dennis123

8 minutes ago, BritTim said:

I would expect an application in Savannakhet to succeed. However, the climate there does seem to have changed, so no guarantees. In Vientiane, I expect you would get your visa, but with the dreaded "this person travels frequently to Thailand on tourist visas ..." stamp, which makes further visas very difficult until you get a new passport. I recommend Savannakhet or Yangon.

Knowing what a pain in the arse IO's at the airport can be Yangon would also be risky, even if having the 20k baht right? Because I do have this stamp.

Would it be wise in my case to travel to the Myanmar border by car instead, and from there take a taxi or bus to Yangon, and back?

Edit: Just see it's 8 hour by bus ????

1 hour ago, sanook 1 said:

Did you get the "frequent visit stamp" from vientiane after the 4 th tourist visa there? 

Yeah, didn't even notice it at first, then when I saw it worked 4 times in a row I thought maybe the rules change, so I tried it a 5th time, then one of those ladies at the table in Vientiane, that check the papers, told me, no you can not have too many already, which I semi-expected, and then she pointed at that stamp, two small lines of text below the latest Thai visa.

17 minutes ago, pr9spk said:

If you've had that many tourist visas - you aren't a tourist. Expect to be refused.

 

Look at getting a real visa.

There is no real visa for freelancers.

ED visas are not unlimited and the elite visa costs too much, absurd to pay approx 250 euro/month purely to be able to live in a country where most people earn no more than that.

I have 4 tourist visas from Vientiane in a row so I guess I won't have much luck in Savannakhet either? Maybe I should go for the visa exempt again (only have one) and after that an ED visa. I already have this frequent visit stamp and don't want a VOID with prejudice from Phnom Penh added to that.

16 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

You should NOT be self medicating with proponolol.

 

And if you had taken it near to the time of the stress test it will have thrown off the measurements.

 

When you see the doctor be sure you tell him the whole story including the bit about using proponolol.

It's for my anxiety, clinic recommended it in combination with diazepam, so yeah I took it before I went to the hospital.

I'm sure I told them when they asked for it but you see so many different doctors during the tests that I don't know if it ended up with the right person that does the stress test.

5 hours ago, Pattaya46 said:

There is a big difference between an alcoholic and a "normal" person. Alcoholics are known to have progressively accustomed their body to huge quantity of alcohol that normal people could never handle.

I am a non-drinker and always have been a non-drinker. 30 drinks of alcohol very probably would kill me. Valium on top would just be a safety measure in case I decided to commit suicide ! 

 

I'm not an alcoholic!!!

In the past six months I can count the nights I've been drinking at one hand, but when I drink I drink a LOT.

If you give me 30 beers I probably don't make it till the end of the night, or morning as I would fall asleep so I always start with beer, then when I start to feel a little bit tired I take a few vodka Redbull, and mostly we end the night with a few bottles of 100 Piper, mostly mixed with Coke Cola so the caffeine is what keeps me going.

On 10/30/2018 at 3:40 PM, Isaandon said:

Anyone else out there ever have their drink spiked? I have, in Thailand and Cambodia. Im not saying that's what happened but it is possible. They usually use valium or zanax. Those mixed with lots of alcohol and or other drugs will kill u!

My friends and me love to mix alcohol and valium for fun, and we drink a lot, 30+ drinks is common, so articles on the web saying that valium and alcohol is a deadly mix should be taken with a huge grain of salt. It's not like I'm recommending it or something but they love to exaggerate.

During my toothache, I went out one night, had 3 ibuprofen, 3 paracetamol, 3 painkillers from the dentist, 1 propanolol, a handful of valium, 8 whiskey, 5 beer, and another 2 bottles of whiskey shared with the four of us, so make that another 0.35ltr/person. Then finally I got rid of the pain. Took a boy home, had sex, once again in the morning, and obviously a huge hangover.

Just saying, it takes a lot more than spiking your drink with 1 valium or Xanax to drop dead.

2 hours ago, Ban Phe Dezza said:

 Hi I definitely have Angina attacks, Bypass and stents as well The medicine i have is called Isorem 5 You can buy in strips of ten or a box of 100  about 25 baht for a strip of ten. there should be a few of the bigger pharmacies carry it. Basically it increases blood flow, you place a Tablet under your Tongue and let it dissolve fairly quick acting and Non addictive, can do no harm even if your issues are not Cardiac  dont place too much reliance on Stress tests  I passed all of them until i collapsed    a angiogram  found i had 95% blockages  so definitely required a bypass  Not saying that is your issue only what happened to me back in 96.

AS a side remark when i lived in the Philippines expats had a saying if in pain catch the Plane

Hmm... did you have a 64 slice CT can? I don't think they had 128 or 256 slices back in '96, and if so did that show anything?

Angiogram is rather expensive and requires an overnight stay, but it's the only test where they can say with 99.9% certainty what's going on.

33 minutes ago, GarryP said:

 

For some reason they measured it in mph. Probably a machine from the US. They put me up to 4.2mph (6.76kmh) at 16% incline at 9 minutes. I was at that level for 1 minute 21 seconds when I reached the targeted bpm of 144. 

Impressive at your age, or perhaps normal for people that actually regularly exercise ????

3 minutes ago, TPI said:

Go to a hospital immediately, you are having heart attacks, on one of these occasions you will die?

Thread is getting old, already been, done all the test, nothing wrong with me, only thing that's left to do is possibly a 128 slice CT scan. The exercise stress test, EKG, X-ray, Ultrasound, are all near perfect. They did find a tiny lung infection from a long time ago and told me nothing to worry about that. That probably explains why I was coughing for like months a couple years ago ????

20 minutes ago, Ban Phe Dezza said:

sounds like Angina or what they call T I A's  usually causes pain in left arm and Jaw but can cause the same symptoms in the right side Yep I have had both sides play up however mostly in my left side. I Carry tablets or spray with me Google this if your chest pain lasts longer than a few minutes and doesn't go away when you rest or take your angina medications, it may be a sign you're having a heart attack. ... If stable angina gets worse or changes, seek medical attention immediately.  the other possibility is a pinched Nerve in your neck or Shoulders

I usually take propanolol when it starts to hurt, can last from 15-60 minutes and obviously, it takes just as long for the propranolol to do its work but well.

What's the name of the medicine you use?

I never have pain in my left arm, when this happens but I do have something else.

One morning I woke up, about four months ago, with extreme pain in my arm/shoulder, and now four months later I can still not pull my left arm up high enough and it hurts when I have to put on a shirt but its getting less by the day.

I think that's something totally unrelated though but it's plain weird, as I can't find a cause but it's almost over now, must've stretched a muscle somehow without realizing it. Never saw a doctor for it, that's me.

29 minutes ago, GarryP said:

If you don't mind me asking, how old are you? I just had the stress test at the suggestion of Sheryl and the results came back normal. However, they had me going for more than 10 minutes. Before the test they told me it would take between 7 and 9 minutes.  Also, they told me I would only have to walk but towards the end I was running.  I do quite high intensity exercise before work and at weekends so maybe that was the reason it was taking so long to get where they wanted it.   

I'm in extremely poor condition when it comes to exercise, most of the day I sit on the chair, I always take my car even for just 300-400mtr out of my village to do grocery shopping so at 8 minutes I told them is this enough? They said please hold on for another minute, then I started to count but probably I counted to fast as I just see in my report that it took 8 min 32 seconds and I was really ready to hit that red stop button lol.

I'm 42 btw, during the last 2.5 minutes they increased the speed to 5.7km/hour but they also change the angle so in the beginning, I started jogging because I thought the treadmill was at a higher speed but then I tried walking real fast and that worked fine, I'm tall so long enough legs to walk. At what speed did they set it for you after 9 minutes?

39 minutes ago, kkerry said:

 

There are different cholesterol measurement figures, but in all my tests in Thailand total cholesterol of 100 is rated low, 200-240 is borderline high. Normally you receive Total, HDL, LDL and Triglyceride figures in your Lipid profile. Maybe the doctor meant fasting sugar level, where 100 would mean you are approaching pre-diabetic levels so also need to take notice. Be aware 0% and low fat yoghurt often contain medium to high sugar levels (check the labels) so don't overdo the seemingly healthy 0% yoghurt. 

 

This is a lipid profile result from a couple of years ago to give you an idea (my fasting sugar is back in the low nineties again).

 

 

Depends on your age, but if they let your heart rate get to nearly 200 in the stress test they probably think you are ok heart wise. 

Actually, I thought I read 195 or something, on the screen, but in the report it said a heart rate of 172 with a target heart rate of 164. That stress test though only taking 9 minutes completely exhausted me lol.

You're right about the sugar at 100 indeed, I used to drink 1.5ltr of Coke per day so I'm cutting that drastically, stop eating icecream, and any other sweet snacks. I'm a true sugar addict, and also eat a lot of bread so it's going to be a tough one.

Going to replace it with sweet fruits like grapes, bananas, mango, pineapple, and maybe start doing some smoothies where I mix vegetables with fruit and honey added. I suppose the sugar from honey is better than what they put in Coke and ice cream.

Actually honey is not much better but vegetable smoothies are disgusting as hell without added sugar.

11 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

I'm not connecting the dots,  I guess.

 

How do  actually do the Google translate from Line?    Are you using phones or laptops?

 

Does an Android phone with a  Line app allow for Google translate?

 

Would you please explain?    I'd like to be able to do that.    I use an SE phone.

 

 

Yes, it took some time to figure out on my phone.

You open translate.google.com in Chrome browser so that's a different tab.

And then at Line you press your finger on the text for 1-2 seconds and then a copy button pops up.

Then switch to Google Translate and you do the same there, press your finger on the input field and a Paste button appears.

I use a Samsung.

I live here 7 years now, am excellent in numbers but when someone asked me in Thai 'where are you from' I had no idea what she said. Pretty bad really that I can't even understand such very basic question.

I do admit my memory is terrible, so I think I would have a hard time learning Thai, but the real reason is that I lived for the most part in Pattaya where everyone speaks English and the year that I lived in Buriram I lived a pretty much isolated live after breaking up so there was never any need to speak Thai.

I guess the same applies for most people, nearly every Thai in Pattaya speaks English and for the rare one that doesn't we still find a way to communicate with their few words of English and my few words of Thai and some hand symbols.

I talk a lot on Line with the father of my deceased friend, he writes in Thai, I write in English, and we both use Google Translate, which sometimes results in some awkward moments but mostly we understand each other.

21 hours ago, Sheryl said:

They do not ask for a health report but there will be a health questionnaire.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Is there any way for them to verify any of it?

You might remember my thread where I got myself diagnosed with ADD to give Ritalin a try, and you felt that I kind of tricked them lol. After a few weeks I actually returned the Ritalin and Paxil, then tried Stablon for a few months, and didn't feel it helped much either so I stopped with all that. Not really worth mentioning is it?

One question specifically mentioned it and yeah i did semi-tricked them as in that I think I have a very mild version of ADD, and depression is something I can live with without the need for medication, also pretty minor really.

6 minutes ago, topt said:

As an example here are a couple of the application forms including the health questionnaires - I am going through the process at the moment.....

Luma Application Form - Asia Care Plus Thailand 2018_Updated.pdf

DShield Application-Form-intl 10022016.pdf

 

Thanks a ton, I'll have a look at them, and yes I visited their website yesterday, looks like appointment only indeed.

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

The 35k thing is an angiogram and it is only done when there is a very high index of suspicion for coronary artery disease which is not at all your case, quite the opposite. Between your age and negative stress test, CAD is highly unlikely.

 

Gastric/duodenal pain (gastritis) can mimic cardiac pain, so closely that even doctors can't tell the difference without running tests to exclude heart disease.   That would be the most likely explanation IMO given negative cardiac work up.   Could see a GI doctor if cardiologist gives you clean bill of health as likely will.

 

If it is gastric in origin they should test for h.pylori

 

 

Thanks as always Sheryl

I missed the appointment this morning ???? so will go another time.

One interesting thing the doctor said btw was that I should cut down on raw meat and seafood, but the last time I ate a steak medium rare must've been 1.5 months ago, and I haven't been to any seafood buffets for a long time either, besides a meal from Tops with a few tiny shrimps a couple of weeks ago. When I said that she looked at me like she didn't believe me, and went on with the list.

She also said to cut down on fatty meat, like pork and salmon, and chicken with skin.

So yesterday I went to Tesco, to buy food, tomatoes, cucumber, bananas, grapes, mandarins (tiny oranges), 0% fat yogurt, but at the meat department, there's literally nothing left to pick besides chicken filet. I definitely ain't gonna eat some meat replacement like tofu.

4 hours ago, markaoffy said:

so you had an education visa ! For what purpose? To learn Thai language or other reasons ! Lucky he let you in


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

No those ED visas were from before, I had a tourist visa.

And yes it was to learn Thai but I never went to school, immigration and schools even encourage you not to go to school by asking for a small bribe, and providing discount for the course. Everybody knows, nobody cares, and this border agent wasn't angry about this ED thing, he was angry that I lost the temporarily export document for my car so in his rage he started to bring up other things.

This was a few years ago and this was at a land border that although they employ a bunch of grumpy guys they never really refuse anyone for any reason, except for OP as they don't like dark people from other countries.

I think it actually works in my benefit that I cross the border with my Thai registered car, its another reason not to deny me entry.

17 hours ago, Indianguy said:

Yes, it was an act of sheer racism and it was quite embarrassing at that time when everyone was looking at me as if i am carrying some drugs or illigle stuff, moreover i didnt even get to say goodbye to my travel buddies..when i got to combodian side i have to get stamp cancled whixh is free but they took 1000 baht from me, and the guy was in uniform so i trusted him but he just knew i had money and was a bit starlted but yje biggest setback is that they ruined my passport... and everytime i travel have to go through this refusal episode over and over again.. thats why i want to get rid of it.. but dont know if geting a new passport will do that.. or it on my passporr number for life????

Nah it's not on your passport number for sure, immigration in Thailand hardly has their own act together by storing it in their own local database, and it appears they've only had that for a couple years now as last time when I was at immigration they could see I lived in Buriram for a while, but no word about previous locations.

These databases aren't shared internationally, and the stamp you've shown doesn't really look like a refusal stamp, it could literally be anything and I don't think they can read Thai in Australia. If you worry change your passport indeed and with that, you have a new passport number as well. You're really over worrying things.

If I were in your shoes at that moment I wouldn't feel embarrassed at all, I would feel mad as <deleted> and call them out for what they are, making a huge drama at the border so that everyone would know what a bunch of racists they are.

2 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

the opposite is happening in Hua Hin. Its booming. Hi So Thais everywhere driving Mercedes and BMW.

I'm not dying in ten years.

it might feel like that up north. i know when I visit Udon Thani it feels completely different than Hua Hin and Bangkok.

 

I admit there's something about that stretch between Bangkok and Hua Hin, so-called trendy but honestly hell ugly resorts (if you ask me, it's probably what some would call vintage) that charge 2500-4000 baht/night.

9 minutes ago, poanoi said:

it would be great if traffic goes down so its any point in trying to get to a supermarket mid day, but alas, i dont see pattaya getting the much needed depopulation

Move to Pattaya east. Now that it's November it's getting a little bit busier but still quiet enough. Jomtien isn't that bad either, only sometimes a little busy at Thappraya road to get to FoodMart but shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes, except for the weekend.

30 minutes ago, Indianguy said:

Yes it was, i was with a group of euro frnds and a couple from america, all traveling for first time, but it was only me who was asked to come to another line and talk to that guy.. but couldnt do anything at that point., as he was very rude and least intersted to even hear what i am saying.. what worries me now is should i mention it or not..

They are <deleted> racists, and those officers at Thai/Cambodian borders are the worst (at both sides btw).

I once came with a tourist visa but my car overstayed and I lost the paper from customs, actually I think I didn't lose it but one of those immigration officers must have forgotten to return it to me at some point during entry because I honestly couldn't find it anywhere.

Then this Thai immigration guy starts yelling at me in Thai to which I reply, Mai Kao Chai (which means "I don't understand").

Then he says YOU TWO EDUCATION VISA, WHY YOU NOT SPEAK THAI???

I say: "Because I'm bloody stupid, that's why!!!"

He says: Hmm, okay I let you in this time, but next time if not speak Thai you not get in.

I smile at him and say 'thank you, let's see about next time' ????

They didn't even ask for money or to show money, but then again, I'm white.

3 minutes ago, tropo said:

Just curious. What simple operation costs 3 million baht?... and more to the point, what is worth paying 3 million for in a Thai hospital that would assure a long and happy life post op for an elderly expat? I'd rather just say my goodbyes and give the money to my wife. Even very rich people die.

He just likes to brag that 3 million is nothing for him.

Can get heart surgery here for around 300k baht in a government hospital. Heart surgery in the US would cost approx $80,000 (approx 3mill baht I guess), can hardly call that a simple operation indeed.