Sheryl

As I gather this is new, and it may be growing in size, definitely you should see a doctor. And quickly. Melanoma needs to be ruled out. I very, very, very much doubt your wife is knowledgable about skin cancers that mainly affect Caucasians - even most Thai doctors are not. Even among Thai dermatologists, expertise in skin cancers is low and there are only a few places I could recommend going for accurate diagnosis. Where in Thailand do you live?

People's experiences have varied depending on the specific company but generally speaking Thai companies have a poor record for paying out. No comparison to foreign insurers. In fact, some people opt to get (or maintain) their international policies and then get what is often called a "throw away" local Thai policy with high deductible just to meet visa requirement

That is extremely odd. Did they have round trip tickets?

Yes, if it were a pulmonary issue one would expect him to have shortness of breath on exertion etc. Sounds like he is simply heaving a few deep sighs from time to time, a personal mannerism or sign of boredom etc.

OP please clarify if the refusal was by airline at check in or by Thai immigration

Since the issue was refusal to leave Thailand I think you will get better answers in the Thai visa forum so moving this there. @ubonjoe would know best. Maybe an the issue was that they had not entered Thailand on the UK passport?

From what you describe I am not sure there is any reason to be concerned or do anything (though of course I have nto witnessed these episodes). Could these just be deep sighs? The reason for those can be psychological or physical but do not necessarily indicate presence of disease. In fact some people just make a habit of it. But if really concerned, get pulmonary function tests.

They did not, and are not, taking Celebrex off the market. It is still on the US market. (Note that this article is more than 15 years old. Bextra was then taken off the market, and is not used in Thailand, either). They just added a warning box. The danger with Celebrex is mainly for the elderly and those with history of heart problems, and for extended use. If you do not have a history if gastritis/ulcers or other contraindictaion etc no reason not to take regular NSAIDs like ibuprofen, diclofenac etc (be sure to take with food). The only reason for using a selective COX-2 inhibitor instead of earlier NSAIDs is that the latter have fewer effects on the GI system - but at the price of risk of cardiovascular effects US doctors are very, very wary of prescribing selective COX-2 inhibitors to people over 65 and will often prescribe short courses of steroids instead if the patient can not tolerate non-selective NSAIDs. Thai doctors seem to have never gotten the memo, are (most of them) terrified of using steroids, and still prescribe these like candy.

You can make a booking online, or by phone. Phone is quicker. I do not recommend just showing up when wanting to see a specific, very much in demand, specialist. (Nor for anything else, as you will be shunted to whatever doctor is least busy and that is not a good sign). Bring the Xray film with you (get it from the medical record dept of wherever she was initially seen). Assuming no additional tests are needed, just a consultation, it will cost around 2,000 baht inclusive of doctor fee and hospital charge. Do not buy any medications from the hospital pharmacy (unless a narcotic is prescribed and she wants it for the pain - those can't be bought at pharmacies but almost everything else can). There is a large mark up on medications at hospital pharmacies.

Yes, it is wrong (as regards enalapril). The equivalence shown for rampiril is correct.

I have personally been in quite a large number of upcountry hospitals and I am thoroughly familiar with the Thai public health system, first hand. In fact I frequently assist and escort friends, relations, friends-of-friends etc from neighboring countries to seek care in Thai government hospitals, including up-country hospitals where appropriate. The reports I refer to are detailed, factual, private accounts specific to TURP outcomes. As for your experience, without details as to what exact procedure was done and with what technique, it is not possible to tell if it is even relevant to the subject (TURP).

There is no means testing or monetary cap. Anyone not covered under one of the other 2 government schemes (Social Security and Civil Service SS) is automatically covered under the universal scheme. If she works she is likely covered under SS. She will have elected a specific hospital for that. This is unrelated to private health insurance if her company also offers that (seems unlikely if not an international company), as offering private insurance does nto relieve a company of the legal requirements of the Thai SS act.

The very best shoulder specialist in Thailand: https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Mason-Porramatikul Bring the MRI with you - the actual film, on CD, not just the report. Dr. Mason will make his own interpetation of it.

No, it does not. It shows 10mg lisinopril as equivalent to 5 mg enalapril you will also see that on this site https://globalrph.com/medcalcs/drug-comparisons-ace-inhibitors-medication-equivalents/ Whatever site you choose, lisinopril dosage is double that of enalapril for equivalence

I see. You should have mentioned the province name (Saraburi). In your rural district, I can't tell you what pharmacies there are. Try at whatever the largest is. Otherwse, in Saraburi town there are a cluster of pharmacies located on route 2 just south of the bridge you would take to get to Saraburi hospital.

No guarantee but you can try: Kriang Sak Phesat Pharmacy tel 042-411 685 Nong Khai Pharmacy Shop tel 042-411 148 If no luck, you can order it online form here https://medtide.com/product-tag/rivaroxaban-xarelto/ You will probably have to create an account first to be able to view available drugs and order. It is a reliable service, I have used it. However they seem to have only the imported brand, Xarelto, which is expensive There is a locally made brand called Rovoxan. If unable to find it in Niong Kai pharmacies, try asking these 2 sources: https://medisafepharma.com/contact/ You have to use Messenger t ask them if they have it then place an order if they do. They are reliable and will ship promptly, payment is by bank transfer. Don't bother trying to use the website search function, everything comes back as nto found but in fact they have most things. (using LineApp) YaPaiboon Yiu have to message them by LINE to find out what they have and place order. Payment in advance by bank transfer. They are reliable.

For what reason do yo uneed these blood tests? If what you have is the TuneIPass policy, and if it is still valid (check you policy dates), it will cover medical costs related to sickness or accident. It will not cover routine check ups. If these tests are part of treatment for any illness you cazn find the instructions for making a claim here https://www.tuneprotect.co.th/en/product/travel-insurance/ONTALN Scroll down to "after sale service" then click on: What is the claims process? Who is the contact person?

https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv-and-men.htm

My statement was specific to one procedure: TURP. Upcountry hospitals can be fine for many things but I cannot recommend for that specific procedure. Based on experiences of dozens of TV members over the many years I have moderated the health forum, and my own knoweldge of the Thia health system and capacbilitiers and equipment at different levels of care.

Yes, along with Urolift and HoLEP, PAE is one of several options for treating BPH likaly available in his home country but not available in Thailand. @swissieAs you cvan see your options in Switzerland are better than in Thailand so I would encourage you to get this sorted out before coming back

Get a one year statement. How long have you had that balance? You were supposed to keep 800 k balance for 3 months after getting the extension, then not less than 400k for 7 months then 800 k for 2 months before next extension. If you meet that requirement then you have no problem.

If you have had 800k continuously in the bank for the past year you have no problem. Just show that and forget the monthly transfer.

It has always been possible to use a foreign policy to get the initial visa IF the foreign insurer was willing to sign a special certificate worded in such a way that almost none would. It remains to be seen if this will change. It has not been.possible to get an in-country extension using foreign policy. Remains to be seen if that will change.

Most meds here do not need scripts. Antihypertensives, heart meds, antibiotics -- all sold over the counter at pharmacies. There is no GP system in Thailand . The closest thing to GPs are specialists in internal medicine but in most cases they do not function in the way OP describes. Even if you go to see them repeatedly over time they will focus each time on your current complaint only. And they refer many things to specialists that GPs in western countries could handle. There are a handful of exceptions though including a good American GP in Bangkok. Where are you located?

Where in Thailand are you?