Sheryl

Antibodies are not the only indication of immune response. Antibody levels can become undetectable yet cell-mediated immunity remain. In vitro tests of cell-mediated immune response are difficult to do which is why the preferred approach is controlled trials looking at actual disease incidence and severity.

No public compounding pharmacies here to my knowledge, but possibly (not sure) a hospital pharmacy could do this for you on doctor's order. Your best option is probably to have a friend back home get it from you from your home country physician and mail it to you by regular post (do not use a courier). Or you might be able to get in mail order from India as there are Indian made preparations. E.g. https://www.heethealthcare.co.in/crema-gel-diltiazem-topical-2-w-w-4131579.html (note I have no experience with that supplier.) If getting from India, also do not let them use a courier. If you do a google search for "online pharmacy India site:Aseannow.com" you may find some recommendations for online pharmacies in India which ship to Thailand. Quantities must be kept small to avoid customs issues., It is technically illegal to import pharmaceuticals through the mail but in practice small parcels usually get through if sent by regular mail and some suppliers are experienced in doing this. Otherwise consult a colo-rectal specialist at one of the larger internatioanl hospitals and see what they can do.

There are plenty of advantages to having this and if I qualified I would certainly apply. Unfortunately I do not (short of investing my entire life savings in Thailand which I am not about to do). Neither do the vast majority of people. And those who do, in most instances would have no reason to want to move to Thailand unless already here. with family ties or the like. Hence doomed to fail to attract any significant numbers. They have aimed way too high in terms of financials. People with say 35 - 50 k USD a year in retirement income would do plenty to boost the economy, still having reason to come here since their standard of living would be much higher, and are not so few in number. Retirees with 80k a year are far and few between...and can live quite comfortably in their home countries.

Wikipedia is nto a very good source for mnedical information. "Zoster vaccine efficacy wanes within the first 5 years after vaccination, and protection beyond 5 years is uncertain. Studies are ongoing to assess the duration of protection from one dose of zoster vaccine and the need, if any, for booster doses." https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingles/hcp/zostavax/hcp-vax-recs.html "wane" does not mean gone, it means starts to decrease I think you will see Shingrix available in the Eu in much less than 10 years. My guess would be in the next few (2-3) years as the stock situation is starting to improve and EU is a large market.

There is no data available on use of Zostavax boosters. And no reason I can see for choosing Sky Zoster over Zostavax. Both are attenuated live vaccines. I too want Shingrix but even though I go to the US annually I have had to wait (2 monthly dose schedule plus very expensive in US.)

Exactly what happened in this case.

As above. People seem to think that a drugs are automatically available unless the government has banned it or witheld approval. Quite the contrary. A manuacturer must take the initiative to apply for registration which is a time- consuming and costly process. Often they do not bother especially if the projected market is comparatively small. Zostavax is not ineffective or worthless. It is less effective, certainly, but does reduce risk of getting Shinghlles by about 50%. It also reduces severity if you do get it. I developed shingles about 3 years after getting Zostavax and compared to the usual course it was pretty mild. Uncomfortable but I only needed paracetemol to get through the day. Nothing like what unvaccinated people report. Getting Zostavax does not preclude later getting Shingrix when/if it becomes available. As for Sky Zoster vs Zostavax, pretty much same.

It is perfectly legal here. People vary greatly in their response to it and dose and brand also matter. I tke 10mg almost every night (Puritan Pride brand); works well and no drowsiness next day. On rare occasion I take another 5 mg in quick-dissolve form if I wake up middle of the night and have trouble going back to sleep. I find this is fine as long as I still have at least 3-4 hours more to sleep. But that is me. YMMV. No need to get from iherb you can order from Shoppee or Lazada.

Private hospitals do if often. Also refuse to return clothes and valuables or let pstient leave if bill not paid.

Thank you for the update, and congratulations on progress made. All hospitals will settle for an installment payment contract if convinced there is no possibility of getting paid in full otherwise. They do not like to do it that way, but they will if they have to. Lucky it was Camellian and not some place like Bumrungrad as costs there would have been at least double. You and his other friends/relatives might like to consider a "Go Fund me" page. Also, as by my count it is nearing 2 weeks now on a ventilator, you should start asking doctors about long term prognosis.

Patient if/when discharged. But they will not pursue it overseas.

There is a new Pfizer formulation specific to omicron but it is not yet available in Thailand.

Would usually cost the same as wghatever the initial consultation cost you. 1500-2000 inclusive of hospital surcharge would be average for visit at BPH with surgeon assuming no meds or labs

An inaporopriate/nonsensical post has been temoved. Evidentally OP has seen a doctor. Xray shows no trapped air. If the pain continues hopefully other investigations will find the cause

AFAIK it has been off the Thai market for a while now.

It is not accurate. And the referenced study did not show that. Please see my response.

@swissie You are not being told you are :"over vaccinated" and no, there is no such thing and no known adverse effects from receiving more than the recommended number of COVID vaccines. What you are being told -- accurately -- is that you have had more than the currently recommended number of vaccines and according to Ministry of Public Health guidelines are not eligible for an additional booster at this time. This is true and not just in Thailand. No country or public health authority currently recommends more than 4 vaccinations (2 primary and 2 booster) and these only for certain risk groups (including everyone over 65). However there is one confounding factor in Thailand which is that the Thai system recognizes some vaccinations which other countries do not. So depending on what type of vaccination you had, you might not be considered to have had 6 doses in some countries. It is not correct that protection is "near zero" after 6 months. You are confusing the presence of circulating antibodies with overall protection. Antibodies -- which do decrease fairly quickly after both COVID vaccination and COVID infection - are only one part of the immune system, called humeral immunity. The other part is what is called cell-mediated immunity and this is much longer lasting. Which is why vaccinated people continue to be protected against severe disease and death long after they no longer have circulating antibodies. Knowledge in this area is continuing to evolve, and there is also the aspect of there being (in some countries, not in Thailand yet) newer vaccines with specific effectiveness against Omicron strain. Best I can tell you is that if aged over 65 and at least 4 of the doses you received were either Astra-Zeneca or an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) there is no need for a booster until/unless you have access to the new bivalent vaccine.

The above is not an article. It is a letter to the editor from soemone who has no expertise in the field of immunology. It is also factually incorrect and misrepresents the article it is referring to. The Lancet study mentioned described how antibodies produced after COVID-19 vaccination decrease over time. It did not examine immunity to infectious diseases in general after COVID vaccination and neither it nor any other reputable scientific study found any indication that COVID-19 vaccines weaken the immune system.

The MRI report was likely not included in the form the hospital sent them. There is a specific form used for pre-authorization of hospitalizations and it is brief, and Thai hospital completion of same tend to be very briefer and incomplete. Single word answers and the like. It may well have said no more than enlarged prostate, rule out cancer. That would be quite typical here.

It is not necessary - nor is it at all advisable - to get a policy from a Thai company to be covered in Thailand. A number of international insurers offer expatriate policies. At age 49 you have your pick of quite a wide range of choice. You should ultimately get a policy through a broker, but to start off you can get quotes online for a number of companies e.g. AXA Global (not to be confused with AXA Thailand!) https://quote.axaglobalhealthcare.com/quote/info?camp=online-default Cigna Global (ditto- not same as Cigna Thailand) https://www.cignaglobal.com/quote/pages/quote/PersonalInformationLiteV4.html?new=true Allianz https://apps.allianzworldwidecare.com/#/1/getNewQuote April global (ditto - not same as April Thailand) https://fr.april-international.com/en/living-abroad/myhealth-international William Russell https://www.william-russell.com/expat-health-insurance-thailand/ ACS (limited to SE Asia but that might work fine for you) https://www.acs-ami.com/en/expat-health-insurance/acs-asia/

Yes, it is recommended. Serious adverse effects are very rare, and no more common with Pfizer than wth Moderna. But if you have had 5 vax already then it would not be a second dose for you but a 6th dose.

That is highly improbable. Most likely they want to ascertain the medical indication for a biopsy. Which the hospital's paperwork may not have made clear

Modrrna stocks seemed to have expired in most places. I think Pattaya City Hospital has Pfizer. Chonburi Hospital is also vaccinatimg but I am not sure what vaccine.

unhelpful posts have been removed

@DaveBart Are you constipated? If not how do you know the pain is from "trapped wind"?