John49

I am using CANDIX liquid for toenail fungus. It comes with a small plastic stick for application. I transfer it into a small glass bottle with a dropper – for ease of application I can see that there is slow improvement with less fungus apparent in the several nails affected. I’m prepared for a long fight, I bought 3 bottles (each 100ml) last time, something like 39 or 60 baht a bottle. I heard about Lamisil after I had already started treatment with CANDIX. It was available here (Boots?), but not in my preferred liquid form, and more like 300 baht a tube (?). I like the dropper method, quicker and better than getter the cream on your fingers, etc. I sprayed daily with vinegar for a long while – it did supress the fungus and little more. Other recommendations like Vicks, tree tea oil and the very expensive weekly nail filing with drops (from France?) did nothing. Got a feeling that there are different types of fungus, so some treatments can work depending on type of fungus. I’ve been doing quick daily treatments for a long while, unable to cure – only supress, but CANDIX seems best treatment to date (for me) with a slow, minor improvement with time. Hard to believe I'm treating daily for so long, but at least my affected nails now look ‘normal’ from a distance and not with that ugly, yellow going rotten look. I’ve avoided tablets as they come with potential damage to liver (?).

I have now bought a box of 4 tablets, each containing Sumatriptan Succinate equivalent to Sumatriptan 50mg (under brand name Siagran), from a local drug store in Pattaya for 195 baht. Price is say 50 baht for one tablet. Manufactured by Siam Bheasach, Bangkok. Still unable to find Sumigran.

I tried to buy the cheaper Thai Sumigran at the 3 pharmacies in the basement of Central Festival Pattaya, yesterday. Not available – only the expensive imported Imigran/Imitrex on offer. I will try some of the smaller drugs stores down the street, maybe better luck.

I clicked on the link to get back to my original list of ‘My Portfolio and Markets’ (on the RHS) – all well and good. But, the news feed (on the LHS) is the USA news feed – seems like only that country’s feed available, at the moment?

I think this only applies to laptops: I twist the laptop at angle to the edge of the table, when using the mouse in the right hand, and rest my right elbow and lower arm on the table. Less aching issues with the lower arm supported by the table and not the shoulder.

I used to have long chats with an Indian GP in Malaysia. I remember him saying that drug manufacturers in India were famous for under dosing their drugs on the key ingredients – supposedly to increase profits. Having said that, I have sourced two separate generic drugs from India on a regular basis. They were effective and I had no issues. Although having lived and worked in India, I do wonder about the degree of hygienic under which the drugs are prepared…

Having said the above, about fully body MRI’s (and the need for multiple inputs for a full body interpretation), my FDG PET SCAN contained one full page of detailed observations. This scan is used to look for cancer and it was loaded with comment on presence (or absence) of organ lesions and organ size, etc., divided into sections for Head and Neck, Chest, Abdomen and Pelvis, and Musculoskeletal. Seeing that broadly speaking, half of us will die of cancer, and the other half die of heart disease – seems like the FDG PET SCAN gives a pretty good bang for the buck on the cancer half. Not sure if all FDG PET SCAN’s provide this level of detail as I had ultrasounds of liver every 6 months for several years. One time, it would a one line comment saying ‘no abnormalities’. Another time, it would be half a page or more, full of data about adjacent organs like cyst in kidney and size of prostate. My GP explained that some specialists are famous for their brevity, and others are famous for their level of detail.

I had a MRI of my hips as I had pain at night as a ‘side sleeper’. I was impressed with the level of detail and the only thing the consultant could find was a very fine hairline crack on one side, running through part of the muscle – the consultant thought this could due to calcification of the muscle due to age. Apparently, can be treated by ultrasound but I did not follow up. I asked him about a full body MRI. I remember that the consultant said something like - it was not practical due to the many high level inputs required - on the interpretation for the multiple organs involved.

"Under 45 days inside Australia, non resident. Over 45 days but under 183 days inside Australia, one must meet two out of the four factor tests. Over 183 days outside Australia, non resident." Over 183 days in Australia, resident. Now, there is no longer a contradiction...

I have a Westpac bank account and have declared myself ‘non-resident for tax purpose in Australia’ for many years. Westpac did not ask for specifics and I paid 10% withholding tax for many years. Just looking at my old emails from Westpac, things changed in 2021. They become very specific and there were many exchanged emails as I did not really know what they wanted from me, or more precisely, what was I getting into by giving them my information and maybe too much information. Ultimately, they threaten to freeze my bank account unless they received required information. I was requested to make a phone call – that was out of the question for me - "ridiculous" as stated above. Their last request was as follows: We are asking about your Foreign Tax liabilities. In this case, Thailand. If you are liable to pay taxes in Thailand, we require that Tax Identification Number (TIN) for Thailand. This is the same, if you are liable to pay taxes in any other country, other than Australia. If you are not liable to pay taxes in that country, you must clearly state so on the form. I have attached another blank form for you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to give us a call on 1300 725 863. Kind Regards, Risk Analyst Financial Crime & Fraud Prevention PO Box 30 Parramatta NSW 2124 I supplied a Thai TIN and they replied: Thank you for your email and the information provided in regards to your Foreign Tax Residency. We have received everything we need to be able to successfully update your Foreign Tax status in our systems, and no further action is required from you. Reading quickly through this thread, it seems that many want to be resident in Australia for tax purposes – I’m the opposite as have no submitted a tax return since 2012 (and not in Australia), as retired and travelling since 2012. My financial records are limited and messy, especially buying and selling shares. I’m converting to deposit accounts to make it easy to complete my future Australian tax return. I am have visited Australia less than 45 days a year to keep my non-residency. I thought that this was to be the new ruling, anything beyond 45 day and you are automatically resident? Now it’s possibly “if proposed changes are passed, basically, 183 days inside Australia, resident, 183 days outside Australia, non-resident.”? I see a contradiction in the other scenario - statements about ‘between 45 and 183 days’: "Under 45 days inside Australia, non resident. Over 45 days but under 183 days inside Australia, one must meet two out of the four factor tests. Over 183 days outside Australia, non resident." It is possible to satisfy both the second and third criteria - which one governs? Does anyone have experience of returning to Australia and filing a first tax return after many years overseas? I've heard there's potential to go back up to 5 or 6 years on your financial data. I think banks can provide statements for up to a similar period - so it makes sense. It would be a nightmare if I had try to reproduce financial records for such a long period of time.

I have always thought that Thailand is mischaracterised as the ‘Land of Smiles’; Indonesia is much more the real ‘Land of Smiles’? Having worked in both countries and with some learning of the languages, I know that Thai is difficult and Indonesian (with Roman script) is easy - relationships flourish or founder on this communication tool. Other than that, many similarities including the spoon-fed educational system, with independent thought discouraged. My language mistakes in Indonesia were a source of fun for all and I progressed learning words and phrases, often with repetition giving the perfect accent. I found the Indonesians to be very outgoing - if I took a local bus, someone would often come and sit next to me and start a conversation - but not always a blessing... Sometimes, I suspected motivation like wanting to have ‘rich friend’ or looking for job. By contrast, after several years in Thailand (including a 6 month language course), and sometimes trying to start conversations with locals, I have given up. The Thai language is just a too difficult communication tool (the confusing phonics), and trying to start a conversation usually nosedives after less than one minute. Now, I get by with a few dozen parroted phrases - for a smooth passage.

Speaking about Thai law in general, I have heard it said many times that "prostitution is not legal and does not exist in Thailand". There can be a disparity between law and reality.

After payment of an importation tax, Thai customs have always handed over my limited quantities drugs for personal use, without any mention of licenses or illegality. One time, they did say that next time they would want to see my Thai doctor’s script. I do have a Thai doctor’s script as backup. I did not have it with me as it’s not been asked for previously. If I imported a pallet full of drugs (obviously commercial, not for personal use) then I believe the drugs would be held back until an import license was produced. Living in Thailand, we learn how to evaluate risk? Sometimes I get nervous walking on the pavement with my back to the traffic. Need for the drugs plus major cost savings, balanced against potentially forfeiture of the drugs. For me, it was an easy, sound decision.

Limited quantities of drugs for personal use can be purchased from IndiaMart, for delivery in Thailand. For more information: https://aseannow.com/topic/1326443-buy-medicines-from-indiamart-possible-legal/ There are a few other threads in AN that discuss similar issues. These drugs purchased from third parties via IndiaMart are produced in India by well established Indian companies like Dr Reddy and Cipla, etc. Of course, the ones that are the ‘best buys’ are the drugs produced by Indian companies that received permission to produce generics in India. Can be dramatically cheaper than original manufactures products available for purchase in Western countries. However, I believe that only a few drugs for cancer patients are available as generics (?). Western pharmaceutical companies only give permission for others to produce generics after the drugs have been in the market for many years (?). The latest and usually the most effective drugs, are not yet available as generics.

This post is very timely, as yet another new umbrella (Gourmet 350 baht) got caught in the wind and two ribs broke. I bought a smaller version (Daiso 300 baht) with a picture included showing that it could tolerate being inverted due to wind. OK so far, but bit small and more suitable for children. This was having checked online as to which umbrellas can take ‘wind inversion’ – apparently, the ribs need to be fibreglass, not steel – but these seem very expensive? I remember about 40 years ago, umbrellas made from bamboo, paper and lots of glue - were cheap and available everywhere in Asia - a bit heavy but they did not break easily.

The bad news about blood cancer treatments is the high cost. The imported drugs are mostly very expensive and may well be justified on the high cost of research and development. My personal experience here in Thailand was that one blood cancer drug that is already available generically, was sold to me at 95% of original manufacturer price, yet it was actually a much cheaper generic sourced from India. This was at a public hospital. Later, I ordered directly from India at a much, much lower price. Some months earlier, I made an appointment at one of Bangkok lesser known private hospitals, one of several offering blood cancer treatments. The appointment was for 4pm and I had like 20 people in front of me. The doctor had still not arrived at 5.30pm, so I left. At about 7pm that night, I had a call from the doctor apologising for being late. The doctor wanted me to visit again as he had the latest drug treatment that showed great promise. I was already well aware of the drug and the astronomical cost, so I declined. I had already had a similar experience a month earlier in Singapore where the doctor got quite excited that he could put a new patient on this latest expensive drug “until disease progression” i.e. when the drug stops working, and could potentially involve years of treatment with the new drug. I appreciate the above informative and useful post, drawing attention to treatment options. I wanted to add comment about my personal experience of the high costs involved. Also, I believe a number of hospitals offer similar blood disorder treatments, partly as it’s a great money spinner involving very expensive imported drugs and I believe low capital investment costs in set-up. Of course, at the same time, it does offer patients hope and respite, with a possible cure in a some cases – important when suffering from a potentially terminal disease like cancer.

I often book hotels through Agoda. It’s clear from the many listed room rate options that I’m paying extra for breakfast, and the hotels have always provided my ‘free breakfast’. The reason I check Agoda rates is that they usually seem to be the cheapest. I ignore the bits about cashback or points – small money - waste of time. As for flights, I check sites offering multiple options, note the deals, then go and book with airline direct for same price or slightly more. If there should be issues, I don’t want to talk through a third party.

OLD THREAD… Any news or updates on availability of Alprostadil in Thailand?

I cannot fully answer your question, but based on my own experience on buying meds from India: You are only allowed to bring in sufficient for your personal needs and that is to be carried by yourself on entering the country. By extension, the law may be stretched/interpreted to allow for you to receive same via postal mail, in my experience. Note that there is a good chance that your postal meds be held back in customs and you would need to visit the customs office in your area, and justify the import and pay tax. Best done by having a script for same from a Thai doctor. ‘Sufficient for your personal needs’ means one month’s supply – this could be 2 month’s supply or more, if meds are visually ‘small’. If you want to receive say 30 syringes for one month’s supply, then maybe ok by you carrying in person, but I believe that would need a lot of explanation if you had to visit customs. In my case, I received two small bottles of 30 tablets on each occasion My success rate on receiving directly without visiting customs, was 50%. Don’t think other people can transit for you. I believe any quantities larger than for personal use, require an import license - a much different issue. Hope that helps, others may elaborate.

All medical procedures involve risk – that famous statement. My (limited) experience is that medical procedures in Thailand involves greater risk than those done in your home country (or western country). This is after dental work (mixed outcomes, mostly good), bone marrow biopsy with local anaesthetic (amazingly positive experience at a public hospital), and one miserable extended hospital stay at a private hospital in Bangkok. Of course, this medical procedure risk can be reduced by sharing experiences on this forum, plus valuable insights from Sheryl. I have had two identical medical procedures for rectal prolapse caused by a previously incurable gut infection. The first procedure in Australia was basically a simple day procedure with one overnight stay – effortless, seamless, in other words - no issues. The second (same) procedure in Thailand was the complete opposite and involved a 72 hour miserable experience at one of Bangkok’s most expensive hospitals – as recorded in another thread. I went ahead having it done in Thailand, as I thought that for a simple routine procedure, nothing could go wrong. [The negatives included a last minute rush around the hospital for ultrasounds to check heart, and legs for potential DVT, this after taking purgatives. Failure to clean bowel prior to surgery (included multiple stool photos sent to surgeon in OR). Subsequently, overdosed with antibiotics leading to endless in-shower diarrhoea for many hours day after procedure. Most worrying of all, BP of 200/140 (?) during evening after surgery for nearly two hours before a nurse arrived with tablet medication. My bowel operation itself appears successful - up to a point, (I think I’ve been ‘overtightened’ but that may have been done strategically due to elderly muscle weakness). I will get a second opinion (camera investigation) when next overseas. Clearly, matters outside the OR were disorganised and stressful, with very poor coordination. BTW, I requested that catheter not be used (not needed in Australia) – agreed but then a catheter was used. I also asked if they would use an intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) device (anti - DVT) on my lower limbs (as used in Australia) – anaesthetist said yes, of course – they were not used. In Australia, they used a twilight anaesthesia, in Bangkok they used a major operation anaesthesia.] My very recent biopsy of prostate at a large private hospital in Australia made me realise how it should be done. Long check list prior to medical procedure, constant monitoring, etc. - with nothing left to chance. Again, another effortless, seamless medical procedure with a quick recovery. Here in Thailand, only limited checks with a few bullet points, a lot left to chance, or assumed. To say nothing of what actually happens in the OR while you are asleep on the table. BTW I did complain to my surgeon before leaving the hospital - about the disorganised, stressful, and poorly coordinated aspects of the procedure. He apologised and said he would pass on my concerns “to his board”.

I have had two tooth implants in Thailand, each at a cost of 60k; not a hospital but a dental surgery. Both implants are good and have been confirmed overseas as well done, and just by coincidence, this included an X-ray view. These were implants on the side of the mouth. When I needed a front implant (one of the top central incisors) and having seen so many badly done caps/crowns/implants in this prime location, I decided to get it done on a visit to Australia. By badly done, I mean so obvious that by shape, colour or orientation that it did not belong there, when seen from nearby. Also, this tooth had decay under the gum and needed a bone graft and I felt more comfortable getting it done in Australia. The first tooth provided was white and square, the second was grey and square. At this stage, the dentist took it out, re-shaped it and re-coloured in his on-site kiln, to match as a mirror image of the adjacent incisor. It took 3 attempts to get a cosmetically correct tooth. Maybe I should have got it done in Thailand. I’m just making a point that with the very front teeth, it can be difficult to get a good cosmetic result. Does seem like the average dentist wants to give you a stand out pure and perfect white tooth, like an incentive to get all the others fixed. I think there is a longer term issue where the implant tooth does not age in colour but the adjacent teeth do, so that new tooth stands out ‘more white’ with time. My dentist tells me that if this happens, he can remove the tooth (there is small screw in the back), age it in his kiln and put it back in. Not clear why he took 3 attempts to get my front tooth as a near perfect match to the others. Just slack, at the end of the day, I don’t think he made much money out of me with those extra visits. Just remembered visiting a dentist in Pattaya, some years earlier. They (one dentist for implant, one dentist for crown) wanted to do all 3 implants at the same time. I felt the tension in the air as they pushed me to go ahead. I said I’d think about it. Good decision, one implant at a time is certainly enough.

If we are talking about exchange of such information between say Singapore and Australia, then all information available can, or will be exchanged in the near future. Talking about exchange of such information between Thailand and say Australia – from what my Thai accountant told me in Bangkok – at present, there would be nil response from Thailand to any overseas request. My guess is that it will be years before such a level of cooperation is achieved, some high level criminal activity excepted.

For several years, my bank in my home country (aware that I declared myself resident in Thailand) has been asking me for my TIN. My response was always – ‘not available’ as Thailand does not issue TIN’s to residents, unless paying tax in Thailand, and I did not pay tax in Thailand. This response was accepted for several years. Last year, this bank in my home country said they would have to close my account unless I provided a TIN. In other words, I had to demonstrate that I was liable for tax somewhere. This was serious, as I have standing orders or payments to be made from this account. On top of this, I have a bank account in Singapore and they too were suddenly asking for my TIN. With my overseas two bank accounts under threat, I decided to apply for a Thai TIN. I tried locally and the local Tax Office said they needed a “blue book” from the owner of my apartment. The owner refused to supply unless for Immigration purposes i.e. not for Tax Office purposes. After searching on Google, I found a tax accountant in Bangkok that could arrange a TIN, under his organisation – no blue book, etc. This would now require paying tax on funds (that I declared as dividends) that I brought into Thailand. I was happy to do this (pay tax and get a TIN), as I have not filed a tax return since my retirement several years ago. I was starting to feel exposed with all this ramping up of cross border cooperation – one day, there could be a day of reckoning… I have now have a Thai TIN and have filed two tax returns for the last two years. The fees from the tax account in Bangkok are reasonable and the tax I pay is acceptable – to get these people off my back. The funny bit was that many years ago, I worked for 3 months in Thailand for Japanese company, and unknown to me, they had been paying income tax on my behalf and I already had a Thai TIN. The same TIN was just re-issued. With my two overseas banks now having my Thai TIN, in theory, they can verify that I am paying tax in my country of residence (Thailand). However, my tax accountant informs me that information (from the Thai Tax Office) would not be available to them at the present time. BTW, these overseas banks are in communication (via access to databases?) as my country home bank later asked me to confirm if I have a Singapore TIN. I have never linked these two banks in any transfers, so how would they know I have a bank account in Singapore. Hopefully legitimate, for the time being - paying withholding tax in my home country, paying no tax in Singapore (not required for non-residents), and paying income tax on my ‘dividends’ (funds received in Thailand, as living expenses in my country of residence).

I just asked my BFF - who is from nearby Dumaguete – if I could add to this thread? An immediate, hot response - “don’t bother – you never been there!” Here goes – most famously, I heard Dumaguete is too hot, weatherwise. Not much traffic, and apparently no traffic lights? Very easy to get other places in PH, like the islands, or Cebu/Manila.

I was recently in Australia with a Xiaomi Play phone - a cheap, old model, but light and fits nicely in my pocket. I bought a pre-paid Vodafone sim on arrival. Last time an operator installed a new sim (in Portugal), they carelessly broke part of the phone cover, so I decided to install the sim in my hotel later. I put in the new sim and it did not work. The next day, I returned to Vodafone - they quickly entered a code into the phone to make it work. All well and good - with a "volte" symbol appearing on the top right corner of my phone screen. I forget the reasoning but I think my old phone is only an LTE phone (not 4G?), and the adding-in of a software code 'enabled voice' (or Voice Over LTE). Your phone may or may not, have a similar issue? Seem to remember that Vodafone told me, only Optus worked at that time, without this code being physically added, but that would change soon. Not sure what happens later this year i.e. do I need a new phone or not - will VOLTE enabled be enough?