bkkrox

I already inspected my unit at Athenee on the 16 Nov. but they set the transfer date sometime in Jan. 2008.

It looked very good and am very happy with it.

Athenee mailed the plan layout but I have not yet been given an inspection date. Have you received any more news?

hi corkscrew, if you havent already, you might consider calling and setting up the inspection. i called tcc capitaland and they just gave me a range of dates so i could do it at my convenience.

Hi,tccapitaland called and have moved the transfer to March '08,saying there is a holdup at the land department. Didnt get too many details but that is the new target month.Cheers.

My Thai doctor is now putting pressure on me to quit smoking. He was not so concerned before my last check up. Now he says he can hear problems in my breathing. He says I still have time to quit before serious damage results but I must do it soon.

About a year ago I quit for three months but the craving was as bad at the end of the three months as it was at the end of the first week. I actually got depressed because I wanted a cigarette so badly. Needless to say I started back up.

The doctor prefers that I quit cold turkey but that if I can't quit that way there is a drug called Quomen that should help. It is the generic match to one called Zyban. Has anyone had any experience with this drug?

I took quomem for a couple of days and found it to be awful! I felt nervous and edgy and could not concentrate for longer than a few minutes. Sleeping was so difficult and I woke up really early. Needless to say I stopped taking it and read the book "Allen Carrs' Easyway to stop smoking". Somehow it worked for me and I only struggled for 3 or 4 days (the time it takes for your body to clean out the nicotine)and now it has been over a year since I quit.

Would really recommend trying this book first it is alot cheaper than all those nicotine replacements and pills.

Good luck mate,you can do this...you are much stronger than a dried-up,rolled-up leaf!!!!!

...the Thailand Elite visa is NOT a 5 year visa.It is a life time visa,self renewing every 5 years(or when your passport is full/lost/expiring,they will put a fresh 5 year visa in it)

One thing I did not when reading in detail one of the Elite program applications I got off the net was that it said the visa was a 5-year TOURIST visa. For anyone who has one, or Sunrise, is this true? This is not the most ideal visa as for many government offices and some business (i.e., banks) prefer to see some type of non-immigrant visa for whatever service you need them to perform. Why would not they issue a non-imm O (other) visa category?

Also, if it is a tourist visa, it must be renewed every 2 months rather than 3 months for non-imms. The material I read was self-contradictory as it stated the visa received was a tourist one (therefore must renew every 2 months) but then later in the application it stated that the elite card holder could stay for 3 months and then extend in-country (as if they had a non-imm visa). So which is it?

It is neither non-imm "o" nor a tourist visa. It is a special multiple entry visa. As for needing work permit,banking or drivers' license assistance,Thailand Elite claims to streamline procedures with government agencies and has some sort of relationship with Bangkok Bank. I have never used any of these services so dont have further info but you could call the member hotline (023523000) for specifics.

While I fully accept that the programme could be closed at any time,I would just like to point out that the Thailand Elite visa is NOT a 5 year visa.It is a life time visa,self renewing every 5 years(or when your passport is full/lost/expiring,they will put a fresh 5 year visa in it)

Please no comments about what 'lifetime' means in Thai political/immigration circles.Think we have all figured out how fast things change here,just wanted to post accurate info on the visa.

I already inspected my unit at Athenee on the 16 Nov. but they set the transfer date sometime in Jan. 2008.

It looked very good and am very happy with it.

Thanks GAVIN and rox. From your experiences and treatment, this sounds very interesting to me and will have to give it serious thought. If you can be so kind to provide me with the phone number and approx location (what is the closet sky train stop). I am familiar with the route and that will give me an idea of the location.

I may be coming down to Bangkok for the auto expo 29 Nov - 10 Dec and will set aside some time maybe to visit the clinic. Probably do not have enough time to get an MRI to bring down with me. At the moment I have having some dental work done, root canal and crown.

Please keep us posted on your results.

Oh, do they have a web page that I can view?

Thanks again.

Hi Jimmy,

check out www.disc-rehab.com the phone numbers are listed there. The closest (its very close!) BTS station is Phrom Phong..the same stop as Emporium shopping centre.

You can stop by and have a chat with the doctor.

Good luck mate.

Hi Jimmy,

As a general rule each herniation will require 20 to 30 visits. Right now the cost of 20 visits is THB 60000. Once treatment is complete you will have to do a series of (simple) stretches each morning to strenghthen the 'core ' area. There are many cheap hotels in the area and the clinic has people from other parts of Thailand staying in hotels for 20 to 30 days while they do the treatment.

In answer to how long the improvement lasts ,some patients have had no discomfort since completing treatment others have had problems. I have found testimonials on the web and read studies that have been conducted and they are overwhelmingly positive.

I think I am right in saying that treatment will only be 2x a day if you are treating different discs. Each disc can receive treatment once a day to allow time for healing.

The clinic is about to get another machine as it has proven very popular,the doctor and assistants are very professional and friendly.You should give them a call and ask them specifically about your case.In every case they need to see a current MRI.

Good luck and for me it is 'so far so good.'

Any updates, bkkrox? Would like to hear how it's going.

Hi One,

Have started treatment at the clinic...after about the 5th visit I noticed a significant improvement ie less pain,less discomfort and more mobility. Had to have an MRI so the doctor could see exactly the present condition of my spine (He is a doctor of chiropractic (DC)) It is not a cheap treatment... I have two herniated discs so effectively will have to go through 2 treatments(20 to 30 visits each),each costing approx 60 000 THB.Still compared with surgery it is not that expensive. I have to have the traction every day so you should be in the general area of BKK for up to a month. The system they use is the only one available in Thailand.So far only have positive things to say and will update when I am further into the treatment.

Thanks everyone for your replies...I have made an appointment for later on this week and will report back on how it went. I too was worried that the website does not list medical qualifications,will ask loads of questions. BNH Spine Centre will be my next stop as they use minimally invasive surgical technique,although avoiding surgery altogether is my hope.Thanks again.

I have two herniated discs in my lower back and have received physical therapy/pain drugs from Bumrungrad for over a year with little to no relief. Any relief I have had from the pain has been very short-lived.

I noticed an ad running in Bangkok Post for SDRC (disc-rehab.com) that boasts a very high success rate with treatment that is non-surgical and pain and drug-free.

Has anyone been treated there or heard of anyone being treated there. Obviously I would consider this option before surgery and so am interested in any experience someone may have had with them.

Paragon and Emporium carrying them now..B75 per pack

I quit about 6 months ago and also used to ask the seller to change the pack if it had that blackened lund or the gut with all the tubes picture. Pretty effective for me, not so much to help me quit,but more to stop me going back on them.

I've reading about Thailand for some time now and STDs have been a major issue for 30+ years.

Seems like rates of HIV infection are decreasing.

Africa is sounding crazy with HIV infections.

Africa is sounding crazy with infections. It is important though to look at how these crazy infection rates are determined. Often in Africa, due to lack of funding/infrastructure, an HIV+/AIDS diagnosis will be given symptomatically. ie if you have diarrhea(for a certain length of time),weight loss(a certain amount)and cough (known as the Bangui definition) you will be said to have HIV/AIDS,no test required. It doesnt take a genius to figure out that meningitis,malaria,yellow fever,sleeping sickness, untreated bacterial/viral infections, water bourne organisms etc etc can cause just the same sypmtoms. The cynics amongst us may surmise that ,for funding and donation purposes , all these cases are being lumped together.

The figures achieved through testing are generally performed ante-natally. The figures produced at these clinics are then extrapolated through the population. ie 15% of mothers are testing positive therefore 15% of the population is HIV+. One of the problems with this is that the mothers are being tested with a test called ELISA. This test ,by the admission of the manufacturer,is NOT to be used as a diagnostic tool for HIV infection. It does not look for HIV in blood but proteins said to be from HIV or HIV antibodies.It has a high number of false positives and has been proven to cross react with up to 72 other conditions including,pregnancy! Samples have to be diluted up to 400x as the "positive" rate pre dilution is very ,very high.

A positive ELISA test in the west is often followed by an expensive WESTERN BLOT test.This also looks for proteins(not HIV),but some countires require it to find 1 protein,some 2 and some 3 or 4 in order to diagnose infection.Some require certain combinations in certain concentrations. It is possible to be given an HIV+ result in France,get on a plane and test negative in Australia.All depends on testing criteria.There is no gold standard in HIV testing.

The ELISA is the cheapest of all the HIV tests and therefore the one most routinely used.

It is important to not just accept these figures with blind faith but to look at the facts and motivators for them.

Hi,

Ive done a lot of online reading a searching and think I've found the answer to this question but would appreciate it if someone could confirm.

I had a failed disc fusion on my back in the USA and take Vicodin ( hydrocodone) for pain. I came to BKK and went to Bumrungrad to see a doctor to fill my prescription. He was a nice fellow with passable English but had no idea what hydrocodone ( or percocet aka oxycodone as a replacement when he didn't know hydrocodone). He pulled out his medicine book and couldnt find them under either brand or generic names. i thought this very odd but he handed me the book and browsed thrugh the pain medicine section and sure enough couldn't find it listed under any name. He ended up giving me para+codeine to try as a replacement.

I go back to see him this week as a follow-up and was certain Id find some thai specific name for vicodin or percocet and everything I see seems to indicate they are not available here at all. Is this correct??? It sure seems strange to me. I know some drugs still under exclusive license have their sales restricted but i thought these were old, well known and now generic drugs.

Is there a name Im missing I can use to refer to these or is para+codeine indeed the strongest available pain killer a doctor can prescribe in BKK?

para + codeine seems awful week just to me, I can't imagine what people with cancer and very very bad chronic pain are doing if they are forced to use para + codeine ( setting aside the liver issues with the para if someone were to take many pills to try to get a stronger dose of codeine for relief).

Thanks for any insight!

Hi Crouton,

Sorry to hear of your pain...and I know that kind of pain. A few years back I had 2 herniated discs in my lower back and was treated at Bumrungrad. They gave me a drug called Ultraset, it is Tramadol and paracetemol. The doctor prescibed it in low doses and gradually increased it as the tramadol can give a mild high feeling. Ask your doc about it.

On another note,a friend in the UK asked me to try to find vicodin for him here and the chemist I use (who gives me pretty much anything ) said they do not have it in Thailand and said he does not carry ultracet either as it is highly controlled by the government and only available in hospitals.

My doctors' name at Bumrungrad is Sutthi and he is a GP .

Good luck and hope you find some relief.

I bought the book and finished it this weekend. I am on day 3 now and looking forward to establishing myself as a non-smoker.

18 years of second hand smoke because of my mom.

20 years of off and on chewing tobacco

5 years of off and on smoking

Now 3 days as a non smoker in training for the second half of my life.

I'd say the book does very well to give you the tools to make the right decisions and choices.

Hey ,thats very cool...well done!How is it going now? Try to be strong..those first three days were the toughest. Keep re reading the book if you need "a boost".

If you made the mistake of having a cigarette, dont beat yourself up. read a few chapters of the book and stop again.

Congratulations!!

BKKROX, I find you so funny, I have fired off emails to the makers of TV shows like ' QUEER eye for a straight guy' and ' QUEER as folk' telling them that they are nasty humans.

Very funny.

DirkGently, I assure you that I am not remotely wound up by you. I too am finding this somewhat comical , as I know that no matter how may times or in how many ways I try to explain this you to ,you will find some friend or some show title or some book title to try to justify your position.

queer is SOMETIMES used BY GAY PEOPLE in a positive self indentification role (your friend using it andQUEER EYE) and given its original meaning can be used for its double entendre (Queer as folk..queers as <deleted>, stange as people etc etc)Please note the overiding theme,..gay writers,people and characters using the term...

I assure you I am not some manic activist on a mission...my life is way too hectic for that!I am just hoping that maybe,you will be open to the possibility that using this term can be offensive to people.Google it or check your dictionary and you will see things like: used as a disparaging term for a homosexual person, considered offensive and derisive.

Best email Websters and Oxford dictionary....do they not watch Queer Eye....<deleted>?!

BKKROX! People like you crack me up. If mere symbols on a screen can upset you so much, how do you survive in the real world? Get a grip of yourself man.

The word queer is one I have heard around the office and, now this may shock you, was being used by a gentleman's gentleman, or 'queer' if you like.

Your point about Hitler really made me smile. Yes! You are right my use of a single word puts me right up there with a mass murderer.

I couldn't care less who somebody chooses to go home with, but there is still no third sex.

You silly person. (I hope that language is not to harsh)

I survive just fine in the real world mate,believe me. And your 'symbols on a screen' didnt offend me nearly as much as you seem to think, that said I will still call attention to what I think is a derogatory remark!

My opinion, and as you said we are all allowed one ,is that if you want to be taken seriously then you may want to use words a little less likely to offend...opps dare I say,a little more PC.

Yes,some gay people use that term the same way as African Americans may use another term...that does not mean that you get to!

Clearly you are one of the few who was born the "right" colour, sexual orientation,religion etc ,so therefore are unable to understand just how much flippant comments like yours piss minorities off.

Oh, and you may have noticed that by a strict,western definition of 'is there a third sex at dna level'..we are in agreement.

If it's a new, upscale and authentic Japanese restaurant it's probably Tensui.

Very favorable ratings as far as I can find from Japanese websites.

I ate at Ten-sui 2 weeks ago.Didnt have a reservation (on a weeknight) and it was fully booked,had to eat at the bar(3 of us). The clientele were mostly Japanese, with the staff either Japanese or Japanese speaking Thais. Alot of things on the menu were new to me, and alot of the fish were imported,live,and put in 1 or 2 degree cold tanks.

The food was good,but because alot of it was new to me I could not make a comparison.

The bill....very expensive.

Bought a condo at Urbana Langsuan ,238sq ft, 30 year Lease hold,34th floor, 16.5 mil. Bought it about 16 months ago. Did some work in it (about 1.5 mil) and sold it 6 months ago for 21.5 mil.

Think I got lucky...was only on the market for 2 months and bought buy an older Scandinavian guy and his wife who didnt care about it being leasehold.

Renting now until Athenee Residence is complete.

As far as getting a UK passport for an adopted child in Thailand it will depend on your personal circumstances. If your partner (Thai) is the legal parent, then you would need to go to the UK and register your domestic partnership and then your can apply to legally co-parent (not sure of all the terminology..sorry) and then after a period of time the child would recieve,after unconditional leave to remain, residency,but not sure if he/she would get a passport.

If the childs' legal parent is a foreigner then the process would be done in reverse...ie the Thai partner would need to register in the foreigners country to legally co-parent the child.

We did not try to adopt our son as co-parents. My partner is the legal parent (ie his name is on the birth certificate).As far as I know it would not have been possible to adopt together as Thailand does not recognise our relationship. After one of your names is on the birth certificate it is then neccessary to have the mothers' name removed...which can only be done by a court. In Thailand the mother retains all rights until a court rules otherwise. This is a lengthy procedure but without it being done you will need the mothers' signature for everything you want to do with the child (education,travel etc)

As you can tell for all of these things to happen you will need to find a mother who for whatever reason WANTS to give her child up for adoption.

Regarding schooling, ours sons' school fees are 420 000 baht a year..I know its alot of money,especially considering it is for Year 1 and will go up each year! However the level of education is phenominal with incredible facilities and staff. The school is fast gaining the reputation as being academically number one among the internationals. If you need more information on the (very complicated and time consuming) process of adopting in Thailand or about the school and why we choose it please PM me.

AHHH! Mr Prince, I was glad to set you straight.....so to speak... about this PC nonsense about the 3rd nonsense.....I mean sex.

'Evidence' of this 3rd nonsense is usually given by odd folks with their own gender....oops! I mean agenda.

Why is it that so many MEN in Thailand choose to mutilate themselves? Here let me give you some clues.

1. Very little psychiatric help.

2. A culture where nobody will show you your errors.

3. A culture where nobody will accept their failings.

4. Doctors that will mutilate a man if HE is willing to pay, with no questions asked.

I have no issue with queers or lesbians and I do feel you have the right to do as they do. Also, I have the right to say what I think.

Walking in shoes? HHHMMM! Good point. Well made. Hitler thought he was in the right too. Just because you think you are in the right, it doesn't mean you are.

As for calling me sweetheart! That is just silly. My heart is a sinewy organ filled with blood and proberbly tastes like chicken.

THERE IS NO THIRD SEX! I hope that helps.

You are absolutely entitled to your own opinion and to say what you want as does everybody else, but choosing to refer to gay men as QUEERS as you did in your post is rude ,hurtful,prejudiced and bigotted. You do not need to be 'PC' to have an adult discussion but just a little education on your part would help you realise that using that word is offensive to the people you are referring to.Just as bad a using the "N word " .

Its ironic you should bring up Hitler in your post. You see,by using that word, you have clearly shown where your opinion on this topic is coming from.

Last time I was in the States I noticed that the sudafed was in a locked cabinet and you had to ask the employee to open it up for you. Guess they are really keeping an eye on the purchasers.

I also read the article about this "new" drug and took it for about 10 days. I felt aboslutely no appetite supression..if anything I was more hungry! Also, as i sometimes get hay fever, after about 6 days,I was getting really strong allergies which i think was brought on by the betahistine.

######! Back to the gym!

Hi yes I remember it was 1 tablet per day for the first week and then up the dosage after that. My experience with it was awful though..I felt nervous and dizzy and had a really hard time falling asleep.Whats worse was that the side effects got stronger with time so after 2 weeks i had to stop taking them.

The good news is i got the book Allen Carrs Easy Way to stop smoking and still not sure how it worked but i have been smoke free for almost 5 months now. I had given up many times before that,mostly New Years resolutions,but always felt like a smoker who chose not to smoke.This time I really feel like a non-smoker. I can be around smokers and it doesnt bother me/make me want to smoke.

You should check out that book,someone told me it brainwashes you!Not too sure about that but I quit really easily.

Good luck!

You gay mods are so farkin boring...

Can you understand that we like you! And we are accepting of all folk!

But, a third gender. Go away. It's stupid. You are men, that like men, and appreciate men that are women and others too. OK, us too.

But they're two sexes; men and women.

Do not try to complicate things, or make it political. Deal with it.

I think there is alot you are missing in interpretation of 'third sex'. It is a blanket term used to describe men who are living there lives as women (albeit at differing degrees pre-operation,post operation etc).I dont think anyone is seriously arguing that at a dna level there is a 'third sex'.

But for the point of whether people in this group should have constitutional protection,they absolutely should and anybody that argues they should not is pure and simple a bigot.

Really cannot understand why someone would argue against minority rights. If someone chooses to live thier life a certain way,and is not harmful in any way to others,then really what gives anyone the right to discriminate against them? Seems to me the only people who can think of an argument to support their bigotry are those that have never suffered legalised discrimination and so cannot understand the importance of constitutional protection.

Suggestions welcome

Thanks.

A few years back I stayed at the Elizabeth Hotel..just behind (but definately only a few steps) Orchard Road.It is a little boutique hotel. You will have to google it for latest rates but for the area and product it was a good deal.