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kbb

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  1. 100 % disagree. A mistake like this is avoidable (The OR staff should be counting items in/out per SOP). That's obvious. To think this doesn't happen back home also? Ridiculous - Especially since Insurance companies & for profit medical systems squeeze OR and other support staff. Setting aside the idea of malpractice claims here in Thailand - I doubt you'd ever recover more than a few thousand baht for gross stupidity, I believe the actual care you can get here is fine. My personal experiences with Thai medical (I m mostly self insured, with care provided mostly at public hospitals & charged at farang rates) Several routine colonoscopies. The Drs were cautious. They caught and questioned about slightly odd EKGs I knew about before. An accident that led to over 12 stitches & recommended extra scans due to a head injury. A broken ankle that was mis diagnosed in the USA, and correctly found and treated here. (I was in the urgent care clinic in california for over 8 hours to get even that level of treatment) Last year I was hospitalized for Covid - Almost did not survive. They escalated my case twice, and sent me from a small to midsize, then to a larger hospital within 2 days. I believe that if I was in the USA, with their overcrowded facilities, I honestly might not have made it. It would have been down to a coin flip. It's true - I am uncomfortable with the idea that there is little (if any) recourse to medical errors here. And if you need specialists, you probably need to head to a private hospital. On the other hand, if you have a Thai partner who can navigate the language problems (Essential!), then you can get good care here. But to tell people with health issues that the care here is awful l can cause actual harm. If you need a Dr - see a Dr.
  2. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. Since you are in Pattaya, at least you have more options. Suggest you call around. Our personal experience with this (Trying to leave out unimportant details) 5 years ago - We were driving between Pattaya and Kohn Kaen, and stopped in Nakon Ratchisima for dinner. We had 2 dogs, and 3 cats. About a 10 hour ride. One of our Chihuahuas (Who had health problems) started to choke on her dinner. Although were were from out of town we managed to find a vet still open. -- A larger facility. The Vet explained that we would have to leave to dog overnight. She was 50/50 as far as survival. When he explained they would not euthanize, even with treatment that might turn out poorly, we were rather stunned. As heartbreaking as it was, we had to drive the next 5 hours up north, as the other animals had been in the car for many hours. Wind up here was that she did improve, and we were to drive down and get her back. About two years later, the same dog started having severe skin problems (To go with lung, liver and heart disease). The Vets up here were in Chum Phae (Near Khon Kaen). Her condition worsened, until one morning she was too weak to stand. We put her in the car, and on the way to the vet, she was obviously weakening, and slipping away. We discussed options with the Vet, but they were poor. LIttle chance of success, and no way to know how much pain would be involved. Here's the point to your dilemma - This vet did not shy away from Euthanasia. I may describe them as Neutral. They certainly did not encourage treatment. I never got the feeling from them that they were trying to make any $$ here. So I suggest you pour through google and google maps. I beleive you'll find a vet who will help with this miserable task. Best of luck.
  3. I hope I'm ot off topic here - Saw that someone else posted a suggestion to try an eReader. Absolutely a great idea. I spent years trawling 2nd hand bookshops in the USA, Singapore, and Thailand. Like shopping for CDs, it was a fun diversion. Now, 99% of my CDs are gone, and I have bought maybe 5 books in the past few years. I do all of my reading on either a Kindle or a Tablet. I no longer have to stuff my luggage with books. More importantly - The devices are backlit. I no longer have to play around with reading lamps. (Sounds like a small matter, but it makes things so much easier. ) Like so many others, I spend a lot of time on my laptop or reading. Because the devices are backlit, I honestly never get eye strain or headaches. You don't have to purchase a Kindle reader. The Kindle app allows access to phones, computers, and tablets. I do recommend a Kindle Reader - They are more comfortable to hold, and have great battery life. Mine is already 6 or 7 years old. Still works well. A basic model is fine, unless you prefer color, and/or you read textbooks or artbooks. Some of the textbooks may requires newer models to work properly. Most libraries seem to have invested $$ in electronic books - especially with Covid. So, if you still have ties back home, you may be able to get a library card for access. There are some services that you can pay to subscribe to. I had Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Now over $10/month. Don't recommend it. You should be able to find a better service with a bit of Google research. As for my books - They're still good for killing spiders. If I can find my wife to help. Good luck ...
  4. Same thing happened to us - If you don't want to change your PW (I'm hoping they fix this) - Here's a workaround. Go to "Track My Order" on the hoe page. Enter your email and a valid order. You'll be directed to a login page that accepts the old, shorter PW. Will give them some more time before updating our PW. What a PITA.
  5. Even if this wasn't poisonous - Here's an easy precaution for next time. Buy a "snake stick". Less than 300 baht. Looks like one of those grippers you use to get things on - off of high shelves. So you can more safely grab the snake before either tossing or whacking it. We live in a typical rural town up north. Have had several cobras in the yard. (One dog was spit in the eye and also bit on the face. Lived, but almost did not survive -- She just won't learn). Respect them - these things are dangerous. When confronting one of these, it's very easy to make a mistake as the adrenaline pushes common sense aside. And don't forget - Even decapitated, the head can still give a lethal bite as a reflex ...
  6. I've wrestled with this problem for years - Have tinnitus & so have major problems with dialogue. It's gotten so bad, that I rarely watch anything without subtitles anymore. Over the years, I've tried soundbar & 3-5 channel systems. Have also tried "TV Ears", which use proprietary technology for voices. From my experience, I'd warn against using headphones too often as they can actually cause more damage over time if not used carefully. For a few years, I've used BT speakers that I set near where I watch TV. The volume is adjustable, so I don't drive my partner crazy (er). If you want to amplify voices, it can be a challenge to find speakers that concentrate more on the higher frequencies, rather than the booming Bass. The rechargeable (non replaceable) batteries on my old unit just died, and so im looking to replace it. Ironically, cheaper sets may be better, since they skimp on the Bass. Expect to spend way less than 6000 baht. Note the other challenge here is how well they connect with BT. Some models disconnect frequently, and then reconnect with an annoyingly loud "BONG". So some trial and error may be needed. good luck ...
  7. We live up in Phu Phaman. About 2 hours west of Khon Kaen. It's a pretty typical small town. I used to take long walks during the day. I stopped, after a few people who saw me out wandering around warned my wife that I was in danger of getting my throat cut for my wallet by teenagers on drugz. As unlikely as that is, I can't totally discount the idea. I now limit my long walks to the Temple grounds just across the street. As for night-time, we rarely find ourselves driving the 30 to 60 minutes it would take to find restaurants or markets. Just not worth challenging the nighttime traffic adventures -seems that every night is New Years Eve out there.
  8. kbb

    Elder care at home

    (I searched various forums here, and came up empty)My wife and I are hitting our 50's /60's. I recently had a major covid scare, featuring a week in a coma - semi coma. This led to discussions about what to do when/if we need long term elder care. I know there are Assisted Living types of services, but my wife is dead set against that option. She wants me at home. Unfortunately, I have experience with Alzheimer's and DementiaWhen the time comes that we need help, she'd rather have people here in the house helping out - We do have an extra room for people to stay. It may be early for such discussions, but makes sense to have even half a plan. In the "old days" here, you might expect that the young take care of the old. I believe that Society has started to move away from that ideal (Not unfairly). We do have some family here, including a few I would describe as "extended". I have lingering doubts that we'd hire family , and not strangers. The idea is that we'd have 1 or 2 who we'd pay a salary to come live with us and help.My concern is that so much of Thai society & culture is Transactional (even among families), is that we'd need to find a decent way to use a type of Golden Handcuffs to maintain a long term relationship. Does anyone out there ha personal experience with this type of thing? And if so, did you rely on a handshake, or try to use a lawyer to form some sort of contract?Comments of Salaries would be welcome, but I recognize that they'd likely vary widely, depending on many factors. Thanks in advance - Pakwan
  9. The market looks interesting. We have a car in Jomtien, but really did not want to drive through that mess. The songthaews are the big question. Not sure how often they run to & from the beach end of Thepprasit road. (When we lived off of South Pattaya Road, the bloody songthaews were often useless , as they would not leave the 1st stop until full - Thus locking out anyone in the middle of the route). Any hints?
  10. Two years ago, I bought a Johnson Horizon Comfort R. Through Lazada. (I had tried to buy a different brand, but it felt like the sales guy was selling some sort of slightly used - open box as new). Good points - Bike seat is comfortable and adjustable. Bad - Screen - control design is awful. - Uses old WIFI tech. So connecting for those features is basically impossible. - The screen is not backlight (Which they acknowledge). Makes it very very hard ro read unless you're seat is in the perfect position. - The speaker is less than useless. No volume. Need to use an external speaker. Showed the Tech - He shrugged. - The speed sensor failed just a month or two before the warranty expired. Even after arguing with the repair Tech that is was likely a sensor and not the computer, we waited months for the repair part. Turned out they were wrong - It was the wheel sensor. Bottom line, I really wish I had bought something else ...
  11. We live up North In Phu Paman. We don't travel much thanks to Mr Happy Virus, but we do have to make the 2 hour trip into Khon Kaen once every few months on Highway 12. In May, we received a Speed Camera ticket. I usually save everything - This time I forgot, so no details here. I think it was 500 baht. We paid at the local Post Office. (They've always treated us well - No problem. Took a minute). One bit of confusion was that my wife got a phone call about the ticket before the letter arrived. I was suspicious of a scam. We asked a cop at a road checkpoint, and he didn't know about any phone calls. So, exercise typical <deleted> caution with these calls, Now that we got nailed, we have noticed more and more speed camera signs along the various roads. Not that we can tell which are decoys and which are real. Last point - Some of these speed limits through town are 50 to 60 kph. One one have, you want to try and obey the law. On the other, feels likely to get rear ended as no one but tuk-tuks and/or buffalo move that slow.
  12. Schumacher Cargo Logistics Used for move from San Francisco to Northern Thailand late 2020. Wasn't cheapest, but am still so happy we have many items that are hard to get here in Thailand - Such as really nice leather sofa, artwork and various pieces of furniture. https://www.schumachercargo.com/testimonials.html https://www.google.com/search?q=Schumacher+Cargo+Logistics,+1027+Newark+Ave,+Elizabeth,+NJ+07208&amp;ludocid=11902040123540501701#lrd=0x89c252b875936267:0xa52c8a6ec213f4c5,1

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