simon43

I rarely eat seafood (in case it has crab meat in it). I eat nuts every day ???? So let's start with the nuts! Thanks.

Sheryl, my occasional doctor in Pattaya - Dr Olivier, whom I visited yesterday for a rabies vaccination, also stated that he did not think it was a lung disease but an allergy. I haven't been eating dairy food for the past 6 months (restricted diet because of my prostate cancer 'scare'). No change with my lungs... I am allergic to crab but other seafoods are fine. My daily diet consists of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, nuts, muesli, chicken, green tea. What on earth could I be allergic to for the past 22 years and not be aware of it? ???? The lung condition is exacerbated by cold air. I rarely use air-con. If it is a food allergy, then I can't even begin to think what might be the cause.

Thanks. I have consulted Dr Google many times about my ailment, since this good Dr seems to know more than medical specialists ???? COPD symptoms include shortness of breath and impaired lung function. I have neither. My lungs are not compromised (chest x-rays show no problems) and the ailment hasn't progressed or worsened in 22 years. It started very suddenly and has remained with me all that time. (Surely even the most inexperienced doctor would be able to diagnose COPD?)

I just got back from the hospital after getting flu and pneumonia 23 vaccinations. These are important for me because I will shortly return to work in Myanmar, and decent hospitals are in short supply over there. I need to protect my lungs from possible infection. This fuzzy (sorry) photo shows what is lurking in my lungs. Huge lumps of white phlegm that is very much like silicone bath sealant, very sticky and very thick. I've been coughing and coughing up this phlegm for 22 years! It's the reason why I moved from the UK to Thailand all those years ago. In the UK I had no lung problems until I started to work in a damp, unheated basement office. Within a few weeks I developed a cough which month by month got worst and worst until I was experiencing uncontrolleable coughing fits. No one else in my office developed these symptoms. I went to my doctor, had x-rays and sputum tests and my lungs were pronounced as healthy... My doctor suggested living in a hot and humid climate (south-east Asia). So I tested this out by moving to Bangkok for a month. My lung condition improved immensely! I returned to the UK and was soon hospitalised with severe pneumonia. (Interestingly, the symptoms that hospitalised me were the same as I had experienced on several previous occasions in the UK, but without hospital diagnosis). I separated from my wife and kids in the UK for these health reasons (she wouldn't move to Thailand), and I started living in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. My lungs were much happier in the climate, but in order to minimise my coughing fits I found jogging or walking 5km every morning helped to thin the mucus. On my recent visit to the UK for prostate cancer investigations (happily negative for cancer), I also attended hospital for investigations of my lung condition. After chest x-rays and sputum tests the doctors said I had no lung illness.... That's the same message that I received from both Bumrungrad (x-rays/tests) and Bangkok Hospital (x-rays/tests) last year! The weather/temperature in the UK in February almost did it for me and my lungs. I almost abandoned my prostate tests because I was suffering so much in the cold climate. I can add that recent spirometer tests show that my lung function is normal. I don't wheeze (unless I have bronchitis, a common ailment for me), and I don't get short of breath. I don't need to use an inhaler. I just have loads of thick phlegm in my lungs which causes me to cough extensively as I try to cough it up. Now back in Thailand, I realise that no-one seems capable of diagnosing what is going on.... I don't want a diagnosis anymore. I just want some advice as to how I can thin this mucus so I can cough it up more easily. I often sleep on my stomach with my head and upper chest hanging over the side of my bed so that gravity can assist in moving the phlegm. What might help alleviate these symptoms? I've read that Bromelein (from pineapples) can thin mucus. What about a vibration jacket that cystic fibrosis sufferers use to helps to move the phlegm? I'm open to suggestions. I want to be able to keep teaching and helping students in Myanmar and do not want this problem to force me to stop working ???? To add, annual health checks reveal no other illnesses, very healthy heart, blood works all OK (high PSA due to prostatitis), no family history of lung problems etc)

$2,500 USD tax-free ???? (No B.Ed, no PGCE, no QTS, just my science degrees, CPD certificates in pedagogy and years of in-class experience)

[quote] ... In my case, employed by a school and my contract of employment was not going to be extended for another year as I was over 60, ... [/quote] Out of interest, why was your age an issue? There is nothing in Thai law (AFAIK) that forces an employer to terminate your job when you reach 60 years old. Off-topic, but I'm soon off to my next teaching job in Myanmar - I'm 64 years old and my age is absolutely not an issue ????

[quote] ... with many Thai nationals outraged. ... [/quote] Oh please, were many Thai nationals really outraged? This seems to be a stock phrase often used in news reports about events in Thailand. I assume that it's The Pattaya News that is the guilty party. Quite frankly, I expect most Thai nationals couldn't give a fig.....

I read today that there was an attack on the Chinese oil pipeline that brings oil to China from a port in north-west Myanmar. IMHO, this is the way to go. China is the only party with the strength to end or drastically reduce the violence in Myanmar. The only thing that matters to China is money and it's investments. Put those at risk and China will act. Would they act against the ethnic armies who launched the attack on the pipeline? China must realise that it is totally impossible to protect that pipeline from attacks by the pdf or ethnic armies. It would be better to get those armies on China's side, and that can only be achieved if China stops supporting the junta. The junta cannot protect the pipeline, as has been demonstrated today and by previous attacks.

Lol, sounds like my Thai nieces when I looked after them. No stealing from me, but plenty of truant and sneeking out at night to bang their BFs after I went to bed. I double-locked the front door and then they would creep out of the windows! I superglued the windows shut and they bought superglue dissolver!! Teenagers!

Yes, the cables work fine on my other pc. Both USB ports on the laptop have the same error, and both also work fine with a wifi/usb dongle and usb memory sticks. I'll try with a usb hub.

Never in the last 20 years have I been required to download phone drivers to use USB tethering. Tethering of any make/model of phone has always worked with all computers that I've owned. Anyway, I downloaded and installed the drivers for my phone. It made no difference at all.... same error message.

My phones are Android. Is that important when that same phone tethers OK to my other Windows 10 computer?

I have a laptop running Windows 10. It's actually my back-up laptop for teaching online. Recently, the hard disk drive 'died' and was replaced with a SSD and Windows 10 Pro OS. The laptop seems to run fine but when I connect my mobile phone in USB tethering mode (for internet connectivity), Windows pops up an error message that it doesn't recognise the USB device. The same USB ports (there are 2) do recognise USB memory sticks... The same mobile phone and USB cable tethers fine with my other laptop I uninstalled the USB port drivers and reinstalled them, with Windows reporting that I have the latest version installed, but I still get the same error message and can't use USB tethering. This is frustrating because a wifi hotspot has a slower data throughput than USB tethering. I don't know if USB tethering worked OK with the old HDD - I never checked this. Any suggestions what to check/do to get USB tethering to work? Thanks

These scams are all over the Koh Phangan FB pages....

Other countries take steps to minimise tourist deaths. In Bagan (Myanmar) tourists can only hire electric motorcycles (maximum speed maybe 40 kph) and in Luang Prabang (Laos) the same is actively encouraged.

Aksorn Pattaya has a good reputation as a primary school with very reasonable fees.

Yes, I once took a 'lady of the night' back to my 500 baht room and then popped into the shower. When I came out, the lady was gone and my shorts were on the floor, clearly tampered with. I checked the pockets and found a 1,000 baht note that wasn't there before and had been left by the lady who felt sorry for my financial circumstances! ???? (That was a joke BTW!)

Dumb as a box of choccies......

Well blame his mum for him ascending the throne in his 70's ????

Although I'm British, the fact that I left the UK more than 20 years ago does make me a little cynical about the event, which I'm watching on the TV right now. This is essentially a Christian religion event, but few in the UK would profess to be practicing Christians. Charles should be pushing Christianity, not kowtowing to other religions. Or make it an event without any Christian aspect. I see a choral group just now, not a white face amongst them. Great singing, but I feel it is virtual signalling. I see past prime ministers and so many entitled (or not so entitled) people. If Charles says he is one of the people, then don't invite these elites but fill the cathedral with 'common' people from all walks of life.

Mad neighbours, woffling poster, dead German in house, time for a bonfire, sshh don't tell anyone.....

I just called them and they denied having any Covid vaccines available - told me to try the government hospital...

Have you been married 3 times and have kids in the UK and Thailand? Eats up the money I can tell you (university fees, hospital fees for my niece etc). Yes, I have some money in the bank, but with an open-ended and uninsured medical condition, it was sensible not to waste money on an expensive hotel room.

I had to attend hospital in the UK over several months. So I had to pay for accommodation for that period. Blackpool was one location with the cheapest hotel rents, (still not cheap compared to Thailand). I had already paid out a large sum on the MRI scan and initial medical investigations in Thailand which my insurance company refused to pay for. Since I didn't know how long I would stay in the UK, it was important to find accommodation that I could afford over an open-ended period.

In case those who don't follow the health forum don't know the news, prostate cancer investigations in the UK revealed ... no cancer! The high PSA numbers and nodules on the MRI scan turned out to be benign ???? I am back in Thailand but still under the long-term treatment of my UK GP who has prescribed various antibiotics to treat to eliminate the UTIs that are causing the varying PSA numbers. I have online consultations booked with him later this years after further PSA tests. (He is fully aware that I have returned to Thailand for the moment, but legally I am still a UK resident). Why Blackpool? Because apart from Hull, it had the cheapest hotel rooms. I stayed for almost 3 months in a tiny, cold room (no heating) that had interesting black mold growing up the walls.