more than 6 week’s duration. These include: Heart Disease Diabetes Hypertension Hyperlipidemia Arthritis An illness that recurs or is likely to recur An illness that requires monitoring, consultations, check-ups, examinations or tests Note: This list is only intended to provide a guide to the interpretation of a chronic condition." https://www.pacificcrosshealth.com/en/faq/#1458979625341-858eeced-8d0f I suggest you specifically ask your Broker, in the event you newly develop a chronic condition, will PC cover it indefinitely.

Pacific Cross (and other Thai based companies) will raise your rates based on claims history on top of age related increases. European based insurers are not allowed to fo this. So the premium difference you see in the charts is just a fraction of what may occur. In addition PC excludes cover for "chronic" conditions and this includes ones that newly develop after policy is in effect. So if for example you have a claim related to cardiovascular disease or cancer, not only will there be a substantial premium hike the next year (additional to age increases) but a new exclusion will be added for that condition going forward. Western based insurers are not allowed to do this; exclusions cannot be added after the fact unless it is discovered you witheld or misrepresented information at time of application. For anyone plannkng to grow old here, to me it is a no-brainer that need an internationally issued policy.

1. Install louvered windows (with mosquito netting) in the space between ceiling and roof -- front and back 2. Add ventilation grilles to ceiling 3. Retrofit tinfoil barrier sheets between roof tiles and frame ( be sure to leave a little space) 4. If possible put awning above glass doors and windows as in addition to the roof these also radiate heat I did the above for a stand alone little house and it made big difference You might also consider installing a 5 blade ceiling fan.

Is Wifi calling enabled? (go to Settings--> connections)

Urologist will check prostate size and dhspe (rectal exam) , get urine tested for infection and do a PSA. Urodynamic tests are unlikely to be needed in your case.

I get full credit advice sent automatically. Set it up with head office by phone.

You can arrange to routinely receive these by email with each transfer. No callkng needed once it is set up.

No problem to take when you awaken as long as you still have another 4 hours or so to sleep. 5mg and 5 affan vs 10 in middle of the night, try both and see what works best. I'd start with 5 +5.

Yes triglyceride is normal. LDL is borderline high and HDL would optimally be higher. A fish oil supplement plus a few dietary tweaks and weight loss should do the trick. Re diet, oatmeal helps lower LDL and provides important fiber. Speaking of fiber don't overlook colonoscopy every 10 years. Important but not included in most check up packages.

There have been some reports of it on this board but I do not recall which offices it was. An advanrage to getting a non-O in home country is that if makes it easier to open a bank acvount. Seems OP's only reason for wanting to come VE was he thought getting a visa still required in perdon trip to Embassy.

By law it can be done but some Imm offices refuse. I have no idea re Nan. Visa application from US is now done entirely online. No need to visit Embassy. https://www.thaievisa.go.th/

Chlordmphenical is an antibiotic. I believe OP is not askng about an eye infection but rather about bloodshot eyes.

For scan without contrast this would be fine but chest and abdominal CTs usually involve contrast media. A small number of people have adverse reactions to the dye, which can be life threatening if it occurs outside of a hospital setting. So I cannot recommend doing this at a stand alone imaging center. If you have a written doctor's order for these scans take it to Chulabhorn Hospital, a government hospital under royal patronage with fairly extensive imaging equipment. https://www.chulabhornhospital.com/HOME

No, HDL should be over 40, preferrably 60 or above. That is the "good" cholesterol and has a protective effect. You should try to get it up a bit -- fish oil supplements work well. What were your triglycerides?

Good plan. Quite possible thst all you have -- if that -- are small asymptomatic gallstone(s)

People gave bern replying to this post as if the issue was insomnia but as I read the OP not the case, rather a disorder like sleep apnea. OP I recommend you do as Dr back home originally recommended and have a sleep study done.

Bickering posts have been removed.

I share your wife's concern. After you get the ultrasound get picturss and report both from this year and last time and bring to another doctor in a different hospital for evaluation. Small asymptomatic gallstones are a common incidental finding on ultrasound and usually go not require treatment. No public authority advises abdominal ultrasound as part of routine check ups...precisely because they often detect a lot of benign things that lead to expenlsive and unnecessary tests. The other thing you have to watch out for on higher end check up packages in Thai hospitals are so called blood tests for cancer (tumor markers). Except for PSA these are not suitable for screening purposes with many false positive and false negative results.

Pillow and exercises. Massage can help IF it is done right by someone with formal training....which can be hard to ensure here. Done wrong can mxmake matters worse or even cause permanent harm.

In addition to being less expensive in the US, there have been many more years experience with it in US than in Thailand where it was only recently introduced. And there are a wider range of other procedure options as well. As you are currently in US no question in my mind that you should get treated there before returning to Thailand. Re costs in Thailand remember that does not include managemengnof any complications. Worst case you could end up with a much, much higher bill.