Tom Vanderlay

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Hello,  Just wondering if anyone knows where to get a cheap(er) PCR test in Bangkok?  There seems to be a wide range of prices.  Thank you.

Hi, I'm having some difficulty getting a TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiography)  test for a normal price.  I just got quoted 100,000 bht from Thonburi hospital lol.  Evidently they were talking about having to get a room?  And being in the CCU?

If anyone has done this test and you were pleased with the hospital, doctor, and treatment - could you please let me know where you had this done and what the price was (estimate)?  Many thanks.

Hi, I'm having some difficulty getting a TEE (Transesophageal Echocardiography)  test for a normal price.  I just got quoted 100,000 bht from Thonburi hospital lol.  Evidently they were talking a bout having to get a room?  And being in the CCU?

If anyone has done this test and you were pleased with the hospital, doctor, and treatment - could you please let me know where you had this done and what the price was (estimate)?  Many thanks.  

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Both Bumrungrad and Bangkok Hosptal can do TEE. I don't know which docs do it but you can contact

 

   https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/centers/heart-valve-center-bangkok-thailand

https://www.bangkokhearthospital.com/en/medical-service/echocardiogram

 

(scroll down for contact info)

 

Re Dr. Wattranaphol, I don't have any direct feedback on him but I know he does TAVI.  He is the Director of the Heart Valve Center at Bumrungrad. He trained/worked in Canada for a few years so should be well socialized to Western patients. Certainly worth a consultation.

 

 

Thanks again for your help Sheryl.  If anyone else has experience or recommendations on Cardiologists (surgeons or interventionalists (especially those who are experts in SAVR or TAVI)) please feel free to chime in.

Also, expert echocardiologists and best hospitals to to a TEE test.  Many thanks.  

8 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

OP: to avoid cluttering this thread with health matters and since you may also still need to post on the visa issue I have split out the purely health related posts into this new topic  https://aseannow.com/topic/1254920-transcatheter-heart-valve-repair/#comment-17271400

 

Understood

26 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

That is really, really low, obviously you need valve replacement  quickly.

 

 TAVI/TAVR is now approved in Thailand for   "patient with moderate risk" (for surgery) and risk is assessed according to multiple factors.

 

It is  usually done by interventional cardiologists rather than cardiac surgeons and you will likely get a better response going straight to one of these, and specifically  who has experience with it.

 

I suggest :

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/Wattanaphol-Phipathananunth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes it is, have had a problem for a while but nosedived right after I took the second vaccine (Pfizer).  No one can tell me if its connected.  

Thank you for the info. and the  recommendation.  I will be going to Bumrungrad for a consultation.  As for treatment there- I might need to crowdfund to pay their prices. 

I have a consultation appointment with Dr. Pattanasak Lertpradit at Bumrungrad next week (if I can get a TEE test before then).   He is a surgeon, but I believe he has TAVI experience as well.

 I'm trying to get a TEE test scheduled before I consult with any more doctors (been to about 6 so far).  I was recommended for the TEE to an echocardiologist - Dr. Decho Chakrapanichkul, by Dr Taweesak Chotivatanapong at Vejthani (whom I really like).  I can't seem to track him down however as he has moved from Siriraj private hospital to the government part of Siriraj.  Do you have any recommendations for a doctor or place to get a TEE test?  In case I can't get an appointment with Dr. Decho.

I want to assess the degree of calcification, if it is bicuspid, and the exact anatomy of the size , shape depth of the aorta and aortic root to help me make decisions going ahead.  

 I will note your recommendation also and possibly see him.  I haven't had much luck with interventionalists thus far.  One was fairly open-minded and knowledgable at Bangkok Hospital (dr. rapin kukreja).  

Have you received treatment or know someone who has from the Dr. Wattanaphol Phipathananunth?  Did they have a TAVI procedure?  

Thanks

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

Age obviously has nothing to do with it (though people deemed poor surgivcal risks do get priority). .  What is your Ejection Fraction? And where in Thailand are you?

Hi, I'm in BKK.  ejection fraction is 28.

34 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

Yes, you would need either 800K in the bank or proof of monthly income of 65k a month to get an extension of stay for retirement.

 

What does your contract say regarding sick leave? How much accumukated sick leave do you have?

 

First step should be to discuss the situation with your employer.  Specifically, ask about  taking an unpaid leave of absence after whatever paid sick leave you have accumulated runs out.

 

That would be the first approach. If they are uncooperative/try to force you to resign I suggest you start a thread in the teaching forum for advice on how to appeal this. But first approach should be a mutual agreement.

 

With open heart surgery, some people are indeed able to resume non-physically strenuous work after 30 days but this can't be assumed, some need longer. Six weeks is about average.

 

Note that many types of cardiac problems, including valve disease and coronary artery disease, can be corrected through less invasive approaches these days. With correspondingly quicker recovery.

 

 

Many thanks for spending the time to write.  Just looked at my current contract and it mentions 
 

"Any other statutory leave which you are eligible for will be given as per the local law."

So then I guess they are following the 30 day policy as per Thailand?  Will have to make sure of this.

Yes, I'm looking into TAVI/TAVR.  I've only found 1 doctor so far who is not emphatically insisting "you're too young" (mid 50's), before I even finish saying it.  Age is only 1 factor, everything has to be taken into account.  

   

50 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

As Ubon Joe has explained, you cannot get a medical visa (and these visas are cumbersome to obtain and confer no benefits vs tourist visas).

 

However you can get an extension of stay on medical grounds if you obtain a letter form the hospital treating you which provides details of your condition states you are unable to travel. Note that being so ill you cannot travel is the criteria, not merely having medical treatment here. Typically these extensions are for 90 days (3 months).

 

But before going that route you might reconsider resignation. Where do you work? (Thai company, foreign company, private school etc?) Under Thai labor laws employees are entitled to unlimited sick leave (though only 30 days a year of that are paid) provided of course they are still sick. In other words you cannot be required to resign, even though you are unable to work for an extended period of time.  This is clearly spelled out in the Labour Protection Act. If you are employed by a private school, they are exempt from that act, but their  contracts are supposed to provide benefits not less than those for teachers in government schools which would suggest that sick benefit should be the same, though this is nto explicit.

 

If you are covered under Thai Social Security, then whatever you decide make sure the health cover continues. (If you do resign you can continue it on a self pay basis).

Thank you for your reply.  I would be too ill to travel as I will have to have major surgery.  I would contemplate a retirement visa (i am over 50), but I am not sure I will have 800,000 left after paying for the surgery.  I believe I need to have this in a Thai bank when applying .

It is a foreign owned language school, and I'm not sure about their medical leave policy, I havent conferred with them yet.  But that is interesting about:

   "their  contracts are supposed to provide benefits not less than those for teachers in government schools which would suggest that sick benefit should be the same"

I wish I had a confidant to find out this information.  30 days might be enough for me to recover, though even at that I will probably need more time.  Sternum is probably getting cracked open.  

23 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You cannot apply for a visa while in the country.

You can apply for a extension of stay for medical treatment when your current  extension is canceled. It can be issued up to 90 days per application for it.

General requirements for it is here at at number 25. https://www.immigration.go.th/en/?page_id=1890

Thanks Joe.  Just to clarify, I need to wait until the day it is cancelled, then go to immigration and submit the paperwork?   Can I have an agent do it?  Thanks.

Hello

I am currently working and am on a B extension, have been for a while.  I have recently gotten diagnosed with a serious medical condition and will require surgery.  I will have to resign (or accept a severance package currently being offered) from my job due to this surgery and recovery time.  Can I get (or convert to) a medical visa if I am having this surgery in Thailand?  Thank you.