srowndedbyh2o

Anyone know if this has started affecting purchases from iHerb?

Any idea where to find info on where/when these auctions take place?

My insurance paid.

Sorry for the delayed response, but no. Biopsy showed no cancer.

Thank you both for sharing your opinions. I'm surprised there haven't been more responses since there must be many people on these forums married to a Thai with dual citizenship.😟

When renewing a U.S. passport, the ‘Checklist’ page has a box in the bottom left corner that states “Please provide the following information” “Travel plans:” and “Thailand Visa Expiration Date:”. My wife is renewing her U.S. Passport. My wife is Thai, so she also has a Thai passport. When she enters Thailand she enters on her Thai Passport, so she has no ‘Thailand Visa Expiration Date:” in her U.S. passport. Should she write in “No Thailand Visa”? Also, does she need to write in “I have no immediate international travel plans”? Thank you.

Before I left the U.S. I signed up for a mail forwarding service, virtualpostmail.com and tried it for a bit before I moved to Thailand. I liked the service, so I changed my mailing address with my banks and credit cards to my virtualpostmail address. When it’s time for a new ATM or credit card, it gets mailed to that address. I then have virtualpostmail forward the card to me in Thailand. Activating the cards I’ve done online for most. Only one bank required me to call them to activate their card, which brings me to: Before leaving the U.S. I got an “UltraMobile PayGo” phone number. I got it specifically as a back up to my GoogleVoice numbers. UltraMobile PayGo is not a VOIP service, so you won’t have to worry about issues with some banks short codes (2FA codes) that may not work with VOIP numbers. I can send and receive text messages and also make and receive phone calls to/from the U.S. 100 texts and 100 minutes of phone calls each month. The one-time charge for the SIM card was $13 on ebay, then it's only $3 a month for the service. I’ve had it for years and it still works great. It must be activated while you are in the U.S. I also setup Google Voice numbers before leaving the U.S. You can get the numbers for free, and there is no monthly charge to use them. The Google Voice numbers work great for texts, and so far have worked for receiving all my banking 2FA codes. I have read a couple/few posts of people that used their Google Voice for banking codes for many years, and then their bank made some system updates and they could no longer receive the codes through a VOIP service. That’s why I got the UltraMobile PayGo number. Just as a backup. I figure $36 a year is a small price to pay to know I will receive those bank 2FA codes. Another thing I did was get a MagicJack as my main U.S. phone number. MagicJack was originally designed to plug into your computer to make phone calls, but I’ve never used it that way as they have a mobile phone app and I can use my mobile phone to make and receive calls and text with U.S. numbers. I don’t remember what I paid for it, but it’s currently $43 for one year & $109 for 3 years. Keep checking their website as they occasionally have special offers. After my first year, there was a special on a 5 year subscription so I opted for that. MagicJack is great for phone calls and texts, BUT it does not work for banking short codes (2FA). For me it has worked for most other websites that use 2FA codes. Just not bank codes. I also have a Thai phone number that is used only for Thailand. Hope this information helps.

I saw Dr. Anna Jaruwarn at BKK hospital, Pattaya last April for a biopsy of suspected skin cancer on my forehead. Excellent doctor. Initial consultation and a single biopsy, and then followup visit, total cost 15,260.

Thank you. I don’t think it’s related to shingles as I’ve had it (mildly) for a couple of years, but recently it has gotten more painful. I’ll do some research into neurologists.

I get a burning sensation on my skin on the front of my legs, mostly on my knees, and a bit on the back of my knees when bending or kneeling. I had originally thought it was a skin issue, but when I mentioned it to a dermatologist, she said it wasn’t a skin issue but rather a nerve issue. I mentioned I had a lower back injury many years ago, and she said “there you go”. I don’t have any tingling or swelling, and I’ve never had any signs of diabetes. So my question is; What sort of doctor do I see for this? Any specific hospital/Doctor you would recommend? I live out in Sisaket, but I’m willing to drive elsewhere if I really need to. I’ve been to BKK Hospital in BKK for several other issues over the last few years, so I’m familiar with that hospital, (and it’s not to difficult to get to driving my car) but I hesitate going to BKK Hospital, BKK and just telling the front desk of my symptoms as I don’t want to have a bunch of expensive, unnecessary testing done before they decide which doctor I should actually see. Thank you very much.

You are too funny.

At your suggestion I went to see Dr. Anna Jaruwarn at BKK Hospital Pattaya where she did a full-body visual checkup, and punch biopsy of a suspect site on my forehead. She is very knowledgeable, and speaks excellent English. (I think she worked in the U.S. for many years) I am very confident in the service she provided and will be doing annual checkups with her. While BKK Hospital Pattaya is relatively expensive (BHT 15,260), I submitted a claim with my U.S. based insurance and they paid for all but a small copay of about BHT 1,200.

At the begging of April of this year I had a skin cancer checkup at Bangkok Hospital Pattaya. I had only one spot of real concern to the Doctor and she did a punch biopsy of the site on my forehead. Total cost 15,260 Baht. Luckily when I did my followup check she said there was no sign of cancer. She removed the stitches, cleaned and bandaged the site, said “No charge”, and sent me on my way.

Thank you. I forgot there was a hospital over there. Is it as busy as the Sisaket Gov. hospital?

My Bangkok Bank statements show “TAX WITHHELD”. I’ve never gone to a tax office to get a tax ID. Where does the “TAX WITHHELD” go to? Did BKK bank generate a tax ID for me when I opened the account? I also have a (joint) Kasikorn bank account and their statements have never shown “TAX WITHHELD”. My (Thai/U.S) wife has both BKK Bank & Kasikorn Bank accounts, but neither of her bank statements have ever shown “TAX WITHHELD”.

Which hospital?

I frequently say hello to people I’ve never seen before. Why not say hello to someone I recognized? YouTuber or not.

Skippy Super Chunk peanut butter

If there is a chance you will need medical care in the U.S., you may want to reconsider getting Medicare part B. As Sheryl mentioned there is a (10% per year) penalty for signing up late. From the medicare.gov website: “Late enrollment penalties: Are added to your monthly premium. Are not a one-time late fee. Are usually charged for as long as you have that type of coverage (for most people, that’s a lifetime penalty). The Part A penalty is different. Go up the longer you wait to sign up – they’re based on how long you go without coverage similar to Medicare. Find out when you should sign up to avoid penalties." The out-of-pocket costs for not having Part b will quickly surpass what you would have paid for the base premium.

This photo is a scan of an old 35mm slide I took. Must have been around 1985 as I believe this was the first McDonalds to open in Thailand. It was (is?) located in Bangkok, just down the street (up the street?) from the Erawan shrine. It was packed with ‘Hi-So’ school children.

Thank you very much everyone!

If you were able to go to any Doctor/Hospital anywhere in Thailand for a skin cancer check up and possible treatment, who/which Doctor(s)/Hospital(s) would you recommend?

I have very fair skin and burn easily. I use ‘NIVEA SUN Extra Protection Daily Glow Essence Serum, 50 SPF PA+++’ for every day use. I don’t think it’s a dedicated sun screen like Banana Boat, but it works for me, and is less expensive than a dedicated sun screen. If I’m on the beach or going in the water (ocean or pool) I wear a long-sleeve rash guard. Also have a ‘Patagonia Surf Brimmer Hat’ that I sometimes use when in or around the water.

Where have you found avocado oil? I've looked in many stores but have yet to find any.

Thank you. I'll give it a try. The movies are important to me not just because of my family history, but they contain footage of areas in Southern California that do not exist anymore, so some history value there.