Sheryl

Yes, of course. The issue with skin cancer is that it is so rare in Thais. But of course it varies with the individual doctor. You can't choose your pathologist but you can choose your surgeon and the really good doctors take care what pathologists and (anesthetists) they use.

There is no low dose preparation available here. The only form of naltrexone here is Revia which is 50 mg. And it is nto available over the counter.

Medicare Advantage plans think it is, and require that you live at least 6 months of the year not only in the US but in their specific coverage area...which is why I do nto have it. For SS benefits and basic medicare, I agree, not important.

Don't forget the wellness benefits as no copay for those. That is what I use it for. Annual wellness visit with labs mammogram, bone density, colonoscopy (the last 2 not every year) etc. Which also means I am a known patient to a US GP should that ever be important (for example, if get thyroid cancer, as my health insurance has a thyroid exclusion...or simply need a prescription while in the US).

Path mistakes regarding skin lesions - in both directions - are very common here. The Thai pathologists in most cases simply do not have enough experience with skin cancers.

There is no such thing as a "minor" melanoma. Only melanomas stages 1 -4. And even stage 1 is nothing to take any chances with, as it can advance to stages 2-4 and these are very serious/life threatening. If what you have on your cheek is an actual melanoma, it needs to be excised urgently. Freezing and laser are never advised as it is essential to be able to do a full path exam on what is removed to ensure clear margins. It is sometimes necessary to biopsy nearby lymph nodes. Solarze (diclofenac) is used to treat actinic keraotses. It is never used to treat melanoma.

Hardly. Quite a few expats live with spouses or girlfriends in home owned by the latter. For 90 report there just needs to have been a TM30 filed. No need to keep proving residence after that if still at same place . Wife, GF, or in OP's case daughter, can file the TM30 as "house master". Online or in person. Hotels/guest houses acn also file TM30 for those who stay in them.

I suspect usage of Thai addresses went up a lot after SSA started IDD to Thai banks

You can just make an appointment with any doctor/clinic/hospital that accepts Medicare. Many will list this on their website. If in doubt call the office and ask. Medicare without a Medicare Advantage or Medigap plan is called :original Medicare." Make sure you have at minimum both parts A and B. And note there are deductibles and copays such that costs can be significant. And drug costs off the wall. If you anticipate getting a lot of curative care in US than Part D (drug cover) is highly adviosable. Bring Medicare card with you and show it when you check in. Be prepared for billing/office staff to constantly ask for your "supplemental" as it is rare in US for people to have only original Medicare. (If you actually spend 6 months or more a year in US then you should get a supplemental, but most of us do not).

I have yet to hear of a uro or gyn here who takes the condition seriously. And general PTs are also liley to be of no help. DIY is in fact OP's best option. And obviously cheaper.

Once near end stage - the point where you can't take pain meds by mouth,a government hospital will admit you but if in the public wards nursing care is poor and rushed and may have long waits for pain meds. Private rooms are often available at higher cost but not always, and you usually need to have an attendant with you at all times in those. I don't know of any government hospital using patient controlled analgesia or continuous drips, it is still the old fashioned call a nurse every few hours which usually means suffering breakthrough pain first. There are a few private hospitals which do have PCA machines. There are people who have managed to get decent palliation here, they did so by (1) being under the primary care of a palliative care specialist (2) having a spouse or other care taker who was well informed and assertive, and willing/able to provide or arrange round the clock care (3) staying at home until the end or near end and (4) usually, using private hospitals as with few exceptions that is where you will find palliative specialists and the only place you can get PCA (and that, mainly in Bangkok). Palliative care is a real weak spot in Thai medicine, a fact widely acknowledged.

Even the doctors trained in Mohs here do not seem to do it. The hospitals aren't set up for it. It requires immediate turn around from pathologist and close coordination between path lab and the doctor. And would only be as reliable as the pathologist, Few pathologists in Thailand are really skilled in detecting skin cancers and errors abound. I believe Dr. Anna sends her samples elsewhere, might even be out of country.

They arrest and deport migrant workers all the tome. Also hassle and extort from them. While there are ways to be legal here as a migrant worker, they are expensive, time consuming and complex. Migrant workers contribute far more to the Thai economy than does tourism. The This economy is primarily dependent on exports and utterly dependent on chesp migrant labor. Tourism contributes only about 10%. The vountry fmdid not by the way deteriorate to a "penniless backwater" duting the pandemic. Tourist spots suffered and declined,/collapsed but these in no way represent the majority of the country.

I akready answered you by PM. You are looking at very, very, very expensive care . Millions of baht. These are imported drugs so wil cost more than in say Europe. There us import duty applied. And if/when it comes to it, quality of palliative care here is not good. Especially if you cannot pay top dollar for private care. You also pretty well have to be hospitalized once too weak to make frequent outpatient visits as no such thing here as getting a script for narcotics and filling them at a pharmacy. You have to come to a hospital and see a doctor for each and every refill. If using a government hospital you may be required to pee in a cup each time for testing to prove you really take (as opposed to sell) the meds Once at the point of not bring able to take -- or not getting enough relief from -- oral pain killers there is no option for morphine drip at home. Only in hospital. As I already told you by PM it makes no sense at all to come here for financial reasons (assuming you have affordable health care access in your home country). whatever you save in living costs will be more than outweighed by health care costs.

I suggest you go to one of these dermatologists for a second opinion: https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Niyom-Tantikun DR.PARICHART CHALIDAPONGSE at St Louis https://www.saintlouis.or.th/en/FindDoctor Or, for lowest cost but also longer waits and less English speaking, go to the government derm hospital https://www.iod.go.th/en/

Not where I live! Hit and miss at best. I fail to receive at least 25% of mail sent.

Won't help unless they allow people with foreign addresses to have online account.

Personally, not. He is selling domething so every reason to exaggerate or lie

I would add to this need to check thyroid panel. And if glucose and thyroud are OK I eollwould suggest a second opinion as you may have been misfugnosed. There are autoimmune conditions that can cause this and they will not respond to antibiotics or antifungals. Where in Thailand are you?

He originally did. What he needs (MRI guided biopsy of prostate possibly followed by cancer treatmwment,) is costly. His insurance co reviewed the requedt hor pre-approval and found he had failed to declare a (different) prostate condition at time of application and revoked his policy acvordingly, leaving him uninsured. There is a long thread on this.

These plans (some of them not all) will cover care abroad only in an emergency and they will surely look closely at travel dates at that point. If they find you have actually been living abroad not only will they deny that claim they will void your policy altogether.

Hardly relevant when the poll is anonymous. It has only been up a day, applies only to Americans, and traffic in this sub forum is not all that heavy.

And, most importantly, you must be resident in the coverage area of the plan (not just in the US but the specific state or group of states the plan covers) for at least 6 months of the year. If you are not and this gets discovered could disqualify you. But may account for the small numbers who prefer to use US address.

On the contrary poll results show majority of Americans use their Thai addresses. There may be different implications in doing this for Brits and Americans as, to my understanding, living abroad can affect a Brit's eligibility under the NHS. Which is surely a big inducement to not give a foreign address. Whereas Americans remain fully eligible for Medicare regardless of where they live. (Can't use Medicare to pay for care abroad, but can still use it on trips back home - as I do every year). I believe there are also implications for cost of living increases to old age pensions for Brits if living abroad? Again, not the case for US citizens, out social security is same regardless of where in the world we live. And we can now get direct deporit of our SS into a Thai bank.

I can get a very superficial clean at local dentist for 200 - 300 baht...emphasis on superficial. A little bit of scaling is about it. Or I can get a really through clean for about 1500 baht at dental hospital, using special machines etc. . Huge difference in quality and how my teeth feel afterwards. Also get meaningful assessment of condition of my gums and tailored advice. I opt for this one despite higher cost. In both cases just one visit. Never heard of a cleaning needing more than one visit.