Maud

Thanks. I'll have a look at that. I have had confirmation Bangkok Pattaya Hospital can do what I need, but they compel a consultation prior to the test and so on. I'll keep my fingers crossed this homework is not required, but I'd rather get my ducks aligned - just in case.

I've sent you a message to your inbox.

In UK, it takes about 5 days, so I'm accepting of that sort timeframes. If I develop a UTI, I want it gone, not to be feeding it ineffective antibiotics for too long.

Yes. I have been in correspondence with Dr Olivier, but he only does the dip stick profiling, which is not what I may need. H referred me back to my Uro Consultant, which is all very fine, but if I end up with a UTI he won't do anything meaningful without a culture. Bit of a catch 22. Thankfully, at the moment this is just preparation for a "what if", but I am a bit urologically challenged so it makes sense to be prepared. I'll contact Lifecare by email and ask if they can help or direct me.

Thanks. I have used them before, on previous visits. It's now trying to ascertain if their urine test is just a dip stick or a lab culture. It is the latter I may need.

Brilliant, thanks.

Thanks. I'll see if I can find anything, zooming in on maps.

Thanks, looks like No. 4 is the best fit for me, if I need to go, although aside from the urinalysis all were done recently in UK. I can do a urine dip test here, but it's any specific bacteria I need to know about, should I need to treat the little blighters.

Thank you. I’ll look Dr Olivier up - just in case. I don’t suppose you know the name of the lab you use?

We’re not that far out. We’re around Ban Amphoe. We’re not using a motorbike this time so reliant on Bolts where it’s further than we’re comfortable walking.

I have an occult stool test annually anyway. My A1c was done in November (34/5.1% on old money), so that's fine for a while. I still can't load the website, so "package 4 means nothing to me, unfortunately. If you have a .pdf of their list of tests, and prices, could you share? We're a little bit out of Pattaya, so dropping by isn't a 10 minute job, unfortunately. Thanks. :)

I may need a urine microscopy at some point. Do you have a reliable alternative you use? I have used Lifecare in the past and their website has never been their strongest suit. Even several years ago!

Thanks. Maybe just a glitch.

I've been trying to load the Lifecare Pattaya lab website for the last 24 hours, to no avail. Are they still operating, or have I just been unfortunate with timing? There's no immediate urgency, but I may need them at some point during my stay. Thanks!

Thank you . It looks like I misinterpreted their pricing on the website. We don't have a Thai national family member, so will bear that in mind. It may well be that we elect to have a short term Tourist eSim for the first few days then decide in-country when we've checked our hardware there still works etc.

Thank you . We have no Thai family members, and we are not interested in anything with a contracted commitment beyond our 90 day stay. Thanks all the same. Hopefully your post will be of interest to someone else..

Thanks for that. I'll look into it all.

We are currently planning to return to Thailand in November for a stay of around 90 days. In the past, we have gone to Big C and purchased prepaid sim cards from the DTAC outlet and it has generally gone well. Doing a little light surfing it looks like things have changed a bit since we were last there (early 2024), with packages quite a bit more costly. Between us, we will need a sim each for our phones, plus a data only sim for internet at the apartment. We have a router etc there already. What would your best steers be for the current times? Both our phones can accommodate e-sims apparently, so that may be an option. In the past we have stayed with DTAC because we found their coverage fairly stable. Thoughts anyone?

Thanks for the feedback chaps. Apologies, I didn't think to look for a mobile/data specific corner of the forum, but clearly that makes sense. Historically, we have always gone with DTAC for no other reason that it worked first time around, and other networks can be a gamble, although with prices in Thailand, not the most massive gamble.

Yes, friends, it is almost time to come to the sun for winter. As my title suggests, we will be looking for a decent Sim only package for our phones and data. As we use mainly WhatsApp or such like for communications here, data only is OK, but have an open mind to the best way to approach this. Obviously deals and so on change all the time, so I'd be keen to hear of the current view on likely "Best Buys". I use the "" because words like Best are a versonal opinion often. Thanks in anticipation. Maud (looking forward to some sun on our bones).

I agree with Sheryl, weight gain is more associated with hypothyroidism. Where you are taking hormone replacement that would suggest you are still under medicated, but you will need your forthcoming blood work to confirm that. When reviewing that blood work it is important to review TSH, T4 and T3, not just T4 and TSH. I hope you can get onto an even keel soon, but it can take a while to balance thyroid hormones.

Thanks for your earlier help sorting out our 4G router. Looking at Shopee, there are a couple of things I would like to buy, and wanted to try out the Cash on Delivery option, using a modestly priced item. I can log in, using my phone number, set up an account, including my address, and get as far as checkout when it says I need to app to complete the process. The Apple App Store doesn't appear to have a shopee app, even though I am connected on a Thai sim, and have a Thai address. I am using CoD because I only have UK credit cards, which I would rather not expose to a brand new operation. Any suggestions how I might remedy this? Thanks!