Kwaibill

I have had a few emergencies since living here. The first was on the occasion of my first stroke in Bang Sare. I did manage to hobble out of my condo room to the lift, and some very kind neighbors took over as soon as they spotted me, calling an ambulance that took me to Queen SiriKit Hospital, where I had great care. The ambulance driver came back into the ER on his next “ delivery” to see how I was doing. I don’t recall how much, but it was within my means though I had to borrow a little from my fan at discharge because of timing. My ( now) wife got me set up with an accident policy at least as I am apparently uninsurable for a health policy in Thailand. That took care of matters when I fell in the shower and fractured my pelvis.

Interested in this one as we are preparing to move to AZ for at least three months/year and I have a goodly supply of spices and dried herbs which will otherwise probably get binned. I loathe that kind of waste. Thinking about repacking in heat seal bags and sending maybe one kilo worth. Probably better to put in checked baggage? Just wondering if that would perturb the customs folks. Any experiences appreciated. I was excited about the above “aphis” link, but unable to connect.🥴

After my thirty+ years of diabetes which brought along four heart attacks, three strokes, and removal of my gall bladder, I wake with a smile and love the company of my dear wife and dote on my newborn grandson born to my adorable stepdaughter. Probably the happiest time of my life, so far.

I have been dealing with it for thirty years. When I first suspected I might be diabetic ( due to a near psychotic outburst of completely abnormal behavior) I went to the local pharmacy and got some urine diagnostic strips for sugar. Cheap and easy to use. Getting a positive result the next stop was a walk-in medical clinic. The medic was bemused when I told him why I was there but he did a quick blood test and came back out concerned as it indicated in the six hundred range. Next stop my GP who sent me for a glucose tolerance test at the local lab. “Yep, you are a full on diabetic.” In the thirty years I have done almost everything… oral meds, insulin, diet, etc. These days I have my blood formally checked at least quarterly at my provincial hospital, and the doc has been okay with my A1C results , which is the three month average that shows in your blood sample. Diet wise I am not the best example. I fight a continual battle against my love of high carbohydrate foods. One problem is that almost every Thai cook puts sugar in whatever they cook. I cook as much of my own as my wife lets me get away with. A bit of a struggle as like many she is a take out fan. I do try to have my biggest carb load at breakfast in the form of minimally processed oatmeal, etc. The other day my darling brought home pizza which I helplessly ate too much of. That for some reason is synergistically bad for blood sugar. Threw my readings off for two days. My best advice on what to eat is use the “ plate method”. One half of your 8” diameter plate covered in non-starchy vegetables, 1/4 lean protein, and 1/4 healthy carbs, for example brown rice or air fried potatoes, etc. I sometimes have a slice of my homemade multi grains bread which I make using the minimum of sugar for feeding the yeast and a minuscule amount of salt ( high BP). I eat a fair amount of fruit; apples and pears are good in the sugar department. Popcorn is a good snack so long as it is not drenched in butter… good to limit your fat consumption as well, since if you ARE diabetic you are also at higher risk of all cardiac trouble. I have had four known heart attacks and three strokes. I would for sure, from your description, get that checked by a doctor. In spite of my less than perfect adherence I will make it to 71 in a couple of weeks and hope to keep irritating my wife for another ten or fifteen years.😃

I might question your assertion of “twice” in every metric. On what do you base this? I am nearly twice my wife’s weight but certainly not twice her height, my reach is about 125% of hers, not 200%, and though we have not made any attempt to quantify it I am pretty sure I am not ( any longer ) twice as strong. In my college fencing days I was pretty regularly beaten by smaller, female fencers. . Just saying I think it is an area where the usual genetic disparity does not confer undue advantage, similar to the way I have seen some opinions that women can be superior pilots, e.g.

I do keep my Provincial Hospital admission card with me usually, so hoping that would give a hint if my wife were not there to give direction. She also has a power of attorney for any such situation though not sure that would be of immediate help.. I wonder if a medical ID would be a good idea? As a longtime diabetic I should probably have one anyway. My dear did sign me up for a low cost accident insurance policy which saved us quite a bit when I fractured my pelvis and subsequently a proximate humerus ( shoulder bone ball) , both in falls. The local Chularat hospital did well by me, including the billing. As far as I know they covered everything including several PT appointments afterward. IMO well worth checking out.

My input is more related to the activity than the gender issue per se. Regarding fencing the sometimes advantages imparted by the male physique in sports activities are much less pronounced with the possible exception of fencing with the cutlass. Innate strength is considerably less important than speed and agility when engaging with foil or epe’e. In fact too vigorous “thrashing about” can result in scoring deficit. In my growing-up home town we had a former Olympic fencing coach ( Mr. Jones) and I joined the fencing club at my undergraduate university, so I do have some insight. The “swashbuckling” scenes in films can be faves or vast disappointments when choreographed by subject inexperienced “action” directors.

I used to buy at a Belgian owned bakery in Bang Saray. Lately I have been baking my own, mostly. Only requires about one hour “ hands on” for two weeks worth. Of course I have years experience, but at 70+ not as if I have high demand on my time anyway. As a long time diabetic and cardio patient there are a number of advantages vs “store bought”. Very little sugar or salt in the end product or other health damaging additives. I enjoy playing around with various whole grain options and “add ins” such as seeds, nuts, what have you. A little cinnamon, not really enough to taste, but it helps keep it fresh. Portion control because I bake smallish loaves of what is, after all, a high carb food. And by golly, the flavor of my homemade breads beats anything from the grocery store. One exception is the “Emperor” designation bread. They make an okay whole grain type, and I think one called “Cubic” that Mrs. Kwai has brought home a couple of times, but they still tend to additives I have trouble remembering how to spell. And cheap! Amortize the cost per loaf of a ten kilo bag of AP flour or Indian atta ( whole wheat) and you’re talking in the under a dollar range. My mother at one time baked and in high school we had a great ( also diabetic) baker who made our daily bread, along with fab cakes, etc.

I really do not have any love for Trump but he is the next POTUS and such threats are, IMO, in no way acceptable.

A couple of questions come to mind: What is his previous experience with motor bikes and; Did he even read his “ insurance” policy? My experience included being asked to participate in motorcycle safety training education back home, presumably because I was still alive after years of accident free riding, and also having a decent “ accident” insurance policy which has seen me through a fractured pelvis and broken shoulder… not bike related. My wife enrolled me because “health insurance” per se is simply not possible here.” Oh, you diabetes? Sorry, cannot.”.

Kind of a misogynistic headline. It is not some random “Mexican woman” but in fact the duly elected President of Mexico.

I do, however, plan to take advantage of any programs available to elderly such as myself. If a food bank is available to me why not? I am not in Elon’s bracket, for sure!

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning in that direction anyway as we are not 100% sure of our plans; our first grandchild is due imminently and yay wants to be available here some of the time commensurate with her residency requirements to keep her green card active “ over there”. A whole ‘nother kettle as who knows what the next administration is going to do? I do worry some about my wife’s status as a non-white immigrant and some of the alarms raised about possible financial repercussions re: tariffs, deportations, etc.

My wife has her US visa approved and the time frame for entry is Mid March, so we will be heading out soon. My problem is that my Thai visa based on marriage expires in mid January. Our plans include staying for at least three months stateside then various scenarios of one or both returning to Thai. We will by then have our first grandson here, so there is a natural draw on that front. We are negotiating on a new homestead there which will require some attention, plus I will exercise my Medicare options for among other things a cataract procedure, one already done. I seek advice on my visa options; can I get an extension to cover the gap, or just go ahead and renew (get new marriage visa)? Of course some uncertainty arises with the latest US election. Will my dear wife encounter difficulty as a non-white immigrant? Will announced Trump economic goals, such as steep tariffs and cuts to social programs ( about half our income is from Social Security) sink our tentative plans? I do currently ( and barely) qualify for some low income programs such as our anticipated local food bank. All opinions/ thought welcomed. Majors in theology and philosophy perhaps were not the best academic choices in this regard.😀

Cute kids dealt a bad hand. Does “ go-fund-me” operate here?