Thailand Healthcare Fiasco

[Dakhar]

Been in Thailand for 11 motnhs, my Thai is still very limited.

OK here are the symptoms:

Abdominal right quadrant pain

Night Sweats

Fatigue

Swollen lymph glands

No Fever

General Body pain, non specific in location

Nausea

No appetite

Oral Thrush (occasional)

Diarrhea

Rapid weight loss

Insomnia

Current drug use- Ambien for sleep aid x2 weeks

Duration of symptoms for around 3 weeks

Life style: non-smoker, non-drinker, sometimes exposed to blood due to occupation

So with this all in mind I am scared, pert near scared to death. These symptoms mimic many things, from Hep A/B/C; HIV; TB.... heck the list can go on.

The first place I go to is a little charity clinic in Singapore, for a HIV screen/test. It was negative. But I was exposed to blood around 2 weeks prior to that test... so I was not totally confident with the results.

As soon as I returned to Thailand I went to Vibhavadi private hospital. They did a PCR HIV test, and a general blood test, for sugar levels etc. The PCR was negative.... and they said go home..... the doc. told me that they had tested me for other commonly contracted viruses and I was negative for those tests.

Well I went home, symptoms are still present, I get a fax record of my medical tests from Vibhavadi, and discover there were no specific viral tests other than PCR

So then I go to a small hospital near the house, they do a liver function test. The liver function test was normal.... I am then told by a MD at the hospital you can not have HEP A/b/c if I have normal liver function.

I get home; surf the net and find out that YES a person can display normal liver function and have HEP A/B/C

So I still feel horrible, symptoms are pretty much the same.... so my wife takes me to Princes Sirithorn Medical Center. I have been here now for 4 days, and about the only thing that happens here at this hospital is they take your blood pressure, temperature, ask you how many times you have urinated during the day, and empty the trash.

I met with their star physician, who was trained in Australia. They felt he should be in charge of the falang because of his extensive English skills. Most everyone I have met pushing a mop here has better English than this doctor had. He had a trail of students/interns with him at the time he came to visit me in my room/cell. He attempted to speak English, and wanted me to repeat for about the 40th time that day my case history. I finally told him to read the chart.... which made him very angry. He then began to berate me and tell me that he is not just "somebody, and that he had been educated in Austrailia...." Which may be the case, but he could not understand me, and the first thing he said to me was, "What's it?" He eventually stormed out of my cell with his students.....

I have yet to receive any care, I have yet to have any physician sit down and discuss with me what is going on. Meanwhile, the nausea and fatigue has declined, and I do know from a nurse that my HEP A/B/C test results are negative. So apparently I am getting better without any medical intervention. Now I want to leave my cell, but I do not know if my insurance company will pay in such a situation..... CRAZY

My wife is one of those "demure" Thais that does not question authority (but doesn't hesitate a nano second the slap down her husband) So I can not rely on her to get anything done at this hospital.

But due to this experience, I have now made a resolution. If a job offer comes along to work in Singapore, I will take it. At least there I can have more control over my own health care.

Good luck folks....

[Dakhar]

Checked out of the Hotel/hospital/cell on my own. I never did see a doctor dedicated to my case.

Moral of the story.... wow, the health care system in Thialand, is still developing.

[Ajarn]

You sound to me like a 'nutter' which happens with Thais, but they show respect. Frankly, I think your move isn't going to change anything, but it is a good idea, I'm sure...

[solo siam]

In my experience the Health Care system here has been excellent, I am seen within 20 minutes - the Doctors listen to you and there's no rushing you out the door - very different to the the British GP "is that a 5 minute or 10 minute appointment you want?" way of doing things.

Back to your story, sounds like you have anxiety issues rather than any disease, - simply walk into another private hospital and a doctor will see you and listen to you in well under an hour.

[Dakhar]

Sorry,

I don't think I am a "nutter." I work in the health care industry. So I may come across as a person that knows too much, or is hung up on things. This was also a point of contention with the highly trained physician out of Austrailia. I apologize.... but because of my back ground I also know when things are being done wrong. A physician not reading a case history before meeting a patient is just plain wrong, and on the border of plain stupid.

To be fair, I (along with friends and family members) have also had excellent if not premier health care experiences in Thailand. We have a mom and pop clinic in town that offers great care (for what they can do)

My recent experience was more like a night mare, and poor luck. I would not wish it on anyone.

[Jamie]

Not to say this is your problem, but when I seen your list of symptoms, it sounded like Crohn's disease. I have it and your lists was pretty much the same list of symptoms I had. You can be perfectly fine and then one day/night end up with all the symptoms.

With Hep B and C, those generally can take years before the onset of symptoms. Any problems with jaundice?

[backflip]

I'm not sure why you characterized your experiences as a "fiasco". I don't think you are a nutter, I think you are a troll. Your stroy does not make sense, even if every doctor you've met was below par. Rather than taking individual blood tests to check for this and that, you can have a complete blood panel screen done that will check for dozens of ailments. You would have known that if you were really a "health care professional". Unfortunately, those tests don't screen for either mental illness or bad intentions.

[Dakhar]

Geez, Not a troll either.

Regarding Chrons. No, I don't think it is chrons, I had a colonoscopy (sp) done about 2 months a go. It showed an inflamed colon, in other words the issue has a specific location. Chrons, from what I understand, is located along the intire intestinal track. Not good.....

But I do thank you for you input.

[Jamie]

Crohns can be found anywhere along the digestive tract. It can be found just in the large intestine, but if you just had a colonoscopy, you probably didn't have the ileum looked at. I'd also suspect ulcerative colitis.

[THAILIBAN]

I dont think nonsense-replies such as "I think you are a troll" (the OP has made hundreds of posts as a member here already !) does help DAKHAR a lot..... I wonder why such people dont just keep quiet if they have nothing useful to say.

Dakhar, I have made very mixed experiences with the Thai healthcare system, but as well some excellent ones, otherwise I wouldnt be sitting here anymore and be able to type this. your best chance to encounter some qualified doctors is for sure at Bumrungrad or Samitvej Sukhumvit / SriNakharin, BNH hospital and Bangkok Hospital.

why did u not go to those places which have a good reputation and are used to deal with foreigners ? in ur case, where u want to do a complete body / blood - check, the Bumrungrad is certainly the best idea. definitely not cheap, but u have only one life, haven't you ?

[h90]

Checked out of the Hotel/hospital/cell on my own. I never did see a doctor dedicated to my case.

Moral of the story.... wow, the health care system in Thialand, is still developing.

Virus infection, bacteria, Malaria???

[backflip]

"I dont think nonsense-replies such as "I think you are a troll" (the OP has made hundreds of posts as a member here already !) does help DAKHAR a lot..... I wonder why such people dont just keep quiet if they have nothing useful to say."

A month ago, I read an article that compared “good” doctors versus “great doctors”. A doctor saw a patient that complained about everything. As the doctor took the patient’s history, the patient would answer “yes” to every complaint, even those that were contradictory. “Are your eyes dry?” “Yes!” “Do you experience excessive tearing?” “Yes!” The doctor then noticed that the patient was panting like a dog – rapid, shallow breaths. The doctor then gave the patient a paper bag, and asked the patient to put the bag over his mouth and breath deeply. Within 15 seconds, the patient’s breathing returned to normal, and his litany of symptoms disappeared. Emotionally fragile, he had read so many articles about various disorders, and began to panic…and pant. By breathing in a paper bag, the blood’s carbon dioxide level was raised, making his blood chemistry normal.

Back to the OP...he now admits to an imflamed colon. I guess when he posted his history, he forgot about it. What is the diagnosis and protocol? It's anyone's guess, because he's not telling. Did you read the part that he's a healthcare professional? He not a dopey software engineer, or a millionaire day trader - he's a healthcare professional, and that raises the bar for appropriate behavior. As a healthcare professional, he should know that there are more liver disorders than hep A and hep B – gosh, how about hep C? As a healthcare professional, he should have a more complete understanding of HIV screening. Finally, he is the only person that I have ever met (online or in person) who seems to be disappointed that he has tested negative for HIV.

[DaffyDuck]

I don't think I am a "nutter." I work in the health care industry. So I may come across as a person that knows too much, or is hung up on things. This was also a point of contention with the highly trained physician out of Austrailia. I apologize.... but because of my back ground I also know when things are being done wrong. A physician not reading a case history before meeting a patient is just plain wrong, and on the border of plain stupid.

Well, since you're an expert, have you figured out what your aehlthcare issue is?

No?

I would suggest going to a better hospital, instead of seeking out cheap small clinics and the likes - another poster suggested Bumrungrad, which I second. Never had a problem at Bum and invariably received excellent service (this isn't to say that bad service can't be had).

Furthermore, saying that you 'work in the healtcare industry' means little unless you're a doctor. You could be a salesperson, marketing drone, janitor, or administrator - none of which are qualified for any medical opinion, or procedural opinion. Sounds to me that you have mostly had a bad attitude (understandable with your symptoms) and you're blaming the doctor for it. You seem to have forgotten that when seeking medical advice, YOU want something FROM the doctor, not the other way around.

[bendix]

Of course, he could just be a hypochondriac.

[jdinasia]

Of course, he could just be a hypochondriac.

My thoughts exactly ....

but assuming he's not ....

Parasites?

Stress?

many other things can cause it

but he needs to be off the Ambien ... some nasty side-affects with that

[Dakhar]

Actually I am a Doctor, Doctorate of a para medical field, much like dentistry or podiatry etc, which is a doctorate of para medical but are not Medical Doctorates.

This is something I don’t share often, especially with physicians because that usually rubs them the wrong way. But when my wife checked me in, she listed me as Dr. XXXXX

Beyond that, I did not go to Bumongrad (SP) for a pretty dumb reason. It was a family affair. The mother in-law knew some people that knew some people.... that type of thing. It was not about money, I was told I was going to a great place.... once there, I knew I was in for a treat.

Don't worry I did learn my lesson. I will stick to the bigger, more advanced hospitals in the future.

I did not "admit" to having a colonoscopy as if it were a crime.... and the concept that I would like to have HIV, which is absurd.

I think whoever mentioned an ulcer type situation may be hitting the nail on the head. I have been under tons of stress, which is not really relentless, no sleep, and a lot of traveling. My Yeast count was climbing which can be caused by stress. So those that have been saying it was or is psychologically based.... I think there is some credence to that. There were some physical findings; I like a lot of folks would do, went into panic mode, which compounded the problem. But the panic was triggered from physical findings and events that had occurred....

Any how folks, I do appreciate the positive comments they were helpful.

Thank you

[Ijustwannateach]

There is a broad range of doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc. here in Thailand. Many of the docs who are not used to having farang patients don't understand that we have different expectations about how we are treated, our rights, etc.

For many Thais (and other Asians) the doctor is god and his word may not be questioned; furthermore, few Asian governments provide adequate redress for malpractice or other medical imcompetence or criminal negligence. I think this leads to bad medicine, but it is a fact. Therefore, doctors may be surprised when foreign patients are less docile and more active in the process of their healthcare.

It sounds to me like the facilities were never an issue with the OP, but rather the doctor-patient relationship and bedside manner. His receiving inadequate information didn't necessarily mean that no one was addressing his case (although that is one possibility); but simply that as a mere patient he didn't need to know the details.

It's hard to say based on his story if he was being treated adequately or not (in a health sense). But based on his negative reaction to the environment, I think it would be best if he stayed in hospitals that foreigners use routinely- the big ones in downtown Bangkok, for instance.

"S"

[Dakhar]

Yes and amen I just want a teach.

My original post was inflamatory and made during a moment of distress and anger. Which now I look back at with some regret.

That said, I went Ambein free last night. It was a struggle, but I did it.

The ironic thing about this ordeal is that I do have insurance, and they would have paid for a stay at Bumungrad.... and I did not go there! Pitty really. Any how, like I said, lesson learned.

Cheers

[tim armstrong]

Checked out of the Hotel/hospital/cell on my own. I never did see a doctor dedicated to my case.

Moral of the story.... wow, the health care system in Thialand, is still developing.

Virus infection, bacteria, Malaria???

Hi Dakhar,

I don't think you are any of the above. Wherever you end up, and Singapore has arguably the best private system in the world, go to a good physician and/or investigate the more obvious but often overlooked conditions eg. Giardia; or other water borne conditions. You may already have had a mild dose of malaria or dengue fever without knowing. Food poisoning, etc. Do a bit of self screening. Try doing an elimination diet. Dont have any ice unless you know where its from. The more dramatic conditions, as you know are often the ones that those of us working in health care go for first. Sounds more like a bacteria to me but I'm not a doctor