Paul9989

I would say that's correct, right in that range. If it is a wisdom tooth though, and it's impacted, then maybe it's a bit more. And if you have to return for a follow up visit after the tooth has been pulled then they might charge a bit extra for the follow up visits. I'm assuming no more than 2,500-3,000 Baht.

About 6 months ago I spoke with both BBL and KTC Card and both of them told me minimum was 10,000 Baht. Maybe that's changed at BBL now, but I doubt it's 50,000.

Debit cards aren't accepted in some places in Thailand, only credit cards. 7-11 is a good example.

Prepaid credit cards don’t exist in Thailand. Something like Vanilla Gift Credit Cards only exist in the USA and can’t be used for purchases outside the USA. If you want a Thai credit card, you can get a secured credit card from either Bangkok Bank or KTC Card. What you do is you put ฿10,000 or ฿20,000 into a locked bank account with them and then they give you a credit card with a credit limit equal to the amount of money that you put on deposit into the locked account. Any foreigner can get one. No credit background check required. Just put the money in the bank and they give you the card.

vitacost.com They have been in business for 30 years. The best I’ve found. Items arrive within 2 weeks. The carry all the major brands. I like the brand NOW for their high quality and good prices. Many good prices on their own vitacost house brand products too. They also often provide discount codes via email for 10%/15%/20% discounts. Shipping is a flat fee to Thailand of $13 up to 3.6 pounds in product weight. I keep orders under around $50 (including shipping fee) and have never been hit with any import duties.

I disagree. The tests are useful to create a baseline. So, if test results suddenly change from one year to the next, then it could be a sign of something more serious. Just like the PSA test that sometimes indicates a false positive for prostate cancer, but still considered a useful screening test. Although sometimes considered nonspecific, all of them can also be very specific, which is why they are still considered useful. Yes, a colonoscopy should also be done every 5 years in men starting at the age of 45, and for the exact 2 reasons that you mentioned. But as it is a more invasive, and more costly diagnostic exam, many men often neglect to do them regularly, even though they shouldn't.

Unfortunately that approach is seriously flawed and results in many unnecessary deaths because many serious diseases can be stopped if detected early, yet they often exhibit no systems until it has already become too late. Also, the other unfortunate reality is that a lot of people die from things that are unrelated to diet and lifestyle and are simply caused by a combination of aging and genetics. But if people have periodical blood and diagnostic testing (starting when in their mid forties) then a lot of these diseases could be detected and treated in the early stages and without resulting in death. The ones in particular I am referring to are Colorectal Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Kidney Failure, Glaucoma, Hypertension, and Diabetes. Some of them like hypertension, kidney failure and diabetes can be brought on by lifestyle too. But often they are also genetic. And many times the genetic markers don’t show up until middle age. And glaucoma (interocular hypertension) can result in blindness in less than 10 years if left untreated. Left untested and undetected it can go unnoticed by a person until they are already half blind, but could be fully avoided by having a simple 1 minute eye pressure test done annually. And then there are additional cancer screenings using simple blood tests which can be done every couple of years: AFP Test - Liver & Testicle Cancer CEA Test - Large Intestine & Rectum Cancer CA 19-9 Test - Pancreas Cancer The problem with the majority of these diseases, if left undetected by blood tests and diagnostic screening, is that they show no signs of illness until they are in the final stages and become no longer treatable as I mentioned earlier. So there would possibly be a large drop in mortality rates from all of these diseases if people around the world simply started screening for them from age 40-45 onwards.

eGFR is just an average estimation based on BUN, creatinine, age, ethnicity, etc. Since it isn't an actual test they never provide a high or low for it. As you age into your seventies it also isn't expected to remain above 90. The 47 reading he has is of course quite low, but again it's just an average of the other markers. If his creatinine went down his eGFR would automatically go up.

I've been testing annually for well over 10 years, usually in December or January when the weather isn't as hot, and I always drink a liter of water before bed and then another liter in the morning about two hours before I give blood for any of these marker tests. My personal experience is that the water helps to bring down your BUN a bit, but has much less of an effect on bringing down creatinine levels.

You're welcome Tom. In conclusion I would say that your cholesterol isn't something to be very concerned about. I think it is the least of your worries. If it were me I wouldn't take the statins either because they can cause more harm than good to other organs. I would do more medical diagnostic investigation on your kidneys though with additional blood and urine tests on the other kidney function markers I mentioned. I would also start to make some definite lifestyle changes on diet and exercise. Those two things will likely have the biggest impact of all. Less sugar and carbs for sure and add in some high quality fats. More salads with olive oil too. The other option is to just go on as you are, not change anything, and let life take its natural course. The decision is up to you and the necessary changes will take some effort and commitment. It is entirely your choice. best wishes...

You can also get a doppler ultrasound test done on your kidneys to test blood flow in and out of the kidneys. Something I haven't done yet, but I may do at some point.

Creatinine can go up and down from use of medications. In my case my creatinine is almost always high because of regular weight training and creatinine in the blood is actually a byproduct of muscle breakdown. If I stop exercising for a few months then my blood creatinine drops back to normal levels. But all of the other kidney related tests I recommended come out normal for me. So it seems weight lifting is the cause for me. But in your case, the high creatinine isn't from rigorous exercise. So I would definitely get those 3 other kidney marker tests done that I suggested to see if there are any other signs of kidney disease.

One more thing, if you drink lots of fruit juice and/or soft drinks, I would cut it out immediately. And don't put lots of sugar in coffee and tea. You don't want to end up with type 2 diabetes. Those things can also be contributing to your higher FBS and higher triglycerides. And lack of physical activity and regular exercise is really an enemy of aging. Some lifestyle changes are needed for longevity.

Your total cholesterol isn't very high. My grandmother had cholesterol of 400 and lived into her eighties. My total cholesterol was also around 240 not too long ago. My HDL/LDL ratio was good with high HDL though. I used to eat 4 egg yolks a day. Dropped it to zero for 5 weeks, then retested. Cholesterol then dropped to 185. Then I started eating 2 eggs yolks per day and cholesterol went up a little bit, but not much. Recent studies show no direct correlation between LDL and heart disease so I don't really worry about it. I also take 3 fish oil tablets a day containing 1,000MG of oil each, which probably attributes to my higher HDL. Your FBS and triglycerides are also a bit on the high side. Possible indications of a high sugar/high carb diet. You need to eat healthier and reduce sugar and cheap carb intake. Also, your high creatinine in the most recent test is not a good sign. Might be related to the statins. Get some more kidney tests done like Urine Protein, Urine Creatinine, and, most importantly, get a Cystatin C blood test done for kidneys. Statins are bad for liver and kidneys. You also should reduce your BMI a bit and start exercising. Some walking on a treadmill 3-4 times a week and some light weight/resistance training would be really good. Best wishes..

tinder /tĭn′dər/ noun 1 - Readily combustible material, such as dry twigs, used to kindle fires. 2 - Something very inflammable, used for kindling fire from a spark, as scorched linen. 3- Same as Amadou. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition •