GarryP

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

No.

 

Abdominal ultrasound is not recommended by any public health authority as a routine screening tool for the general population. It is highly likely to uncover incidental, benign conditions (e.g. kidney cysts, liver cysts) that in turn lead to unnecessary invasive procedures (exactly why the private hospitals like to include it in packages -- and why government hospitals do not).

 

Your blood tests include liver enzymes. If these are normal, that is  enough. If they are elevated then yes ultrsound would be logical next step.

 

Your blood work also includes AFP, a so-called marker for liver cancer. This too is not generally recommended (both false positives and false negatives are common) but they tend to do it in Thailand because, unlike in the West, there is a comparatively high incidence of primary liver cancer here. In addition, in Thailand they use a much lower threshold as the upper range of normal. So if yours comes back "high" do not panic. Good chance it is still normal by international standards.

Thanks.

FYI my FBS, which you mentioned in an earlier reply, has been between 100 and 105 for the past 9 years (102 last November), so I will have HbA1c test this time as you suggested. 

8 hours ago, BritManToo said:

When I arrived in 2009 I was spending 60kbht/month. Now in 2023 I'm spending under 50kbht/month.

 

So in the past 14 years inflation hasn't been significant.

 

PS. I retired at age 45

PPS. You wouldn't believe how many of my pals worked just 1 more year then died before 60. Live life now, tomorrow might never come.

My mother officially retired at 60 and died. Never drew her pension. 

19 hours ago, guru said:

If you decide to have the exercise stress test, don’t automatically panic like I did if the doc says your results are abnormal. I had an exercise stress test as part of my annual medical at Samitivej Sukhumvit and doc said abnormal. She said it could be a false positive but to cease all exercise until I had a CT scan at 25k and one just happened to be available that evening. Only way to rule out this false positive was this CT scan. I was as scared as anything and in my mind, I had no choice. Scan came back normal with 0% calcium in my arteries and the exercise stress test abnormality was ruled a false positive. 
My mate had the same false positive stress test and same clear CT scan result at an annual check up in a different hospital. 
Good luck with your check up and I hope all goes well. 

I last took the exercise stress test in 2018 and the results were normal. But I will do it again this year. 

Actually, I do tend to suffer from white coat syndrome, which usually knocks my BP up, but I test regularly at home and it is within normal levels (I take amlodipine 5mg)  

19 minutes ago, georgegeorgia said:

 

 

And ..... Testereone & Estrogen

What's your testereone levels?

 

 

Testerone was 2.96 in November 2022. PSA was 0.690. Never had an estrogen test and it is not included in the list of additional available tests.  

FYI, I had an ultrasound of the whole abdomen last year and the results were normal, with the exception of a slightly fatty liver. Should you have this test done annually?

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. 

I will be having my annual health check later this month in Bangkok, which is covered by my employer but is limited to the following tests only: Physical examination, Chest X-ray, Urine Analysis, Complete Blood Count, Fasting Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, Triglyceride, HDL-C, LDL-C, SGPT, SGOT, BUN, Creatinine, AFP, EKG and Uric Acid.

However, I am considering adding a few more tests, which I will fund myself, but not sure which tests are appropriate for me. I had a PSA test and a testosterone test a few years ago and everything was fine so don't think they would be that important at the moment. BTW I am in my early sixties and have slightly elevated blood pressure which is well under control. I have no other underlying conditions (at least that I am aware of), am not overweight, and exercise regularly, i.e. at least 5 days a week. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

2 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Just a day before his surprise transfer, Suriya had led a search of Makro headquarters in Bangkok, after a DSI investigation found the wholesale supermarket group had purchased frozen pork from a shipping firm linked to a smuggling ring.

Suriya had also voiced suspicions that government officials were involved in the racket.

Yep, his transfer was rather sudden.

I thought CP was the largest producer of pork in Thailand, yet there are concerns it was sourcing smuggled pork. Still under investigation but likely to go silent and the Markro spokesperson will come out with a load of porkies.

Funny how when officials step on the toes of the generals, powerful gov't officials and the oligarchs, they seem to be removed from their positions.  

On 11/27/2023 at 11:36 AM, spidermike007 said:

1. Upgrade the educational system. It is dramatically underfunded.

2. Encourage curiosity, and allow students to question their teachers. How else will they learn and mature?

3. Reduce taxes and VAT, to stimulate the economy, do not increase them.

4. Pay a living wage. Why do you think so many talented Thais have fled the country?

5. Get a life. Come to grips with reality. If your son left, what on earth do you think is going on here?

The Ministry of Education has the second highest budget of all ministries. However, the money is wasted on pointless projects and no move has been made to change the educational system. As a result, Thailand continues to drop down education rankings. There are so many things they could do with their budget that in the long term would greatly benefit Thailand but the dinosaurs still have their heads up their collective arse (maybe a mamenchisaurus could do that if it reallly tried) and dipsh!ts like Anutin are pushing for new civics courses to promote patriotism, love for the country and gratitude to the monarchy. Something that will be really helpful in getting a decent job in the future, not!!!!!! They are even talking about bringing in new history books. I thought they had already rewritten it a few times, but it seems that they have some more fiction to add to the <deleted> already taught.

Apologies. Rant over.     

On 11/27/2023 at 10:27 AM, crazykopite said:

It’s not his idea it’s the puppet master who pulls his strings and we all know who that is !

Yeah, he wants his sons back here too, doesn't he? 5555555

28 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Do you have Google or Facebook accounts?  They are an alternative log on and in my experience much better than doing direct.

Thanks. I'll give that a try. 

Just did that and it just took me to the account I tried to change the number for. 

9 hours ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

So it's Lazada's fault that you didn't read and heed their clearly posted warning that you can only change once... ?

The thing is that I cannot close an account and create a new one either.  

My problem with Lazada is that I created the account and set it with my own mobile number. Later, I changed it to my wife's number without any issue, but it absolutely refuses to allow me to change back to my number, resulting in all kinds of <deleted> trying to cash out a refund that was sent to my wallet which uses my number, not my wife's. Moved over to Shopee and only very rarely use Lazada now, like only once a year. Never had an issue with Shopee and paying with QR is much more convenient than Lazadas transfer system.    

1 hour ago, BenStark said:

 

What would you say if they called for free Israel?

They should not be calling for anything. At least not when on duty. 

13 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Ah the personal attack already.

And your comment wasn't? At least you confirmed my comment about your reading comprehension skills. 

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Are disputing the fact that the EDL founded by Yaxely Lennon had pedophiles amongst its members?

 

You what they say about hating most that which one sees in oneself?!

I think you need to take a course in reading comprehension and perhaps throw in an extra course in logical thinking. 

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You have problems with extremists unless they're Yaxely Lennon, his pedophile infested EDL and anyone who gaslights with a portrayal of overtly offensive imagery with humor.

 

 

You seem to be lacking in logic. I have problems with all extremists. But please tell me what he has done that is extreme in this case. Pushing and shoving to the Cenotaph? I think you need to see other incidences of violence under the guise of support for Palestine. In any case, the EDL was disbanded years ago. If he is/was involved in pedophilia, he should be arrested and charged for it. 

As to imagery, have you heard of dark humor? There will always be someone who finds something offensive. Should that be used as an excuse to stop others finding it funny? There should really be no fixed boundaries as pointed out by Ricky Gervais. Should comedians and satirists self-sensor so you don't get upset? 

2 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

What was the complaint? ‘Disrespectful to the host country’. An odd thing to say to people born and raised in England.

 

What was the fear mongering? ‘they are taking over, non British values, when Sharia is implemented’. An odd complaint about people born and raised in the UK.

 

So people born and raised in the UK are all fine, wonderful, law abiding citizens, with British values? You would be okay with some of those gorgeous British people trying to force their religious beliefs on you and your family and telling you what you are not allowed to say or do? I thought the UK was supposed to be a secular country and yet here we are unable to extract the Michael out of a religion whose edicts are contrary to everything the country supposedly stands for. Why can we joke about every religion bar one? I can call Jesus, Bhudda, Vishnu whatever I want with no fear of repercussion, and yet if I call Muhammad anything negative such as a c*%t (even though I do not believe he ever existed), the hounds will be baying at my door (figuratively) and death threats pouring on. The extreme adherents of the Koran and the hadiths they follow push a narrative which is the antithesis of what the vast majority of Brits desire or are willing to accept. 

I know that the majority of muslims in the UK are moderate and do not support the extremists, but they are silent (with a few exceptions). Yet they are the very people who are best equiped to take a stand against extremism within their own faith. So who is left to raise this issue and bring it to the fore? And it certainly does need addressing.   

2 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

  Your post will  likely get removed again , you need to learn how to speak more civilly and to stop the abuse 

His name says it all. 

10 minutes ago, Nick Carter icp said:

 

 I asked a poster why they thought Tommy Robinson was a racist after they stated that he was  racist .

As I haven't also stated he is a racist, how do you expect my to answer my own question ?

   If I knew the answer to my question, then I wouldn't need to ask the question, now would I

Seems that some posters are lacking in reading comprehension skills, and I don't mean you.  

3 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

Originally I had Viagra. Gave me headaches, stuffy nose, and flushes. Sidegra not as bad. I found Cialis lasts a long time, like well into next night. They claim 36 hours and I think true.

Viagra and Sidegra are the same drug, i.e. sildenafil. Sidegra is the one manufactured by the Thai GPO.