Quality Urologist & Hospitals ( for prostates) in Thailand? Would you bet your family jewels on them :)

[Chinaussie]

HI All

I have some ongoing prostate issues on a daily basis and would like to see a "quality" urologist as there will be a lot riding on the right one.

 

Basically, I have a benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which has been identified in the full medical I had last year at Bangkok Medical Hospital. Enlarged prostate.

 

I need an operation, but who do I use?

 

I would like to get some recommendations of good Specialist Doctors and Hospitals in Thailand who perform the “transurethral resection of prostate” procedure.

Recommendations would be much appreciated.

Thanking that person that can point me in the right direction, you will be a life saver for my partner and I.

Cheers Chinaussie

[Sheryl]

Where in Thailnd do you live?

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[NCC1701A]

20 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Where in Thailnd do you live?

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Sheryl I am also looking for a good urologist in Bangkok.

 

Bumrungrad would be my first choice but open for others.

[Lacessit]

I would be getting a second or even third opinion. BPH only gets problematic if it becomes obstructive, a condition I will be addressing in a month's time in Australia. There are medications which will relax or even shrink the prostate.

I would regard surgery as a last resort, due to the risk of side effects such as incontinence. Bear in mind there's a lot more money in surgery than medication for the urologist.

[Lacessit]

32 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

Sheryl I am also looking for a good urologist in Bangkok.

 

Bumrungrad would be my first choice but open for others.

I trust your abilities with your five girlfriends have not suffered.

[BritManToo]

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

BPH only gets problematic if it becomes obstructive,

Not that much of a problem either, as a new sufferer with a sudden total blockage to doing OK in 3 weeks.

Catheter for 3 weeks to give the drugs a chance to take effect and everything working nearly normally for nearly 6 weeks now.

 

The drugs from the government hospital cost me 75bht/month. 

Edited June 12, 2019 by BritManToo

[Lacessit]

11 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Not that much of a problem either, as a new sufferer with a sudden total blockage to doing OK in 3 weeks.

Catheter for 3 weeks to give the drugs a chance to take effect and everything working nearly normally for nearly 6 weeks now.

 

The drugs from the government hospital cost me 75bht/month. 

Preferable to avoid the catheter if possible. How much did the hospitalisation cost you or your insurer?

[NCC1701A]

28 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I trust your abilities with your five girlfriends have not suffered.

you know, that is the root cause unfortunately.

[NCC1701A]

29 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Catheter for 3 weeks to give the drugs a chance to take effect

[Lacessit]

4 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

you know, that is the root cause unfortunately.

Appreciate the pun. On the bright side, you may be able to economize even further. Post pictures, and I'll help you with selection.

[NCC1701A]

10 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Appreciate the pun. On the bright side, you may be able to economize even further. Post pictures, and I'll help you with selection.

you know Sheryl is going to be here soon hopefully, so I don't want to appear to be to much of a pig.

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

Sheryl I am also looking for a good urologist in Bangkok.

 

Bumrungrad would be my first choice but open for others.

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Viroj-Chodchoy

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Preferable to avoid the catheter if possible. How much did the hospitalisation cost you or your insurer?

No hospitalisation, treated in the emergency room and walked away holding the bag (three times).

About 300bht per catheter fitting/removal.

Total bill including 6 consultations with the hospital doctor, 3 emergency catheter fitting (and removals), PSA test, urine test and 4 months of meds 1,600bht.

I've been trying a few other drugs on my own that's bumped up the total treatment costs (Finasteride and Levofloxasin).

Edited June 12, 2019 by BritManToo

[Sheryl]

5 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

No hospitalisation, treated in the emergency room and walked away holding the bag (three times).

About 300bht per catheter fitting/removal.

Total bill including 6 consultations with the hospital doctor, 3 emergency catheter fitting (and removals), PSA test, urine test and 4 months of meds 1,600bht.

I've been trying a few other drugs on my own that's bumped up the total treatment costs (Finasteride and Levofloxasin).

 

Really bad idea to self-prescribe antibiotics and will make it difficult to culture the organism responsible. Thai doctors tend not to do cultures as often as they should (understatement) but it is important to get a culture and sensitivity done. You should insist on at least a urine culture (done after prostatic massage) or a semen culture, but probably  need to go off antibiotics for at least 7 days first. You may also need to go to a higher level hospital than you have been as lower level ones often don't have the capacity to do cultures (I am guessing from costs mentioned that this wasn't a tertiary level hospital). .

 

I am really not clear in your case if the problem is prostatits or BPH or both?

 

 

[NCC1701A]

28 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

https://www.bumrungrad.com/doctors/Viroj-Chodchoy

Thanks Sheryl. I just made an appointment.

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I am really not clear in your case if the problem is prostatits or BPH or both?

Diagnosed as BPH, blood (PSA 2) 200bht and urine (bacteria negative) 100bht taken at first visit before any drugs.

Although I doubted the doctor and tried the Levofloxacin on my own, it didn't make any significant difference, or cause any problems as far as I can tell.

 

Edited June 12, 2019 by BritManToo

[Sheryl]

Levoflox and other antibiotics won't do a thing for BPH.

[Manassas]

I also am developing bph. But after reading a lot of current research on the topic I am avoiding the recommended biopsy or other surgical interventions so readily recommended by urologists. The data strongly suggest doctors often go for invasive treatments and tests when non-invasive and natural therapies work better with no risks. But that's just my take.

[muffy]

I use Flomax in the states and it is very good for an enlarged prostate they only use hytrin here . anywhere that you can get Flomax in bangkok

[SenorJorge]

On 6/11/2019 at 9:42 PM, NCC1701A said:

Sheryl I am also looking for a good urologist in Bangkok.

 

Bumrungrad would be my first choice but open for others.

 

i was in bumrungrad for this very reason. VERY recently, as in like last month.  In my experience, the urology care in thailand is horrible.  Just go to India or go back home.  I went back home.  If I get surgery here, I pay a little over 2000 baht to see a competent surgeon who actually speaks my language.  Forget Thailand

[NCC1701A]

1 minute ago, SenorJorge said:

 

i was in bumrungrad for this very reason. VERY recently, as in like last month.  In my experience, the urology care in thailand is horrible.  Just go to India or go back home.  I went back home.  If I get surgery here, I pay a little over 2000 baht to see a competent surgeon who actually speaks my language.  Forget Thailand

this is not good to hear. can you be more specific with the issues you had?

[SenorJorge]

2 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

this is not good to hear. can you be more specific with the issues you had?

I went in with a real infection of my prostate which was diagnosed properly now that I am back in the USA.  The guy did one culture while I was still on antibiotics and put me on medications that I already told him I've tried all of them before.  I also told him in plain english that they sent me into urinary retention and ended up in the ER catherised because the medications relaxed my bladder muscle and bladder neck to the point where I was unable to urinate.  I have chronic bacterial prostatitis.  So now with the appropriate cultures (taken at the right time) they've been able to isolate the sexually transmitted disease that my nasty wife gave me.  Now I'm getting the appropriate treatment.  Starting with antibiotics and I am moving up to a retrograde urethrogram and cystoscopy (which I could NEVER afford in Thailand, again, here each procedure will cost me about 2000 baht).  Over there I was just given medicine like its candy, the guy stuttered over his words, told me everything was basically in my head, I need to take these meds, go running, go mess around with my ex-prostitute scammer wife who got me sick in the first place.  I cant run, I have two hip replacements.  REally?  Running to fix prostate problems?  Every worthless visit to bumrungrad cost me at least 14,000 baht.  Just get yourself a 6 month tourist visa to india and go to one of the major hospitals in Delhi or better yet go back home where you are comfortable with your own medical system.  The urology care is severely lacking in Thailand for men.  Especially with prostate issues.  Im going to need antibiotics, advanced diagnostics, possibly a surgery on my urethra and prostate, physical therapy.  PT for the prostate is not even available in Thailand.  You can look at my thread on this issue.  Good luck to you buddy.

 

Jorge.

[SenorJorge]

FYI, Bumrungrad just gave a blood transfusion to a cancer patient and gave him HIV.

[Sheryl]

I also am developing bph. But after reading a lot of current research on the topic I am avoiding the recommended biopsy or other surgical interventions so readily recommended by urologists. The data strongly suggest doctors often go for invasive treatments and tests when non-invasive and natural therapies work better with no risks. But that's just my take.

I think you are confusing BPH with prostate cancer. No one does a biopsy for BPH. Biopsy would only be considered if there was suspicion if cancer. Things that would suggest cancer include:

- a really high PSA (e.g. 10 or more) and/or rapid increase in PSA in the absence of sugns if infection. With BPH PSA is often elevated but only mildly to moderately so and increases are gradual.

- irregular shape in the enlarged pristate on manual examination.

Firstline treatment if BPH is medications. I have never encountered a case where surgery woukd be suggested without having first tried conservative management.

See a urologist. I assure you surgery will not even be mentioned if it is only BPH. That becomes an option only if/when all medication options have failed to adequately control it and symptoms are intolerable.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[oxysong]

56 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

this is not good to hear. can you be more specific with the issues you had?

Did look at the credentials of the head doc there,the professor at Bumrungrad ,to say the least the internship led to two shorter than short spells in the UK (probably lasted few weeks) on two of the worst hospitals in the UK

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, SenorJorge said:

FYI, Bumrungrad just gave a blood transfusion to a cancer patient and gave him HIV.

 

No, they did not "just" do this.

 

The incident referred to occurred a decade ago, and the blood in question, like all blood for transfusion in Thailand, was tested and supplied by the Thai Red Cross. Individual hospitals in Thailand do not collect or screen blood for transfusion, it is TRC responsibility.  The methods available for detecting HIV in its early stages were not as advanced 10 years ago as they are now.

 

The incident received recent publicity because of a current dispute between Bumrungrad and the patient about continued provision of free treatment ,which they had been providing ever since the incident but apparently have now stopped doing (bear in mind this was for something that was clearly not their fault).  The HIV transmission incident itself  occurred a decade ago and as mentioned was really the responsibility of the TRC. (Who do follow international standards, this was a very rare occurrence).

 

In any hospital, Bumrungrad included, there are some sub standard doctors to be found. There are also many really  excellent ones at Bumrungrad. And everything in between.  The choice of doctor matters far more than the choice of hospital and the experiences a patient will have are usually down to that choice, not to which hospital it was.

 

 

[oxysong]

6 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

 

 

In any hospital, Bumrungrad included, there are some sub standard doctors to be found. There are also many really  excellent ones at Bumrungrad. And everything in between.  The choice of doctor matters far more than the choice of hospital and the experiences a patient will have are usually down to that choice, not to which hospital it was.

 

 

Excepting yourself Sheryl,just where would you find this information,especially here in Thailand?Its all geared up to hide responsibility for bad judgements that occurred in death.  No Facebook/Google to eliminate the bad ones,all held in the highest regard

[Sheryl]

13 minutes ago, oxysong said:

Excepting yourself Sheryl,just where would you find this information,especially here in Thailand?Its all geared up to hide responsibility for bad judgements that occurred in death.  No Facebook/Google to eliminate the bad ones,all held in the highest regard

 

I would disagree that Facebook is good sources of information for this. And not sure what you mean by no Google.

 

Doctor CVs are posted on the hospital website. Granted it is easier for a health professional to assess medical qualifications from a CV than for a layperson but you can certainly get some idea. Key things to look for are:  residency or fellowship in a western country (not short term courses), academic appointment (Professor/Assistant Professor etc) at a medical school;  preferrably Mahidol or Chulalongkorn, and board certifications (in Thailand mandatory, if in a western country a big plus but not bother to get foreign board certification as they need it only if they remain in the foreign country to work).

 

Once you have a doctor(s) name you  can google  to see if they have published in any peer reviewed journals, also a very good sign plus the subjects they published on will give you a good idea of their sub-specializations. You  can also check membership in relevant medical associations/societies and things like being a presenter at medical conferences, these are all things only a doctor really committed to his work and specialty bother with.

 

You can also do a search in this forum for firsthand reports/recommendations. When doing that it is better to use Google, type in the search tersm then "site:thaivisa.com"

[SenorJorge]

The bad news for people with severe urology concerns is that if meds don't work you're in for a bare minimum one month to two years or more journey for treatment.  Since urology care for pelvic pain and prostate problems is so substandard even in bangkok, you're going to have to leave the country for quite a long time.  I don't miss thailand at all.  After everything's done I'm moving on to the Philippines and India.  Good luck  

[SenorJorge]

8 hours ago, DonDoRondo said:

I'm going in for a Karsai massage today at a spa.  Miss Dutchie will be performing the procedure.

I will report back as to whether the massage is beneficial for my BPH. Or anything else.

6 weeks until Chexit and am trying to empty my bucket list before I leave for Vietnam.

 

In CM have found the 2 Urologists I've had appointments with to both be unacceptable.

Ended up going back to the USA for a proper diagnosis of my issue.

 

Have you considered a turp or ablation?  The cost isn't too high in India if you're still having problems.