DineshR

@Sheryl and @NancyL

Thank you both for your advice. Truly much appreciated. Both my wife and I have been pulling our hair out trying to figure out what we need to do given the conflicting opinions we have received. My wife just turned 43 this year.

1. The largest was 2 cm by 2  or 3 cm. But there apparently were several of them that size and several more that were smaller. What both said about laparoscopy was that, yes, it is doable but they would require a lot of blood because of the time it would take to remove all of them. That's why both said the abdominal hysterectomy was the way to go - with one doctor saying it should be done now if we had no plans to have kids in the future. No one said anything about vaginal hysterectomy. 

2. Neither doctor mentioned medication to shrink the fibroids.

3. Both doctors were at private hospitals - the one that suggested surgery now was a doctor that was recommended by a friend of the wife and one who apparently does a lot of these procedures. The one that recommended waiting was a female gynecologist at a more expensive private hospital here in Korat and who spent a LOT of time explaining what fibroids were, asking a whole of questions to ascertain if my wife had any symptoms, and spent a lot of time explaining why it is better to wait. She said if my wife had no symptoms, then surgery is not what is recommended but rather surveillance to see if the fibroids continued to grow or if the wife started to experience symptoms related to the fibroids such as abdominal pain, difficulty urinating, unusual bleeding etc.  If there are symptoms, then surgery would be considered.

4. After considering your inputs, I agree that wait and watch is the right approach. 2 things I will ask the next time we see the doctor is 1) should she take any medications to reduce the size and 2) when and if surgery is indicated, then why not laparoscopy or vaginal hysterectomy ?

Thank you so much for that input. Very helpful.

Hello,

I am seeking some guidance on the following.

My wife was recently diagnosed with having multiple myoma (uterine fibroids). There appear to be mulitple fibroids with a few about 2cm in size along with multiple smaller ones. My wife, however, does not experience any symptoms. We were quite surprised when this was discovered during a routine ultrasound check up.

The total size of all the myoma combined apparently is quite large - large enough that laparoscopic surgery is not advised due to potential high blood loss. We were told this by 3 different doctors here in Korat. It appears that hysterectomy is the only option. We are not planning on having more kids so this is ok with us.

One doctor suggested we do this immediately, while another recommended that we wait and do another check in 3 months to see if the fibroids have increased in size. If there is no increase in size, then repeat the test in another 3 months. If there are no symptoms and the fibroids do not increase in size, the recommendation was not to do anything.

Further, in an hysterectomy, there will be a scar on the abdomen. We have asked the doctors to understand if the surgery could be performed to minimize the scarring and scabs formed when the incision heals. The doctors say this is unpredictable and based on the patients skin, the length of the incision etc. This scar is concerning to my wife.

We want to try and select a good gynecologist to perform this surgery. We would like some suggestions as to who we might go for further consultation based on whoever has had any experience with this. We are open to going to Bangkok for this and we have good insurance cover so I believe cost should not be an obstacle.

Your recommendations on a good gynecologist and hospital would be much appreciated.

TIA

@ubonjoeThank you very much.

which is exactly what you said. Phew ! I have my extension due next month and I was sweating bullets thinking about this issue today ... 

@TomKorat33Apologies Tom ... I never did see your question to me (last Nov ...earlier in this thread). It was a B1/B2 visa. I hope you got your visa issues sorted out. Just some additional info if it is of any use to you.

1. Though my wife (and her son - applied separately for the same trip where we all flew together) both got 10 year visas, when you do finally make the trip, they usually get 6 month stay approvals ... meaning there are allowed to stay for 6 months from date of entry.

2. In a previous life when I had an invalid wife (now deceased), I was able to get B1/B2 visas for 5 different nurse aides to accompany my wife and I back to the US whenever I went back home. The nurse aides came along to help me with my wife. I had no trouble on every occasion over a span of almost 10 years in getting visas for every nurse aide that I had. And they all got 6 month stay approvals whenever we went even if it was only for a month trip.

3. I always wrote cover letters for every application and I had the nurse aides carry that letter with them when they went for the interview. Never had to use an agent.

PM me if you need any further detail if in need of any help.

Hello,

I usually do a TM30 only when returning home from an international trip. However, last month I did a 2 day trip to Hua Hin and did not do a TM30 when I got home. Is this a problem ? If it is needed, should I just do one now even though it is about 2 weeks late from when I returned ?

Any input appreciated. TIA

There should be no problems with getting a visa for your wife if you are legally married and provide all the required information. My wife got her 10 year visa with no issues. You should go back and check the application one more time to ensure you made no errors in the application and also review what happened at the interview to determine if there were any issues during that interview. You should try again but double check everything to make sure the application is flawless. Good luck !

Hello,

I am in the same predicament as you. I applied for my COE on the 2nd - on the same day that my wife (Thai) applied for her COE. We got pre-approvals almost immediately and was asked to submit documentation for ASQ hotel and flights (insurance documentation was turned in when we first applied). I turned those in on the 3rd. My wife got her COE that afternoon but I didn't get anything back. I waited a week and then called. I was told that they were only processing COE's for those traveling in the next few days and that mine would be issued only just a few days before my flight. Today is the 17th so I have been waiting now for 14 days. I am planning to call them next Monday the 23rd to follow up. My flight is on the 28th. I'm hopeful there will be no problems.  Hope this helps.

Try this. https://www.chularat.com/vaccine/

I did register and paid 2400 for 2 shots. They said they will let me know via sms what my queue number is.

It is all in Thai so get a Thai person to help with it if you can't read Thai.

Here's another data point to consider. I just completed building a single storey house here in Korat using a local contractor.  2 ensuite bedrooms each 16 m2 (bathrooms each an additional 7 m2), with vinyl laminate flooring, a/c +fan, another ensuite bedroom 12.25 m2 with tile flooring  and fan (bathroom additional at 5.25 m2), an additional separate toilet 2.25m2, a tiled kitchen at 11 m2 with a/c and a sala at 54 m2. All in cost about 1.9 m. Total built up area 130 m2 which includes walkways. Not including furniture but all light fixtures, sanitary ware, two sewage tanks, external water tank with pump and filters. Deal with the contractor was that I would pay no more than 200k at a time and he had to stage each construction step so that it cost no more than 200k. The last 10% was only paid after everything was completed 100%. I had to inspect the work at the end of each step before he could go to the next. He had to show a detailed bill of material and labor for each step and on material if I could find it cheaper, then he would use my cost. Construction was completed in 4 months and did not exceed the original estimate. I estimate he made about 200k in profit as I was onsite everyday and counted the amount of people he had onsite so I could guess at his approximate labor cost. Hope this helps.

@dick turpinYes, normally would use the online 90 reporting app but that app was down (and still down as of today 3/20) the last time I had to do 90 reporting which is why I went to the office to get it done. And takes me 20 mins to get to that office. And as another poster mentioned, the staff are indeed very polite and helpful. 

@sometimewoodworkerThank you very much for your detailed comments. Much appreciated. 

Hi,

Thank you all for your comments.

A100 is a polymer type coating that apparently (can't verify) can withstand up to 100C. Seems like there are various brands out there including TOA. The can of A100 that the painter left with me (not TOA but can't recall the brand name) had pictures of various items on the can including stone surfaces, wood doors, counter tops, chattahoochee type sand stone floor, and furniture.

In my extension, the painter used it on all my walls (cement finished walls called ขัดมัน - "cut mun"), my cement counter tops in the bathrooms and kitchen, decorative red brick around columns and all the doors (after 2 coats of wood stain). After applying 2 coats, it looks really good IMHO on the walls, doors, counter tops etc.  See photos below. It has a glossy feel to it and repels water. The guy that did my walkways with chattahoochee style stones, also used A100 as a final coating after the floor was done.

And as a poster noted above, the fumes are obnoxious and one needs to keep clear of the places where it is applied until it is completely dry and the fumes are no longer there.

I saw mention of TOA 3000 and 4000 above. I'll investigate those as well.

Hello,

I just bought some outdoor wood furniture and before putting them to use, I was thinking of applying a coat of lacquer or something to help keep the wood in good condition.

I just had an extension built and the guy that did the painting, after painting the wood door with wood stain, applied A100 to the door. He told me that A100 would protect the wood from water damage. The doors in this extension to the house are exterior doors and exposed to the elements. I had previously told him that I was worried about rain hitting the doors and causing the door to bulge with moisture. He indicated that A100 would protect the door. Now that I bought some wood furniture, I was thinking of applying A100 to the furniture as well. The wood furniture (tables) would sit in a sala and not be directly exposed to the elements though when there is heavy rain, there is a chance the tables will be exposed to rain.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this or should I just stick with lacquer ? Any advice would be most appreciated. 

Kinda surprised you had this problem at Bangkok Hospital Korat. I've used them for many years. Anytime I have been there, they are never busy (to the point I always wonder how they stay afloat with so few patients) and it never takes me more than 15 mins to see a Dr if I have an appointment. You were probably unlucky to be there on a day where there was an unexpectedly large crowd of patients. I'd suggest you give it a try again and speak to the International dept there about getting you an English speaking doctor. All the doctors there I've ever had to visit have been able to converse in English. Good luck !

Ditto. 1000 baht/month .. they come twice a day like clockwork ... Sign the book and leave. Give them something for Songkran and New Year. They are appreciative and look after us well. Money well spent in my opinion. That said, I do have cameras and an alarm system self installed. 

@unblocktheplanet It's called the South Indian restaurant on Soi 11 off Silom road ... look up google maps and do a street view on soi 11. It's on the left as you walk into the soi from Silom.

IMHO the best masala dosa in Bangkok is at a little South Indian restaurant in a little soi (either 11 or 13) off Silom. Probably about a 200 m walk down the soi from Silom.

Thank you all for the suggestions.  I will be speaking with the contractor tomorrow together with the PEA handbook and then decide what we'll do. Thanks again.

@Crossy I took a couple of photos to show where exactly the ground rod is relative to the earth level - it's just below the earth line. After construction, I will be adding some more earth so the ground rod may be a couple of inches below the ground. Right now, I've just cleared the earth around the ground rod and placed a plastic shield around it as you can see. Given where it is currently, can I just cover it completely with earth as it then won't be exposed to the air - though it will get damp if it rains - but then due to the lack of oxygen, it won't oxidize even when it's damp. Or can I simply cover the whole thing in concrete and not worry about it at all ? Please advise.

@CrossyThe high school chemistry lesson was useful. I understand. Thank you.

@simon43Thank you for the suggestion. Will do as you suggest.

@CrossyThe rod is actually buried and the top part is covered with earth. I will remove it and cover it with something to keep the dirt off it. But if you say that it will corrode rapidly, won't the copper rod deep in the ground corrode as well ? Or are you saying only the part of the rod that is connected to the wire will corrode if it is exposed to the earth / dampness ? Please advise. Thanks.

@SimpleMan555Thank you. I did buy the ground rod (2.4 M was only 200 baht interestingly) and had the electrician install it. He drove it into the ground using a hammer but it took him a while to get it in all the way. He then connected it with a single length cable (size #10) and ran it under the slab before the slab was poured. The cable was laid inside a yellow pipe. The cable was simply connected to the rod using the screw/clamp that came with the rod. The wire was wired tight around the rod and then the screw/clamp was used to tighten it against the rod. I asked him to leave the top of the rod and the wire/rod connection exposed just under the ground.

@Crossy. Thank you very much. All the comments have been very, very helpful. Much appreciated.

@CrossySo would having the main breaker be an RCBO(or RCD) and the remaining sub breakers be non RCBO(or RCD) be the lower cost solution with no disadvantages ?

Or would have a non RCBO main breaker with RCBO sub breakers be a more safer implementation ? Just curious.