fearless1

We were able to get Dr. Rebcook into Lanna hospital and I was able to contact his sister via email. Hopefully, with treatment, his condition will improve and possibly he can transition into an appropriate care facility.

Brian

We have tried there. They will not take him without his consent. It's a bit of a catch-22. When he is physically able to give his consent he won't do it because he thinks he can take care of himself. Now that he can't take care of himself, he is unable to give his consent.

I have had no luck trying to find his sister.

bb

Dr Rebcook's condition has taken a turn for the worst and we are unsure of what to do. He is not able to eat and he may be having organ failure. We can't get him to give his consent to go to a hospital or care facility, even though he can afford it. He isn't being stubborn; he is just not mentally competent enough to understand what's going on. If something is not done, I'm afraid he might not make it. I live upstairs from him and I have tried to help him with some small items in the past, but this situation is way beyond anything I can help with. I have the name of his sister but I don't have anything else. I am going to try multiple email addresses using her name but it's a long shot. I don't even know if she is still alive or what country she lives in. If I can somehow contact her, maybe she cn give consent to have him taken to a care facility. Someone really needs to help this guy.

I'm wondering if anyone can help me to find a high level person to sit with me and my girlfriends parents and translate the conversation for me. My girlfriend was involved in a serious bicycle accident and may need brain surgery. The ambulence took her to Suan Doc and her parents might be considering moving her to another hospital if she needs the surgery or possibly for consultation. I need to know exactly what they are thinking and planning. They don't speak any English at all and I am not proficient in Thai.

Please help me ASAP if you can provide me with a person and a phone number.

I've stayed at a number of places in Chiang Mai over the last 3 years and I have found that The Dome Residence just off Huay Kaew Road best suited my needs. It's modern, clean, well located, and reasonably priced.

http://www.thedomechiangmai.com/

fearless

On the TM. 8 form there are the following lines that I assume you are supposed to fill out:

"I intend to go to"

"leaving Thailand on:"

And related information about dates.

If I don't know when I will be leaving and I want to use the Multiple re-entry option; what am I supposed to enter on these lines when I fill out the form?

Thanks

I had mine done at the clinic on Loi Kroh Road. Doctor saw me right away and it hardly cost anything.

There is a good artist who sometimes works the Sunday Brunch at the Le Meridian Hotel. You might want to try there.

Does anybody know whether the Boy Bues Band posts their playing schedule on-line? Along the same lines, is there any way to know when Guitarman has a special guest playing? I know they have the little flyers from time to time but I always forget the special dates and miss the bands.

I also want to put in a good word for The Chai Blues House. They need to get more people to show up though. The place next door can be packed while Chai's is pretty much empty. Seems crazy to me when the music is so good.

Hi,

I tried to sign up for this Saturday's BBQ at Tuskers but I was blocked. Can I still sign up or am I too late?

Thanks,

Fearless + 1 guest

Thanks for all the comments here is my update which may be of interest to some.

I did shop around a little but the quotes were mostly in the same range. In the end as I wasn't buying a second hand lawnmower I decided to stick with Bangkok Hospital. Dr Pornthep Manamee was my surgeon, he is listed as an orthopedic surgeon specialising in sports injuries some of his training having been done in the USA. Dr Pornthep was very professional and helpful going to some lengths to explain the injury and the surgery even showing me a film of a previous operation he had done (he did ask me first if I wanted to see it). He called in a second specialist to examine me and confirm his diagnosis. Anyway on with the op. All the staff at Bangkok Hospital were excellent, the orthopedic nursing staff who carried out a battery of tests to make sure I was fit to undergo surgery, the anaethetist who explained how he was going to knock me out (don't think I ever saw a hammer that big!), the nursing staff who took care of me for one (very painful) post op night and even the concierge department who took my passport to immigration for a ninety day visa registration and delivered it to my hotel.

The operation was a little more involved than first anticipated, I went in at 12.30 and was in recovery at 4pm. They cleaned up the bone spurs and screwed three titatnium anchors into my humerus (not funny) and used these to suture the tendon back into place they also repaired a 6 cm tear in another tendon which they believed to have been a result of an old injury (I have had a lot of problems with this shoulder in the past).

I have had my arm in a sling day and night for 2 weeks, 4 more to go. I have been started on passive range of motion exercises, that is when you relax the muscle completely and somebody else moves the arm.

I guess I won't know for many months whether it was money well spent , I am 47 years old have played sports all my life, these days its all been weight training and golf. Dr Pornthep said I could be golfing in 4-5 months but I won't be lifting any heavy weights for a few months after that. I know with all the sport I have played and injuries I have had that it was never going to repair itself. Time will tell just how effective the surgery has been but Bangkok Hospital was excellent.

Griz,

I tried an internet search for Dr. Pornthep Manamee but I cannot find anything. You said you had the surgery at Bangkok Hospital. Is that the exact name of the hospital or did you mean Bangkok Pattaya Hospital? I'm really looking forward to your answer because as I posted earlier, I am having a hard time getting any up-to-date concrete information.

How much did the operation end up costing?

Hope you are doing well.

Thanks,

I see some posts related to the do's and don'ts in relation to rotator cuff surgery and some references to shoulder surgery in the USA or in the past, but I'm wondering if anyone has had rotator cuff specific surgery here in Thailand fairly recently. If so, I am curious where your surgery was performed, who the surgeon was, how much it cost, what the actual procedure was, and how satisfied you are.

I had rotator cuff surgery in India 3 years ago and I need the same surgery on my other shoulder. Rehab without surgery will not work for me since I need to have significant shaving of the bone to fix the problem. The surgery in India was successful and cost about 1500 US dollars. The post operative care was less than satisfactory though and I do not want to return to India to have the surgery again. I really want to have the surgery here in Thailand since I live here now and I do not have health insurance back in the US. Unfortunately, I am finding it next to impossible to get any definitive specific information about rotaor cuff surgery here in Thailand.

I'm mainly posting to keep this thread alive so eventually someone can provide concrete information.

Thanks,

Thank you for the reply. I'll check it out.

fearless

I am going to need rotator cuff surgery. I have a tear and I also need to have some of the bone shaved. I know what's involved in the procedure since I had the procedure performed on the other shoulder 3 years ago.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to a good hospital and surgeon? I have lived in both Chiang Mai and Pattaya so if it was possible, I would prefer to either have the surgery there or use one of those areas for recuperation. The baht bus route in Pattaya is especially helpful since I will not be able to drive for a while.

If anyone has any idea on approximate costs it would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

fearless

I'll be there.

fearless

Perhaps look at this from the other end - start with the high end condominium buildings and then see what the current rental rates are for each. To begin with I would suggest that you look Floral and the Rimping. There have also been some new buildings finished in the last couple of years such as Twin Peaks but I have heard mixed opinions as to the quality - have a look anyway even if only for a comparison. A bit of leg work before talking to an agency would be prudent on the basis that the agency works for themselves and would love to get paid commission on a sale.

Thanks, that's a good starting point. It's best to have as much knowledge as possible on my side before I throw myself at the mercy of a real estate agent. One thing I would like to find is someone, with extensive local knowledge, who could give me an honest, objective assessment of the local market. The chances of that happening at a realtor's office are probably slim without walking in with a referral.

Can anyone suggest a good real estate agency or person I could talk to about investing in a condo/condos for income purposes? I’m trying to be realistic considering the glut of condos on the market and the challenging economic times, but I really would like some type of investment income that is denominated in baht if I’m going to live here. Basically I’m interested in a high-end type of place that has good rental demand and a 7-8 percent rate of return. If this type of return seems too optomistic please set me straight.

Thanks in advance

Fearless

I have to agree with the other poster that Wade is the best player on the USA squad. Over the last 3 years, when he was healthy, he was the best player in the world. I came to that conclusion in 2006 when I watched an unbelievably weak Miami Heat team win the NBA championship. Basically the other Heat players just handed the ball to Wade every game in the 4th quarter and he single handedly took apart the Mavericks. No other player could have done what he did with the crap team that he had. After that I started to watch Wade and how he fared in his individual matchups; especially when he and Kobe went head-to-head. I love Kobe but Wade won the match-up every time. Give him any kind of team and he is unstoppable.

No, but I did follow the thread I think you are referring to with some interest. Since the rental place was right down the street and I talked to the lady working there most days, leaving the passport wasn't a big deal.

Thanks for the quick responses. I'm glad I can handle the proof of residence requirement here in Chiang Mai. My next task is to get my passport back from the motorbike rental agency.

Brian

Hi,

I'm planning on buying a new motorbike here in Chiang Mai. I have a retirement visa and I live in an apartment here in town.

What do I need when I go to the dealer to buy the bike? Hopefully, any form I need can be aquired here in Chiang Mai, and doesn't entail a trip to Bangkok.

Thanks,

Brian

Hi, I'm a newcomer looking for a motorbike. Please contact me with the details. 081 366 3325.

Cheers,

Daniel

I have a question regarding the Sunday morning bike rides that begin at Tha Phae Gate.

Are any allowances made for different rider levels and different caliber of bikes? The reason I ask is that I recently arrived here and I am contemplating buying a bike. I do not want to buy 2 bikes so the bike I buy would have to be multi-purpose - somewhere between a road bike and a mountain bike, or a mountain bike with road tires.

Would the group leave anyone without a road bike in the dust?

I’m fit so that would not be an issue.

Thanks,

Brian

Are there any decent fitness centers in Kanchaburi? Which fitness center do you represent?

I'm only asking because I'm visiting there soon and I'm looking for a place to work out.

Thanks