Hip Replacment

[kickstart]

It looks like I will need a hip replacement ,the way things are  I am going to have it done here in Thailand.

Has any  one had  a hip replaced, or know some one who has , what were  their experience .

Asking around it dose not seem that common here in Thailand, most Thai's  have no idea what it entails.

I live in Lopburi provence ,and  It looking like  our local government hospital will be doing the job ,

but nothing is  final  yet.

[ELVIS123456]

Got a Mother, Brother and a Mate who had one - all in Aus - all are OK.

Mother's was after a fall, but the others were all planned.

You need to get blood tests done first.

What is your blood type - plenty available? what if any problems?  

Many Western blood types not common in Thailand.

Will you bleed too much (Brother) - or too little and get clots (Mate)?  Test first.

There is a lot of blood loss. In Aus they can take and store your own blood prior to the Op - this is better than when they use donated plasma etc. Not sure about Thailand.

The joint equipment is good these days - get the best joint possible - do your research.

But number one is the surgeon then the anesthetist - experienced? where trained? patients?

Then it is the Hospital - the surgery facilities and imaging equipment etc etc.

Then you need to evaluate rehab options - big issue - lots of work afterwards.

I would go to BKK myself - but I have no idea which Hospital or Surgeon is best.

Try to contact TV member Nancy L - she is the guru on medical stuff in Thailand.

 

 

 

[faraday]

Had my hip replaced here 10 weeks ago. The surgeon had an excellent bedside manner, unlike the often lofty approach of some senior clinicians in the UK. The nursing staff were lovely, happy, & seemed to really care.

As for the surgery, it seemed fine & there plenty of pre op tests.

Now, my hip feels really solid after years of it feeling weak.

Is there anything specific you'd like to know?

[Sheryl]

Many TV members have had hip replacements here, at a variety of different hospitals. Suggest you do a google search of "hip replacement + site:thaivisa.com".

 

The procedure is not unusual in Thailand. But you want to make sure you have a surgeon with ample experience in it.

 

A government provinicial hospital would usually not do this, I would be surprised if available there, and more than a little concerned about the level of experience/expertise if it is. If you want to have this done in Lopburi I would suggest the Army hospital instead. Cost is the same.

[kickstart]

ELVIS.

Thanks for the reply ,my mother in the uk has had both hips replaced  .......twice ,so I know a bit about the job , but  this is Thailand ,your comment on joint equipment is very valid like yourself and  Sheryl  said ,it comes down to  experience/expertise .

Sheryl.

Thanks for the reply ,you must know Lopburi , being a big army base , they is a large army  hospital  there, most of the people in the Provence  say  it is better than government hospital .

Where I am is only 2 1/2 hours from  Bangkok ,so going down there could be the best bet ,my   neighbours  said ,Lerdsin hosipltal ,near Silom ,is a good "Gra-dook", bone /hip  hospital  but ,that could  be just chines whispers .

Did look at TV  serch  for hip replacement, nothing come  up ,will try Google .

The wife thinks Lopburi would be better ,she is thinking logistics , close by ect ,she has a point . 

Again thanks for the replys .

 

[Sheryl]

As mentioned I very much doubt the provinicial hospital can do this. Army hospital  a good bet, if you can locate a surgeon there with expereience (do not hestitate to ask how many procedures a doctor has done)

 

Plenty of options in Bangkok but will all cost more than the army hospital in Lopburi will.

 

 

[faraday]

My Hip surgery at Fort Prajak Army Hospital here in Udon was 120,000 baht, private room was extra at 1800/night inc. all meals - which looked great, but ate little coz I 'went off' food: lost 3.5 kg though.

 

BKK Hospital quoted me 280,000, & they seemed to focus only on price.

 

 

[anthoma]

A friend of mine had a hip replacement operation at Anandamahidol army hospital in Lopburi just 4 weeks ago. So far so good, but to early to see the final result. He had a VIP room with bathroom, fridge, aircon and sofa for his wife to sleep on. His wife also got all the meals at the hospital. He and his wife stayed at the hospital for 7 days. All included he payed 101 000 baht and he said the service was amazing.

[kickstart]

On 22/09/2017 at 11:53 PM, anthoma said:

A friend of mine had a hip replacement operation at Anandamahidol army hospital in Lopburi just 4 weeks ago. So far so good, but to early to see the final result. He had a VIP room with bathroom, fridge, aircon and sofa for his wife to sleep on. His wife also got all the meals at the hospital. He and his wife stayed at the hospital for 7 days. All included he payed 101 000 baht and he said the service was amazing.

HI anthoma

                     Thanks for the reply, as I said ,I live in Lopburi province, and a lot of people say the army  hospital  is good , as are most army hospitals in Thailand  it seems ,and the cost was  cheap ,I have been budgeting 200-220,000 baht ,seems almost to cheap as ELVIS said what joint equipment  did they use .

 Anan hospital and Lopburi hospital are close to one another ,do you think they use the same surgeons .

We found out the names of 2 of the surgeons  at Lopburi  hospital, we got grandaughter  to look at them on facebook  the   posts where favourable about they work, I do not know how fussy Thai's are compared to farangs ,on things like this ,I know that might not account for much ,but it might be something . 

faraday

            Thanks for the reply, the army hospital at Udon is a big one servicing the air base at Ubon,again a army hospital is cheaper than the  other hospitals.

I have an  appointment with surgeon at Lopburi  hospital on Wednesday 

[al007]

On 9/22/2017 at 9:47 PM, faraday said:

My Hip surgery at Fort Prajak Army Hospital here in Udon was 120,000 baht, private room was extra at 1800/night inc. all meals - which looked great, but ate little coz I 'went off' food: lost 3.5 kg though.

 

BKK Hospital quoted me 280,000, & they seemed to focus only on price.

 

 

Your figures are very interesting, I had heard about the same price for BKK hospital, well maybe a bit more US$11500

 

I am interested because I am wondering if maybe I have a hip problem as well because at night I am getting big pain in my left hip

 

I am awaiting some big surgery in BKK in the first few days of Nov, and am told my pain could be from my colorectal cancer but I somehow doubt it

 

So I am watching on hip problems

 

I am not a hypochondriac, just a man getting old and so far until the last year nothing to do with doctors or hospitals, I still manage other than pain killers no medication, 72 plus, and my eyesight still ok my wife says I spot pretty ladies a long way away, no glasses; and yes my body has over the years been well used and abused !!

 

Living In KhonKaen, I have heard good things on the Army hospital in Udon and at around 120,000 on a self insured basis as I am; no worry , I was thinking maybe nearer the BKK price

 

I do worry about spending my wife's inheritance, but she does not, so how screwed up am I !!

 

Thanks 

 

A lot of good information on TVF health and Medicine forum

[faraday]

Hi Al,  I suppose you could go and have an x-ray/MRI, but if it shows you do need a THR, then that's just something else to worry about in what must be a difficult time. 

 

I can see from your posts on the other thread that you are preparing for the worst. That's a good thing, but it really, does not mean that your post-surgery outcome will be poor.

 

Our bodies have alot of 'spare capacity'.......& I endeavour to keep a thought in my mind, which is:

 

"Everything will be alright in the end, & if it's not alright, it isn't the end,"

Edited September 25, 2017 by faraday

[al007]

9 hours ago, faraday said:

Hi Al,  I suppose you could go and have an x-ray/MRI, but if it shows you do need a THR, then that's just something else to worry about in what must be a difficult time. 

 

I can see from your posts on the other thread that you are preparing for the worst. That's a good thing, but it really, does not mean that your post-surgery outcome will be poor.

 

Our bodies have alot of 'spare capacity'.......& I endeavour to keep a thought in my mind, which is:

 

"Everything will be alright in the end, & if it's not alright, it isn't the end,"

 

 

Kind felicitations are always welcome , and encourage me greatly,Thank you

 

Plan for the worst and hope for the best

 

I am actually doing not too badly, yes I have a lot on my plate at the moment

 

Careful planning and attention to detail has always stood me in good stead

 

In retirement I spent ten yrs plus cruising the world in a 65ft trawler yacht, with only a wife with no experience, I obtained insurance company blessing for not being undermanned , which would void the insurance cover, normally for long offshore cruising a captain, an engineer and deck hand are required for the insurance to be valid

I did this by showing how I would overcome nearly all eventualities, I also had a commercial ticket that I got in retirement, also had medical dispensation to carry and prescribe many prescription drugs, my wife was manic depressive, so I had some strong drugs just in case

In our cruising time we had a few serious emergencies that we overcame with a predefined plan, I cruised the pacific, caribbean, the atlantic and the med, also the indian ocean

 

Yes I watch the detail, but have also now put all my assets solely in my wifes name, (I do still have power of attorney over all her assets so could grab them back)

 

It is not the surgery that scares me but the colostomy bag and fear of pain, I also have to do my best to see I do not wind up on a life support machine

 

I will in due course writ more on the palliative care thread, about my preparations

 

In the short term on my hip I am trying to wait until I am back a Chula again in Oct for pre surgery tests, only at night, when lying down the pain can be very severe, I even wonder is it a trapped nerve, as a result of weight loss, so far I am down 20 kilos and target 10 more prior to op

[faraday]

I have had Acupuncture many times over the years for various ailments. When I had back pain around 5 years ago, it also helped alot.

Nope, I wouldn't be happy with a Colostomy either, but then I guess you can refer to it as "a bit on the side". Hope you appreciate my humour (note the spelling) it'll be lost on anyone not from blighty. 555

Stay as positive as you can. 

To quote David Gates:

"In this troubled land, desperation keeps us strong"

('land' to mean oneself)

 

[al007]

Yes I need to be more open minded on accupuncture, and maybe, nothing ventured nothing gained

 

And yes I have a good supply of samsung in place as well some nice wines

 

Some say alcohol killed my grandfather at the age of 92, I have suggested maybe it kept him alive

 

Without humor we are dead, well I speak for myself, and British humor appeals to me the most, the other stuff has little subtly in it

 

PS where did you have the acupuncture ?

Edited September 25, 2017 by al007

[faraday]

Wine - why is it so damned expensive here? It does rather soothe all ails......

 

Messrs Chivas & Regal visit me at times, quite the anaesthetic.

 

Had Acupuncture in blighty, & here in Udon. Actually studied it part time at Uni for 2 years....It works, it really does.

 

 

 

[kickstart]

Right ,the surgeon in Lopburi  did the ex-rays and said the hip joint is deformed, and will need replacing .

He gave me a price of 65,000 baht for the surgery ,and about 10,000  baht for hospital costs , a total of 5 days ,gave me a date in December for the operation ,I asked him if he dose hip replacements  often,he said" every week I do one ", so he has had  some experience. 

That  price to me is too cheap , again as ElVIS said ,what will the joint equipment be ,I have been in farming most of my life ,and here in Thailand the wife and myself have a smallholding  rearing a few cattle ,so we are active the whole time ,and I want the new joint to last .

 

[faraday]

Mine was 120k, BKK hospital was 280k.

At 65k it seems very cheap. Which hip is he using?

[al007]

5 hours ago, kickstart said:

Right ,the surgeon in Lopburi  did the ex-rays and said the hip joint is deformed, and will need replacing .

He gave me a price of 65,000 baht for the surgery ,and about 10,000  baht for hospital costs , a total of 5 days ,gave me a date in December for the operation ,I asked him if he dose hip replacements  often,he said" every week I do one ", so he has had  some experience. 

That  price to me is too cheap , again as ElVIS said ,what will the joint equipment be ,I have been in farming most of my life ,and here in Thailand the wife and myself have a smallholding  rearing a few cattle ,so we are active the whole time ,and I want the new joint to last .

 

 

Maybe request an estimate in writing with full specs of hip to be used, manufacturer etc, so hopefully no cheap chinese parts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and you know what to expect

 

I watch this with interest, however my hip has substantially improved with a lot of massage, I also wonder if some of the pain is a trapped nerve, this is not my no one priority at the moment

 

Good luck 

[sappersrest]

If you are fortunate enough to avail yourself of the UK NHS this the place to go.

http://www.rjah.nhs.uk

Even better if you are UK veteran  after getting a referral from your GP you could be done and dusted  between one and two months.

[al007]

1 hour ago, sappersrest said:

If you are fortunate enough to avail yourself of the UK NHS this the place to go.

http://www.rjah.nhs.uk

Even better if you are UK veteran  after getting a referral from your GP you could be done and dusted  between one and two months.

 

I am one of the positive ones on the  UK NHS, maybe one of the best with universal coverage of all the population, however speed unless dire emergency is not one of its strengths, and watching the posts on this thread the costs here are very reasonable

 

Many in the UK have waited for hip replacements many months even yrs !

[kickstart]

On 05/10/2017 at 6:36 PM, al007 said:

 

I am one of the positive ones on the  UK NHS, maybe one of the best with universal coverage of all the population, however speed unless dire emergency is not one of its strengths, and watching the posts on this thread the costs here are very reasonable

 

Many in the UK have waited for hip replacements many months even yrs !

I am a positive one with the NHS  the reason  I am having it done here in Thailand ,the uk time scale , not even being registered with a doctor now, got deregistered  2 years  ago ,so now well down at the bottom of the ladder , the thought of living in the  uk for a good few months ,with not a lot of income ,and keeping our pace here  in Thailand going ,having done here makes more sense, as I said my mother has had  hips replaced ,done on the NHS no proplems.

[al007]

1 hour ago, kickstart said:

I am a positive one with the NHS  the reason  I am having it done here in Thailand ,the uk time scale , not even being registered with a doctor now, got deregistered  2 years  ago ,so now well down at the bottom of the ladder , the thought of living in the  uk for a good few months ,with not a lot of income ,and keeping our pace here  in Thailand going ,having done here makes more sense, as I said my mother has had  hips replaced ,done on the NHS no proplems.

 

God Bless you sir

 

I love to hear from the positive people

 

I am for a short while going through a period of self inflicted depression

 

I face  very major cancer surgery, five hours I am advised, in about four weeks time, I am scared  Sh***ess

 

I am still very lucky to have loving very caring wife, difficult to find any where else in the world

 

Some of us survive and I hope to be among those who do

 

I can only add some of the hospital care here is the best and most affordable in the world, I am self insured

[Bill Miller]

First off best wishes to al007. I hope it all gets sorted for you.
I am very interested in the hip replacement discussion. No "official" diagnosis yet, but walking is very painful, and it keeps me awake at night. Massage is painful when pressure is placed inward on the head of the femur.
I am registered at Yan Sang Wararum provincial hospital. Last visit I asked the doc if I would have to go to Queen Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip for that and my cataract operation; one done in the US, one to go. He said "No no no. You will go to &*%$"... let it be noted that I probably need a hearing aid as well.
I should have asked him to write it down for me. Anybody know which larger hospital would be associated with Yan Sang Warrarum?
I need to stick with government/provincial types as I am self insured. Too many pre-existing conditions to get a decent policy here, it seems.
It is impossible to get an accurate answer re: Medicare, but it seems I might be on the hook for about $4,000 according to one patient's recent post, plus cost of air ticket, another $1,000 approximately, so about 175,000 baht is my break even point.

Edited October 22, 2017 by Bill Miller

[Old Croc]

On ‎10‎/‎5‎/‎2017 at 3:32 PM, al007 said:

 

I watch this with interest, however my hip has substantially improved with a lot of massage, I also wonder if some of the pain is a trapped nerve, this is not my no one priority at the moment

 

Good luck 

Could be bursitis, I suffered from this after a time sleeping on a hard Thai mattress.

Get an xray to remove doubt about the cause. If the hip joint needs replacing don't dither. The relief of chronic pain is immediate, you just need to recover from the wound.  I've had two hip replacements in Australia.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, Bill Miller said:

I am registered at Yan Sang Wararum provincial hospital. Last visit I asked the doc if I would have to go to Queen Sirikit Hospital in Sattahip for that and my cataract operation; one done in the US, one to go. He said "No no no. You will go to &*%$"... let it be noted that I probably need a hearing aid as well.
I should have asked him to write it down for me. Anybody know which larger hospital would be associated with Yan Sang Warrarum?
I need to stick with government/provincial types as I am self insured. Too many pre-existing conditions to get a decent policy here, it seems.
It is impossible to get an accurate answer re: Medicare, but it seems I might be on the hook for about $4,000 according to one patient's recent post, plus cost of air ticket, another $1,000 approximately, so about 175,000 baht is my break even point.

 

1.  What the doctor told you would be correct for Thai patients but is incorrect for you. Within the public health system, patients are never referred to a military hospital (unless they are military/military dependent in which case all their care, from initial level onward, is at military hospitals). This  relates to only to free care under the government health schemes, and since you, as a foreigner, have to pay for care, you (1) do not need any sort of letter of referral (though obviously you should bring your medical records, any films/scans etc) and (2) you can go wherever you want. So you can in fact go straight to Queen Sirikit...for this and for anything else you want. Or to any other hospital, anywhere in the country.  Being "registered" at one hospital in no way precludes registration at others. I am personally registered at more than 10 different hospitals. For Thais (and expats who work and are covered by Social Security) it is a little different - they too can register anywhere but can only be registered for free care at one place and then have to be referred from it on up. So be aware that what Thais tell you about where you can be treated is only applicable to them, not you.

 

2. I assume Yan Sang Warrarum would refer to the Chonburi provincial hospital in Chonburi town, which is also a regional level hospital. But per #1, that is irrelevant for you. You do not require a referral and can register anywhere.

 

3. Normally the cost, for foreigners, of military hospitals and civilian government hospitals is the same, making military hospitals often preferrable in the provinces as they are less crowded (though still crowded - a matter of degree) and cost the same.  However, I think Queen Sirikit may now have sort of double pricing for foreigners (get enough of them to make that worth their while to set up), don't know about Chonburi Hospital. So perhaps price both.

 

4. You might also like to consider coming to Bangkok and having this done at Chulalongkhorn Hospital, one of the 2 top government hospitals in the country, or at the main army hospital (Phramongkutklao Hospital).

 

5. I am not sure how much you will save, though, doing this in either Chonburi or Bangkok. The last price I heard for Queen Sirikit was 150K and that was 7 years ago so could be near 175 by now. I expect hospitals in Bangkok would be about the same (150-175K). Upcountry provincial and military hospitals not near areas with many tourists/expats are significantly less (circa 100K)  but not very practical for something like this where multiple visits before and after will be required.

 

6. Yan Sang Warrarum is only a community hospital, the lowest level of hospital in Thailand so capacities are very limited. Regardless of what you end up doing about the hip, you would do well to  use other   government hsopitals  for your care unless it is something really simple (cut, dog bite etc). In Pattaya area the best options are the new Pattaya City Hospital, Queen Sirikit , the Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital in Chonburi and Chonburi Provincial (regional) Hospital. The last two will be the most crowded but has the highest level of care in terms of advanced specialties etc.

 

Registering in advance will save time later but is not required, it is possible to register when you first go for care. All that registration does, in the case of people not covered under one of the government health schemes,  is give you a hospital number that will link to your medical records, nothing more.

[Sheryl]

P.S. I forgot to mention:

 

1 -  not all hip replacements are created equal. There are newer, less invasive procedures that  entail much quicker recovery, though not every patient is a candidate for it. See http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00404

 

In addition, different places might use different prosthetic hips of different quality

 

When you price various hospitals, worth seeing what procedure they do, my guess is that all but the Bangkok hospitals will be doing the traditional, more invasive procedure. In the US, where even a one day reduction in length of hospital stay saves a great deal of money,  they are more likely to be using latest approaches.  Also find out what type of artifical hip prostheses, imported from where.

 

2 - While it is quite true that Thai insurers will usually refuse coverage if you have much in the way of  pre-exisitng conditions, it is not necessary to have a Thai-issued policy to be covered in Thailand. There are policies issued by UK and EU based insurers specifically for expats that will cover you in Thailand and  they are much more sophisticated and reasonable regarding pre-existing conditions. They may still apply some exclusions, but sometimes these are timebound (e.g.  waived if no flalr-ups after say 2 years) and sometimes they will even cover "acute exacerbations" of  pre-existing chronic conditions. Worth looking into, try Cigna Global Silver Plan or AXA. However, premiums are significant and most people find it necessary to accept a deductible or copay in order to get the premium to a manageable level, so you'd still be paying out of pocket up to a point. I have a $750 deductible and then a 20% copay up to a maximum out of pocket of $5000 per year (and, of course, $5,575 in liquid savings which I can if necessary replenish). These features reduced my premium by about half, and even for lower cost episodes where I will have to pay something,  having insurance that pays 80% is enough to greatly widen choice of hospital. And of course once past the $5575 threshold (easily reached if something major) I am 100% covered for the rest of the year. (Goes without saying, if you have  plan with a deductible and/or copay, it is in your interest to schedule all elective care for the beginning of a coverage year).

[faraday]

My choice of hospital was based on price & standard of care.

 

BKK hospital seemed too focused on money, & was around 300k baht.

I chose Fort Prajak here in Udon, as it seemed & indeed was more like a NHS hospital - also the cost was 120k for everything.Private room was 1900/night including food.

 

I've been to a few government hospital to see relatives & was somewhat surprised at the lack of sterility on the wards.

Been 3 months since I had my hip done & it feels refreshingly strong. I'm expecting around another 6 months until my leg feels like 'mine'.

 

Good luck.

 

 

[al007]

1 hour ago, Old Croc said:

Could be bursitis, I suffered from this after a time sleeping on a hard Thai mattress.

Get an xray to remove doubt about the cause. If the hip joint needs replacing don't dither. The relief of chronic pain is immediate, you just need to recover from the wound.  I've had two hip replacements in Australia.

 

I have put this  hip problem a little on the back burner, due to more pressing forthcoming surgery, however

 

I check into Chula on this coming wed, and have wed/ thursday before my op on Friday, when I am sure they will be purging my insides, with that awful stuff to drink

However maybe I can get a hip XRAY at this time, and also enquire about costs for Hip replacement at Chula, also the type of surgery

 

Or send my wife off to investigate, but she might just come back with something completely different

 

I hope to report back later

[Bill Miller]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

P.S. I forgot to mention but not all hip replacements are created equal. There are newer, less invasive procedures that  entail much quicker recovery, though not every patient is a candidate for it. See http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00404

 

In addition, different places might use different prosthetic hips of different quality

 

When you price various hospitals, worth seeing what procedure they do, my guess is that all but the Bangkok hospitals will be doing the traditional, more invasive procedure. In the US, where even a one day reduction in length of hospital stay saves a great deal of money,  they are more likely to be using latest approaches.  Also find out what type of artifical hip prostheses, imported from where.

Thanks for all the info, Sheryl. I feel like I have a place from which to take my first steps now.
I do have some connections via GF's family in Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son, including two delightful young niece nurses. Not sure that I could presume for a place to stay, but it is a possibility to get a short term rental and get somebody to check on me now and again. 
I will probably wind up in Chonburi, though, as easiest logistically.
Thanks again.

 

[kickstart]

Well had my hip replaced 10 days ago ,I said I had an appointment at one of our local government hospitals ,but not until 17th December , basically  I could not wait,  2 weeks before could only walk with a stick ,so the wife said our local private hospital, from the first visit to the operation, was 10 days , that  included  x-rays, blood tests .

The hospital was Metarapap Memorial   hospital , at Saraburi ,and I can say  it went very well ,got they on a Thursday  afternoon ,we had our own room , compleat with a microwave and a jug kettle plus the obligatory tv , and all the years I have been in Thailand ,about the best shower I have used , compleat with hot water .

Had the operation Friday morning  at 8. 30 am ,got back to the room 12.30pm ,and that inculed  post-op x-rays,which I did not know about as I was still out for the count, and then every 2 hours for 18 hours blood pressure and temperature checks ,I had a slight temperature for 18 hours ,but the amount of tablets I took it did not have a lot of choice but to drop ,  glad when it got  down to nomal .

Sunday morning they came in with walking frame , and I took my first few steps ,well I would say 80% of the pain from the hip had gone ,and needless to say 80% of any pain come from the operating site ,I managed  walking a good few steps and back ,I still had to be helped back in to bed ,could not lift my leg very well .

Monday morning come , along  with the doctor ,he saw me walking ,and said ,well you can go home , which on Monday afternoon we did , vie Salarburi town center to buy a walking frame ,the hospital could not give/sell us one .

The Hospital, being a private hospital service was good , the pre-op x-rays ,blood tests done without waiting a long time ,had a bit of a wait to see the doctor twice.

I speak  a passable Thai, so language was not a problem, the doctors and one nurse  could speak  passable English when they took me to the operating  theater ,and they found I could speak Thai ,well trying to hold a 5 way conversation ,"can you eat Thai food","How much  is the air fare to the uk ","do you have a Thai wife ", ect,ect ,I was almost glad when they knocked me out .

Food could have been better.did have a choice from a menu,butit was   pork  3 times a day, but I did not have that much of an appetite  I was happy with the rice porage ,the wife who was with me the whole time thought the food was awful. once  evening meal came at 4,30 pm well too early for us .

The numbers, Lopburi government hospital said 75.000 bart for the operation ,as I said I speak Thai and trying  to work  out our costs  almost lost me ,and they where knocking  on our door ,Saturday  night for some  money, wife and nice had to go to the ATM machine at Tessco's  up the road from the hospital ,and  we had some insurance with AIA .

My AIA insurance is an accident policy, and they said they would pay up 200.000.baht mainly for  room and nursing care ,in the end thay paid 90,000 baht,their agent is a friend of ours and she  was not happy about that,  and we paid 180 000 baht in 3 lots , the bill was  all  itemised,  but the femure I had was ceramic, I lead a fairly active life ,and a ceramic femur last a lot longer than a titanium  one ,but it is 20,000 baht  more expensive  than the titanium one, still think it was worth it.          

  Since leaving the hospital , I have to herd  this from two different sources, the hospital doctors are there  for the  coughs, colds, and sprains, anything special ,ie hip replacements,thay get a doctor in from one of the Bangkok  hospitals,  you coud say we had  one of the best?, but his surgeons fees where 40 000 baht plus ,and the hospital probably had a cut of that as well, operating theater costs were 8 000 baht, no free lunch there .

So, all in I can not complain new hip is no problem getting about surprisingly well with the walking frame ,just starting some simple lifting exercises  to get strength back in to the hip ,come home with enough tablets to start a chemists shop,complete  with multivitamin and mineral tablets,and some calcium tablets ,not certain if they do any good ,but still taking them. 

 

One problem if I get to ambitious, and do to much walking ,my ankle swells up , put my foot up for a couple of hours it goes a fair bit,so do not run before you can walk ,anyone got any good books ?.