
John49
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I read many, many books in my younger years; usually borrowed from the local library. Thereafter, I was too busy and felt that I had kind of read everything. In the last 30 years, I have read just a few books that fell into my arms free of charge – found on a train, found free on a hotel bookshelf, etc. and looked interesting enough to read. The 3 books were: · Wild Swans – Three Daughters of China · Interview with the Vampire · Alexander Hamilton Amazing, they were all fantastic reads; maybe I’m missing out and should read more. I missed out one book – a porn novel that a friend passed to me – good, but the one time experience was enough.
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I have slept on my right side for most of my life as my deviated septum causes one nostril to stay mostly open, and the other nostril to stay mostly closed. Switching to the left side for sleep leaves both nostrils blocked and I cannot sleep. A few years ago, I bought a packet of ‘soft polymer rings’ that are joined together and fit in both nostrils (“Mute nasal dilators”), and this permits sleeping on left or right side. Sleeping constantly on one side for many years has meant that side of my face is constantly stretched or squashed by the pillow. Now in my seventies, I see one side of my face looks about 5 year older (maybe more) than the other side, as it’s more heavily creased and slack. Sometimes, I see someone else with the same issue. Actor Anthony Hopkins is a good example – if I remember looks like he always sleeps on the left side as that side has additional creases, etc. How to fix the extra wrinkly side? I could not be bothered with daily creams. I guess some sort of surgery, preferably minor on one side only, and not the more extreme type where they pull the whole side of the face and like cut behind the ear to hide the full extent of the scars?
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British Couple's Thailand Dream Becomes Legal Nightmare
John49 replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
As they cannot own land, there must be a leasing document from the landowner. So, the dispute is really between the landowner and the neighbour claiming part of their garden. Does not seem wise to engage in dispute with an angry neighbour, especially in a foreign country. -
My small package of meds has now arrived back in India, having been forcefully returned to India, by highly agitated Thai customs at Laem Chabang. From the beginning, when I started receiving meds from India, I understood that EMS was the best with a handwritten address – to appear non-commercial. It worked well with Customs elsewhere; if held back, I paid a small fee as import tax, but not at Laem Chabang. Not sure where I got this advice from (EMS, plus handwritten address) – probably Google. My supplier in India is now telling me the following: "To send you by Fedex , we just need this details as below DR prescription Any id proof E-mail id “ I then asked him the following: “Are you saying that if you had sent via Fedex, with correct listed documents, my package would not be held back in Thai customs?” He replied "yes". So, looks like I could have been using Fedex all along, with zero visits to Thai Customs? For anyone who has spent time in India – this kind of misinformation makes sense, and yet it may still not be reliable... Shortly I will in Australia, and will be arranging for my shipment to be sent there. Be interested to know if any has any actual success using Fedex from India into Thailand – for small packages of meds.
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My Prostate MRI on the 1.5 T gave a result of PI –RADS 3, with categories as follows: PI‐RADS v2.1 Assessment Categories PI-RADS 1 – Very low (clinically significant cancer is highly unlikely to be present) PI-RADS 2 – Low (clinically significant cancer is unlikely to be present) PI-RADS 3 – Intermediate (the presence of clinically significant cancer is equivocal) PI-RADS 4 – High (clinically significant cancer is likely to be present) PI-RADS 5 – Very high (clinically significant cancer is highly likely to be present. An inconclusive result - not really "good enough" in my case - I decided that I would monitor my PSA. It showed continual slight movements upwards, I decided I would wait until my next visit to Australia. In Australia (with a PSA of 7), my Prostate mpMRI showed a “large area of signal abnormality, categorised as PI-RADS 5”. This Australian mpMRI was done some 6 months after the Bangkok MRI – could explain the difference in results (from a 3 to a 5). However, the MRI in Bangkok – unfortunately me was a waste of time as basically inconclusive – ok just my bad luck. BTW the Prostate MRI was done at an Imaging Center that advertises widely and was about 10,000 Baht, plus extra for dye. No problems there, the service and expertise seemed good. One interesting point, I asked my urologist in Australia why he was not giving the obligatory DRE, he said ‘we don’t do that anymore’. I sense a reason way – on my prostate journey – looking for a suitable Thai doctor- probably 5 doctors put their finger up my bum and it seemed ok – prostate ‘firm and round’, despite this being the easily reachable part of the peripheral prostate area where I had cancer. Seems to me like you need a really bad case of prostate cancer for the DRE to be useful?
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Camp coffee tastes good - but too sweet last time I tried it - threw it out. Like having 2 teaspoons of sugar in your coffee, when you only need one. Good if they had a no sugar or less sugar variety - after all, I think it comes without milk?
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Quote from my recent post on 5 Feb.: "Recently, my PSA stated to creep up to 5, then 6, then 7. I had a prostate MRI that was inconclusive. This was a mistake, the wrong test, as this test lacks accuracy. I followed up with the more accurate mpMRI – cancer indicated." This may be relevant here. My first prostate MRI was done on the wrong kind of machine (I wish they had told me). I waste several months of possible treatment, until I was tested on the more modern and expensive machine (Tesla 3). Another quote: "MRI scans produce pictures from angles all around the body and shows up soft tissues very clearly. The multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is a special type of MRI scan that produces a more detailed picture of your prostate gland than a standard MRI scan does."
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As a side sleeper, I’ve always had a problem with ‘placing a pillow between my knees’ – basically uncomfortable. Even tried pillows and cushions of different sizes. My solution is to leave the lower leg straight, bend the upper leg and put the small pillow under the knee of the bent upper leg – much more comfortable. The legs, or rather the hips, are ‘parallel’ – that is the point about ‘putting the pillow between the knees’.
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This thread is complicating what for me, was a straightforward issue – based on my personal experience. For many years, my PSA was about 4 - i.e. on the limit when you are supposed to show concern. I ignored it for years, as I understood that the rate of change of PSA (above say 4) that is the warning light. Recently, my PSA stated to creep up to 5, then 6, then 7. I had a prostate MRI that was inconclusive. This was a mistake, the wrong test, as this test lacks accuracy. I followed up with the more accurate mpMRI – cancer indicated. Followed up with transperineal biopsy, done under sedation. That was a breeze with no after affects. Subsequently, had 5 shots of external beam radiotherapy – that was not a breeze – tedious over several days with some painful urination. My story lacks detail – as it was relatively straightforward – easy decisions, obvious or reasonable – that I hardly remember it. As for ‘dying with it’, rather than ‘dying from it’ – up to you (and your doctor as someone will surely chip in) – depending on your age and health.
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Some british <deleted> wanted to fight me earlyish this morning
John49 replied to madone's topic in ASEAN NOW Community Pub
I just use my hands: – Palms, almost together = SMALL - Palms, wide apart = BIG Always works, no need to open your mouth. -
How many times a day do you pee and what it says about your health
John49 replied to Rimmer's topic in The Wellness Zone
I read this today in the Telegraph (UK): Why do I keep needing the toilet in the night? Anti-inflammatory drugs…the unexpected efficacy of the alternative remedy – aspirin and similar anti-inflammatory drugs – was discovered fortuitously by family doctor Eric Lewis as described in this column several years ago. “I have suffered from this annoying complaint for several years, passing up to one and a half litres of urine during four or five trips to the toilet,” he wrote. Until one evening he took a couple of aspirins to relieve some muscular pains and was astonished to wake the following morning to realise he had slept undisturbed throughout the night. His experience prompted a dozen similar anecdotal reports, subsequently investigated in a formal clinical trial with the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac – confirming the merits of “this novel treatment option for a common condition”. So, the proposition is that aspirin at night may reduce the number of bathroom trips. I’m already taking twice daily Apixaban so don’t think I will give it a try, unless I made a complete switch. He says a “couple of aspirins” – that could mean 2x300mg – sound seriously too much when compared with the daily 81mg, as taken by some. Be interested to know if anyone has been prescribed this aspirin or diclofenac solution to reduce night time bathroom trips? -
Heartbroken Irish mum honours ‘special son’ lost on Koh Tao
John49 replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
Daily Mail says: An Irish backpacker has been found dead in a hotel room on Thailand's notorious Koh Tao island. Robby Kinlan, 21, was found lying on his bed by a long-time friend last week while staying at the BaanTao Bungalo Resort. He was discovered still holding his phone, which was connected to a wall socket and charging, police said today, without confirming a cause of death. Lt Colonel Theeraphat Sanjai said that authorities were looking to send the body for autopsy, but high waves have hampered efforts to reach the hospital on the mainland. -
One of the things that prompted me to visit BLH, were the good reviews on Google. How does a public hospital manage to get a high score of 4.2? Must be doing something right.
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I’ve started chemotherapy at BLH and I’m impressed with events to date. The key generic medication that I need is imported from India and it's immediately available at the on-site drug store at a not unreasonable price. This is contrary to my previous experience where there seemed to be large markups on imported generics of this type. The chemo ward is modern, clean and well organised. The only negative was picking up some additional meds at the pharmacy counter itself inside the main building, where I had a long wait.