Dirk Z

The Romans already said: De gustibus non est disputandum. No discusson about taste.

9 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

Presumably the effects have been positive. Wouldnt it be a good idea to list the good that selling weed has achieved?

Looks like nobody can think of any....

On 3/31/2024 at 2:09 AM, spidermike007 said:

The vast majority of Russians I have met, seem to have very, very few redeeming qualities. It is no wonder. I can only speak from my experience. Have run into alot of Russians both in the US, and on Phuket and Samui, 98% of them seem to be grumpy, unfriendly and gruff. Some of them are downright hostile. Likely a reflection of a very, very rough culture and environment. So, perhaps it is not a coincidence that the world is not standing up to support them and show them kindness? Just an observation.

 

I think it is a reflection of the current culture. It was destroyed over a century of callous and murderous leadership. Stalin, Lenin, Khruschev, now Putin. They have become somewhat savage and crude. No grace, no finesse, no courtesy. Rather uncivilized. My family was from Russia a few generations back. I used to ask my great-grandmother when she was still around, why they didn't teach us anything about the old country. She would give me this look, and tell me "the reason we never teach you about the place we came from, is because the place we came from was the most horrific country on earth, it was the most destitute, horrible, oppressive place and we were thrilled to finally get out of there and leave it behind. That's why we don't teach you about the old country, the old country doesn't exist for us. 

 

There are a multitude of reasons why very few around the world have sympathy for the Russians. Those reasons are not limited to their serial killing, despot, thieving multi billionaire dictator for life. It is more about their nature, their history as ruthless, homicidal Cossack warriors, and their total lack of manners, and class. Not to mention the dignity, class, decency, civility, and social skills decades of Leninism, Stalinism, and now Putinism has stripped them of. 

It seems like a lot of impressions are very biased. I have been to Russia quite a bit, can speak the language and have met many of them. My impression has always been of friendly, hospitable and warm-hearted people with a big interest in their rich culture of art, literature and music. They do have a harsh history, but many have ways of coping. I think the Russians who we meet in tourist areas are a different breed. The same goes for other nationalities.

On 3/30/2024 at 10:50 AM, Chongalulu said:

No,did mine on line 90days after returning,no problem 

I think I did too, so that's why I just went online. And got rejected. It seems the rule is not applied consistently (no surprise!) but the officer at CW was very clear about it when I asked why I had to come in person.

2 hours ago, mrmicbkktxl said:

I came back from Italy Jan2nd tried online report last week 2 times, but without success.Last monday I went to immigration Sriracha to do my 90days report in person and asked why it didn't work online for me,

Answer was"Everytime you leave Thailand and re enter you need to come to immigration and do your report here after that online reporting will work normal"

I  guess immigration offices make up their own rules

This is exactly what happened to me. It seems to be a general rule, I even found it on the internet somewhere.

It happened to me twice: 1. I entered Thailand from Europe again. 2. I got a new passport.

Turning off A/C for an hour saves a lot more energy than switching off the lights even for many hours.

It's called win-win. 

16 hours ago, retarius said:

Hope it works. It would be nice to have a decent taxi service. Tuk-tuks are vile and dirty and should be scrapped immediately. They are not in any way picturesque, they are simply uncomnfoprtalber dangerous and smelly driven by mad men.

Raise the fares in regular air-conditioned taxis, taxi drivers deserve a fairer deal for doing a tough job, but jail any driver who doesn't use a meter or has tampered with it. What I would like to see is the meter wired into the ignition, so that if the meter isn't running the ignition doesn't work, (but of course you would also need sensors in all the seats to ensure there were no passengers, and then the ignition would work without the meter. 

Agree on all qualifications, but you forgot loud, too loud, unnecessary loud.

There is the official K-ETA website from the government, that I was referring to, but a search will also lead you to official looking sites, which they are not. So beware.

This seems to be the official website: https://www.k-eta.go.kr/portal/apply/index.do

Anyone surprised? 

photocopy of visa.

I thought anything would be better than a narcissistic sociopath for president, but with the choice available I begin to doubt...

I never told Immigration I was married. Presumed it would save a lot of documents and extra proof. I know the money is half of 800.000 but luckily I don't care about that.

My bank does not have the book. I got the letter a day before, on the day itself I drew a small amount from an ATM machine and attached the slip with the balance and the withdrawal to the statement. It was always accepted.

I returned from Europe and my online 90 days was rejected. They told me at Immigration that after returning to Thailand from outside you have to come in person. As is the case with a new passport, as pointed out above. The science behind all this eludes me.

20 hours ago, superal said:

I do not think anyone is claiming to be an expert on this post , the exception being Sheryl . Members like to chat and exchange their experiences with folks who have had  similar medical conditions . 

Of course , getting an appointment with a decent Thai doctor ( if in Thailand ) is the answer and nobody on this forum is suggesting otherwise . 

You may have missed the irony in my post. But even though it is often just an exchange of ideas and experiences there are certainly posts that strongly suggest a certain course to be taken, and that was what I was referring to.

Dizziness is one of the least specific complaints. It can mean anything or nothing. If it persists and you worry, go see a doctor and avoid the experts here.

In a previous post I said: "I have a record of only 121 patients treated for hydrocephalus over a period of 30 years and this includes all forms." I omitted : patients over 65 years of age. The many other CSF operations are children or younger patients where it is unlikely that they had NPH. Even those over 65 are not allNPH patients, but my database records treatment and not diagnosis.

On 1/6/2024 at 1:18 PM, Sheryl said:

I see. Normal pressure hydrocehalus (NPH) is a very common funding in  people over age 60 and can sometimes cause tremor and other Parkinson-like symptoms, However  "fluid increases to the limit acceptable for my age" suggests you do nto, at this point, meet the definition of hydrocephalus (which would be fluid amount over the normal limit for your age) hence the advice to just repeat the MRI in a year.  I don't think any one is going to perform surgery for hydrocephalus with your current findings and symptoms.

 

However, the MRI finding does not seem to explain your tremor (assuming the radiologist's report is accurate - should certainly have the actual scan re-read by a skilled specialist)

 

A  neurologist with expertise in hydrocephalus (even though you seem to fall short of that diagnosis) at Siriraj is   Prof. Sarun Nunta-aree

https://www.siphhospital.com/en/medical-services/find-doctor?doctor_id=239&medical_id=59&day=&startTime=&endTime=

 

He can also be seen at Bangkok Hospital  https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/doctor/dr-sarun-nunta-aree-2

You will nto get a different result at a different hospital seeing the same doctor. But SIPH maybe be a bit less costly than Bangkok Hospital.

 

Be sure to bring the actual DVD of the MRI with you, not just the report.

 

If the result of this consultation is that your MRI findings do not explain your symptoms (quite possible), you could  then consult specialists  in MS and Parkisnon's, as tremor can be early sign of both. There are many MS specialists at Siriraj, ask Prof. Sarun to suggest one. For Parkisons's  that seems to be more a Chukalonhgkorn specialty  while Siriraj's neuro department ism ore focused on autoimmune neuro problems like MS.  If you want to see a neurologist at Chula let me know.

 

Wherever you go, you should have some basic tests to rule out non-neurological causes of tremor such as:

- B12 level

- serum sodium, calcium, magnesium

- HB1Ac (for diabetes/hypoglycemia)

- thyroid panel

 

The light-headness after getting off elevator at a high floor is actually more suggestive of an inner ear issue than anything else. Do you have vertigo at any other times, like when rapidly getting out of bed or otherwise changing position?

 

Lastly:

- how much do you drink? (alcohol)

- What if any medications are you on?

 

 

Sorry to have to correct you. NPH is not common at all, ventriculomegaly is, but it is not the same and not treatable as opposed to NPH that can have good results after shunting. The triad of symptoms for NPH are cognitive deterioration, gait disturbance and incontinence. On the MRI large ventricles with hyperdense lining. Tremor and Parkinson symptoms are not part of the NPH complex.

Please allow me to clarify some issues about hydrocephalus. In the brain there are four spaces filled with cerebral spinal fluid, the brainwater. We call these the ventricles. In the course of life we all lose brain matter. In some this is more than in others. The space lost by the brain tissue is filled with the cerebral spinal fluid. So the ventricles become larger. They can also become larger when the outflow of the cerebral spinal fluid is obstructed. If this is complete, for instance by a tumour, it leads to serious symptoms that need emergency treatment. If it proceeds slowly then the symptoms will be more gradual. This can be the case in the so-called non-resorptive hydrocephalus where there circulation of the cerebral spinal fluid is disturbed because the fluid is not taken back by the circulation system. This causes the syndrome of normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). Unlike Sheryl says in her comment this is not a common condition. I have a record of only 121 patients treated for hydrocephalus over a period of 30 years and this includes all forms. Only a part of these were probably normal pressure hydrocephalus. The diagnosis is not always easy to make. There are symptoms that point in the direction like cognitive deterioration, problems when walking or incontinence with an enlarged ventricle system on the MRI. But even that is no proof and does not guarantee a good result of a treatment which consists of a diversion of the cerebral spinal fluid to the heart or the abdominal cavity. There are some additional tests but none of them is 100% conclusive. The MRI can show some typical signs but even then no guarantee for correct diagnosis.

23 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

A radiologist takes the picture, then a specialized doctor will have a look at that picture.

A radiographer (technician) makes the images and the radiologist asseses them.