simon43

@Gecko123, thanks for your comment. To be honest, since returning from cold England my phlegm problem has improved immensely. I do take a phlegm thinner tablet and an antihystamine tablet every day and gargle with salt water. That keeps my lungs/nose clear of phlegm in this hot and humid part of the world! I don't use cooking gas, but I do solder a lot. However, I always solder outside and after 60 years of using an electric soldering iron regularly, I can't say I've noticed any lung issues due to the smell. Sheryl, yes my good friend Dr Google also suggested this diagnosis! It would seem that I need to sort out the bunion, to stop it pushing on my second toe. I previously tried a medical 'spacer' between the big and second toe, but it really didn't push the big toe back far enough. It really needs pulling back, as opposed to pushing back. Is there some product that can help to straighten out my big toe without relying on the second toe to 'push'? Thanks.

What to do with my right foot/toes? My left foot is all fine. My right foot has had a large bunion for more than 30 years and although I now wear soft/stretchable shoes, the big toe pushes against the second toe. Usually the bunion causes me no pain. But now the middle joint on my second toe is swollen and painful. The other toes on that foot also hurt when I start to walk in the morning, but that pain disappears after about 10 minutes. I know the reason for the bunion, but what might be the cause of the swollen joint and pain in my other toes? Is it all down to the bunion?

Thanks for your comment. That was done in the UK at Blackpool Hospital. They cultured the bacteria, identified the type (it's in my medical notes somewhere). They then prescribed the recommended antibiotic to 'zap' that particular bacteria and ..... no response! So they tried again with another recommended antibiotic and again absolutely no reduction in the level of bacteria in my pee. So they gave up trying to zap it because it was asymptomatic and causing me no painful or serious symptoms. The doc said that some people have these UTIs for yonks without any apparent effect. I'm trying the Fosfomycin+Doxy because Xylophone said that this worked for him (and no doctor has yet prescribed this combination of drugs).

Ah yes: [quote] Hotel staff took them to the hospital, where the doctor told them they had received a five-second electric shock. [/quote] As an electronics engineer, I'm intrigued to know how the hospital was able to identify a 5 second electric shock! Electric shock really is only identifiable by skin burns etc from a large energy shock, in which they would be well and truly dead! Wait a moment! Maybe the doctors looked at the guy's frazzled hair and attributed that to an electric shock ???? (Apologies for this totally non-PC comment...)

Thanks for your comment. Nope it's definitely a bacterial infection, easily detectable by the simple tests performed. My prostate cancer biopsy was postponed for almost 2 months because of this infection (the doctors didn't want to do the procedure in case of infection from this bacteria), until the doctors finally said 'to hell with this' and did the biopsy anyway! Result = no cancer cells and the UTI didn't cause any problems with the procedure.

I forgot to mention that my blood test gave very good results for choresterol, liver and kidney function etc ???? All looking good. Yes, I regularly drink cranberry juice. It has zero effect to 'kill' the UTI.... @actonion, you replied to an old post. I have been under the care of urologists for many months and none have been able to clear the UTI, despite antibiotic treatments for months.

[quote] After 20 minutes in the pool, they all felt numb all over their bodies and found it difficult to move their legs and arms. [/quote] The symptoms sound very strange. Was it actually proven that there was an electrical fault? Perhaps the hotel was using 'cannabis water' in their jacuzzi!

From the photos it would appear that the equipment is red (CB) and black (radio ham/police) walkie-talkies, both of which are legal to sell in Thailand if the dealer has the required permissions from the NBTC.

A quick follow-up post some 5 months after my hospital diagnosis of no prostate cancer cells but plenty of urine infection/bacteria which seems to be the cause of my higher-than-normal PSA value, (my value is also slightly raised under normal circumstances due to BPH). The doctor at Blackpool Hospital recommended a PSA test some 5 months after diagnosis and so since I was back in Laos, and since I was making a short trip to Pattaya to collect some radio ham parts from my 'lock-up' in Pattaya, I went down to Lifecare to have a general blood, urine and PSA test again. (I recommend this clinic for their fast (results in 24 hours) and cheap (1,400 baht all-in) service. My PSA result was about 11. (If you think this value is alarmingly-high, and haven't read this thread before, please read my earlier posts and the reason for this high value will be explained). Yep, I still have the UTI. In fact, I know that I have had this ongoing UTI for the past year, easily identifiable by a characteristic bad smell when peeing! I'm happy therefore that my PSA value has stayed constant. My urine test confirmed the presence of a UTI, plus raised nitrite level and increased white cell count in my pee. This UTI is luckily asymptomatic, with no burning sensation etc when peeing. I'm taking Xylophone's advice from his last post and trying a combination of Fosfomycin and Doxycyclin to see if I can get rid of this stubborn UTI.

If you are as wealthy as you state, then the Lao police will suck you dry and spit you out!! You think Thailand is corrupt, wait until the Lao police see your trappings of luxury... like flies to a dog poop ???? I suggest you give Laos a pass.

Is this the secret word that I use when the BDSM gets too painful??

Schools in Thailand won't but schools in Myanmar will jump at the opportunity. However, if you insist on staying in Thailand then my suggestion doesn't help ????

Nope about what? I live in a big detached house in Laos and my total monthly outlay (including private expat medical insurance) is under $1,000 a month. It would be cheaper in Cambodia. Concerning getting paid, I opened a UK Paypal account when I was back in Blighty earlier this year. That works fine to receive funds from most countries and I pay that into my Wise account, then transfer the balance to either my Thai or Lao bank account. My main teaching income is paid using Payoneer or WeChat/Alipay via Stripe. As others have mentioned, if you could fix/minimise your GERD, then teaching (either online or in-class could be possible). If you took an in-class teaching job in Myanmar (typically $2,500 tax-free per month), you would be considered a youngster at 66 years old....

Mention was made of online teaching, which is what I do for my income (I will start to draw my $1,000 UK state pension in about 22 months from now). I'm not a doctor, so have no idea if you could get your GERD under control so that you could teach online. I teach in 30-minute segments and typically earn about $2k - $2.5k a month. (I teach science subjects, so my rate of pay is higher than teaching English ESL). I live a modest but enjoyable life on less than $1,000 a month (I save the rest). I no longer live in Thailand but reside in Laos.

I have a hat here that I will eat if that happens ???? The Starlink website map generally indicates when they have enough satellites in orbit such that they pass over the region in sufficient numbers to provide continuous internet service (typically 15 minutes for each pass). I don't think that map includes data about whether the country's regulatory authorities has agreed to allow the service.

Not sure what nationality you are, but at 66 surely you are drawing your state pension? You can live quite healthily and happily on $1,000 a month in Thailand/Laos/Cambodia/Philippines.

If you write the book purely for your own enjoyment, then no WP is required. If you write the book and then sell it, you need a WP. (I recall yonks ago a guy in Phuket built his own boat, which was all fine and no WP required. But then he sold that boat and was done for working without a WP).

Or just live in Laos on the other side of the Friendship Bridge. A 'retirement' visa costs $750 a year through an agent, no medical insurance or money in the bank required.

Starlink needs the approval the the regulatory body in each country before it can offer service (it also needs regional uplink/downlink stations and internet backbone infrastructure since (like GSM in a moving cat), it must pass your signal on from satellite to satellite seamlessly (since each satellite is in low earth orbit and is only 'visible' to your fixed location for about 15 minutes as it passes overhead). You think Thailand will say yes? Fat chance! The same goes for Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar etc etc. There is very little reason for these countries to approve Starlink.

I was staying on KP during last high season. My detached studio near Chaloklam had a separate kitchen and bathroom, parking, huge land (coconut plantation), free wifi and electricity and it cost me 9,000 THB/month with no security deposit needed. How did I get such a bargain? I ignored the overinflated prices on FB and drove around and chatted directly with the Thai owners ????

Yonks ago when I was a tourist police volunteer in Phuket, I was called out late one evening after dark to search for a lost French guy in the forest areas in Thalang. I went into the forest with a local Thai who knew the area. The French guy had a mobile phone with reception and I told him to tell me when he could hear my whistle. Well, as soon as I blew my police whistle the Thai guy looked horrified and told me not to blow the whistle since it would scare the "tree spirits"!! How is one meant to find a lost person in the dark forest without using a whistle? It took us some time .........

One reason why my brain is in tip-top condition is because I teach Physics every day ????

Whatever you do, DO NOT move to Luang Prabang in Laos. If I told you why then I'd have to kill you.... Simon (happily living in Luang Prabang)

zzzzzzzzzz...........

I'm 64 years old, expat medical insurance, $150/month premium for $400,000 annual cover, $500 excess. The only exclusion is for my BPH. That's with WR Life. I could have got cover for the same terms with other expat insurers for about $250/month but I don't trust insurers to pay out :). So I don't want to commit large funds to medical cover, just in case they refuse to pay out. In any case, one should consider what you need medical insurance for: - Minor accidents/ailments = you pay the small cost yourself - Cancer, 'slow' growing ailments = you have time to return to your home country for free treatment. - Sudden serious event (cardiac arrest, stroke, major car accident etc) = you are dead! (Well, since I live in northern Laos, I most certainly would be, due to the lack of decent medical care). That just leaves major but not sudden death events, such as need for a heart stent etc, where air travel back home might not be possible. That's where I would expect to need medical insurance.