18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Great news!  Thanks for updating us.

 

You are indeed very fortunate that your cancer was caught so early. Few lung cancers are.

Yes great news mls, and wish you well in your recovery.

 

As Sheryl has said you have been very fortunate that your cancer was caught early. Was it first detected with a normal chest xray? And i think you previously indicated that you initially sought medical advice for something else that led to the lung cancer being detected. As an ex smoker, i am most interested in your story. Thanks for sharing.

On 3/22/2019 at 2:20 PM, Peterhua said:

Yes great news mls, and wish you well in your recovery.

 

As Sheryl has said you have been very fortunate that your cancer was caught early. Was it first detected with a normal chest xray? And i think you previously indicated that you initially sought medical advice for something else that led to the lung cancer being detected. As an ex smoker, i am most interested in your story. Thanks for sharing.

Yes it was picked up with a normal x-ray, then had a chest CT which showed more...

Thanks for your wishes.

I had VATS surgery with Dr. Padungkiat at Bangkok Hospital last August. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Besides being an excellent surgeon and very fluent in English, he will take time to communicate with you, a rarity these days among doctors. If anyone needs more information let me know. Now I am trying to find out about alternative cancer treatments in Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand. Has anyone had any experience with this?

3 hours ago, sporkyulp said:

I had VATS surgery with Dr. Padungkiat at Bangkok Hospital last August. I cannot recommend him highly enough. Besides being an excellent surgeon and very fluent in English, he will take time to communicate with you, a rarity these days among doctors. If anyone needs more information let me know. Now I am trying to find out about alternative cancer treatments in Bangkok or elsewhere in Thailand. Has anyone had any experience with this?

I had the same surgery with Dr Padungkiat too last February and I also can't recommend him highly enough.

I hope yours was successful.

My check ups are still ongoing and unfortunately something showed up on my last CT, but hoping it's just an infection. Have had some very strong antibiotics and will need to have another scan with contrast next month.

Sorry, but I don't know about any alternative treatments for cancer in Thailand. Not sure I'd trust them anyway. Far too much quackery in this country.

Good luck.

1 hour ago, mls said:

Sorry, but I don't know about any alternative treatments for cancer in Thailand. Not sure I'd trust them anyway. Far too much quackery in this country.

Good luck.

+1

2 hours ago, mls said:

I had the same surgery with Dr Padungkiat too last February and I also can't recommend him highly enough.

I hope yours was successful.

My check ups are still ongoing and unfortunately something showed up on my last CT, but hoping it's just an infection. Have had some very strong antibiotics and will need to have another scan with contrast next month.

 

Could you please tell us what you are paying for each CT scan with contrast and is it Dr Padungkiat who explains the results to you?

16 minutes ago, Kenchamp said:

Could you please tell us what you are paying for each CT scan with contrast and is it Dr Padungkiat who explains the results to you?

I have only had standard CT scans recently and the scan costs 13,400 baht but of course there's the extra for the physician evaluation which is usually 1,500 baht. I prearrange the scan with my health insurance so they pay for that, but not the rest. I always see Dr Padungkiat a few hours after and he goes through the scans with me and compares the previous ones with the new which he shows me on the screen and answers any questions I have. I also get a full report and CD, which unfortunately I can't look at as I have a Mac and they only work on PCs.

I am due for a CT with contrast at the beginning of May, but am not sure how much it will cost. I will prearrange that with my insurance too at the beginning of April.

Hope that helps.

Hi. As I wrote I had a VATS with Dr. Padungkiat on August 6, 2019. I have not had a followup scan yet. I am debating between a regular scan and a low dose CT scan. The guidelines call for a regular dose scan for the first scan at 6 mos. after surgery. But low-dose CT scans are touted as the preferred screening scan for people at high risk for lung cancer but who have not been diagnosed with it. So why would a low dose CT scan not suffice for my followup scan? Can anyone answer this? Cheers. I can also address any other questions you may have.

 

There is a huge difference between screening for people who are not known to have lung cancer and follow up on known patients.  Follow the guidelines and don:t try to second guess them.

THANKS. But which guidelines? NCCN ?

4 hours ago, sporkyulp said:

THANKS. But which guidelines? NCCN ?

 

The Guidelines your doctor provided.

 

"Hi. As I wrote I had a VATS with Dr. Padungkiat on August 6, 2019. I have not had a followup scan yet. I am debating between a regular scan and a low dose CT scan. The guidelines call for a regular dose scan for the first scan at 6 mos. after surgery. But low-dose CT scans are touted as the preferred screening scan for people at high risk for lung cancer but who have not been diagnosed with it. So why would a low dose CT scan not suffice for my followup scan? Can anyone answer this? Cheers. I can also address any other questions you may have. "

 

If you strongly prefer low dose CT, discuss this option with your doctor. There is no literature to support either way, indicidual surgeons may have theior own preferences based on their clinical exprience.

 

 

On 3/20/2020 at 4:02 PM, sporkyulp said:

Now I am trying to find out about alternative cancer treatments in Bangkok

You are talking about recognized medical treatments?  It will depend on the type of cancer but just as elsewhere there are normally various options available (especially if money at the ready - some, like targeted drug treatment, can be insanely expensive however).

 

 

I heard immunotherapy has great results for lung cancer. Don't know what Thailand has to offer. 

If you refer to alternative therapy, you may try Mutsumi Adachi at Omroom. When she came to Phuket, I had a session of Memory and cranio sacral therapy, very good. Kamalaya is a very reputable center of alternative therapies in Koh Samui. All therapists are well known in each field, you can visit the website first. Best of luck with your choice of treatment!

2 hours ago, snowballthecat said:

I heard immunotherapy has great results for lung cancer. Don't know what Thailand has to offer. 

If you refer to alternative therapy, you may try Mutsumi Adachi at Omroom. When she came to Phuket, I had a session of Memory and cranio sacral therapy, very good. Kamalaya is a very reputable center of alternative therapies in Koh Samui. All therapists are well known in each field, you can visit the website first. Best of luck with your choice of treatment!

Hi, thanks for the info but I'm not looking for alternative therapies for lung cancer. I do know about immunotherapy and that is already one of my options. I live in Pattaya and my surgeon is in Bangkok.

I think it was someone else posting asking for alternatives, but I can't remember who.

mls

3 hours ago, snowballthecat said:

I heard immunotherapy has great results for lung cancer. Don't know what Thailand has to offer. 

If you refer to alternative therapy, you may try Mutsumi Adachi at Omroom. When she came to Phuket, I had a session of Memory and cranio sacral therapy, very good. Kamalaya is a very reputable center of alternative therapies in Koh Samui. All therapists are well known in each field, you can visit the website first. Best of luck with your choice of treatment!

If "alternative medicine" actually worked, it wouldn't be called "alternative" anymore, but, would become mainstream. Stick to seeing a reputable doctor and follow their advice.

Have lost a couple of friends to cancer because they went down the rabbit-hole of "alternative medicine". By the time they realised that it was quackery, their condition had deteriorated beyond the ability of modern medicine to do anything about it.

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

If "alternative medicine" actually worked, it wouldn't be called "alternative" anymore, but, would become mainstream. Stick to seeing a reputable doctor and follow their advice.

Have lost a couple of friends to cancer because they went down the rabbit-hole of "alternative medicine". By the time they realised that it was quackery, their condition had deteriorated beyond the ability of modern medicine to do anything about it.

Hi KarenBravo,

I am not looking for alternative medicine for cancer. I know that most is quackery.

I have not been enquiring about alternatives anyway, some other poster has and keeps posting to me for some reason.

I agree with you entirely.

26 minutes ago, mls said:

Hi KarenBravo,

I am not looking for alternative medicine for cancer. I know that most is quackery.

I have not been enquiring about alternatives anyway, some other poster has and keeps posting to me for some reason.

I agree with you entirely.

Get well soon mls.

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

Get well soon mls.

Thanks.

Unfortunately my cancer is ongoing despite a successful surgery last year I had to have another one recently and it looks like things aren't as good as they should be today from the pathology. So keeping fingers crossed the oncologist is able to find something in further path tests that they will be able to use to provide medication to treat it. Will have wait and see.

Keeping fingers crossed.