simon43

Yes indeed! Having suffered from this condition for so many years, and having met with 'blank looks' by every single doctor whom I have consulted in the UK and Thailand, I'm pretty confident (with my scientific hat on), that the diagnosis by Dr Google is correct. (The part that actually convinced me are my clubbed toenails!)

(long post, but maybe useful information for other forum members). No, it's not a case of looking through an online list of diseases and saying "I've got that and I've got that!". I am very sure that I have finally identified what has given me poor lung health for the past 25 years, thanks to the state of my toes! Why haven't the doctors in the UK and Thailand been able to identify this condition? Because (IMHO), they have been totally useless, failing to identify very well-known symptoms of this disease, symptoms that are not hidden away from sight. So what is Bronchiectasis)? It is basically widening of the bronchial airways, such that excess amounts of mucus can build up in these, causing breathing difficulties (in some cases), and especially causing infections such as bronchitis, thanks to the build-up of bacteria in these retained mucus lumps, which would normally be coughed up from the airways. I always wondered why the x-rays and lung function tests that I previously had never showed anything wrong with my lungs' abilities to exchange gases (respiration). That's because there is nothing wrong with my alveoli function, and I don't get short of breath. The problem lies with my lung bronchi, which collect large amounts of very sticky mucus, because these airways are wider than normal and the body's natural function is to coat the airways with sticky mucus to catch bacteria etc. I had sputum tests which never found any bacteria etc. But the doctors failed to pick up my comments about excessive amounts of mucus! "You're fine, no problem" was their comment time and time again 🙂 So I got together with Dr Google to research different kinds of lung illnesses, such as asthma, COPD and so on. My symptoms excluded these illnesses, but Bronchiectasis fitted the bill exactly. In fact, I'm reassured that it's Bronchiectasis and not COPD. COPD leads to progressive narrowing of the bronchi, and that surely can't end well. Bronchiectasis is widening of the airways, and is not progressive if it's controlled by removing the excessive mucus. The final er... 'killer' symptom of Bronchiectasis was 'clubbed toes'. My friendly online doctor flashed up images of normal toes and clubbed toes that Bronchiectasis patients typically have. WTF! My toes are like that and I thought everyone had toes like that........ (I don't go around staring at ugly feet and I assumed that my ugly toes were just normal). The causes of Bronchiectasis could be down to asthma, lung infections etc. In my case, I recall getting very sick after working in a damp, underground, unheated office that had been empty for many years. My UK doctors could find no cause for my ill-health and I assumed that it might be down to aspergillosis fungal spores in the room. But lung x-rays never found any lung shadows etc and my lung function remained relatively normal, apart from regular bronchitis, pneumonia and explosive coughing fits that physically drained me. On the advice of my UK doctor, I moved to the hot/humid climate of Thailand, and that certainly helped, but smoky air pollution would still cause flare-ups, as happened last week when I went to visit smoky Luang Prabang. A forum member suggested that I try N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine tablets to thin the mucus so that it can be coughed up, and I'm very grateful to him because this certainly helps. Now that I'm pretty sure that I've identified the illness, I can concentrate on methods of coughing up this excess mucus, such as by using the thinning medication and 'huff' coughing. (I've been trying that and it helps). I won't bother asking a 'real' doctor to confirm my diagnosis, 'cos me and Dr Google do seem to have identified the culprit 🙂

Lol, perhaps you would be bored as fook, but I'm not. I enjoy my technical hobbies, usually spend time doing voluntary teaching, have a nice 5-10km walk every day, swim in the sea etc etc. I savour being alive (after a previous cancer scare), and I haven't got time to get bored. Boredom is created by your own failings and self-pity. In any case, I'm left-handed 🙂

Before you go outside, double-check that you have put your trousers on and that your 'dingle-dangle' is not 'dingling-dangling' 'cos you forgot to pull up your zip. After I started these checks, so many Thais were much more welcoming to me than previously...... 🙂

Actually, the sole reason why I originally moved to Thailand 23 years ago was because my health deteriorated badly after I worked for several winter months in an unheated, damp, underground office in London that had been empty for some previous years. I suspect aspergillosis fungal spores were present in the office, but I was the only one to get sick and I was never tested for aspergillosis. After months of suffering from pneumonia and bronchitis, my doctor suggested that a south-east Asia climate might help. It did! I jumped on a plane and tested short stays in Bangkok and my lung health improved a lot. So I moved permanently to south-east Asia. But over the subsequent years I still had lung flare-ups in different locations, such as where the burning season events occur. My best health is when I stay by the sea in south Thailand.

I should point out that my comments about air pollution in CM, north Thailand, Laos and Myanmar only refers to the effect on my own crappy lungs 🙂 Others with healthy lungs may find nothing detrimental at all.

You really need to have a certain kind of character to happily live alone - in any Thai location or any location in the world. I've lived alone (very happily) for the past 10 years. I attribute this down to my childhood, where my 2 elder brothers went to the same grammar school, but said school was 'full' when it was my turn. So I went to a different school and was not so close to my siblings. While they were playing rugby with their school friends at the weekend, I much preferred to cycle alone into the nearby countryside and 'wonder' at nature, the flowers, trees, butterflies, rabbits, badgers and so on. I think this semi-isolation gave me a stronger character. I think many (most?) adults are unable to remain mentally stable (meaning not stressed etc) without the need of regular, close social interaction. GG, from your posts, I doubt that you have the sort of personality/character to happily live alone. (That's not being rude to you BTW)

That's maybe your opinion (not sure if you're joking here!!) I don't smoke, very rarely drink, wouldn't waste my time romantically or financially with any woman nowadays. I'm as happy as a pig in sh*t!

That's a grey area (according to many previous news reports). I only teach non-Thais living outside of Thailand.

We don't know whether he has medical insurance, he could have a $1M cover for all we know 🙂

Yes indeed! (I assumed you were already living in Thailand prior to reaching your retirement date)

The pension will be pegged at the amount paid in the UK on your retirement date. So I retire in 6 weeks from now and so my UK pension will start to be paid at the current UK rate. But next year, when that amount increases in the UK (due to the triple lock), my pension will remain the same as before. That won't make a huge difference in the short-term, but would be important some 10 or 20 years down the line.

Swissie, thanks for your concern. My last medical tests were only 2 years ago, performed in the UK. Nothing untoward found ha ha!! Happily, my symptoms have not got any worse in the past 20 years, (meaning that 20 years ago I was also reduced to explosive coughing and litres of phlegm). I've learned to live with it. Being penniless in old age is a choice for me (I could spend my earnings only on myself, but I think that's a waste of the money). The only sad part is the attitude of my close family (ex-wives and UK kids), but that's life. It's 5am and I had a terrible night of coughing, but I'll go for a long walk along Jomtien Beach when it gets light - that should help to clear my lungs 🙂

When I'm not in Myanmar or Laos, I stay in Thailand on a 'retirement' visa. Always used an agent for yonks, no issues 🙂 I don't have 800k because I spend it on my charity work. But if there were no visa agent option, then I would keep this money available. The bottom line with my income is that I can't take it with me when I die, and I certainly don't want to leave a single penny to my ungrateful relatives. So I spend it on more deserving causes 🙂 As for my lungs, I acquired this problem 25 years ago after working in a damp, unheated office in London in winter - an office that had been empty for yonks. This medical problem led to many cases of pneumonia, chronic bronchitis etc, including hospital stay in both the UK and Thailand. The diagnosis of UK and Thai doctors? All who have taken sputum tests, x-rays, lung capacity etc say that there in nothing wrong with my lungs... (thanks guys). So I've soldiered on. I guess it is some sort of throat irritation. I got back from Laos about 24 hours ago, after cutting short my trip because of acute bronchitis. Tonight and last night I have to lie on my bed on my front, with my head hanging over the end of the bed to let the phlegm drain more easily out of my lungs.... yep - nothing wrong with them at all 🙂 I've got a humidifier, so my room is like a sauna, but it helps 🙂 I had to abandon my online lesson tonight mid-lesson after I couldn't stop coughing lol. Really, it's more frustrating than a major medical issue, because it stops me returning to Myanmar/Laos to help with much-needed education.

I was fast-tracked because of suspected cancer. Happily, no cancer was found!

See my comment to the other person (like you) of limited IQ....

Duh!! But I'm not using that money to live on am I? I live on less than 40k baht per month. Whether I have additional income is irrelevant if I don't actually use that income to live on....

Nope, I currently have 8,000 baht + 87,000 baht each month to live on (I teach science online). But I find that I easily live an enjoyable and healthy life with just that 8k. How much does it cost to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh chicken etc? Next to nothing. I rarely buy beer, don't smoke or waste money on women. Zero stress that way 🙂

Lol, I'm on the 15th floor of a newish condo, 300 metres from Jomtien Beach, 7k baht/month. My Vios costs 8k/month, the air-con house I'll be renting on Koh Phangan is 11k/month (expensive!), my $400k medical is less than 6k/month. When renting property in Thailand, it helps to speak Thai and rent directly from Thais 🙂

My (reduced-29 years) UK state pension starts in 6 weeks from now 🙂 About 40,000 baht/month. On that sum I am able to rent a decent car, a condo by Jomtien Beach, another house (maybe on Koh Phangan - Chiang Mai was too smoky for me), and a $400k medical insurance cover, and still have money left over for food, drink and so on. Seems to be that some people aren't able to budget....

I waited just 7 days.....

"There is no reciprocal agreement with the UK. If there was, he could get his adjustment. It takes 2 to make an agreement and Thailand did not agree. " That statement is incorrect. I will have to dig out my previous research on this matter, but many years ago (I think it was in the 1990's), the government of Thailand formally requested a social security agreement with the UK, similar to that between the UK and The Philippines. The data that I researched stated that the UK government never made any response to the request from Thailand...

So..... no fine or arrest for driving a car when p*ssed as a fart...

I recall my first Thai GF was from Songkhla, and she was also the first MAD Thai GF that I had - started talking loudly to herself as we were driving along. Finally had to physically flee from her in BKK Saladaeng Road, jumped in a taxi with her screaming and running after the car!! Well, welcome to Thailand 🙂 I'm back in Jomtien an hour ago. My throat/bronchitis is easing up.. My comment "What I don't want to do in my retirement is simply do nothing, get fat, drink beer and catch STDs from 'professional' woman." was actually a joke! I rarely drink beer and never socialise with ladies of the night 🙂 I'm not fat either and intend things to stay that way... My studio near the beach is absolutely fine on almost all points except 1. That is concerning my rather eccentric hobby of shortwave amateur radio which necessitates me to have several large erections (of the antenna kind). I can get away with these large erections in rural regions, but the moment I start extending my telescopic antenna tool in urban areas, people start to point and whisper! When I lived on Phangan Island a few years ago, no-one was concerned because I could throw my erection over a palm tree.... Also, there is another (small but important) reason why KP comes up as a good destination. Last time when I lived there, I was the volunteer English and written Thai teacher for the Burmese community school at Chaloklam. Some of these young kids spoke no Burmese but could speak some Thai, (but not write it). Some were vice-versa, and most could manage some simple spoken English. As someone with more than a little experience in teaching primary grades in Myanmar, I could 'run' the class with a mixture of spoken/written Burmese, Thai and English. I know that the school misses my help, so that's a good way to keep busy in the daytime for a few hours.

Hi, thanks for your advice. Sadly, this is not going to happen, due to the air pollution and my pathetic lungs, which are unable to cope with anything but the cleanest air. I am in Luang Prabang right now, offered a job at the international school, but unable to accept the job because I have chronic bronchitis within 2 days of arriving in town. I fly back to Thailand in a few hours from now. The coastal air in Jomtien or south Thailand is fine for me. For me, who really wants to live and teach in Myanmar or Laos, it is hugely frustrating that my lungs let me down, but realistically I can't see the situation improving with age...