simon43

Yes, I have an appointment this morning with a recommended urology specialist at Bangkok Hospital, Pattaya. Best to expect the worst and hope for the best ????

In this case, I think his comments were justified. People will fear swimming in the sea, in case a box jellyfish makes a beeline for them.... I actually was stung by a box jellyfish in Thai waters about 15 years ago, and I had the red welts/scars on my leg for 2 years. It is very difficult to see the tentacles of any jellyfish that's in the water. I sincerely hope the boy recovers.

I haven't smoked cannabis for at least 30 years, and I have zero interest in starting again. But walking around Pattaya, with its many cannabis shops, vans and self-service vending machines, I haven't noticed any problems at all. No stoned tourists lying in the gutter, nada.... zilch.

Jogging along the promenade this morning, I saw the 'devastation' of ripped-up trees. For heaven's sake why? Now it's an eyesore...

As Charlie says, it's a kneejerk reaction. But commonsense would suggest that if a gunman cannot gain entry to the centre, then that must surely help. So fire exit doors only open outwards, only 1 entrance that is locked and monitored at all times, with toughened glass so that no-one can easily enter the premises etc.

Ah no..... that could also be an issue. Sheryl, My PSA test 8 years ago gave a result of 7.5, and 5 years ago it was 5. I did have a DRE 8 years ago, and only an enlarged prostate was found, nothing suspicious. Anyway, I'll go and see Dr Oliver in Pattaya on Monday and consult his wisdom on this matter.

I do, and have done so for the past 20 years, whilst living in Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. I have never lost it, forgot it or been robbed of it ????

To be honest, I haven't tried not taking the BPH medication. I guess I should give that a go ???? Dr Google tells me that a UTI will definitely raise my PSA value. He also says that I need to wait about 1 month before repeating the PSA test after clearing the UTI. But in any case, I will go and chat with the doctor in the meantime.

I did a blood/urine test today. The results indicated that I currently have bacteria and white cells in my urine (presumably caused by a UTI). My PSA result was 11. My last PSA test a few years ago (and previous to that) had a stable PSA value of about 6, slightly raised due to BPH. In the past couple of years, my BPH symptoms have increased, so I now take a daily tablet to enable me to pee. Should I be worried by the PSA of 11? Dr Google tells me that BPH will increase my PSA and a UTI will also increase it. How long should I wait before repeating the PSA test? I hadn't noticed any UTI symptoms - should I take some medication to sort that out? Thanks.

I've been in Bangkok for the past couple of days, staying on Silom Road. I can tell you that perhaps 99% of people walking in the street are wearing masks - those not wearing masks (including myself) are western foreigners. But I saw only 1 Thai person not wearing a mask.

Yes! My mad Thai ex. (But she wrote the letter herself!!)

As others have said, radio is the main stay of communication after a national disaster, because it is a relatively simple and reliable way to communicate. The USA and other countries rely on radio amateurs to provide this 'when all else fails' service. I use my ham radio rig in Thailand to provide an emergency email-by-radio service (winlink and pskmail).

"Did you ever get that feeling that you are crazy?" Yes! I often get the feeling that YOU are crazy.

After leaving Naypyitaw in late 2018, and a spell of living in Laos and Thailand while teaching online, I'm returning to live and work in Myanmar in a couple of weeks from now. I'm exchanging the 'delights' of Pattaya for the uncertainty of living in Yangon, with growing civil unrest. I decided to return to Myanmar because it is easier for me to do my (very small-scale), educational charity work for Myanmar students if I'm actually living in the country again. I think my efforts (although small) will be welcome by many students who are unable to attend school I will be teaching at an international school, and will continue to teach online in the evening/weekends. This joint income will certainly help to cover the cost of books for my charity work. Alas, it's no longer safe for me to visit Shan State by motorbike - so book deliveries will be by bus postal service. Who else is living in Myanmar right now?

Concerned about the PM2.5 air quality, and the lack of online data for my location (the websites simply interpolate data from 2 distant monitors in other cities), I bought a monitor off Aliexpress. Well, the unit switches on, displays a PM2.5 value, and that value increases as the smoke density rises. But the values seem completely at odds with the online interpolated data. In my garden, the normal reading is about 20, which I refuse to believe as correct, (Phuket has very clean air and typically has a value of about 50 - I live in the hills with local scrub burning at times). Online data suggests about 70. If I walk past a dusty building site, the value rises to about 55. The monitor is made by a Chinese company called 'Total B0ll0x Factory #5'. Can anyone recommend an accurate air quality monitor that I can buy from Aliexpress (not Lazada - I live in Laos)?