Sheryl

Sometimes. Urethral swab is more sensitive but it may show in a regular culture. So if you are negative (both for chlamydia and anything else; remember, chlamydia is not the only thing that can cause either a UTI or prostatitis) then you might want ti get an antigen test using urethral swab. Actually the most accurate test is NAAT (similiar to a PCR) as it can detect minute quantities of the pathogen but that was nto on the list of the lab you plan to go to.

This thread seems to have degenerated into a debate about one specific insurer when it was originally on the subject of insurance vs self-insurance. On both the original topic and the direction it has taken, I think pretty much all that can be said, has been said and it is just going in circles and getting acrimonious. in addition there is already a separate thread specifically about WRLife https://aseannow.com/topic/1268153-wrlife-medical-insurance-experiences/ This thread therefore closed.

Since you already have urine culture pending may as wait for that first.

A number of unhelpful and/or flaming posts have been removed along with some duplicative posts.

Agree but the number of reported visits and cost per visit deem consistent with a root canal. Sounds like a major communication problem with the dentist. ? Language barrier? One wonders if OP has been given vlear idea if what the crown itself will cost as that will be much more than the visits to date have cost.

Education and experience. If what you are after are details of my education and experience I am not going to post that. This is a social media chat board . These are not proessional consultations. Same applies to other forums...DIY, IT, photography etc etc.

It is an open forum and all members are free to give advise and many do so. Up to the poster to decide what if any advice to take. Those who regularly read the Health Forum have a sense for how knowledgable(or not) various posters are. I am the one responding in this particular thread because, in the title, the OP specifically addressed his question to me. If you read the full thread you will note that I have advised the OP to see a urologist, provided names of suggested doctors to see, and stated that I think it is a mistake to try to self-treat/ self prescribe. Nonetheless he wanted my personal opinion -- opinion not professional advise -- on what lab tests make sense and I offered it.

As above.

It is totally unclear who actually underwrites these policies. Not one person with a policy from them has bern able to state who their underwriter is. Certainly their premium strucure relative to the benefits would not stand up to an actuarial analysis.

Yes but you could hold off on#3 until you have results of #1 and #2. If #2 is positive no need for #3. IF #2 negative but #1 positive then #3 would be useful only if treatment of organism found in #1 fails to produce relief. Make sure your urine culture includes sensitivity. And note that if it turns out you do have a UTI, it will probably have occurred due to incomplete emptying of the bladder secondary to an enlarged prostate and once the immediate infection is resolved you will still need to see a doctor for that (DRE, PSA, maybe ultrasound maybe not depending on results of these first two).

The problem is not that smiles here are"fake". It is that smiles in this culture have a much, much wider range of meaning than in the West. Including being a mechanism for controlling/concealing socially unacceptable emotions and simply easing interpersonal interactions. Only sometimes does it denote friendliness or happiness. It can just as easily mean a mask to cover boredom, anger, unhappiness or even rage and grief. Sort of like wearing clothing. Within Asian culture this is seen as proper and correct not hypocritical.

Yes, claims are being met now. But the likelihood of that remaining the case given what seems to be an actuarially unsound business model and comparatively low capital reserves is another matter entirely. The likelihood of it remaining so at the current premium level is even less.

Little point to the "infection" test as you will also get the culture. The w hour "infection" test is just a dipstck for nitrates. No point in your Gf bring tested for UTI unless she has symptoms as no reason to think she has a UTI and unrelated to your problem. UTIs are not transmitted from person to person. Chlamydia antigen test for her might make some sense though as it is possible for chlamydia to be asymptomatic, it could be present for years and unlike UTI it is sdxuslly trsnsmisssble to other people. As for chlamydia testing for you: you are presumptively treating yourself for prostatitis caused by chlamydia. We do not in fact know that you even have prostatitis let alone that it is caused by chlamydia and indeed your history makes that less likely than the many other non-STD bacterial causes of prostatitis. Many of which do not respond to doxycycline. Indeed given the low suspicion for STD it is a bit odd that you have chosen to take this. SInce the doxycycline may be unnecessary, and there is chance you need a totally different antibiotic (or none at all) any information that would confirm chlamydial infection could be useful. Note that chlamydia does not always respond to doxy. Since treatment of chlamydial prostatitis can take a prolonged course of medication it would be good to have at least some indication that this is the problem. Just a suggestioni since you seem determined to self-test and self-treat. ...which is not the approach I recommend at all. If cost is the issue you could wait for the result of the urine culture first as if it is positive then the other tests can be skipped st least for now.

http://www.maximumclinic.com/

Monovision can also be achieved with Lasik. This is what I did and at almost 70 I still do not need reading glasses. If/when I get cataract surgery I will make sure to keep one eye nearsighted so as to maintain the monovision. To get monovision with Lasik it needs to be pre-planned and one eye done at a time and the vision stabilized in one eye first before doing the other. Note that not everyone adjusts well to monovision so good idea to have a trial run via glasses or contacts first. Good that you mentioned about cataracts later in life: it is important to know the vision parameters (including corneal power) before the Lasik surgery and provide that info to the doctor who removes the cataract. Also be sure to use a doctor experienced in cataract surgery on Lasik patients. So get the pre-Lasik vision info and save it for future reference.

Obviously what occurred with 2 people is not a valid sample. should also note that both Bidens were asymptomatic during these "rebounds". Would not have been known had they not been tested. Most people of course do not undergo daily COVID testing when asymptomatic. It is quite possible that brief, asymptomatic resurgence of COVID antigen after apparent recovery from COVID (regardless of how or if treated) is more common than realized since the only way to know would be to routinely rest everyone after recovery every day for at least a month and that is hardly worth the cost and effort. COVID rebound is not limited to people who took Paxlovid nor in any way "caused" by Paxlovid. And none of this had anything to do with Paxlovid's effectiveness in preventing serious illness, hospitalizations and death. Very unfortunate that Fox News feels the need to polticize this treatment.

In order of importance: 1. Culture and Sensitivity (urine) -- you only 2. Chlamydia antigen test - both of you but note it requires a vaginal swab from her, for you can be done either on urine sample or urethral swab, but urethral swab is more accurate. Note that this tests only for current infection and, in your case, the doxycline could cause false negative. But worth trying. 3. Chlamydia IgM (blood test) for both of you. Positive result indicates current or very recent infection but negative does not rule it out as sensitivity is low. An antibody panel that includes IgA, IgG as well as IgM would be better but is not on the list; you might ask though. This would give more info as it would also capture antibodies from old infection. With all these tests negative results do not rule out infection, especially since you are already taking antibiotic. But a positive result would be meaningful

Unlike prostatitis, which can be (but is not always) due to an STD, bladder infections usually are not. There is no point in bringing your Gf for a test. UTIs are different from STDs, usual causative organism is simple GI flora. You can try getting a urine culture yourself, but as mentioned having already started an antibiotic may make it hard to detect infection. Nothing lost by trying though. You can try getting on e

Nothing in that address the frequency of rebound. Rather it discussed the significance of rebound (little to none) and indications for its management (no need to to retreat). Incidence of rebound after Paxlovid is low. 1-2% in some studies, 3-5% in others. Nowhere has the CDC or anyone else said it is common or usual, far from it.

It does have benefit for people under age 65 who have other risk factors. The clinical trials were unable to show a benefit in people under 65 with no special risk factors because the outcome being measured (need for hospitalization) was already so infrequent even in the control group. This has all been known from the start. Relapse is rare.

https://www.pathlab.co.th/ Has a branch on Phattanakorn

As above. Different antibiotics are effective against different organisms. The preferred approach is to get a wound culture which will show exactly what organism is responsible and which antibiotics it's sensitive to. With mild superficial infections of the skin (as opposed to bone or deep tissue) doctors (especially Thai doctors!) will often initially guess at the organism based on appearance and location of the wound and history of how it occurred. You have not provided any of that info. Are you sure it is in fact an infection?

IF you have BPH you should not consider invasive tresatments until/unless conservative treatment (medications) are no longer sufficient. Finasteride in urinary dose should not be started without confirmation of benign prostate enlargement. AFAIK Urolift is not available in Thailand . Even Rezum is quite new and available in only a few places. But you are getting way, way ahead of yourself. Aside from prostatitis another possible cause of your symptoms is urinary tract (bladder/urethra) secondary to urine retention secondary to enlarged prostate. In fact given stated sexual history it may be more likely. Doxycycline will not be effective for that. And if UTI is the cause, failure to treat may lead to serious kidney infection, even sepsis. As mentioned before you really should get a urine culture.

Do you also have jaw pain? As if not it is unlikely your tinnitus is due to TMJ. The following dental clinic has been recommended by others (tho not specifically for TMJ) and lists a doctor who supposedly specializes in TMJ https://www.thantakit.com/temporoma ndibular-joint-disorders-tmd/

Problems reading a book is usually due to age related lack of accommodation and certainly not to near-sightedness which is what lasik is for.