Loi Kroh Clinic.

[thomo]

I've been trying to get in contact with the doctor there. I've been trying to get through on 0066 53 271571 as I'm not in LoS but can't get through. Does anybody know of another number or if they have an e-mail address? It would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

[Tywais]

Not sure what time you have been calling (Thailand time) because I believe his clinic is only open from 5:30PM to around 9:00PM and Saturday 8-12AM (AFAIK).

[markiv]

It's open from 8am to 12pm and 4:30pm to 8pm if I remember correctly. But it's so busy most of the time I'm not surprised you can't get to speak anyone on the phone.

As far as I know they don't take appointments, you just turn up, speak to someone at the desk and wait your turn.

[p1p]

You can definitely make appointments there. I do so every time I visit. It can save a huge amount of waiting.

[Ulysses G.]

Now THAT is worth knowing.

I wonder how much time I've waited over the years!

[thomo]

Yeah I was ringing them at the wrong time. Got through at about 18:00 and was speaking to the main Doc within 30 seconds.

[Gonzo the Face]

Now THAT is worth knowing.

I wonder how much time I've waited over the years!

Must have been worth it....... you're still alive

[lotus eater]

This place seems to be widely used among farang and to have a favourable write up. Does it have a skin specialist that is to be recommended? My girlfriend has a minor but recurrent problem which I'd like to have properly diagnosed and thus bring an end to endless expenses at the quacks and chemists which sell her new creams and pills every month.

If not Loi Kroh I'd be happy to have another recommendation.

[Ulysses G.]

Loi Kroh clinic is where I go normally. but he is not a skin Doctor. Try the clinic near The Cafe on Moon Muang Road (near the original Mike's Hamburgers).

[Tywais]

Try the clinic near The Cafe on Moon Muang Road (near the original Mike's Hamburgers).

Is that this one > Dr Siri (dermatologist) 199 Moonmuang Road, A Muang, Chiang Mai 50200.?

My sister had a major skin issue, both arms and a leg with large reddish circles (posted this in the Health forum) and I recommended Loi Kroh and Siri (the latter being recommended by a few members). The Doctor at Loi Kroh sent out for tests and Dr. Siri (where she went 2nd) said to wait for the results. When the results came back he (Loi Kroh clinic) prescribed some meds and an ointment and the problem is nearly gone (after 5 months of it being a problem).

He is a good diagnostician and he will not hesitate to recommend another doctor/hospital if it is beyond his clinic's ability. Having said that and from recommendations from several members, perhaps Siri would be the first stop. He wasn't available the time the sister in law went for testing.

Another topic on it here

//Edit - I just noticed this topic is more then a year old. Never mind then.

[Ulysses G.]

Is that this one > Dr Siri (dermatologist) 199 Moonmuang Road, A Muang, Chiang Mai 50200.?

//Edit - I just noticed this topic is more then a year old. Never mind then.

Yes, I think so.

The person looking for a skin Doctor posted today.

[Tywais]

The person looking for a skin Doctor posted today.

I need to look at the eye doctor topic again.

[lotus eater]

Thanks for the dr Siri referral.

Isn't one encouraged to not open a new thread when a search offers an existing & relevant one, albeit a year old?

[Tywais]

Isn't one encouraged to not open a new thread when a search offers an existing & relevant one, albeit a year old?

You were absolutely right in opening the older topic in this case. It was my mistake in missing the 2nd (your) request for a dermatologist and the reason for the re-opening. Sorry about that misunderstanding.

[Dustoff]

Loi Kroh Clinic has had mixed reviews over the years.

It was my clinic of choice until the Doc there made two very serious medical mistakes that cost me big-time.

For minor infections or the like, no prob but if you have any question what-so-ever about a diagnosis at LKC, I would strongly suggest a second opinion or, better yet, a first opinion from a doctor who has cracked a book since medical school decades ago.

IMHO, Loi Kroh Clinic is the equivalent of a streetside food vendor...

[fridgemagnet]

Dustoff can you recommend a cheap alternative to Loi Kroh Clinic.

I too have had experience similar to yours

[Dustoff]

Dustoff can you recommend a cheap alternative to Loi Kroh Clinic.

I too have had experience similar to yours

Not really but perhaps someone else here can.

After my scary experiences with LKC, I decided to not buy so much crap and save my shekels for emergencies so I can pay for quality medical whenever needed. I have a fave cardio/gastro guy at CM Ram and for anything important, I will be off for Bangkok. From my own subjective impressions, there is no way I would let anyone cut into me here in Chiang Mai nor even ever trust prescriptions without doing some serious study of my own on the internet.

Be well...

[MrBrad]

Loi Khro Clinic did me wrong also, many years ago. A cortizone injection in the elbow went wrong, and I went looking elsewhere.

I highly recommend the Savitri-Sharin Clinic at 95/2-3 Kochasarn Road Telephone 0-5327-5330. It is located along the outside of the moat on the east side, about a block before the southeast corner. Dr Sharin and his wife are both western-educated doctors; she handles many of the women's concerns. Almost every time I've been there there have also been a number of other farang. He's always been accurate and honest with me, and helped to remedy whatever I'd gone in to see him for. I've recommended him to several other foreigners, and they, too, were very satisfied. He's got a great personality besides. Hours are something like 9AM until noon, and 5 until 8 PM daily except closed Sunday evenings.

[Ulysses G.]

Again, my guess is that every medical Doctor, hospital and clinic make a number of mistakes every single day and the more popular ones make more mistakes because of sheer numbers of patients.

Some of my favorite Doctors and Dentists have been right more than wrong, but most of them have made a wrong guess/diagnosis at one time or another. I'm not sure that it is fair to paint these Doctors/hospitals above as being somehow inept when they have had numerous satisfied patients for many years and been correct much more often than incorrect.

Edited July 28, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[PeaceBlondie]

Again, my guess is that every medical Doctor, hospital and clinic make a number of mistakes every single day and the more popular ones make more mistakes because of sheer numbers of patients.

Some of my favorite Doctors and Dentists have been right more than wrong, but most of them have made a wrong guess/diagnosis at one time or another. I'm not sure that it is fair to paint these Doctors/hospitals above as being somehow inept when they have had numerous satisfied patients for many years and been correct much more often than incorrect.

Exactly. One of my last teeth was terribly abcessed and painful. I knew what it was, but the new dentist at Chiang Mai Dental Hospital could not see it. I went back the next day in excruciating pain. The old man who founded the clinic found the abcess (hard to spell) and pulled the tooth (hurt like he11). Great dental hospital, but even the most experienced doctor on staff needed an xray to find the problem.

I used to think that my right arm got infected because the surgery at Chiang Mai Ram I was bad. No. I do blame the world-famous experts in Bangkok for being as clueless as the idiot doctors in Hua Hin. I will always be grateful that Dr. Chanakat at Maharaj knew what to do and removed the infection with his fingers. I might even stay in Chiang Mai if I got cancer, but I would gets several second opinions, do my own research, etc.

[Ulysses G.]

I might even stay in Chiang Mai if I got cancer, but I would gets several second opinions, do my own research, etc.

I think that THIS is very important!

Edited July 28, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[p1p]

I might even stay in Chiang Mai if I got cancer, but I would gets several second opinions, do my own research, etc.

I think that THIS is very important!

I fear that if money was not an problem, I would under no circumstances stay in Chiang Mai for cancer treatment. I have had several friends who have suffered severe misdiagnosis, errant prescription and more from oncologists here. The latest had to be med-evaced to the USA to save his life after huge overdoses of both chemo and radio therapy caused massive internal and external ulceration. No, I could not trust the doctors here.

[Dustoff]

Again, my guess is that every medical Doctor, hospital and clinic make a number of mistakes every single day and the more popular ones make more mistakes because of sheer numbers of patients.

Some of my favorite Doctors and Dentists have been right more than wrong, but most of them have made a wrong guess/diagnosis at one time or another. I'm not sure that it is fair to paint these Doctors/hospitals above as being somehow inept when they have had numerous satisfied patients for many years and been correct much more often than incorrect.

I think you are correct but would find it depressing to think that every medical service makes "a number of mistakes every single day".

I recommended educating oneself because I do expect the occasional mistake and take my health very seriously. My problem with Loi Kroh was that when I went in with my own guess of a broken foot a couple of weeks after a big bike fell on it, the doc didn't seem to like my input and after an exam told me that I had gout and would not do an x-ray. I didn't agree but did his blood test anyway which turned out negative for gout. Unphased, he still stiffly refused to do an x-ray and told me not to worry about it, it would heal with time. It did not. After some weeks, another doctor immediately x-rayed my foot, found two broken bones and gave me a hard time about not seeing a doctor sooner. He was horrified to hear of my experience with Loi Kroh Clinic.

Honest mistakes are one thing but when it crosses over into willful negligence, I find another doctor.

Many people will object when complaints are posted about businesses they prefer but I think it is totally appropriate for TV members to mention dangerous conditions when they experience them.

My Cardio/Gastro doc at CM Ram is very sharp and, unlike many doctors I have experienced everywhere, he is willing to listen to my thoughts and even do whatever specialized tests I request during my yearly physical/blood tests. He even cracks his medical journals occasionally when answering my questions which I find refreshing and comforting.

Be careful out there...

Edited July 28, 2008 by Dustoff

[sylviex]

Wow - you go to a doctor with a swollen, painful foot, tell him a bike fell on it and he doesn't order an X-ray ? The doctors here are usually falling over themselves to X-ray all and sundry, I find. Did he perhaps fail to diagnose gout in some other patient or take some dislike to you ? ? Just want you to go away ?

Yes, you really should have gone straight to someone else but we are brought up to trust doctors and he may well have made you feel you were making a fuss over nothing.

Gotta trust your instincts here ! Hope the foot is OK now.

Always google any medication you are given. I routinely google my own symptoms & treatments, too, now. It helps with the info you provide the doctor. Tell them any mediccation you are taking, even if they don't ask, and don't forget to include vitamins/other supplements and aspirin. Also mention any chronic health problems.

Sometimes the Thai doctors look uncomfortable and nervous when a foreign patient appears. I am sure many have suffered through rigorous interrogations. One must be tactful and develop a good bedside manner to put the doctor at ease . (Not suggesting Dustoff did not).

Edited July 28, 2008 by sylviex

[PeaceBlondie]

I might even stay in Chiang Mai if I got cancer, but I would gets several second opinions, do my own research, etc.

I think that THIS is very important!

I fear that if money was not an problem, I would under no circumstances stay in Chiang Mai for cancer treatment. I have had several friends who have suffered severe misdiagnosis, errant prescription and more from oncologists here. The latest had to be med-evaced to the USA to save his life after huge overdoses of both chemo and radio therapy caused massive internal and external ulceration. No, I could not trust the doctors here.

pip, you may be right, life-saving right. I only wrote the above statement because earlier this month, maybe in the prostate cancer thread in the health forum, I mentioned that I would not want my cancer treated in Chiang Mai. The reply that came back intimated that CMai has world-class treatment center(s), equal to Sloan-Kettering in New York and M. D. Anderson in Houston, etc. Ted Kennedy did not come here for his diagnosis/treatment..

[lotus eater]

Sometimes the Thai doctors look uncomfortable and nervous when a foreign patient appears. I am sure many have suffered through rigorous interrogations. One must be tactful and develop a good bedside manner to put the doctor at ease . (Not suggesting Dustoff did not).

I think an aversion to patients' questions (unless they are inane or unending) is a sign of the doctor's lack of confidence & mediocrity. In Europe this attitude is disappearing among younger doctors and never existed among the best of the older generation.

I need to understand and have some brief explanation of the doctor's reasoning and proposed treatment and medication.

I'm going to try Dr Siri and the clinic Savitri-Sharin clinic - anyone know how either fares on this aspect?

[Loaded]

Never been to the Loi Kroh clinic as the name puts me off. I know quite a few guys with 'dangerous' girlfriends who use it, so it has the image of being some sort of STD/skin place rather than a general medical practice. Is this true?

[Ulysses G.]

Sometimes the Thai doctors look uncomfortable and nervous when a foreign patient appears. I am sure many have suffered through rigorous interrogations. One must be tactful and develop a good bedside manner to put the doctor at ease . (Not suggesting Dustoff did not).

I think an aversion to patients' questions (unless they are inane or unending) is a sign of the doctor's lack of confidence & mediocrity. In Europe this attitude is disappearing among younger doctors and never existed among the best of the older generation.

The Loi Kroh clinic is a general medical practice in the best sense of the word - it does NOT specialize in STDs - with many Thai families and just a few foreigners. His wife works at Chiang Mai Uni and it seems like most of the CMU teachers and their families go there and they have lots of health testing equipment and their own lab in the office.

I ALWAYS question him about my treatment and he always answers with the latest knowledge in a professional way. He is patient, speaks English well and is quite easy to understand.

Last week I went there with a strange rash and he named it as soon as he walked into the room, gave me a prescription and it started to go away almost right away. He has NEVER made a mistake or misdiagnosed me.

I'm sorry that Dustoff had a bad experience, but it sounds to me like he pissed the Doctor off and that the Doc just wanted Dustoff to get lost. I was not there and I don’t know whose fault it was, but he has never been anything but helpful, kind and gracious to me or my friends in the many years that I have been going there and I highly recommend him and his clinic.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[mild7even]

The Loi Kroh clinic is a general medical practice in the best sense of the word - it does NOT specialize in STDs - with many Thai families and just a few foreigners. His wife works at Chiang Mai Uni and it seems like most of the CMU teachers and their families go there and they have lots of health testing equipment in the office.

I ALWAYS question him about my treatment and he always answers with the latest knowledge in a professional way. He is patient, speaks English well and is quite easy to understand.

Last week I went there with a strange rash and he named it as soon as he walked into the room, gave me a prescription and it started to go away almost right away. He has NEVER made a mistake or misdiagnosed me.

I'm sorry that Dustoff had a bad experience, but it sounds to me like he pissed the Doctor off and that the Doc just wanted Dustoff to get lost. I was not there and I don't know whose fault it was, but he has never been anything but helpful, kind and gracious to me or my friends in the many years that I have been going there and I highly recommend him and his clinic.

I went in once with a sprained ankle that I figured was anything but broken, but the doc got an x-ray just to be sure. The machine was upstairs and the film was done in minutes. Much quicker than any visit in the US would take.

All my other visits (none of them for STDs) were well done and I would recommend the place for minor ailments. My wife has been seen there several times, as well as my son. Not sure I would go there for anything serious. The only thing that makes me a little hesitant is the stains on the walls in some of the examining rooms. But after several days of a burn on my leg being dressed and cleaned in that very same room, with no infection, and for what seemed like pennies, I guess it is not that bad.

[Dustoff]

I'm sorry that Dustoff had a bad experience, but it sounds to me like he pissed the Doctor off and that the Doc just wanted Dustoff to get lost. I was not there and I don’t know whose fault it was, but he has never been anything but helpful, kind and gracious to me or my friends in the many years that I have been going there and I highly recommend him and his clinic.

Nope, can't get me involved in a pissing contest - I would like to see this thread stay legitimate and, it's just not my way. Nice try tho.

LKC was my clinic of choice for at least two-three years and I always got along swimmingly with the Doc altho my sense was for anything other than basic blood tests/x-rays and such, I would take anything serious somewhere else. He seemed willing to discuss some things and answer questions but when I suggested my own diagnosis and requested an x-ray, his attitude changed and especially changed when his diagnosis was incorrect.

After two major mistakes on two different medical issues, I didn't go back to Loi Kroh Clinic, simple as that.

No argument with you UG, you make my point. If he was somehow angry with me - to want me out the door with an incomplete diagnosis and even an incorrect one - would demonstrate a very unprofessional attitude.

Edited July 30, 2008 by Dustoff