Sheryl

Yes, definitely Dr. Anna https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=7&depid=2

Health cover in travel policies is usually limited to emergencies/urgent care that cannot wait. Always is for pre-existing conditions and also often for other conditions as well. For pre-existing as mentioned some policies will cover an "acute exacerbation" provided you were stable prior to taking the trip. Sometimes necessary to purchase a specific exclusion waiver hor this purpose. In the case of AF, you would for examplf be covered for hospitalization necesitated by a sudden increase in heart rate (assuming heart rate was normal in hhe months prior to the trip) and for stroke, pulmonary embolism etc. .

Therd is considerably more involved in compulsive eating and obesity than just willpower. It seems to those for whom willpower aone works like that is a all that is needed, and for them it is the case. But it is not so for many. Anxiety and depression orders, variations and disturbances in brain chemistry, hormonal imbalances are but a few of the factors often at play. Depression and stress also often play a big role in lack of exercise. As often does employment; it is not easy for someone working long hours at a sedentary job to get enough exercise. People are wired differently. Some people experience a pleasurable endorphin rush with exercise but some do not; for those who do, it is much easier to take up and maintain a regular program than it is for others. I am in the latter camp; I never feel good from exercise. I force myself to maintain a (modest) fitness regime and I like the result but the process is always unpleasant and I really have to force myself. Conversely some people get literally addicted to things like jogging and may even do it to excess becxuse it feels so good to them.

Any medication for diabetes is of great interest to the pharmaceutical industry. By definition, the pharmaceutical industry develops pharmaceuticals. Not exercise programs or diets. It is what it does. Just lke the dairy industry develops dairy products not fruits. There are other agencies and sectors that research effects of exercise, diet, heredity etc. And professional associations and public health agencies which develop and issue treatment and prevention guidelines. With respect to type 2 diabetes these consistently stress diet and exercise as first line of both prevention and management.

https://www.travelinsurance.com is a clearing house that will provide list of policies based on your details. You will have to read each one to find out if they cover pre-existing (may have to purchase a specific waiver for it)

Some travel insurance will indeed cover "acute exacerbations" of pre-existing conditions. Remember that travel policies cover only emergency care, so this will not help those seeking long term health cover, but can work well for those who already have health cover in their country of residence and just need protection in case of emergency while traveling. What is your country of nationality and do you have health cover there? (Insurer may want to know and may affect your insurance options). And how old are you?

First of all, the treatment your mother received was not "outrageous". The symptoms she had often arise from serious cardiac or pulmonary problems and it was essential to rule these out. As it happens she apparently did not have a heart or lung problem, but she very well could have based on her symptoms. Judging from the partial relief obtained from anti-inflammatories she might have costochondritis (inflammation of where ribs meet the breastbone). That is largely a diagnosis of exclusion. Absolutely any doctor, anywhere, would tell you that a patient presenting with chest pain and trouble breathing needs a thorough cardiopulmonary work up as the very first step. That these sometimes yield negative results does not mean they were unnecessary. As for selecting doctors, many hospitals list doctor CVs on their website. Or you can always come on this forum and ask for recommendations. Things to look for are: training (long term, like a residency or fellowship, not just a short course) in a western country; board certification; faculty appointment at a medical school. It is true that this pre-supposes knowing what type of specialist is needed. Medical care in Thailand is quite specialized and there is not much in the way of real GPs here. One exception is an American doctor at Mission Hospital: https://www.mission-hospital.org/en/our-doctors/40-medical-services/internal-medicine-clinic/959-dr-nick-walters.html You might consider using him as you family's main doctor since you find it hard to navigate specialized care. You will still need to do some research/seek recommendations when a specialized need arises (Mission is a comparatively small hospital and best specialists are often elsewhere) but at least you'll already know what type of specialist is needed and have already had an initial work up and tests.

More to the point, she was already symptomatic, and received treatment, prior to taking out the insurance.

Jogging is fine if not done to excess (true of many things) It is excessive jogging that had been linked to some cardiac problems. Or jogging by people wiht known cardiac issues. Anyone who has a cardioloigist (and thus by definition a cardiovascular problem) is unlikely to be told to jog, more likely told to do brisk walking. And, since jogging is rather hard on the joints knee and hip), better to substitute brisk walking at older ages or if there is any arthritis.

Mesh is commonly used in adults, and sometimes in older children/teenagers. It is not used in young children.

It is possible to get an age chart showing premiums for all age groups. Just gave to ask for it. Of course what you see in a chart now will have increased some due to inflation (for all age groups) by the time you reach the later ages but the magnitude if increase between age brackets will be about the same.

Calculating age premiums based on expected claims for each age in the customer base is exactly what all insurers do. It does, however, lead to a big increase between 60 - 64/ 65-69, 70-74/75-79 etc because claims (both frequency and cost) go up significantly as people are older. There is no getting around this. The very big mistake people seem to make is to look at their need for health care (and hence utilization of insurance) until now and assume it predicts what will be the case going forward, despite the fact that they are aging.

Thank you for this. So it seems OP and others actually had Cigna Thailand, not Cigna Global. Many do indeed get confused on this point. One correction to the above, however: Pre-authorization is needed for hospitalization for the itnernational policy. This is pretty standard in all policies -- and a Thai hospital would in any case insist ion a Guarantee of Payment from the insurer before they'd admit you anyway (either that or a depositc payment by you up front -- not recommended). @Swiss1960 you should call Cigna in the UK, explain you had a policy with Cigna Thailand which is closing down and ask if it is possible to somehow roll over to an international plan. Phone number +44 (0)1475 788182

OP's issue is that he will be out of country at the time he would need to do this.

If you return on a non-O visa then correct. But if you return visa exempt or on a tourist visa then an extra step is involved to first convert to an O visa.

The risk is small but I would not call it negligible. General anesthesia (which will be required) is never to be taken lightly with a small child. Maesot will surely have a larger/better ICU than Umphang if Umphang even has one at all. If they do not have a separate pediatric ICU then they will either combine adults and children together or refer critically ill children to the regional hospital. It is true that you cannot choose where you are sent through the public channel but you can sometimes influence it by asking the right questions/expressing concerns. Ask specifically about the availability of pediatric ICU care in case of complications (and do not accept a "mai pen rai" sort of reply -- keep pushing). I would not even consider doing this at a community hospital like Umphang. As a general rule, anytime you are given a choice like this, choose the highest level facility. .

1. You are confusing neonatal diabetes with genetically caused diabetes. Many genetic problems do not cause disease immediately; "genetic" is not synonymous with "neonatal". Type 1 diabetes is genetic in cause but does not usually first manifest until later in childhood or adolescence. 2. Type 2 diabetes as previously mentioned can be due to acquired factors or genetics or a mixture of both. It is entirely possible for thin physically active people to develop type 2 diabetes and far from rare. It also becomes more common with age.

That there is no improvement with omepraxole casts some doubt as to whether problem is GERD at all. May be something else, or you may have a hiatal hernia. You need to se a good GI specialist. And as others mentioned: - do not lie down for 2-3 hours after eating - elevate the head of your bed - eat small amounts at a time (avoid overfilling stomach). Multiple small meals are better than 3 large ones. And: - avoid or minimize caffeine (coffee, te and chocolate) - if you smoke, stop. Should also invedtigate whether any other medication you are taking might be responsible. Some medications have this side effect.

All hospitals have some bad or mediocre doctors and virtually all large hospitals have some good ones. Choose the doctor, not the hospital. There is no hospital you can choose that ensures good care. You can and will have very different experiencese-- and receive different treatment -- at the same hospital for the same condition depending on which doctor you see. Never let the hospital clerical staff -- or even the nurses -- select a doctor for you. More often than not you will be sent to whomever is least busy, and that is not a good sign. Sometimes you will even be sent to the wrong specialist type altogether. There is no getting around the need to do some research and pre-select the doctor. Often the same doctor will have hours at more than one hospital.

Your spinal stenosis would definitely be considered a pre-existing condition and likely lead to exclusion of all spinal problems. Spinal Stenosis is a chronic condition. It dos not go away (though some treatments may reduce or eliminate associated pain) and tends to worsen with age. It helps to understand the insurer's concern. Premiums are calculated assuming the insured is at no more than average risk for any type of claim. Any underlying or past condition that puts you at more than average risk of a particular problem undermines that calculation. People often mistakenly assume that because a problem was cured, or is not now requiring treatment, it does not matter for insurance purposes. Sometimes this is true (e.g. a broken bone years ago due to an accident that has fully healed) but in many cases if does alter the odds of future problems. For example, having had a kidney stone once that was removed or passed, still significantly increases the risk of future stones. If an insurer deems that a prior or pre-existing problem affects your risk of a claim in future they may: - still insure you but with a specific exclusion - offer to insure you at a higher than average premium - give you a choice of either the above two things - decline to insure you. This tends to occur when the pre-existing problem is one that increases risk for multiple diseases/potentially affects multiple body organs. Insurers do differ in how they treat/view the same medical history. Thai insurers tend to be the most restrictive/least nuanced, in part because their reviews seem to be done by non-medically trained people. The better international insurers have medical panels who review applications, often asking for additional detailed records of pre-existing or prior illnesses before making a decision.

Diabetes is Type 1 diabetes is completely genetic. Type 2 diabetes is influenced by both genetics and lifestyle factors (exercise, diet) and obesity. The odds of developing Type2 are much greater if one is overweight and sedentary. But it is perfectly possible for someone trim and fit with a healthy diet to develop it if there is a strong genetic predisposition, and such cases are not rare.

To be completely safe in the (rare) event of complication you should have this done at a hospital with a pediatric ICU. The smaller hospital will not. I'm not sure Mae Sot will either but you can ask. If not, the regional hospital in Nakon Sawang will.

He quite probably used an allergly card as the easiest way for you to ensure you did not receive the same drug combination in future -- they don't have cards for "non allergic adverse reactions". Either that (most likely) or you had more reaction than just the vomiting, perhaps before you awoke. Vomiting itself is not an allergic reaction just a fairly common side effect. Actual allergic reactions to these drugs are extremely rare.

He did not have GA. He had IV sedation for both procedures. Use of the term General Anesthesia is misnomer here. But a common one.

I was reffering to selfie attemots while actually sitting atop a balcony railing, which is clearly reckless. It does also sometimes happen that a person leans much too far back against a fairly low (relative to their height) balcony rail. Or puts too much weight against a railing not strong or secured enough to hold it. While these things could happen sober they are far more likely inebriated. And then there are the balcony "falls" that are not falls at all. Druggdd person who thinks they can fly. Ill-advised attempt to dive into a pool below. Suicide attempt etc.