Sheryl

Market food prices have greatly increased. Both for fresh food and for the prepared food in little baggies. Of course they remain comparatively low by we4stern standards, but they are significantly higher than before. Pre-Covid, most plastic baggies of prepared foods in my local market were 20 baht. Now 30 or 35. Egg prices are now the highest on record, though sellers have offset this by often selling only smaller sized eggs https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/general/2589810/egg-prices-at-new-high It doesn't affect my personal budget noticeably either, because local foods comprise such a small proportion of my costs. But if you talk to Thais and migrant workers living on much lower incomes, they feel it a lot. As in the US, inflation in Thailand peaked in 2022 (was over 6% for that year). From Dec 2023 - March 2024 there was some small drop in prices then inflation resumed at levels that are now averaging around 1% a month. The small drop occurring during those 4 months did nto remotely bring prices back to pre-2022 levels https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/inflation-cpi (click on either 3 yr or 5 yr on that link to see clearly)

Putting aside the about 1/3 of the electorate who will always vote for Trump when he's running, what swung this election was the (rightly or wrongly) massive unpopularity of the Biden administration, something that has been evident in repeated opinion polls ever since the administration first took office. Harris was viewed as part of the administration/an incumbant. No way she could have been seen otherwise given that she was the serving VP. Had Biden run, would have had this effect exacerbated by the further issue of his mental/physical fitness. Delusional to think otherwise. Even if there had been open primaries leading to a different candidate, one not part of the Biden administration, it would still have been very difficult for the incumbent party to win. I can't off hand think of a case where an administration's approval ratings were this low yet their party retained the White House. The take-home here: nothing to do with the campaign but rather with the extreme importance of heeding approval ratings from day 1. You can't the next election campaign starts is way too late.

AFAIK the inflation has not been unique to the US, but rather has occurred pretty much everywhere. Certainly has in UK. And in Thailand. So looking for US specific causes may be a mistake. As near as I can tell, prices soared during and immediately after COVID due to supply chain problems/bottlenecks followed by a spike in fuel prices initially after start of the war in Ukraine. However after these factors resolved, prices either failed to come down, or came down only slightly. Presumably because key actors felt that why charge less once people were already paying more. incidentally inflation rates in US have slowed considerably. https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_inflation_rate. Peak inflation was in 2022 - due to exactly the factors mentioned above, and happening worldwide. But a slowing of inflation rates, even to below normal average rates, is not the same thing as prices dropping back to what they once were. It just means they stop going further up rapidly.

Not legally unless you have a prescription. In which case limited to 30 day supply. Have you tried Sominar (available in Thailand over the counter, and non-addictive)

It is not a simple matter of accepting/rejecting the Bible. There is an intelligent conversaton to be had as to what the original Gospels probably actually said and what it means. The original versions/source materials are not available today so translation is very much an issue. There is an ancient Hebrew term meaning "young woman" that may have been erroneously translated as "virgin". It is noteworthy that several places in the synoptic gospels it states Jesus had direct descent ftom the house of David. This was a patrilineal society so would need to have come via his father. Joseph had descent ftom David. In short it is possible that the notion of a virgin birth was not a part of early Christianity but came in later, perhaps fueled both by mistranslations and by the evolution of Mary into a figure of worship -- itself a later occurrence -- in a cultural context which might have perceived a need for a woman to be a virgin in order to be sanctified.

Definitely warrants further investigation, but a multiparametric MRI would be the preferred next step, before proceeding to biopsy. Also if not done already, a fractional PSA (fPSA) is helpful (but not definitive) in differentiating elevations due to BPH (benign enlargement) and cancer. I have also sent you a PM

yes

An enlarged prostate is quite common in men starting from age 50 and usually benign. In a younger man, more of a danger sign but even then can be due to inflammation (prostatitis) rather than cancer. OP how old are you? Although there will be at least 1 urologist at Chonburi hospital, you may get a more senior one if you go through Burapha after hours clinic.

Might I ask what exactly you need a cardiologist for? If it is only for medication refills, most cardiovascular meds can be bought over the counter at a pharmacy here. If it is to evaluate a problem that you think is heart related, might do better with an internist in case the cause is something else.

Moved to Wellness subforum

Posts discussing illegal substances removed.

Cough with fever, you need to see a doctor. More than allergic post-nasal drip is involved. Brown Mixture is an effective cough suppressant, but it is not always a good idea to suppress a cough, and in any case, with fever, there is likely an infection of some sort that needs to be diagnosed and treated.

Eating anything with a lot of sugar will result in first a spike and then a precipitous drop in blood sugar leading to hunger. Do not eat such things close to bedtime. Best to eat something high in protein and with some fat, but not sugar, before sleep. That will maintain your blood sugar during the night.

Biopsy is NOT usually indicated based on PSA alone. I don't think you were well advised. What exactly was your PSA? And did doctor perform a digital rectal exam? A parametric MRI might preclude the need for biopsy. But Banglamung is nto the place for this. Nor the place to have any sort of biopsy, even if they offer to do it. It is a fine hospital for many things but not something this specialized, you need an experienced senior doctor. Strongly urge you to consult senior urologist at Burapha.

Please edit this to show source. Or - if it is AI, so indicate and I will delete it. AI is worse than useless when it comes to medical information for Thailand (not much use anywhere else, either). AFAIK there is no registered brand of this drug in Thailand, so only if a hospital went to the trouble of importing it themselves, might it be available.

Tramadol does not even require a script, it is sold over the counter in Thailand. Buprenorphine however is controlled, hospital only and as I explained, nto at all sure hospitals will have it since no registered brand available in Thailand as far as I can tell. So you risk not being able to get buprenorphine here.

You won't find a stand alone clinic for sleep disorders. Are you really looking for a sleep disorder specialist or just someone to write a script? There is a big difference. Any doctor (if willing) can do the latter. An internal medicine doctor would be who'd you see for that. As others have pointed put, there are medications that can be bought over the counter that do aid sleep. The medications that need to come from a hospital are the benzos etc, and in any event not wise to take regularly - tolerance will develop and there is addiction potential. In terms of (private) hospitals, Pattaya Memorial is the least expensive, followed by PIH. Government hospitals are less than either of those but doctors there may be less accommodating when it comes to this. https://www.pattayamemorial.com/ https://www.pattayainterhospital.net/medical.php?Page=2 If you want an actual sleep medicine specialist, best alternative to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital would probably be either https://www.phyathai-sriracha.com/?lang=en or https://shop.samitivejsriracha.com

"Random" prostate biopsies are now pretty much a thing of the past, you may have trouble finding anyone willing to do it, involves more excision sites so more bleeding risk, and less accurate. And there is still chance of missing a cancer even if one is present. The standard these days is what is called an "MRI fusion" biopsy where both MRI and rectal ultrasound are used to pinpoint where to biopsy. This is done under general anesthesia and involves at least 1 night stay in hospital (may be more if you have trouble urinating immediately afterwards). Currently some private hospitals in Bangkok are offering package of 120,000 baht, does not include the pre-op checks and consultation, and assumes just 1 night in hospital. I would guess cost at government hospital to be about 1/2 to 1/3 that. At a bare minimum (and less desirable/accurate) a biopsy needs to be done with ultrasound guidance. Performing a multi-parametric MRI beforehand, if you have nto already had one, can often eliminate the need for biopsy. Of course, if it indicates biopsy is necessary, then cost will have been more, so a bit of a gamble but can be worth it if it prevents unnecessary biopsy, as it often does. I do not think any government hospitals in Pattaya itself have the capacity to do this. There is some chance - but no guarantee- that this could be done at the Burapha University Hospital in Bang Saen . They do have urologists, as shown in this schedule (open in chrome for English translation) https://buh.buu.ac.th/doctors/schedule.php?dm_id=26 In addition, the larger university affiliated government hospitals in Bangkok (Siriraj, Chulalongkorn, Ramathibodhi) can do this. You would start by consulting a urologist at one of these places. Siriraj levies a 20% surcharge on foreign patients, and is less conveniently located, so you might prefer one of the latter two. You can consult a senior urologist through the "after hours" clinic at Chula https://spcweb.kcmh.or.th/users/users/searchDoctor Also possible to go through the public channel for the initial consultation but will take much longer (as in, multiple visits) , involve queuing at the break of dawn, and your interactions will be with doctors in training. May also be long wait lists. Consulting via the "Special clinic" does not preclude performing a procedure through the public channel. Ramthibodhi (which excels in urology) also as an after hours clinic called the Premium Clinic but it seems not to have a urology section. Could call and ask, though. https://www.rama.mahidol.ac.th/qsmc/th/service/premium_clinic-th

Actually, although the drug as a generic is approved for use in Thailand, there does not seem to be any registered brand of it here as far as I can tyell. If it is available, would have to come from a hospital pharmacy based on prescription by a doctor at that hospital. Best to see a pain specialist for that. Doubt you will get much from emailing Bumrungrad, emails are usually not read or answered by medically trained people. It is a schedule 2 narcotic, so if bringing it in with you, you need first a permit from the MOPH FDA (not as hard to get as it sounds, but need to do in advance) https://permitfortraveler.fda.moph.go.th/nct_permit_main/Upload/Guidance for Travelers who travel into Thailand_21092024.pdf The good news is that, as per the attached which was issued September 2024, you can bring 90 day supply with you once you have the permit.

If you got it at a pharmacy or street vendor (which is illegal), may have been fake. Can't see why it would have been prescribed after a biopsy, or for an infection????

It is. Illegal for a pharmacy to sell it. It is also addictive.

No, I was saying -- contrary to several posts ptior to mine -- that it cannot be adequately learned by just watching a video. A CPR course will include hands on (mannewuin) practice.

In an 82 year old it would be rare to need an MRI or arthroscopy. In that age group osteoarthritis is the usual culprit and physical exam plus Xray usually suffice to show the extent.

Very best knee specialist is https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/panya-wongpatimachai

HA injections work differently than steroids and usually last at least 6 months, longer in some people. Not everyone is a good candidate, important to consult a good orthopedic specialist. There is a recent thread in this forum on this. https://aseannow.com/topic/1346428-hyaluronic-acid-knee-injection-where-in-bangkok-please/