Patts

My wifes Grandma is 87 years old and has just been taken into hospital with serious health issues. 

I am wondering how my wife can return from the UK to Thailand as quickly as possible?

The other issue, I guess is even if I can get a flight at short notice that a 14 day quarantine would still be required. 

6 hours ago, Evolare said:

The the SAAB A26 line of submarines would be much more suitable and they could get 10 units of the A26 submarine for every Chinese sub they are buying but not as much pocket money. 

What are you talking about? The SAAB A26 costs approximately $925m each, that's nearly three times the price of the Chinese <deleted>. 

21 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Look...Total T gives a good indiction if testosterone is low or not AS A PRELIMINARY STEP that allows the Op to decide whether or not to even see a physician.  A good physician is going to run more extensive panels, conduct a physical, and act responsibly in the patients best interest.

 

It sounds to me like you are getting all of your information off the internet rather than as an actual TRT patient.  Either that or you've just had horrible experiences with GP's.  Just because a doctor is a specialist does not necessarily make him or her any more knowledgable than a GP.  In fact, some of the best doctors I know are "lowly" GP's, and some of the absolute worst are those so called TRT "specialists" who run their anti-aging clinics and rip off unsuspecting patients with high prices and fantastical claims of what TRT can do for them.  Many of these scam clinics are run in the doctor's name only and actually manned by nurses or PA's who handle the injections.  

 

As far as trusting a GP to oversee TRT, a lot has changed in TRT in the last few years.  The popularity of TRT has made most GP's very well  informed about TRT, and many of them regularly provide treatment to their patients.  It is no longer the exclusive domain of the "specialist" so perhaps you should wake up to the reality of where TRT is today, not 5 years ago.

 

 

The problem is you are comparing the health care you have experienced/received in the US and Thailand, I am comparing what is provided in the UK which is very different and I assure what I speak of is bang up to date. I would take the advice of Dr Stevens over any GP or Endo that's for sure 

9 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

TRT is NOT without potential side effects!  While TRT is generally very safe IF a competent and knowledgable doctor is in charge, that is not necessarily true if dosages are too high, or if periodic blood testing is not conducted and interpreted.  For instance, estrogen as well as hematocrit levels can and often will escalate as a result of TRT.  Without periodic blood testing, serious complications can develop without the patient even being aware of it until it is out of control.

 

I'm only making a point about this because here in Thailand, where Testosterone can be purchased over the counter without a prescription, a lot of people think they can just be their own doctor and self-medicate...very bad idea!  Just saying it so people are aware that TRT needs to be respected as a serious form of hormonal treatment with very real consequences for the Do-it-YourSelfers out there.  Nothing wrong with self administering the injections, but self medicating is a big no-no! 

 

 

If you read my reply in relation to the original quoted question I think you will see I am referring to issues of self administered injections,e.g pain, and risk of infection etc, not the side affects that TRT can cause, otherwise I do agree with most of your comment. 

7 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Spoken like somebody who has no personal experience with TRT.  I have been on TRT for over 6 years now, and the doctor that oversaw my treatment was a GP.  He was able to provide me with excellent treatment, and tested my blood quarterly to make adjustments in dosage, check E2 and hematocrit, etc.  He knew what he was doing as well as any endocrinologist.

 

If you bothered to comprehend what I said (which obviously you did not), my advice was merely to have Total T tested to see whether or not it was low so the OP could decide whether or not to consult a physician, and then have the test result in hand so the doctor could decide whether or not to proceed with further testing.  Naturally, a doctor will order a more in-depth series of blood panels before deciding a course of action, and conduct a general check up before proceeding with treatment if that is the direction to go in.  A "good" GP is perfectly capable of doing this.

Thanks for your condescending reply; I mean whole 6 years of TRT, you must know everything! 

You advised the OP to have Total Testosterone tested to see if it was low or not so he could decide whether to consult a doctor....................................

Total T wouldn't necessarily have shown the full picture.....e.g Total T may have shown to have been within normal range and therefore going off what you have said the doctor would have said "you're within normal range" no need for TRT. If full bloods were done it may have shown that while Total Testosterone was fine, Free Testosterone was not and the individual would either require some dietary supplements to reduce SBHG or if this failed he would still require TRT. 

On the other hand Total T could have come back low and the doctor may have said "oh yes sir your Testosterone is low, lets start TRT" when in fact the individual may be overweight and under active, overactive and/or calorie deficient, sleep apnea or have vitamin/mineral deficiencies among other things all of which can cause low testosterone but do not require TRT to resolve. 

While I'm happy for you that your experience with a GP and or endocrinologist was good this is not the case for most patients. Very often the ones that do stick with the endocrinologists treatment is normally because the patient doesn't know any better or they cannot afford private treatment. This is certainly the case in the UK where GP and most endocrinologists have very little specific knowledge and follow a very limited list of options. 

50 minutes ago, Dellian said:

I understand that. I meant TRT as a whole. It's very daunting for me to potentially be starting this by myself. Even with the knowledge I have managed to research online over the past month.

Have you got around to doing blood work? Without that it's a none starter because you maybe starting a life long treatment for something you don't need. TRT even when within the upper end on a normal range (8.64 to 29 nmol/L) range can create a host of side affects so best to ensure that whatever symptoms you are experiencing can't be resolved by less invasive means.

I would highly recommend that you watch Dr Robert Stevens Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxQ5OrHd4-66WJWOVRDJxtg

He really is a pioneer for TRT treatments in the UK and there is also some great advice on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/trtintheuk

These two sources should give you all the advice and knowledge that you need to make a decision. 

If you are any doubt about Dr Stevens credentials he takes care of many top level athletes and ex pro bodybuilders including none other than 6 time mr O Dorian Yates. 

1 hour ago, Dellian said:

Not worried about injecting. (I say this before my first dose) Right now I'm worried about any potential side-effects which is why I wanted a competent doctor to assist me with my lab work and potential prescribe/get anything I might need. I'm in Khon Kaen and I wouldn't even know where to begin to get anything at the moment. 

There's not to many "potential side-effects" to worry about beyond how painful it is, risk of infection and injecting into a vein. 

The pain will really depend on frequency, injection site and if you intend to do intra muscular or subcutaneous, the later of which is far less painful and has lower risks in regard to infection, severity of infection and hitting a blood vessel.

1 hour ago, pineapple01 said:

Is there a Tablet/ Oral form, or just injections ?.

There are commonly three options which are: injections, topical gel or skin patches (less common). The gel can have very mixed results depending on the individual and the application but more over there are more considerations with regard to interactions with your partner or children. 

There are tablets/oral but most are methylated and these can only be taken for short periods and have far more serious side effects especially for damage to the Liver and kidneys. There is a new oral testosterone that is currently in clinical trials and I believe there is also a couple that are approved but only available in the USA

5 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Just go to any blood lab and have a "total testosterone blood test.  It is about 1500 THB.  If your number are low (like under say 500 ng/dL) or you just want advice from an MD irregardless of what they are, go and talk with ANY doctor for advice.  No need to see a specialist, and you definitely want to stay away from those specialized TRT clinics.  They will simply rip you off.  Any good GP can advise you, and if you show up with the blood test results in hand that's the best.

Terrible advice. You need way more than just Total T to be able to make a decisions about whether TRT is required and more importantly if it's safe for the individual. Total T, Free T, SHBG, PSA, E2, Prolactin and also general bloods to check kidney function, White and Red blood cells and Haemoglobin should be required to give a full picture.  

Most doctors know jack about TRT and the knowledge they do have is normally outdated. Even endocrinologist (at least in the UK) lack even basic TRT knowledge.

33 minutes ago, nchuckle said:

My scheduled BA return flight to Thailand 7 September was cancelled by BA about 10 days ago. Unless BA don’t cancel your flight within 2 weeks of departure they are liable for delay compensation €600. They know they’re not flying . I did not want a cash value voucher nor can I feasibly rebook without knowing when borders will open but wished to retain the return flight element. After a 45 minute queue on the phone I explained the situation,they were very understanding and gave me up until February 2021 to rebook. Do not take a voucher if you haven’t started your journey. They are legally obliged to refund you and if they prevaricate contact your credit card company who will refund you because they are jointly and severally liable under section 75 of the consumer credit act. 

Thanks for replying, that's very helpful. 

I'm getting nowhere trying to contact TravelUp so will try British Airways directly to see if they have cancelled my flights......

Just checked, BA showing Flights cancelled

I was due to fly on the 1st Sept. Been calling Booking.com and British Airways to try to sort refunds but they are saying that Thailand is only offically closed to international Tourism until 31st August and it may reopen on the 1st September. I told them that the latest I had seen from T.A.T stated it may not reopen until at least 2021 but after I looked at official government sites there is no recent updates and currently the ban is only until the end of this month.

Any ideas? 

3 hours ago, Tagged said:

Bitcoin could go higher the next few months, since gold starting to pass all time high but still alot more to gain if the Real world depression comes. Bitcoin, is gambling if you see it as a long time investment. Gold Bars is much safer for long time investment like 10 - 15 years. Gold will reach a new all time high in that period. 

 

 

https://www.coindesk.com/price/bitcoin

No guarantee that Gold will ever reach a new high. Buying when Gold is so close to the previous high set in 1980 is certainly not advisable because if you buy so close to the top you could be siting on a loss for decades. The last time gold hit an all time high of $2257 it retraced over the following 2 decades down to $400 so you could lose over 75% of your investment. Here we are 40 years later and gold has still not achieved that same high since. 

3 hours ago, Paiman said:

 

Disagree, plenty of people with money. Not trusting the markets, the big plunge is still to come. With current handling of covid, the economic future does not look bright. ( e. g. Egyptian soldier ) 

 

Several banks have upped their gold target partially beyond 3000 US$. The future will show. Personally I am with silver at the moment.

 

Land. Depends on location and can be slow if you want to sell. Can not be in your name.

 

Consumer behavior is shifting towards online shopping, there are some companies I would invest in stocks long term but not sure how to do that with money in Thailand.

You can disagree all you want but what I have said is factually correct. Gold was hovering around $1200 in March, it's now at $2000 and it's all time high of $2257 was set in 1980. If one was to invest in Gold they should have done so in March when you could be sure of a 80% profit, now the price is close to an all time high there is little room for growth left and as the price climbs further a big risk of being spiked by by at the top.  most analysts forecasts are between 2000 - 2300 with Goldman Sachs targeting $2,300.

I advised the OP holds the money until the recession really kicks in or the US bubble bursts assuming there is a "big plunge" that may not happen although there are second wave fears there could a vaccine released any time from October that could send the markets climbing. The US elections could be another trigger to send markets into free fall.   

On 8/18/2020 at 5:21 AM, Rancid said:

I would expect that even if the Russian vaccine proves relatively effective with minimal side effects it will never be used by western nations. Too much money to be spun into Big pharma at stake, not to mention the substantial kickbacks that will later flow. 

How does that work when Oxford Uni/Astra Zeneca are making and providing their vaccine for cost price, e.g zero profit. I believe they are only charging $3 a dose. 

11 hours ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

yes, everybody HAS to be forcefully vaccinated for a disease that killed 58 old & chronic sick people

You talk nonsense. 

Out of the 58 that have died in Thailand, 16 (approximately 33%) were under 50 years old which in my book is far from "old", 5 were under 40. Many of those had no underlaying health issues. Some were classified as having Diabetes or being Obese but I certainly would class these as "Chronic Sick People" because most people with these conditions live a normal life expectancy 

CCP at it again. 

Unfortunately, in recent years Amazon has just become an outlet for Chinese Sellers. 90%+ of people/companies selling through "Fulfilled By Amazon" are based in Chinese. Most of the product reviews are bought or written by company employees and most of the products have Fake CE or FCC certification. Do not trust anything bought off Amazon as being genuine unless it is from trusted international brand.  

4 hours ago, Deli said:

May the victim rest in peace.

Shame to the parents who used her to pay for their expenses and for the siblings' education, it's the parents duty to take care of this.

What a stupid comment. It's perfectly normal in Thai and certain other asian cultures for sons/daughters to go off to work and send money to support their family or younger siblings.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Anutin also mentioned that a couple of Thai institutions were working with Oxford University and pharmaceutical companies in the United Kingdom to develop a vaccine.

Surely Anutin doesn't want help from the dirty non-showering farang. 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The victims claimed that they had been talked into investing in the business by friends and acquaintances, who maintained that it was legal and certified overseas

LOL, come on that old chestnut. 

I'd bet money that a Chinese gang are behind this "scam"