dblaisde

Thanks all very much for the kind replies.

I'll do as directed, or rather instruct my son the same. I'll also try to get the original written prescription included in the package. I won't be here to receive it myself because it now takes ridiculously long for a US citizen to get drugs from Canada due to the passive-aggressive actions of US Big Pharma against Canadian pharmacies who dare sell the identical drugs for a quarter or a tenth of the price demanded in America. It's 2-4 weeks just to get the drugs through customs, and the USG has now banned using Visa or Mastercard to buy them with, so you have to snail mail a paper check up to Canada to pay <end of rant>.

I've never tried to get anything through Immigration before (though it's ridiculously easy walking stuff in--no questions asked), but sounds like I have a fighting chance. I suppose I should send it USPS "return receipt requested", just to keep the Thais honest? (and so at least I know that it actually made it to Thailand)

Much appreciated. My belly thanks you!

Hi,

I'd like to have my son ship an antiparasite antibiotic (nitazoxanide) to me in Bangkok. The antibiotic isn't available in Thailand. The antibiotic would be in a labelled container with my and the doctor's name and the prescription papers perhaps included (not sure because the prescription won't arrive till I'm back in Thailand).

Is this going to be a problem or gigantic hassle?

thanks

Nitazoxanide is not available in Thailand so if the Bactrim doesn't work (as evidenced by repeat stool test that still shows B. Hominis - don't go just by symptoms as they could have other causes) then be sure to get it in the US.

US price for 30 500mg tablets: $1400. My eyes popped out. This is at Walmart, which usually has the lowest prices on drugs. At another big chain it was even higher. I can order it from Canada, $50 for 60 500mg tablets. Time for a revolution. I suspect it's probably available in Cambodia too.

Nitazoxanide is not available in Thailand so if the Bactrim doesn't work (as evidenced by repeat stool test that still shows B. Hominis - don't go just by symptoms as they could have other causes) then be sure to get it in the US.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that. It's difficult to come by in the US too. I'll have to search around.

What did the doctor at Bumrungrad recommend? If they don't treat it, do they not recommend someplace else for treatment?

He said either Flagyl or Tinidazole, but since I break out in red spots with Flagyl, he said to take the Tinidazole--which *didn't* work (2 back to back doses over 8 days). So no luck there. I'm taking Bactrim now and will try Nitazoxanide if that doesn't work.

I was only in Bangkok for 1 day to get this thing diagnosed and treated before my US flight, so there wasn't much time.

Thanks to all who took the time to reply.

It is not an issue of which hospital but of which doctor.

I suggest either of these if you are not satisfied with the doctor who originally diagnosed and treated you:

Samitivej Hospital: https://www.samitivejhospitals.com/en/doctors/rungsun-rerknimitr/ (he is also at Bkk Hospital but I think by special appointment only)

Bangkok Hospital: https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en/doctors/?DrID=812

As you already took a course of treatment which did not improve sympotims, the first step needs to be a repeat stool test to see if the Blastocystosis is still there - it does not infrequently happen that the presence of B. Hominis is just an incidental finding and not what was causing the symptoms.

If it is still present, given that you already took tinidazole and are allergic to flagyl, next option would usually be Co-trimoxazole (sulfamethoxazole & trimethoprim -- well known as Bactrim in the west) double strength twice a day for 7 days (assuming you are not allergic to sulfa drugs).

If it is no longer present then a search for other cause is indicated.

In either case, would be well to take some probiotics such as unsweetened plain yogurt. Lalida brand can be found in most supermarkets.

Thanks, Sheryl. I'm in the US for a month and did a followup stool test and culture in NYC. All that turned up was the Blastocystis hominis, plus a non pathogenic amoeba called Endolimax nana. The doctor ordered Bactrim as you recommended. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that it goes away. I'll also keep up the yogurt.

It's frankly *amazing* how much you know about the medical scene in Thailand. I'm truly impressed and thank you heartily for all the advice you've given me (and many others) over the years

PS: Here's a link I found to a 2013 "meta" article on drug treatment research studies for Blastocystosis.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3745668/

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with Blastocystosis hominis at Bumrungrad, a common gut parasite often with no symptoms in the young, but I'm 68 and it's causing daily nausea, lack of energy, abdominal cramps. I've had it for about 3 months and would like to get it treated.

Is there a good hospital for treatment? Someone mentioned Siriraj as being world famous.

PS: I've tried Tinidazole, but it didn't work and I'm allergic to Flagyl.

thanks for any help

I just got back to the US and want a Thai visa good for a year: you get a 3 month visa but can use it for multiple entries up to a year (but you must cross a border every 3 months).

Requirements are something like:

airline ticket

proof of sufficient income (pension and/or bank statements)

photos

perhaps proof of being over 50.

**This isn't an 0-A type retirement visa where you must deposit 800,000B in a Thai bank or show sufficient funds in your home bank, prove you have no criminal record, and have a clean bill of health.

I think it's simply called "Non Immigrant, Type 0, multiple entry.". I've gotten several in Germany but can't remember what the damned thing is called. I'm in NYC now and want to give the consulate in NYC a call to see if they offer it, but I need the official name for it.

thanks!

Esidep (cheaper Lexapro) isn't widely available in Thailand. I had to contact the distributor to get some. The price is 23 baht a tab vs about 40 baht a tab for Lexapro from pharmacies like Fascino.

thanks again to all!

Esidep is an Indian brand generically equivalent to Lexapro and this drug doers not require a prescription so try Fascinos for it or other large pharmacy.

It sure would be nice to find a pharmacy that carries this. I've been to a couple, including Fascino and nobody carries it even though MIMS says it exists within the country. I may try to contact the maker or a distributor.

Escitalopram is the closest equivalent to the citalopram, available as lexapro 10 and 20 mg, Esidep (Indian made) 10 mg. Please discuss with your dr if it is changeable.

Anybody know where to find "Esidep". I've looked for it at Fascino and a few other big drug stores near Siriraj and can't find it. According to MIMS it's sold in Thailand, but I'm beginning to doubt it. It would save me a lot of money vs buying Lexapro (by Ludbeck)

"shower electrocution"???

Got me nervous now, can you elaborate?

Mac

Yeah. A lot of Thai "electricians" don't know what to do with the green grounding wire for shower water heaters so they leave it unattached. If through wear and tear there's a short (an electrical connection to the outside of the heater and the controls, including water controls), you get fried. 4 fingers and half her palm were cooked very quickly. She lost consciousness but her dogs woke up the neighbors and she went to Bangkok Hospital. In the first week she had no idea who she was or how she got there. Her urine was black! I lived in the hospital all the first week until she got her brain back and could remember where the nurse's button was. I'm her ex boyfriend of 10 years and wanted to help her)

She had her house rewired (this is in Bang Sapan) and others got curious about their shower wiring and found out that NO heaters were grounded, so a good electrician (a Brit from one of the oil platforms) was busy for a few weeks grounding everybody's shower (you have to drive a grounding pole (metal, copper coated) into the earth a meter and attach the green wire to it). The local electricians (the incompetent ones) got pissed off though, and one day a Thai guy put a gun to his head in the market and told him to lay off fixing things: he was taking away business from them you see. (even though he was charging nominal amounts to repair these things. He only wanted to help people out who didn't want electrocution)

Bangkok and big cities are probably better than the small town of Bang Saphan, and actually have code inspectors that do their jobs and can't be bought off. There is a Thai electrical code for installing these things. I checked. And a hotel owner doesn't want to fry people so he probably does it right, but these people who built the house for her (and others in the neighborhood--a Brit and his Thai wife, both alcoholics) just wanted a fast buck and built the house with Burmese labor and using the cheapest materials possible, including the shower heater, which didn't even have a test (ECB button) on it--a test for proper grounding which the consumer can perform....When they pulled her shower heater out of the wall, there was the green wire dangling unattached in the air.

She's 65, German, retired for only 2 years, and just wanted a quiet retirement in Thailand. She loved to cook. Now she's looking around for prostheses for her right hand. You have to be careful in Thailand. It's easy to make assumptions that things (eg houses) are as they appear, not death traps.

(there! That's quite a bit of "elaboration")

Dr. Panupan at Phyathai Hospital and also at Siriraj is excellent. He is the head of the Siriraj microsurgery dept (which does BTW do limb and digit reattachments, tho obviously not relevant in this instance).

Thanks Sheryl,

Excellent advice and I talked to her about Dr. Panupan.

Unfortunately, she's set up an insurance relationship with Bumrungrad and Bangkok hospital and is reluctant to change from those two. Do you happen to know of any good hand surgeons at either of those two hospitals?

She's bit through so much with the shower electrocution that burned off her fingers that she doesn't have much strength for develop new medical relationships at the moment.

thanks again

I have a friend who needs a good hand surgeon in Bangkok. She lost all her fingers about 4 months ago, and they said she needs to have surgury to increase the flexibility of her thumb, which is all that remains of her hand (the surgery is too aid a future prosthesis).

Any help appreciated!

thanks.

Looking for a good urologist for treatment of Peyronie's disease. (scar tissue in penis which inhibits blood flow). Thanks in advance.

I'd like to take the Burmese women who work at my guesthouse out for a good Burmese meal. Anyone know of any good Burmese restaurants?

Just what I needed. Thanks much, Sheryl

I've got very thick toenails due to a lifetime fungus. This results in painful ingrown toenails. I don't want to start a course of potentially liver damaging drugs (like Lamasil) to probably only temporarily fix the problem.

I'm seeking a service that grinds the surface of the nail down to a normal thinness, thus relieving the painful pressure on the nail bed.

Any help here in Bangkok? Thanks in advance.

Oh God, I'm drowning in EGO.

Why bother with a shop. Just take a walk down the road, you will see plenty of cobblers working away.

Because he's looking for specific recommendations. Because I just walked down the road and didn't see any cobblers working away.

It's a classically unhelpful reply- I'm going to ignore what you asked about and tell you why you're wrong but not offer any help. Why not tell him where these cobblers-without-shops are all working away..? Certainly they're not on my street.

To the OP : I've used Pro Express at Robinson's Sukhumvit Soi 17- they've got a branch of Terminal 21 as well. I think the Terminal 21 branch is cheaper to use, not sure if that means better. But they will give the damage an appraisal and tell you whether they can fix it in-store or need to send it away to be repaired.

Thanks much. Good hard info, especially about giving one an estimate. Much appreciated.

And you gave precisely what the first reply deserved. Yes, there are cobblers down many streets, but are they any good? And can someone recommend a good one? Those were my questions. It's like asking where a good restaurant is and getting "you can walk down any street and find a restaurant".

Hi,

I bought a pair of Addidas, which had a small stitching defect where the nylon mesh connected to the suede leather at the toe. I didn't notice it for a few weeks. Now a hole is forming which promises to grow.

I need a skilled shoe fixer who won't rip me off. I'm in Banglampoo but can of course travel around Bangkok to the right shop.

Cheers,

Doug

I've been eating most of my meals at a Thai "lots of pots" streetfood place for the last few months. I've also been suffering from feeling bloated, lack of energy, and slight nausea during the same period. I attributed these symptoms to other things, but last week I decided to lay off the local food and eat at the farang restaurants instead.

In a few days, I felt much better, and now it's been a week without any of the old complaints. I suspect the food. Yes, I know that there's a debate as to whether MSG is harmful. Are there other things in Thai streetfood I might be reacting to?

So, which are the foods to watch for? And how do say "no MSG" in Thai?

thanks in advance

Thanks all.