All about Colonoscopies in Thailand

[anexpat]

Hi All,

 

I’m considering having a colonoscopy done at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. I’d really like to hear from anyone who has had a colonoscopy there. Any and all useful info, please!

 

E.g. Did they do the job completely? What did you think of the doctor’s service quality, including the initial consultation? Were there any misunderstandings? Would/will you get your next one there?

 

As for cost- there’s the cost of the procedure, then various additional charges- pathology, polypectomy, medication and so on. The total will depend on how many polyps are removed.

 

Did you feel you got value for your money spent? If you don’t mind, what was your total price?

Hope to hear from someone!

 

Have fun in Thailand 

[simoh1490]

I've had a combined colonoscopy and endoscopy done but not at Bangkok/Pattaya, in the trade this is referred to as a round trip, apparently! I had mine done in Chiang Mai where the cost is likely to be cheaper than in Pattaya I would guess. Two years ago it cost THB 25k (all inclusive) and was done under sedation, you go to sleep and then "two seconds" later you wake up and drink cocoa and five minutes later you're perfectly normal again (assuming you were normal to start with that is).

 

The worst part os taking the medicine to clean out the bowel, it tastes wretched and it means a couple of hours hanging around toilets. No polyps in my case hence no biopsies, lots of nice pictures though to show your friends and family or strangers you meet in restaurants. It's worth doing if you're over 50 or are having digestive problems, I had a second one done about a year later where they did find some bleeding issues which have now been taken of.

[Lumbini]

I've had a combined colonoscopy and endoscopy done but not at Bangkok/Pattaya, in the trade this is referred to as a round trip, apparently! I had mine done in Chiang Mai where the cost is likely to be cheaper than in Pattaya I would guess. Two years ago it cost THB 25k (all inclusive) and was done under sedation, you go to sleep and then "two seconds" later you wake up and drink cocoa and five minutes later you're perfectly normal again (assuming you were normal to start with that is).

 

The worst part os taking the medicine to clean out the bowel, it tastes wretched and it means a couple of hours hanging around toilets. No polyps in my case hence no biopsies, lots of nice pictures though to show your friends and family or strangers you meet in restaurants. It's worth doing if you're over 50 or are having digestive problems, I had a second one done about a year later where they did find some bleeding issues which have now been taken of.

Could the bleeding issues have been from the first procedure and it causing some damage ?

 

 

 

[simoh1490]

6 minutes ago, Lumbini said:

Could the bleeding issues have been from the first procedure and it causing some damage ?

 

 

 

No, it's aspirin related which is quite common.

[Lumbini]

Aspirin ? How much aspirin a day and for how long caused this ? Thanks for the reply [emoji120]


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[simoh1490]

1 hour ago, Lumbini said:

Aspirin ? How much aspirin a day and for how long caused this ? Thanks for the reply


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

81 mg per day for 10 years, during years 1-4 it was 326 mg per day. Stomach bleeds by aspirin users is well documented, even enteric coatings don't prevent it.

[Lumbini]

Thanks for reply , I have been taking a baby aspirin daily for a few months but the more I read unless one has a very well documented heart condition possibly it's not needed especially if it has this kind of bleeding associated with it [emoji106]


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[simoh1490]

10 minutes ago, Lumbini said:

Thanks for reply , I have been taking a baby aspirin daily for a few months but the more I read unless one has a very well documented heart condition possibly it's not needed especially if it has this kind of bleeding associated with it


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

I had a cardiac stent installed ten years ago.

[brewsterbudgen]

I am having a colonoscopy at Bumrungrad in Bangkok next Friday. The preparation guidelines say stick to a low/non-fibre diet for a few days before. I thought the idea was to clear out your bowel/colon, so wouldn't a high fibre diet make more sense?

Any preparation tips?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Sheryl]

Actually most places here don't give you any special diet, just rely on blasting everything out of your bowels via potent laxatives on the morning in question

 

For colonoscopy they need to be able to view the intestinal walls so presence of anything, including fiber, is a problem. High fiber diets are good for health and good for preventing constipation by ensuring regular bowel movements but will produce more, not less, volume in the intestines.

 

I would avoid very high fiber foods for 1-2 days before and otherwise eat normally.

[lopburi3]

Actually my pre-op Ileal conduit routine (where they remove a section of intestine) was several days of soft food (rice porridge) and then liquid only day prior to scheduled operation at government hospital.  This along with very potent laxatives.  It was not very successful even with repeated enamas.  In private hospital less extreme but force (timed) feeding of liters of water/laxative mixture.  Not a lot of fun in either case - but in government facility one product actually caused me to faint when trying to get to facilities to vomit (and I was not the only patient so affected).   After faint felt OK but was lucky family member caught me on way down.

[Lacessit]

What is your age? I had a colonoscopy in Australia recently. All clear. At age 75, I was told to come back in 5 years - if I felt like it. Apparently if one has no previous history, the risk level in the seventies diminishes significantly.

 

A couple of hints - stick to wholemeal or white bread, avoid anything with seeds because it interferes with the internal camera.

 

If you can get it here, I recommend Picosalax. Nothing to eat the day before. The big plus is you only have to drink

3 X 150 mL of it, 2 hours apart starting at 4 pm the day before. Much better than gagging on 3 - 4 litres of horrible fluid. Drink a couple of bottles of a sport drink such as Gatorade for electrolyte replacement.

[Sheryl]

A post with outright quackery has been removed - twice. Cease and desist.