simon43

Same here. Level 4 according to an MRI at Bumrungrad, but biopsy only found benign calcium stones... and relax!

I have Bronchiectasis (damage to the bronchi), and need to keep my lungs in good health, by daily walking exercise, breathing/'huffing' exercises, use of a 'flutter' device to help me cough up sputum, and mucus thinner medication. Generally, I can lead a fairly normal life 🙂 But several times a year, I will have a 'flare-up', which makes me feel like s**t, difficulty to breath, enough lung mucus to fill a swimming pool etc It is important for me to try to avoid respiratory infections. I'm in north Laos. Recently my local clinic (there being no decent hospitals lol), sent a sample of my sputum down to Vientiane for analysis and this identified Streptococcus Pneumoniae bacteria in my lungs, and that it is susceptable to common anti-biotics such as Amoxicillin. So that's useful information. But since Streptococcus Pneumoniae can lead to bacterial pneumonia, I wanted to check that my pneumonia vaccinations are all up-to-date. According to my vaccine passport, I had a Revnor PCV13 vaccination in July 2017 and a Pneumovax PPSV-23 vaccination in May 2023. Are these vaccinations still providing protection? Do I need to do more? I had Astra Zeneca Covid vaccinations in June and July 2021, with boosters in November 2021 and March 2022. I did contract Covid in April 2022, but very mild symptoms. I have not had any flu jabs, understanding that these need to be done annually. Please no comments from the anti-vax brigade - if you are in physical proximity to me while I'm having a lung flare-up, you will be in danger of physical harm from me 🙂

I often watch the Vasya in the Hay videos - He posts about ordinary Russian people who are totally at rock-bottom and then helps them (with the financial help of his supporters). I'm a charitable sort of person, so I enjoy seeing the smiles that his efforts bring to the faces of these people. As to the politics, I have to sympathise with Russia over the NATO expansion eastwards. It's akin to goading a bear until it fights back. IMHO, Ukraine is unfortunately in the wrong location - geographically. Russia needs secure access to the Black Sea, and now don't forget access to Kalingrad. That is not going to end well.....

So annoying those FB ads. For some reason, I keep seeing ads for gimp suits and red rubber gloves......

Well, I think you've been sold a fake Covid mask! A good quality N95 mask will definitely filter out PM2.5 particles.....

No problem! I'll send you my invoice 😂

[quote] ... This makes no business sense, and so you cannot expect to get something for nothing. ... [/quote] Well, I AM getting something for nothing 🙂 I use ChatGPT on a daily basis, either to generate text, to answer my questions (for background information), or to generate images. Never seen any adverts, never had to pay... Am I doing something wrong?

Sounds like she was a loony squatter! Perhaps related to my ex #2....

I use ChatGPT, never had to pay any subscription...

Perhaps similar to Moken (sea gypsies).....

No, the man! I can clearly understand the woman. Listen to the seated man at about 1 minute 20 seconds.

Is there a specific reason why the OP must stay in Thailand? (He mentioned perhaps going to the Philippines for 6 months). Why not live just over the Mekong in Laos. At the OP's age he could get an annual 'retirement' visa for about $450 through an agent and no money in the bank needed. If he stayed in Vientiane then even his Thai mobile SIMs would continue to work (if he is within say 2km of the river).

What was the language that the Maniq leader was speaking a minute into the video? It was neither Bangkok Thai nor Southern Thai. Yawi? (probably not). Anyone know?

lol, in a previous 'life' I used to run full page colour adverts in that newspaper...... I don't think any cucumbers were involved, but scantily-clad women definitely were 🙂

lol - I have some Jewish ancestors on my mother's side of the family, which I merely commented upon as a point of interest. My ancestors are English, Scottish, Romanian, Irish... If you want to live in Bourton-on-the-Water I hope you have deep pockets!

If true, not agonizing. The blood loss makes you weak, faint then unconscious. But messy for the room maid afterwards....

Topics like this always bring out 2 sides: Those who have a moral compass and recognise that this is stealing and those who have no moral compass and try to justify stealing

Is high altitude radiation a new thing? Of course NOT! What dumbass aircraft designer failed to take into consideration the effects of solar radiation on high altitude planes. Jeez.......

Yes, the demand for rented accommodation is indeed very high. In any case, the UK would no longer feel like 'home'. Too many immigrants (yep - I've said it), most of whom are only in the UK for the benefits....

According to my middle brother (who has done a lot of ancestry research), we are not only related to that guy, but also to Simon Luttrell, lord of Dublin, until he was stabbed to death in his sedan chair by the locals who were sick of him.... (my family ancestry does seem to include some 'ruffians'!) Actually- mea culpa - checking Mr Google suggests that they were the same person....

It's the same in the UK! The reason why I would get almost all my rent paid etc is because I don't have savings! These idiot governments reward feckless arses such as myself who spent all their hard-earned cash on booze and bar-girls! (There may be some exaggerations there as to where my money actually went....!)

Well, For a rent of say 800 quid a month, one can get a very nice small house in a village, with the local authority paying about 600 quid of that rent every month. Those villages would basically have few or zero immigrants or low-life, just oldies like me waiting to die 🙂 Update: For example - little cottage on Rightmove: 675 quid/month rent: So I would only have to pay about 100 quid/month out of my pension.... https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/159422825#/?channel=RES_LET I don't think most immigrants are keen to move to rural Somerset, (although there are probably quite a few sheep and goats on the farms there...)

Having recently retired and now living in Laos, I did seriously consider returning to the retire in the UK, living in a quiet village in Somerset, close to my family home (that being Dunster Castle in the village of Dunster, home to the Luttrell family for centuries until inheritance tax screwed everything up!). So if I returned to the UK I would receive: - My index-linked UK state pension - About 600 pounds/month in rent assistance from the local authority, (because my savings are less than 10,000 pounds) - My council tax fully paid (because I am a single pensioner) - Free NHS of course, which also means free dental, free optician, free cancer checks, free flu jabs, free prescriptions etc - slightly reduced fees for utilities, internet etc - free public buses So as a single, 'poor' pensioner, I would be doing pretty well, able to go horse-riding on Exmoor (as I used to do 30 years ago), game-shooting on the moors (I always shot only 2 pheasant and plucked/ate them both, never shooting many that were destined for Harrods). I could visit the beach, volunteer at the castle (American tourists would be 'wowed' by a Luttrell telling them about Luttrell Castle!!). But..... I've lived in south-east Asia for so many years, I still can't persuade myself to return to 'blighty'.

Did anyone else noticed this statement from Rachel in her recent budget? "UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves revealed in her Budget on Wednesday that from April 2026 people would now need to live in the UK for 10 years to meet the threshold for a full pension and when living outside the UK pay Class 3 contributions rather than Class 2" In other words, no longer will it be possible to pay NI at class 2 (about 182 pounds/year) rates, but must pay at class 3 (910 pounds/year). BBC link: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y9dgk2pzpo Luckily for me, I was able to pay my voluntary NI top-ups at class 2, and now draw my UK state pension. But not good news for those expats who are not yet at retirement age.

Or waiting for an orgasm...... seems to take hours nowadays!