The Christian hospital told me to get a muscle biopsy to diagnose myopathy, with an MRI to make sure the sample is from a site of recent damage, plus some specialized blood tests. I went to the siriraj building by the river some time ago to get the price but was shunted around different departments and ended up with a nurse who seemed to be pulling figures out of the air. It felt a bit chaotic and I'm not really sure of the next step. 

 

    Roughly what price and where to start are step one. Thanks if anyone has ant ideas.

I honestly do not know as it is nto a common procedure. Couln't the neurologist at BCH give you an estimate? Whatever it costs there will be as low as you will get at a private hospital. And govt hospital will be about 1/3 of that.

 

For the MRI does it need to be with contrast?

No idea, to be honest. Three thai doctors have said get a biopsy, the last one mentioned MRI, they charge me full whack for this but don't tell me specifically who to see or where to go. 

 

    It was at BCH an internal medicine doctor said about the MRI. I get the idea very few places can do this.

Well that certainly wasn't helpful for you.

 

You cannot proceed with MRI without specifics (MRI of what part of the body, contrast or no contrast etc). And as it sounds like none of the doctors you saw were specialists I would not assume you will need a muscle biopsy. You might or might not.

 

What you need first to do is to consult a competent specialist of appopriate type and experience and have that doctor, based on a suspected diagnosis, arrange or order whatever tests are indicated.

 

To direct you to the best specialist I need to know the relavent details of your problem:

What symptoms, when started etc. Also please indicate if on any medications.

 

Also please advise of any possible diagnoses that were mentioned (i.e. muscle biopsy/MRI to rule out what exactly?).

 

My guess is that you probably need a neurologist specializing in neuromuscular problems but I want to be sure rather than risk sending you on more useless doctor visits, 3 is already too much!

 

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Thank you again, so much, for the reply. I'm send a PM describing the history/progression. 

Quick update. I booked a ticket to Bangkok on Tuesday and will try Siri, as recommended. Last time I just got the runaround there, but I've at least worked out the location of internal medicine department. I emailed them and the recommended Professor Tubtim Sangruchi is not available there, so any other recommendation is useful. I can't get any quotes at all from Thailand, but two places in Malaysia are quoting around four to five hundred US, not inclusive (so no idea really, but progress somehow).