xylophone

Some truth in what you say LLF, but as I go out infrequently these days, and don't visit the same bars then the "opening the floodgates" analogy doesn't really apply. More that the girls are "newbies" and not getting a salary, so they immediately ask for a drink, not realising that there is more to it than that, AND of course they are told by the owner to do just that. As regards the Tiger bars, well I never was a fan of the new one, but Soi Eric, Soi Crocodile and a couple of others were great..........but that was then, this is now. No matter what, I do object to paying 200 baht for a small glass of juice, or similar, for a girl to sit next to me and say nothing!! As I said, Bangla has lost its allure for me, and the occasional night out to meet friends and have a small meal, is about the only useful purpose it serves.

This is ground control to Major Tom......... ". Seriously, you make some good points in your post and it made me think as to why Bangla is not so attractive to me these days, and it's not just because of the things I mentioned in my rather long post. I have had three good friends here who have owned bars, and successful bars at that, and I and a few friends would often meet there for a chat and a few drinks and a bit of fun, and none of the girls gave us any drinks hassle, mainly because we were well known and friends of the bar owner, however that didn't stop us from buying a drink or three for any of the girls who chatted to us. If I fancied a night out on my own to get out of my apartment, I would phone and see if the bar owners were out that night, and if they were I would catch up for a drink, and there was none of the eardrum busting music blasting out, so a conversation was possible. It made for an interesting night out and occasionally a whole bunch of us would get together and go to an Italian restaurant for a meal. Things change over time as we all know, and the owner of a particularly popular bar died a few years ago and the bar changed hands and was never the same again; another owner friend of mine was conned out of much of his money, from his girlfriend, which was supposed to go to the landlord, and he subsequently walked away from his bar (and his girlfriend). Such a pity because it was a great bar and a popular meeting place for friends. To be fair, the falling custom and Covid also played a major part in him finally walking away. Then, another very popular bar and meeting place, succumbed to the ravages of Covid (no customers) and overheads, and is no more. Even my favourite Italian restaurant, Salute, just off Bangla, had to close because of lack of custom, and that was also a meeting place for friends and a couple of bar owners. And lastly your comment regarding lady drinks was also spot on, and paying around 200 plus baht for a lady drink is ridiculous these days, and I may add, paying 160 baht for a beer in one of the music bars, is certainly getting up there, although I appreciate one has to take into consideration that it is an entertainment venue and not just a bar.

It's been a few weeks since I had been out and about in Bangla, however last night I decided to catch up with a mate from Oz, and also have something to eat and have a look around. I was surprised that the Blue Lotus Café has ceased selling food, because I thought their "snack like" offerings were great, although I was told later that they would conjure up a pizza if requested. Having said that, I walked past the place a few times last night and it was absolutely empty, such a shame for a place with so much potential. So we went down to the recently opened Blue Beach, which is actually on the beach, or should I say fronting it, and it is looking really great now, and the covered restaurant area was almost full, so I and my Oz mate ate at the bar, and my "hot Thai basil" dish was excellent, and he said his pizza was likewise, so I will be visiting again not only for the vista/wonderful setting, but of course, the food! Walked down Soi Sansabai on the way to Bangla and noticed that it was a lot busier than before with more restaurants now open, and that includes the Pizzaeria Hut Italian restaurant, which I've always liked, and Wicked Bar which used to be a favourite when it was owned by a couple of Kiwis. There were also new places which didn't really strike a chord with me, so remembering them is difficult, especially after a night out on the town! We did stop for a drink in Soi Sea Dragon, but I've probably been here far too long, because the girls didn't seem that pretty any more, and were more clingy and continually asking for a drink when we had only just sat down – – a sign of the times I suppose, because rumour has it that no salaries are paid these days, so what remuneration the girls get comes from what drinks they are bought. We also visited Soi Freedom and it wasn't overly busy, but there were more than the normal amount of ladyboys mincing around, and I realised that the lady boy stage show had been reincarnated, hence the reason. One thing that did amaze me was that where there was once two bars side-by-side, they had been made into one large bar and in front of them were a large number of new, wooden tables and chairs, and they didn't look cheap at all. Looking into the bar there was the usual stainless steel stand which is usually filled with ice and packed with fresh seafood (at least in many others I've seen) empty but waiting to be used when the place was fully up and running. Quite why anyone would put a "restaurant" in a narrow Soi like that, with music from a DJ, and ladyboys miming to various hits, is beyond me, and I would suspect it will end in a costly failure, sad though this may be, planning and ground work for such a place shows little in the way of intelligent thought! There were quite a few people on Bangla going about their business, whatever it was, and I would have to say that the place has become more cosmopolitan even over the last month or so, because I encountered more Australians, a few Norwegians, some girls from Germany, a couple from Lithuania, some Brits, to mention just a few, and they all told me they were on holiday, so Patong is still a drawcard even in these difficult times. I did end up, with my Aussie mate, at Red Hot and although it was fairly crowded, it was nowhere like it used to be, but then that's only to be expected. One thing that did become obvious to me last night, this whilst sitting at a bar being pestered for a drink by a girl to whom I'd never said a word, was that I am just about over this scene, and probably have been for a few years now. Whereas at one time it was all the rage to go to Bangla a few nights a week, catch up with a few mates and have a few drinks, a few laughs and generally have a good time, but now I don't really enjoy it any more, mainly because I am now not a big drinker and prefer wine over beer, and really don't like spirits, so my beverage options are limited on a night out. Furthermore I really can't find the effort to sit there trying to engage in small talk, with a smattering of Thai and English, with a girl whose raison d'être is not to entertain, but to solicit a drink from you, no matter what. Having said that it's probably been like it for years, and maybe it's just me getting old, but years ago it seemed that the girls were prettier, more engaging, and of course could be fun – – but now? The other side of the coin is that to relative "newcomers" to Patong, the bar and go-go scene is new and exciting and is probably something they haven't been used to in the past – – so life goes on here, and I now prefer to meet up with a small group of friends and enjoy a meal and a few glasses of wine, with perhaps a visit to one quieter bar to enjoy the interaction, laughs and jokes, whereas the newcomers revel in the newness and enjoyment that I first encountered all those years ago. C'est la vie.

Maybe that should read, "Beware of the idiots of March" as there seem to be a lot of them around at the moment! Mind you, on Thai roads there mostly always are on any given month!

I for one welcome the addition of new procedures to help with enlarged prostate and urinary retention, and I would have chosen one of those mentioned had they been around when I had my TURP. The TURP operation has been around since 1926, and the original resectoscope used still looks very similar although it has had some minor tweaks over the years, and considering that so much has been done in the field of health/medicine since then, it's not surprising that new methods are being explored. Having said that, advances have been made with Green Light laser and Holmium laser techniques, both of which appear to be superior to the original TURP, with less bleeding and fewer side effects. But taken overall, little has been done in this area, which has been described as a "medical wasteland", so it's pleasing to see new procedures coming on the scene, and more to the point, do not involve general anaesthesia and surgery/cutting, or any of the other side effects like urinary incontinence or erectile dysfunction et al. The medical companies producing these new procedures/products spend millions looking for a solution, and in trials, probably because they see that nothing much has been done in this field for years, and of course if it is successful, then they make money, so it is a win-win situation for all concerned. Having been through a TURP and encountered just about all that could go wrong in the short term, and the long term effects of scar tissue left after the operation, causing urine retention (again) I wouldn't want to go through it again, although unfortunately a second TURP is sometimes required between eight and 10 years after the original operation. As my situation has now changed, partly because of the TURP and its side effects, and my prostate doesn't appear to be the problem now, I will be signing off from this particular thread, and will be putting you on "ignore" because of some of your nonsensical posts.

IMO "Live by Night" is a totally underestimated movie Mutt.........do yourself a favour and watch it, you won't be disappointed!!!

I am somewhat of a fan of Ben Affleck, and especially liked his movie, "Live by Night" as well as "The Accountant" however I couldn't really get into his latest effort, "Deep Water" because he didn't seem to offer anything to the movie or to the audience that would be of interest. He came across as a one-dimensional man with very little personality, and he carried it off very well, so well that I looked back on some of his other movies and realised that this is his style! A slow movie with nothing exciting happening and which doesn't give away its raison d'être.

As a follow up as I forgot that the little device is removed after 5-7 dqys!!............... The iTind Temporarily Implanted Nitinol Device for the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Secondary to Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Conclusion: iTind is a well-tolerated, minimally invasive treatment for BPH-related LUTS which preserves sexual function and urinary continence, offers a rapid recovery and return to daily life, and a significant improvement of symptoms and urinary flow at 6-month follow-up. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33373708/ https://www.olympus-europa.com/medical/en/Products-and-Solutions/Products/Product/iTind.html

Surgery has to be the last option (this from a top NZ urologist) and as you can see from this below, 10% of men have erectile problems and between 50 to 75% of men have permanent problems with ejaculation after a TURP, and of course there is always incontinence to consider! Be aware that everything is not always plain sailing after a TURP and there are many published papers/trials which show this…….. What are the risks and complications of TURP? The main risk is to your sex life. Some men have problems getting an erection after surgery. For some men, that lasts a few months. In about 1 in 10 men, erectile problems are permanent. Between half and three-quarters of men have permanent problems with ejaculation after a TURP. Usually the problems arise from the semen flowing backwards into the bladder during ejaculation – this is known as retrograde ejaculation. Although it is not life threatening, it can cause infertility in couples and can change the sexual experience for men. Other problems such as bleeding, infection, frequency of urination and urgency can occur. Occasionally, a man develops urinary incontinence after a TURP. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/transurethral-resection-of-the-prostate-turp Surgery should always be the last option, and I cannot remember if you had considered the iTind or Urolift option??

There are a couple of threads already running on this subject and associated ones, with one simply being labelled "Prostate" and another labelled (I think) Rezum, if you look in the health section on Aseannow.

You could always contact the manufacturer and see if/when it could be available here in Thailand, however as I said previously I had no other choice than to have a TURP, even though I wasn't keen on major surgery and all of the potential side effects. I travelled from Phuket to Melbourne to have the operation done in the highly rated Epworth Hospital, but as you have probably gathered, it wasn't smooth sailing then, and hasn't been for more than a decade afterwards. Not only did I have to wear an indwelling catheter and bag for more than a week after the operation, I then had to use a catheter for another week or more before I could do without it. Fast forward eight years or so, and because I was getting regular UTIs I went to see the urologist here (Phuket) who did yet another cystoscopy and said that there was scar tissue round my bladder neck, as a result of the original TURP, and that was causing a problem and needed to be removed. I asked if there were any side effects and he said no, so we went ahead and did it, and retrograde ejaculation was the outcome and the urine stream was still very average. Go forward another two years and urine retention was causing me some more UTIs, so another cystoscopy and the problem couldn't be found. However, a top urologist in Bumrungrad has determined that my bladder has stopped working, and an implant may be necessary to get it working again. What I'm getting at here is that all of what I have described above is as a result of a TURP, and although some of the damage was done due to stretching my bladder in the past because I put off emptying it, a great deal of it was also done from the TURP onwards because of urine retention and the bladder stretching. Anyone who has had urine retention/bladder problems for more than a few years will have almost certainly stretched their bladder, which can make it "lazy" (underactive bladder syndrome) so although a TURP may seem to be the ultimate solution, it may not be. Hence the reason I have recommended on this thread that folks try other, less invasive and reversible procedures, because once a TURP has been carried out, there is no turning back. It is determined as being "major surgery". And one thing that really did surprise me was that "between half and three-quarters of men have permanent problems with ejaculation after a TURP. Although it is not life threatening, it can cause infertility in couples and can change was the sexual experience for men. Furthermore urinary or bowel incontinence can also result". I'm not trying to be a pessimist, but I have experienced most of the above, and although another poster "fredscats" has had good results from a TURP, my experience is at the other end of the spectrum, so IMO I would try anything before settling on the TURP, even if it meant travelling overseas.

I remember seeing a couple of documentaries about farmed salmon and how the farming of them, the methods by which they are kept and reared, and the food they are given, does not constitute a healthy fish. Furthermore because feeding them like this reduces the "pinkness" of the salmon, they are also fed carotene supplements to give the flesh a pink/red look. I have to admit that I occasionally succumbed to the temptation of smoked salmon (usually the salmon trout sold here) but would never try to consume it as a major source of Omega 3.

Thanks to poster "recom273" for giving me a link to the movie I was wanting to find, called, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers", and I will be watching that tonight. In the meantime I started watching a series I found on BBC iPlayer, called "Taboo", starring Tom Hardy, whom I like very much, and it was different and intriguing, and IMO well worth a watch before it is taken down (about a month I think).

Seems like you are a suitable candidate for urolift and it is available in Singapore, Australia and a few other places (could check out India, Malaysia and Hong Kong as they are relatively near). Respectfully.......if you could use a catheter to empty your bladder before going to bed, you could get a good nights sleep. This until you settle on a solution, and it is not as bad as it sounds!!!!!

I don't know if you have been reading my posts S1, however I have found that Professor Dr Art here at Bangkok Phuket Hospital actually does this InterStim procedure, so I went along to see him (actually twice) and had an MRI and he said I was suitable for it, but to wait for a short while because the company were going to release a new/smaller updated version of it shortly, so I am happy to do that. Thank you for your help and input, and I now have a little more hope for the future.

Yes I suppose it could, however I meant no malice or rebuke, and thought that if you had a particular drug in mind you could possibly home in on it on Google? As I recall finasteride is supposed to affect sexual performance, but I can't remember any others that do, hence my suggestion. Always willing to share what I know and what I have experienced, as I have done now for the most 17 years I've been posting here and in the previous one. And thank you for your support, because I also thought it was quite rude of that particular poster, in particular in light of what I have been through with BHP and associated problems, so was grateful for the good things I've experienced.

Do a Google search.........

I must have been lucky, because I didn't experience anything like that, having said that I did only take it for about six months! I don't mind firing blanks at my age, as long as the old fella stands to attention from time to time, then everything is okay for me!!!!

Herein a couple of comments and a question (please). I downloaded and watched, "The Adam Project" and although when I looked on IMDb it had a rating of 6.7, I would put it more at 5.7! This because not only is it childish and weak IMO, it was almost a waste of time watching it. I did watch "Reframed: Marilyn Monroe" and thought it was pretty good, although at the end, her affair with JFK got a little mention, whereas with regards to Bobby Kennedy, nothing was said! Now the question: – I have been unable to find the movie, "The life and death of Peter Sellers", although one site did have it, but there were no seeders so it wouldn't download – – anyone any idea as to where I might find it? Please.

I did try Flomax (tamsulosin) at one time to try and improve the bladder emptying, and it worked to a certain extent, but not enough to completely clear up the problem, hence the reason I eventually settled for a TURP. Nothing wrong with giving it a try as you have got nothing to lose.

I don't know how large your prostate is riclag, because the size of it may well limit what other procedures could be applied/utilised. I had a TURP because there was nothing else available at the time, and the meds weren't helping, and I remember a friendly urologist in NZ saying that a TURP was the last possible option I should consider only when all else had failed. If I was in the same position now, I would certainly try the iTind procedure, because it is a painless 10 minute procedure which has to be revisited every three years or so, with no general anaesthetic or similar, and I could put up with 10 minutes every three years quite easily. The Urolift would be my next option, because that is a relatively simple procedure, and like the iTind, can be removed if necessary. Finally, I would try for the Holep procedure if all else failed, rather than the traditional TURP for the following reasons..... Which is better HoLEP or TURP? HoLEP was significantly superior to TURP in terms of both Qmax and IPSS at 1-year postoperative follow-up visits. Furthermore, HoLEP patients benefited from less intraoperative bleeding, a shorter catheterization time, shorter hospital stays, and lower transfusion rates. You may also wish to peruse the following, if you haven't already done so: – https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/transurethral-resection-of-the-prostate-turp

Thanks for asking Will, and it all went well thank you very much. The MRI didn't show up anything untoward, and it did show that the sacral nerves were intact and undamaged, so if I go ahead and get the Interstim device fitted, then there's no reason why the bladder shouldn't be prompted to work again. The good Professor did say that it would be an easy operation (I thought it would be quite difficult) and that he had contacted the manufacturer of the device and they were shortly due to release an updated and smaller version, so he suggested we wait for that and I continue with the catheter to try and retrain the bladder that way. I'm always optimistic, and to me this is good news and I still have the decision to make with regards to the implant or not, however that can wait a few months. I was happy to read about your positive outcome Will......thanks for sharing.

LOL, as far as the prostate and waterworks go, you could say that!!!! Still, here I am in my 75th year and still active and lucid, apart from the waterworks which I'm dealing with at the moment, and I've had a great life, what with a good standard of football, working in the Sahara desert and Nigeria, and being a director of American Express, and Chief Manager Investments of a major bank, not to mention the huge amount of travelling and adventure, so I can't complain. Had an MRI done at the hospital yesterday and going back this afternoon to discuss the findings with the Professor, as I am going down the route of installing the "InterStim" device (similar to a pacemaker) to help stimulate the nerves in the bladder, so I will see what the good Professor says. If there is no other solution, then I will probably go ahead with this, although I am getting used to using the catheter twice a day and it is no big deal as far as I'm concerned at the moment, so we'll see what the outcome is. And good luck with your decision regarding the TURP.

My experience with being in a shared ward, albeit small, was not pleasant at all. As I recall there were about six beds in this "private ward" and in the bed on the right hand side of me was an old guy who had been constipated for six weeks, and although he was "out of it" most of the time, there were regular cries of pain in the day and night, where he would empty his bowels (obviously a painful experience) and the stench was unbelievable. The nurses would often come in and try and tend to him, but it was quite a regular occurrence and I rarely got any sleep, eventually asking for a couple of sleeping tablets to help me. The guy on the left hand side would also scream out in the night, so not much sleep as far as I was concerned. Oh, and a guy in the bed opposite died of heart failure, and unfortunately he was the quietest one of the lot, before he died that is! My second stay in hospital in Thailand was in a private room and it was spacious, complete with a fridge, and a TV to watch, and I was able to plug in my computer and keep myself occupied on that. I would never go back to a shared ward, or whatever one wants to call it, again. Food for thought perhaps.

What is BNP, pray tell??