Senior Player

No burning prior to peeing, no. I was pretty much just like the OP, getting up perhaps twice/thrice nightly for a pee before that fateful night. Basically, there was no prior warning to indicate that the blockage would suddenly occur. I'd used Prostasan before then, which is a traditional herbal medicine, primarily containing saw palmetto berry extract, used by men over 18 to relieve lower urinary tract symptoms caused by an enlarged prostate (BPH). Now I have a catheter fitted until further notice.

I'm not in Thailand but I'm currently experiencing an enlarged prostate problem here in the UK. Long story short, I was rushed to hospital with urinary retention (being unable to pee for 2 days straight) whereby I've had to have a catheter fitted to drain away the urine. Due to my kidneys taking a severe pounding I was admitted over Christmas Eve, Day, and Boxing Day with constant antibiotics pumped into my body via a cannula and drip. Trust me, you don't want to let it get this far as my situation is now extremely uncomfortable. I'm still awaiting a Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS) to have my prostate measured and tested for cancer. This will be the first step in getting properly treated. So far I've had the finger probe where it was established I didn't have any nodules on my prostate (apparently a good sign). My UK hospital has spoken about having a Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP), which is a common surgery to remove excess prostate tissue blocking the urethra (pee tube), treating symptoms of an enlarged prostate (BPH) or prostate cancer blockage, using a resectoscope passed through the urethra to cut away tissue with an electric current. A TURP is one of those last recourse treatments. I'm hoping that after my biopsy that I'm offered GreenLight Laser PVP (Photoselective Vaporization of the Prostate) which is a minimally invasive laser procedure to treat an enlarged prostate with quicker healing times, etc. I don't want to get ahead of myself with wishful thinking, but that's the outcome I would prefer. If it's any consolation, the NHS is extremely slow in treating this despite me being placed at the top of some urgent NHS waiting list. Nevertheless, as soon as I have my biopsy/diagnosis I'm going private here in the UK. The drugs I have been given in the meantime consist of Contiflo XL 400 mg (taken once daily) and Ciprofloxacin 500mg (twice daily). The only reason I'm telling you this is don't let this problem manifest like I did. Because one night you just might find you can't pee either and have to undergo what I'm presently undergoing, and I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I wish you luck.

What's happened to this site? Once upon a time, there used to be page-after-page of forum members speculating on the nationality of the perp and main cause of the drama. But I go away for just a few months and come back to find it now a barren wasteland. Is this mostly due to the awful new format whereby regional news has been removed and replaced by one large muddled and assorted thread the main cause? I gotta say, I'm not liking the new format, people. I much preferred the previous news threads filed under "Pattaya News, Chiang Mai News, Bangkok News," etc. That said, I was hoping to find a forum "investigator" who had uncovered the real nationality of the "street fighter" yet I find just 2 paltry comments on the subject!! Standards are really slipping around here.

Not in 2016 when I needed the ointment, it wasn't. I tried online and couldn't find it anywhere, also visiting countless pharmacies in Pattaya to be told the exact same thing. And yes, the steroid cream can now be bought without a doctor's prescription in the UK and most likely in Thailand too in 2024. Not that it's of any consequence as I've already had the operation. My main point was that sometimes you have to swallow the treatment cost if you want to be restored back to health—something the OP was more concerned about.

Indeed. Mine were first brought on by drinking alcohol in excess coupled with a poor diet when I was roughly 27-years old. Getting the condition made me immediately cut down on my booze, especially after my GP visit. As I previously pointed out, I was prescribed Proctosedyl Ointment which could only be prescribed by a doctor and not bought over-the-counter in the UK. The tube used to be quite large and would last me roughly 1 year before it expired. My condition would only recur every once in a blue moon, sometimes not coming back for a couple of years. Thing was when they did come back, no over-the-counter ointment would ever work, only the one with hydrocortisone, a steroid, and cinchocaine hydrochloride, a local anaesthetic. Despite their infrequency, as I got older the haemorrhoids could reappear over any type of straining, even heavy lifting or untightening a difficult bolt with a spanner could bring them on! What I'm trying to say is even a healthy diet wouldn't ward them off indefinitely. That's why it was such a relief to get the surgery done in Thailand when I was staying there for 6 months. Now I no longer have to think about them. The cost has obviously now gone up due to inflation, which is another reason that I'm glad I got it done in LOS when I did.

A friend of mine in Pattaya had a similar treatment for enlarged prostate as you describe. He appears to be fully recovered now. You make a very good point about the pricing. I recall being taken to the finance department of the hospital to discuss payment options. As soon as I said my health insurance wouldn't cover it as it was an already pre-existing condition that I hadn't thought to notify the insurance company about, they changed the price and lowered it. I recall the price was quite reasonable which included a 2-day stay in the hospital, especially as the room felt like a 4-star luxury hotel. Also, I was in extreme discomfort and wanted the operation to go ahead without any further delay, so agreeing to the fee was a necessity as far as I was concerned. Sometimes you just have to swallow the cost if you want to overcome your problem straight away.

I had an operation for haemorrhoid removal at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya in 2016. Can't remember the exact cost (think it was roughly 80k) but it was well worth the money as I've never had an issue since then. Before that I used to rely on Proctosedyl Ointment (with steroids) which was the only cream that worked for me. Unfortunately, Proctosedyl Ointment is not freely available in Thailand so I had to take myself off to the hospital where I was offered surgical removal or some other technique whereby he inserted rags doused in some chemical solution up the rectum to reduce the swelling. Not fancying the insertion treatment, I decided to opt for surgery. As I hadn't eaten the previous evening (or in the morning before my hospital visit) I was admitted straight away for the operation. The cost included a 2-day stay in the hospital where I was looked after by nurses in my own private room with TV and toilet. The room even had a panoramic view of the Pattaya coastline from my large window. The operation was pretty much as you describe: I was given a spinal anesthetic and was fully conscious throughout. I was basically on all fours with my posterior raised in the direction of the surgeon, where he did his removal of said haemorrhoids and a long vein. During the removal I was being constantly talked to by the anesthetist, who made sure I couldn't feel anything. The whole procedure took something like maybe 30 minutes, before I was then rolled back onto my trolley bed and taken to my private room to recuperate. As I stated previously, the operation was a huge success as I've never had a problem since. The only downsides were that the spinal anesthetic took a long time to wear off after and for me to regain any feeling back from below the waist, plus the healing process with dissolving stitches took approximately 4 weeks before I was able to feel fully back to normal again. Basically, I had to be careful how I went to the toilet as it was still very sore down there.

An almost identical incident happened in 2017 when an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok hit a patch of severe turbulence resulting in 27 passengers being injured. "The reasons behind the injures were that some of the passengers had not had their seatbelts fastened," Aeroflot said in a statement. I'm surprised no news outlet has mentioned it. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-39771637 Then there was another incident in 2016 when a flight from Abu Dhabi was about 45 minutes away from Jakarta on Wednesday before the turbulence hit. More than 30 people were injured. In a statement, the airline said 22 people had been "treated by paramedics for minor injuries at the airport. Nine other passengers have been taken to a local hospital". There's an interesting info box called "What causes turbulence?" at the foot of the same BBC story and it states the list is long. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration, turbulence can be caused by: air movement not normally seen atmospheric pressure jet streams air around mountains cold or warm weather fronts thunderstorms It goes on to say: "Turbulence can be hard to predict, and the injuries it causes cannot always be prevented by wearing seatbelts. In-air turbulence is the leading cause of injury on US flights, the FAA says. Most turbulence accidents happen at 30,000 ft (9,000m) or above. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-36209833 Personally, I've flown that same route as the Singapore airlines flight many times before and there's ALWAYS severe turbulence over that same location in the Andaman Sea just prior to crossing the coastline of Myanmar. Numerous pilots have ALWAYS insisted on the passengers wearing their seatbelts at this juncture, especially after the previous incidents.

I had Cannabis Use Disorder from the mid 1980s right up until 2010 when I finally quit the stuff. One day I just woke up and decided I no longer wanted to waste my money on the stuff as well as walk around in a constant stupor. Of course, I didn't smoke the stuff when I was working and managed to hold down a 9-to-5 executive position in a multinational corporation, but I was still hooked and pretty much dependent on having a constant stash squirrelled away for my own leisure time. There wasn't a single day that didn't go by in that 25-year time period whereby I didn't have at least 5 or more large joints to myself every evening!! During all those years I managed to hide my addiction from my work colleagues and superiors, so it can be done. But that doesn't mean that I didn't have a problem. I think the reason why I began smoking more heavily was to help me forget a relationship breakup I was going through in my early 20s. I recall it helped me to not dream about the girl every night and acted as my go-to emotional crutch. Apart from that, I functioned pretty well. Of course, any of my future girlfriends all partook in my devotion to the stuff even though they all said I smoked way too much. But kicking the habit was the best thing I did, especially as I no longer like the feeling of being stoned. Yes, I've tried it a few times since but I've found I much prefer being in control and clear-headed, which I'm clearly not when I'm under its influence. The same also applies to alcohol now. I know when to stop rather than getting too intoxicated. In fact, I'm pretty much teetotal nowadays and haven't touched a single drop since New Year! So, the fact that Thailand is set to recriminalize cannabis, it doesn't affect me like it would've done over 15-years ago. Of course, my younger self would've been appalled, so I know where some of you partakers of the bud are coming from and you have my deepest sympathy.

100% And those water mist sprays above the bar are a great feature. Just like the ones in the Philippines.

Yes, you're right. It's just the exterior I think has changed, different frontage. However the interior decor is identical. Well spotted. I'll be sure to stop by and say hello. Many thanks for everyone's help, especially Honey Badger With a Badge.

By Jove, I think you've got it! In fact I'm pretty certain that's it. Big thank you, Honey Badger.

MAN CITY v ARSENAL

I noticed similar unruly behaviour once when I was staying in Goa, India, on one of my world travels. My apartment block was full of twentysomething Russians who would sit outside their rooms in the stairwell and party on the steps. Unfortunately, due to the confined stairwell space, the acoustics of their boisterous behaviour was amplified even further by the ceramic wall tiles and concrete steps. Not once did they consider doing it on their balconies or by the swimming pool. No, it was always in the stairwell with a much greater acoustic range than had it been done out in the open. Of course, sometimes I'd tell them to zip it but they're Russians, so by nature they're ill-mannered and discourteous, and would continue on regardless. You have my sympathy.

The only thing I'll add is it's easy to put on weight when you get older, but much harder to lose it. Best to keep up some kind of fitness routine as you'll still need to burn off those daily calories. On average, men should burn around 2,500 calories a day.