Sheryl

It means the manufacturer no longer supplies this drug to Thai distributors. . Typically a financial decision based on low sales. If a hospital still has unexpired product in stock their doctors may continue to prescribe it but once they run out (or it expires) the hospital will not be readily able to get more.

Yes, you should first rest and relax if you just had a steep walk or other physical or mental exertion.

Moved to health forum. It is illegal to buy this over the counter. Only hospitals and clinics. It is also now off market in Thailand. But some hospitals may still have stock.

The "instructions", unless given specifically by the doctor ordering the test, tend to be boilerplate and err on the side of excessive restriction. I cannot offhand think of a single test that would preclude drinking plain water. Taking not even water for 12 hours (which may be much more by the time the blood is drawn) risks dehydration, especially in this hot weather. Which may in fact skew some test results.

There is no need for any type of fasting before a CBC, if that is all that is being tested. Lab appointment slips here tend to say the same thing regardless of test. And hospital staff (not doctors) may tend to just reflexively say no food etc without stopping to check what test and what is really needed. If in doubt ask the doctor ordering the test, not the lab staff or clerks issuing the appointment.

Bickering/flaming posts have been removed. Please keep it civil and constructive.

Please show some respect for the deceased, his partner and his family who may be reading this. Some insensitive posts have been removed.

Please keep it civil.

Nor can one, even if near thd border, be assurred of being stable enough to cross it. And of course a foriegner is not "covered" in Mexico; they have to pay for care. Certainly it costs less than in US but it is not free. And for best quality care/complex treatments would need to travel quite some distance from the border.

For those who consume sufficient animal protein relative to their metaboluc needs there is obviously usually no need to supplement creatine or amino acids etc. However for vegetarians it can be a good idea. The elderly are another group of concern as it is now known that protein needs increase in old age while overall caloric needs (and, often, food intake) decreases. Personally, being both elderly and a vegetarian (and having osteopenia) I think it wise to take it in modest dosage. Many hody builders seem to find it useful as well. Certainly this is not something most people need to supplement but to suggest it cannot benefit anyone is going too far.

OP probably said this due to its usually very high costs

Omron is a very reliable brand. As others have said, no reason to think your monitor is inaccurate just because readings at doctor/dentist offices are higher. Just the stress of being there is enough to elevate your BP. Additionally, the machines used in these places are often not calibrated. And, if they are taking it with a cuff (as opposed to those machines you stick your arm into), often the cuff size is wrong. How different are the reading you refer to? Have you tried taking your monitor to the doctor with you and comparing readings on the spot? And is the cuff size correct? (The inflatable part should cover at least 75% of the total circumference of your arm)

No reputable doctor is going to treat you based on an HTMA, these are not reliable means of measuring minerals in the blood or body tissues (contrary to what the commercial sites of places selling these tests will tell you.). Since you have not been taking any sort of silver supplement and are (presumably) not in an occupation that exposes you to silver, it is extremely unlikely that you actually have excess levels of silver in your body. And if you did, your skin would have a visible bluish-grey tinge. There is no evidence of a linkage between silver and metabolic syndrome. To actually diagnose argyria, doctor would need to do a microscopic examination of a skin sample, looking for blue-gray pigmentation.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21394604/ There is some evidence that creatine supplementation is helpful in the elderly

Drinking "too much" water does not remove gut flora. This makes absolutely no physiological sense. Water is absorbed through the villae in the small, and to a lesser extent the large, intestine, through osmosis. No effect on the gut flora which are nto so absorbed. If more water is absorbed than needed, the kidneys excrete the excess.

Bacteria has norhing to do with it. The problem is electrolytes (sodium, potassium). Especially if sweating a lot.

Coffee and other caffeinated drinks can briefly elevate blood sugar so not advisable before tests that include blood glucose. Water is fine. 6-8 hour fast (excluding water) is enough for tests of blood glucose and/or lipids. Some blood tests do not require fasting at all, depends on the test.

There was no appeal process because under US law a not guilty verdict cannot be appealed. Only a guilty verdict or a sentence.

Judge instructions are pretty generic and do not/cannot dictate jury verdict. Jury verdicts can only be overturned by an Appeals Court and only if a convicted defendent chooses to appeal (not relevant in this case). The judge presiding over the trial cannot overturn jury verdict. Nothing the legal system can do about it if a jury acquits someone as happened here.

Flaming posts and replies to same have been removed

Bangkok area temples charge far more than rural ones.

The Embassy will make every effort to locate a relative of some sort. Even a very distant cousin will suffice, if that is all there is. Lacking any relation, if you left a will naming an Executer that person would usually be accepted if no relatives can be found. (Also, whatever distant relation the Embassy can find, can simply sign a release authorizing your Executor or other person to handle it. The reason for the relative search is to avoid complaints to the home office later that relatives were never informed of the death). The Embassy does not dispose of (or pay for the disposal of) bodies. I would assume that if they are unable to find even a distant relation after a certain period of time they would advise the hospital or wherever the body is being held to go ahead and dispose of it. How that would be done, with no one to pay, I don't know....especially since storage charges will have mounted by that point. There is a charitable Chinese foundation in Thailand that pays for burials in some cases. In your particular case I suggest you find a friend or acquaintance willing to handle things for you, pre-pay for a simple funeral and provide the friend with all related info as well as contact info on whatever your nearest blood relative is, no matter how distant, so that they in turn can so advise the Embassy. As mentioned all this relative would have to do is sign a form agreeing to let your friend then handle the disposition of the body.

Contact https://www.amarinternational.com/contact.html They can arrange completely no frills cremation on outskirts of Bangkok and will also help liaise with Embassy for the needed paperwork etc. (Foreigner body can not be released for cremation or burial without Embassy OK first, Embassy will need proof wife us next of kin etc). If your wife will have any sort of death benefit entitlement from UK source or need access to zmany UK accounts they will help her get the needed documentation for that as well. You can prepay for this if you like to make it that much easier for your wife...this also protects against subsequent cost rise. Last time I knew someone who used them cost was about 25k. May be a bit more now. Call Dao (number on website) to find out. She is very helpful. Cremation alone with no ceremony does not cost anywhere near 400 (or even 100)k. But especially in Bkk area temples (which are indeed where crematoria are located) can be reluctant to do this. Amar has an ongoing relationship with one that they use for this purpose.

Type 2 diabetes can be genetic. My mother has always been thin and trim, eats good diet, but comes from a family with a lot of T2D and has it. I know many people like this. Whole families where every sibing has T2D no matter how slim or what they eat (though of course excess weight/carb intake will make it worse).

I think you can go straight to a periodontist at the dental hospital http://www.dentalhospitalbangkok.com/