Sheryl

Are you doing regular stretches? As you get older, stretching becomes very important. A good stretching regimen along with brisk walking or swimming may be better at your age than bench presses and the like. If after doing regular stretches this persists and if the pain is in more than one joint, might be wise to see a rheumatologist.

Infection (cholecyctitis) can occur without bile duct blockage. Bile duct blockage is a critical emergency and can lead to pancreatitis, sepsis, even death. The stone does not always clear itself. Decision to remove gall bladder takes into account symptoms and also stone size and number. It is recommended after a bout (singular) of acute cholecystitis unless the patient has unusual risk factors for surgery. Not least because repeat episodes of cholecystitis are a risk factor for cancer of the gall bladder.

With the advent of ultrasounds (and especially in Thailand where private hospitals include them as part of check up packages -- something no public health authority recommends) small asymptomatic gall stones are often found. Most authorities agree that these can be managing expectantly (wait & see if they cause a problem) or with conservative measures (e.g oral medications.) These abdominal ultrasounds also turn up a of of harmless cysts on liver and kidney.

Your body still produces bile just as it did before. What has changed is that you no longer have a reserve stash of it on hand to quickly cope with a large amount of fat at once.

The tamsulosin is to aid in passing the stones. Although not having trouble peeing now you might if/as the stones pass...as well as considerable discomfort. The tamsulosin helps avoid or reduce that. The retrograde ejaculation is temporary and will stop when you go off the drug. Apparently the stones are small enough that they think you may be able to pass them without need for other intervention. Did they instruct you to strain your urine? (To see if stones/stone fragments have passed.)? With kidney stones it is useful to know what they are made of as there are several kinds and specific dietary advise for each to help avoid them in future (that plus of course drinking plenty of water).

A post with link to an unreliable and commercial site has been removed.

Yes the surgery for this is complete removal of the gall bladder. You can live fine without a gall bladder except might find ingestion of very fatty foods doesn't sit well afterwards. Shouldn't eat those anyhow. Bile is made by the liver and stored in the gall bladder , and bile is necessary to digestion of fats. You will still have bile coming ftom your liver but no longer a reserve sac of it. So you will still be able to digest fats but may not be able to handle a large intake of them all at once. Not outpatient. The surgery is usually done under general anesthesia. If laporoscopic you may be able to go home the very next day. If open approach may need 2-3 nights depending on how much incisional pain as in Thailand they usually don't like to discharge people with narcotic pain killers.

A gallstone above a certain size or one that is causing severe symptoms needs surgery. You fit into at least one of these catrgories. There are medications that can be tried and sometimes work in dissolving stones but it takes a very long time (up to 2 years) so not appropriate with very large stones or stones that are symptomatic. Failing to promptly treat those is quite dangerous. Can lead to pancreatitis and/or sepsis. Which can be fatal. Small asymptomatic stones are another matter but that is not your situation. There is nothing on earth that can get rid of a gallstone in just a few days. And no NHS site that says this. What you describe is a so-called "gallbladder cleanse" or "liver flush" for which no evidence exists and which is definitely not endorsed by NHS or any other public health agency. Actually what happens is that this "cleanse" is usually taken by healthy people in pricey "detox" programs. It results in loose stools containing fat globules which they are then told were gallstones. Complete smoke and mirrors. A government hospital would not recommend surgery if it were not necessary. Private hospitals sometimes do (e.g. for small asymptomatic stones) but not government hospitals. An endoscopic ("keyhole") surgery is easier on the patient, smaller incision and quicker recovery. But more technically difficult to perform, needs special training and equipment so costs more. At a government hospital maybe 20k additional.

Extremely unlikley. This is just a form of curcumin which is active ingredient in tumeric. There are many Thai traiditonal medicine products containing this, you can even get at 7-11. No reason to get an expensive imported version if you want to try turmeric.

No, I don't know where. It will not be easy to find: there is only one brand here, an expensive import, and it is not widely used. Your best bet is either a large pharmacy near a major hospital (could for example try those near Victory Monument opposite Ratchawithi hospital) or as previously suggested several times, the TRC Clinic. If there are strains of MGEN in Thailand that are sensitive to it but not to Moxifloxacin, they will probably carry it. Note that antibotic sensitivities do vary by location, what you read on the web may not necessarily reflect the situuation in Thailand. Nothing I have read suggests that Sitafloxacin is in any way "easier on the body'. It carries the same side effect profile as other quinolones (actually higher for some minor things like photophobia).

Giving birth in the US does not secure citizenship for the parents. Only the child. Quite possible, even common, for parents of children who are US citizens on basis of birth to be deported. So while it might confer a benefit to the child once grown, it does nothing for the immigration status of the family, which is one reason why there is not a big problem of people coming to the US specifically to give birth.

"proven false" is incorrect. It is rarely possible to prove a negative. It was found to be unsubstantiated. I.e. nothing except her statement years later to back it up and several things that cast doubt on it (i.e. a complaint of sexual harrassment she filed at the time which made no mention at all of an assault or any physical contact, and proof of gaving lied under oath on znother matter). But unsubstantiated is not same as disproven. No possible need to "flee" to Russia of course. That is a PR stunt on part of Putin and possibly US based political interests.

Nothing is wrong with changing the Constitution but it is a complex and lengthy process requiring huge majorities at multiple levels. True in most if not all countries. And it is not subject to Executive Order. President has no role at all. And of all the changes that might be made to the US Constitution, the birthright citizenship provision is pretty low down in priority.

He also has almost no knowledge of the Constitution. And no interest in acquiring it. Lacks even the most basic understanding of the role of the Executive Branch. He does not hesitate to make promises for things he then does not even attempt to do, in the case of promises aimed at his "Maga" base. Conversely he is quite careful to deliver on promises made to the other 2 population segments that, together with the (for lack of a better word) "Maga" folks, are what he needs to be elected: the extreme social conservatives/Evanglicals and the extreme fiscal right 1%-ers. This is because support from those 2 blocs is conditional. Quid pro quo, not based on being in any way enamored of (or deluded by) the Trump persona. But the Maga crowd support is emotion-based and focused on what they perceive to be his persona which they emotionally identify with, and his emotional appeals to their resentments. Doesn't matter what he actually does or that nothing about their circumstances actually improves. (Can't possibly improve since these people are not wealthy, and he is completely beholden to the wealthy). His famous statement about being able to stand on Fifth avenue shooting people and still getting elected, was true but only for the "Maga" group. While he is indeed totally ignorant of the Constitution and many other things, he has shrewd political instincts and fully understand the above dynamic.

Even for this Supreme Court, this would be too egregious. It is not a matter of interpretation as many other issues are (e.g. abortion, guns). This is crystal clear. BTW I do agree that in this day and age of air travel it does not make much sense to give automatic citizenship based on birth without any other criteria e.g. at least a minimum period of physical residency by the mother before delivery. The Constitution dates back to an earlier time. But it is not a huge problem and hardly worth the complex process of Constitutional Amendment.

It is not a law. It is a constitutional provision. See above.

This would require a Constitutional Amendment. First sentence of the 14th Amendment is: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside." Requires a 2/3 majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate followed by a separate ratification by 3/4 of the States. President has no role in this process. Never comes to him for signature and certainly cannot be done through an Executive Order. So empty talk on his part.

They are pills. Not at most pharmacies. Will be difficult to find. This is a quinolone just like Moxifloxacin. Same black box warning. Moxifloxacin will be easier to find. Please note as others said that should not take this alone. Need a course of doxycycline immediately before it even though you have taken doxy before. If you have not had a PCR to confirm diagnosis it is possible this is not MGen. Again I urge you go to the TRC Anonymous Clinic. They are the best informed about current local patterns of drug resistance .

If you already have significant blockage in a major left coronary artery you may well be dead before any preventive measures could kick in. Aggressive treatment of risk factors can prevent additional or worsened blockages. It takes a very extreme reduction in lipids (which few can achieve and even for them takes time) to actually shrink existing plaque. No responsible doctor would advise relying on this alone if there is already severe blockage in a major left coronary artery. The only way to know the extent of the blockage and its location for sure is to have the angiogram. The KKU Heart Hospital I and others have recommended is a government facility. They will not insert a stent unless clearly needed.

Colonoscopy will have no effect on the hernia repair at all. Any other questions on colonoscopy please open a separate thread. It is common to get slight aches from time to time at the site of any old injury or surgery and does not mean there is anything "tenuous" about the repair.

Pattaya City cannot do this. Bangkok Pattaya would have cost much more.

It is a government hospital. They rarely have webdites in English. You pretty well have to go in person to make appointment. Though could try having a Thai speaker call.

Prices are reasonable for a private hospital but it would be significantly less at a government hospital. Aldo need to consider the experience and expertise of the doctor. Both on cost and quality grounds I recommend you go to the Khon Kaen University Heart Hospital https://heart.kku.ac.th/ A long drive but well worth it. Will cost much less than in Bangkok Good idea to relocate to less remote place. Rayong is not great for medical care (no place on the coast is except Songkhla) but is certainly better than where you are now. And not too bad for travel into Bangkok. Best places for medical care are Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Khon Kaen, Songkhla. But air pollution a big minus for CM and Bkk.

A hernia occurs because of a weak spot in the abdominal wall. This spot is directly visualized during surgery. They do not operate on the "bump" ( which is actually a segment of intestine). They eliminate the space that the intestine is slipping through.

Doesn't sound like the talking does much good though. I also live out in the boondocks. Travel 150 km each way when I need to see a doctor for other than really simple things like an animal bite. I don't like doing it and it gretaly aggravates my spinal problems, but I do it. Seeing a doctor who misdiagnoses or fails to diagnosis is not any better than not seeing one at all.