Sheryl

the problem OP has is that travel insurance is very much based on where you reside to begin with, and they have lived in Thailand for many years now. So cannot get a Western-issued travel policy. And Thai issued policies won't cover their ages. OP I am confused as to why you want cover only for your trips and not for your stay in Thailand? Given your ages your best bet would be general expat policy which would cover you both in Thailand and other countries. Do either of you have any underlying chronic health ocnditions?

The lobe referred to is a lobe of the prostate. Finasteride and related drugs (dutasteride etc) help prevent further increase in prostate size and sometimes cause some shrinkage of an existing enlargement. Both these and drugs to improve urine flow by relaxing the neck of the bladder (e.g. doxasozin, tamsulosin etc) are the first line of treatment for BPH. Other treatments, including Rezum, are usually considered only if medications alone are insufficient or the patient is unable to tolerate them. Note that Rezum is indicated only in BPH patients with prostate volume less than 80 cubic centimeters, so nto suitable for really severe enlargement.

I think rather your specific problems were all down to excessive anticoagulation (from your warfarin which presumably you take for other reasons) leading to a hematoma. I don 't know how they handled this for you, but usually when someone is on warfarin they have them stop at least a week before surgery and switch to a shorter acting drug which can then be withheld for 12-24 hours pre-op. And not operate until/unless the INR is normal. Then immediately after surgery resume a short acting anticoagulant for a few days then switch back to warfarin..with of course careful lab monitoring. Whatever it was they did in your case the result was excessive anticoagulation (INR over 10 if memory serves) ---> hematoma.

Yes, constipation is important to avoid as straining will be painful. You can buy Senna capsules at any 7-11 and they work very well. Also stock up on prunes. Thai hospitals keep patients longer than do Western ones. In the west a hernia repair is often a day surgery. In Thailand they will usually keep you 2 nights, sometimes 3 -- the extra night especially if you are requiring more than paracetemol & NSAIDs for pain as Thai hospitals do not like to discharge people on opiods. And indeed, as above poster says -- one would not normally need a helper at home after an inguinal hernia repair. You are already fully ambulatory in discharge and able to bathe, cook, eat, toilet etc unaided.

Yes, private schools are exempted from the mandatory SS scheme.

Neither Tavaborole (the correct name for Kerydil, kavaborole is an altogether unrelated drug) nor Efinaconazole are available here. Loceryl is the only thing I know of. Needs to be used for a long time, and filing the nail down first is important.

You certainly will not need a nurse. In fact unless your daily routine involves heavy lifting I don't see why you would need a helper of any sort. You will be fully ambulatory on discharge from the hospital (including able to climb stairs) with the only limitation being slight soreness that will gradually resolve, and a restriction on heavy lifting. You won't be up for jogging, and you may move a bit slower than usual at first due to soreness, but will certainly be able to handle bathing, toileting etc yourself after a simple hernia repair. The only "wound care", if any, would be changing a gauze and you can easily do it yourself. More commonly a waterproof dressing is applied and no need to change it, just remove it altogether after a few days. They may have you come back to the hospital for suture removal. But if you want to hire someone, any one will do, does not need medical training. Who cleans your living quarters, do you have a maid or housekeeper? If so ask her if she'd be willing to stay for a few days (1-2 weeks makes no sense at all). Or just put the word out where you live (apartment/condo management, guards etc) ask at local shops etc. You may find this references useful in understanding the post op situation for this very common surgery: https://herniaspecialists.com/hernia-surgery-post-operative-instructions/

It sounds to me like you are confusing two very different things and that the SS office may have done likewise. One is the medical cover. You can continue that through private pay as long as you enrol to do so within 6 months of leaving employment. The other is the old age benefit. Upon leaving employment , if over age 55 and enrolled for at least 180 months you have the option of either taking a lump sum payment or getting a lifetime pension. Less than 180 months, you can get only the lump sum. The choice you make regarding the old age benefit has nothing at all to do with what you can chose regarding the medical cover - but it is not unusual for SS to claim the two are linked. I have heard a number of cases where people who opted to take the lump sum were wrongly told this precluded them from continuing medical cover. Not clear if this was a communication issue (maybe the SS staff -- who often speak little or no English - thought they were asking about the pension option, which indeed is forefeited if you take lump sum) or SS staff just being misinformed. The option to continue medical cover is not often taken as Thais are automatically covered under the universal scheme at no cost upon ceasing to be under SS. You should not use the term "private membership" as it is inaccurate and will confuse people. What you are talking about is continuation of medical cover only. The SS Head Office is in Nonthaburi. https://www.sso.go.th/wpr/main/general/ข้อมูลการติดต่อ_singleview_contacts-view_1_69_0 Staff there are much better informed than in the local offices. I doubt you are going to get anywhere, though. And bear in mind you have no proof of what was told to you. Staff at that SSO can easily claim it is not what they said or that you had not asked clearly and they thought you were talking about pension.

I do not think so. AFAIK it is mandatory while employed. Staying in after leaving employment though is completely optional.

There is no real cure for TMD. Anti-inflammatories (if not contraindicated) help and with time it usually subsides. Sometimes a night guard, to prevent jaw clenching during sleep, is advised. From your description i am not sure it is TMJ pain as that is usually an aching pain whereas you say no pain, just a sensation of tension. If not TMD it could just be from trauma to the nerves and if so will also likely subside with time. And anti-inflammatories would also still help (assuming no contraindications). As the symptoms directly followed dental work, if it were me I would just wait it out and take anti-inflammatories (iubuprofen, diclofenac, ponstan etc). When I had TMD after dental work the pain lasted a number of months and very gradually became less and less frequent. Even now - a good 15 years later - I get an occasional twinge, but just very occasional and not lasting long. But if you want to see a specialist about this I suggest Dr. Panupen Sitthisomwong, US trained specialist in orofacial pain. She can be seen at a number of hospitals and dental clinics as follows: https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Panupen-Sitthisomwong https://mdk.dental/dentists/assist-prof-dr-panupen-sitthisomwong/ http://www.asavanant.com/staff.php She is also on faculty at the Mahidol dental hospital and it might be possible to see here there through their after hours clinic

The information he eas given was wrong. Pink ID card is not required. The problem is that many SS offices do not know how to process the paperwork for non Thai nationals. He nay get further problems once he has the pink card since the numbering system differs from that gor Thais and there is no scannable chip. Best to call the SS main office when given tun around like this from local offices. Note that he must bomplete the conversion within 6 months of leaving employment.

More specifcally: There are 2 aspects to the immune response triggered by immunization: humoral immunity (antibodies) and cell-mediated immunity. The second one usually lasts longer but also takes longer to kick in. The COVID vaccines currently available in Thailand produce antibodies to earlier strains of COVID which have been superceded by newer strains that can elude the vaccine induced antibodies. Hence even fully vaccinated people are being infected by the new Omicron strains. But the vaccine-induced cellular immunity remains able to contain infections and prevent serious disease.

This thread has gone completely off topic into arguments about diet. Closed.

Do not self prescribe an MRI. It may not be needed, or may not be the best test for your condition. The process needs to start with a differential diagnosis. and then proceed from there, not start with shotgun testing. Where exactly are you feeling the pain, what is it like, and does it radiate to below your ear? Have you already seen a prosthodontist? (Dental speciality that includes TMD. Not unusual for extensive dental work to trigger TMJ pain, happened to me.)

Yes test is test. Normal reference ranges are pre-set by individual labs. They usually do not take age nor ethnicity into account. You should always double check this. And the "high" or "low" notations are automated and unable to take the multipel factors that need to go into such a determination into account. Friends of mine recently received lab results of a thyroid panel on a newborn baby,. The normal ranges shown on the report were for adults - newborn levels differ greatly. Thai labs use an abnromally low cut off for AFP levels, thsi is because of high incidence of primary liver cancer in Thais but nto at all applicable to westreners. Lab reports will automatically kick out "high" or "low" comments for a white blood ocunt differential even though overall WBC count was normal. Actually differential is not usually indicated if WBC count is normal . etc etc etc It is never as simple as just comparing your results to the normal range listed.

If it continues to not improve you need to consider possibility of a skin cancer. (if it improves then never mind- skin cancer lesion will nto improve in its own) Where in Thailand are you?

While i understand the issues regarding BPH, nowhere in Thailand will you find the same level of experience and expertise regarding skin cancers than Dr. Anna at BPH. You need to consider the costs (both financial and physical) of an inaccurate diagnosis further down the line Personally I go only to Dr. Anna, despite the BPH costs and ambience, and that it is a 6 hour round trip drive for me. If you insist on nonetheless doing this in Bangkok, understanding how little experience Thai doctors have with this, I suggest you attend the skin tumor clinic at Chulalongkorn. It is a government hospital so costs will be minimal but waits long and considerable (and confusing_ red tape, you should have a Thai speaker with you https://chulalongkornhospital.go.th/kcmh/en/dept/department-of-dermatology/

If you are in the Sukhumvit area many people use Southeast pharmacy which is onSukhmvit between Soi 13 snd 15.

You can extend the 45 day visa exempt entry for another 30 days. Nothing needed but your passport, application form and photo.

Where in Thailand? And yes these medications are readily available without prescription

BS between 70-90 after 16 hours fasting is to be expected. HBac1 is a much better indicator than fasting blood sugar, especislly on a diet like yours, as it captures your overall blood sugar over time including non-fasting periods.

Open procedure at government hospital, even going through after hours clinic, will likely be well under 50k.

About 80-100k in a government hospital, 3-4 times that in a private hospital.

Ultrasound would usually be first step Then possibly MRI As other poster said biopsy is indicated only if there are suspicious findings.

I would hardly call it new, been around for decades It is technically harder to do but easier for the patient (smaller incision, quicker recovery). Requires special equipment and training, and cost significantly more. Probably about 200k at Bangkok Hospital Phuket, give or take