Stent operation(Phuket)

[Badrabbit]

Has anyone had this operation done, I've had a problem with chest pain, went to Mission at 1am this morning to be checked, blood test and ECG did not reveal anything major, went back again at 9am for repeat tests again nothing bad showing, saw Cardiologist who suggested a CT Scan to see if all okay, my Father had a Stent fitted at about my age now 64 so there is family history, would anyone know approx cost of Stent ops? My Insurance is not huge and savings not huge either so a little worried that the CT Scan will show a problem which needs sorting. Obviously hoping all will be okay, also I had a TIA stroke 2 yrs ago, Doctor said I am high risk for having a heart attack.

I have been taking 1 Asprin 81mg since the TIA. Doc has given me (C) ISORDIL 5MG so he must have concerns.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Badrabbit

[OneeyedJohn]

Are you overweight?

 

[Badrabbit]

Just now, OneeyedJohn said:

Are you overweight?

 

No I'm not, I'm 190cms tall, 89kgs and exercise everyday fast walking for 1 hour sometimes 2.

[OneeyedJohn]

Not wishing to offend but a TIA is usually a result of high cholesterol.

Maybe you should tske a look at your diet. 

[Sheryl]

At a Mission Hospital (a nonprofit) if just one stent probably about 300-400k but you should confirm with them. More if multiple stent.

 

Less at a government hospital but I am not sure the one in Phuket can do it.

[Badrabbit]

1 minute ago, OneeyedJohn said:

Not wishing to offend but a TIA is usually a result of high cholesterol.

Maybe you should tske a look at your 

It's a bit late to be looking at my diet right now, I've asked a question about Stent cost  not a question about Cholesterol! 

[Badrabbit]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

At a Mission Hospital (a nonprofit) if just one stent probably about 300-400k but you should confirm with them. More if multiple stent.

 

Less at a government hospital but I am not sure the one in Phuket can do it.

Thanks Sheryl, once this problem has been sorted I will then look seriously at my diet, but right now I'm just worried about the possibility of needing the Stent Operation.

[beachproperty]

I had two stents put in 15 years ago. Bangkok hospital in Bangkok quoted  me  400,000 Baht. I asked why so high, He said '"because the stents come from America and they cost 150,000 each". Don't know how relevant that is because prices go up but the stents are probably cheaper now. Had it done it USA for free (insurance) although I saw the bill and it was $70,000 dollars.

Edited October 15, 2020 by beachproperty

[Sheryl]

As cost is a consideration be aware that if CT is abmormal or inconlusive you will anywau have to undergo an angiogram which is the most definitive test. 

 

Uou mau need to stop the aspirin first for a few days.Make sure they know you are on it.

 

And if the angiogram shows significant blockage it is best -- and saves money -- to do the stent then and there as you otherwise have to pay for and undergo a second angio for stent placement.

 

With risk factors and a recent episode of chest pain should not delay.

[Badrabbit]

4 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

As cost is a consideration be aware that if CT is abmormal or inconlusive you will anywau have to undergo an angiogram which is the most definitive test. 

 

Uou mau need to stop the aspirin first for a few days.Make sure they know you are on it.

 

And if the angiogram shows significant blockage it is best -- and saves money -- to do the stent then and there as you otherwise have to pay for and undergo a second angio for stent placement.

 

With risk factors and a recent episode of chest pain should not delay.

Thanks, I have got the CT scan on the 22nd of this month, I will take your advice, hoping very much there is not a problem.

[murrinman]

my wife has had multiple stents  inserted at the Rama 9 hospital in Bangkok top notch first op was 3 stents for a cost of 370000 bt then a couple of weeks ago 2 more were inserted at a cost of 270000 bt overnight both times  not cheap but not expensive considering the alternates would highly recommend there team

[Badrabbit]

24 minutes ago, murrinman said:

my wife has had multiple stents  inserted at the Rama 9 hospital in Bangkok top notch first op was 3 stents for a cost of 370000 bt then a couple of weeks ago 2 more were inserted at a cost of 270000 bt overnight both times  not cheap but not expensive considering the alternates would highly recommend there team

Thanks but I'm in Phuket.

[Sheryl]

And I think that cost was for a Thai. There is two tiered pricing in many Thai hospitals.

[Badrabbit]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

And I think that cost was for a Thai. There is two tiered pricing in many Thai hospitals.

That's great news two tired pricing in Hospitals! could be me finished in the near future then! 

[Badrabbit]

I've had to rush myself to hospital twice in the last few days, bad pain in my left chest, both times the ECG and blood test show nothing wrong, Ive taken Isodil 5mg which made the pain better, but now I feel generally unwell, is it my heart or could it be Acid reflux or something else, my CT Scan for my heart is not until 22nd, dont think I can bear another night, both times it has happened at approx 2am, what do I do now? 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Badrabbit
More info

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, Badrabbit said:

I've had to rush myself to hospital twice in the last few days, bad pain in my left chest, both times the ECG and blood test show nothing wrong, Ive taken Isodil 5mg which made the pain better, but now I feel generally unwell, is it my heart or could it be Acid reflux or something else, my CT Scan for my heart is not until 22nd, dont think I can bear another night, both times it has happened at approx 2am, what do I do now? 

You should not wait until the 22nd. Ask to have it moved up.

 

Also, ask your cardiologist about a stress test. That is actually what I would have done first.

 

If you have not yet seen a cardiologist make an immediate appointment to do so.

 

The tests done just ruled out a heart attack, you might still be having angina. A stress test would help clarify that.

 

If angina is ruled out then it is indeed possible that the pain you are having is due to gastritis rather than your heart, gastritis can mimic a heart attack in its symptoms.

 

One thing you can do is keep some Gaviscon (antacid available at any pharmacy) at your bedside and take it if you have pain, if it gives relief that suggests it is gastric pain not cardiac. Omeprazole taken at night will also help if it is gastric pain.

 

If it is gastritis you need to be tested for h.pylori and treated if it is present. Test can be combined with gastroscopy or done as a breath test. Need a GI specialist for this.

 

 

 

[Badrabbit]

6 hours ago, Sheryl said:

You should not wait until the 22nd. Ask to have it moved up.

 

Also, ask your cardiologist about a stress test. That is actually what I would have done first.

 

If you have not yet seen a cardiologist make an immediate appointment to do so.

 

The tests done just ruled out a heart attack, you might still be having angina. A stress test would help clarify that.

 

If angina is ruled out then it is indeed possible that the pain you are having is due to gastritis rather than your heart, gastritis can mimic a heart attack in its symptoms.

 

One thing you can do is keep some Gaviscon (antacid available at any pharmacy) at your bedside and take it if you have pain, if it gives relief that suggests it is gastric pain not cardiac. Omeprazole taken at night will also help if it is gastric pain.

 

If it is gastritis you need to be tested for h.pylori and treated if it is present. Test can be combined with gastroscopy or done as a breath test. Need a GI specialist for this.

 

 

 

Had Stress today which showed no problem, had CT Scan with Contrast again no problem, back to see doc tomorrow morning, dont know what is next! 

[Sheryl]

A GI consult should be next. If not suggested, ask for it.

 

They may recommend gastroscopy. If the do mot make sure they at least test for h. Pylori.

 

Good news re the heart.

[Badrabbit]

13 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

A GI consult should be next. If not suggested, ask for it.

 

They may recommend gastroscopy. If the do mot make sure they at least test for h. Pylori.

 

Good news re the heart.

What is a GI? I asked him about Acid reflux he said " pain from reflux would be lower and in middle, my pain higher and on the left, he mentioned a Spasm.

Edited October 17, 2020 by Badrabbit

[Sheryl]

Gi = gastro intestinal specialist.

 

Pain from gastritis can be felt in the chest and even radiate to the throat.

 

Often the easiest way to tell is to see if antacids or PPI (like omeprazole)  helps relieve the pain when it occurs.

[Badrabbit]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Gi = gastro intestinal specialist.

 

Pain from gastritis can be felt in the chest and even radiate to the throat.

 

Often the easiest way to tell is to see if antacids or PPI (like omeprazole)  helps relieve the pain when it occurs.

I've gone bad again in the last 30 mins, pain again in the same area, it's not my heart as it's been ruled out, I'm now convinced its trapped wind, I have put heat on the area and it's got so much better quickly, is this feasable? 

[cdmtdm]

is your back out ? or shoulder strained ? 

[NanLaew]

In the UK, my then 67 year-old father had long, lingering upper abdominal, lower back discomfort and pain. Not severe pain but uncomfortable and unsettling. Since stomach cancer was a primary consideration, the family GP had him admitted to the hospital for gastro-abdominal tests and observation. After about five days, the tests and scans came back all good so he was signed up for pulmonary-thoracic testing. However, that department was busy and the hospital crowded so he would be discharged to home (only 25 miles away) and come back in about a week for the latter. The morning he was due to be discharged, he had an aneurysm of his descending aorta which saw him whisked from the GA recuperation ward to the ER in about eight minutes. His operating surgeon told us afterwards that in that short time, the rupture had resulted in internal loss of maybe eight units of blood. He survived but if it had happened after his discharge to home, he wouldn't have.

 

This was back in 1993 and the surgeon commented that this sort of aneurysm (any aneurysm?) was not easy to detect. He did say that people with 'long backs' would be more susceptible; my father (was) and I are both over 190 cm tall. I am not sure if Aberdeen Royal Infirmary had MRI capability back then so maybe it is easier to detect nowadays? It's always in the back of my mind as I rapidly approach his age and we share the same overall height, weight and physiology.

[Badrabbit]

1 hour ago, cdmtdm said:

is your back out ? or shoulder strained ? 

No they are fine, just back from the hospital, dr says its maybe a muscle spasm, last night it  came again, I applied a hot water bottle over the area and it pretty much made it 100%  better quickly, thanks to all that offered good advice.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

In the UK, my then 67 year-old father had long, lingering upper abdominal, lower back discomfort and pain. Not severe pain but uncomfortable and unsettling. Since stomach cancer was a primary consideration, the family GP had him admitted to the hospital for gastro-abdominal tests and observation. After about five days, the tests and scans came back all good so he was signed up for pulmonary-thoracic testing. However, that department was busy and the hospital crowded so he would be discharged to home (only 25 miles away) and come back in about a week for the latter. The morning he was due to be discharged, he had an aneurysm of his descending aorta which saw him whisked from the GA recuperation ward to the ER in about eight minutes. His operating surgeon told us afterwards that in that short time, the rupture had resulted in internal loss of maybe eight units of blood. He survived but if it had happened after his discharge to home, he wouldn't have.

 

This was back in 1993 and the surgeon commented that this sort of aneurysm (any aneurysm?) was not easy to detect. He did say that people with 'long backs' would be more susceptible; my father (was) and I are both over 190 cm tall. I am not sure if Aberdeen Royal Infirmary had MRI capability back then so maybe it is easier to detect nowadays? It's always in the back of my mind as I rapidly approach his age and we share the same overall height, weight and physiology.

 

Yes, I considered aneurysm but CT scan should have detected it.

[Badrabbit]

I am at my wits end and scared, my CT scan with Contrast plus stress test were both good, but yet again I have pain in my chest which started mildly at 1900, gradually got worse, I have taken 1 isordil 5mg 20 mins ago it's now 23.10, pain is still there but slowly getting  better, do I check into hospital for a couple of days to have tests to find out what is wrong or go through this every night, Doc said "you have not got a problem with your heart" any advice would  be much appreciated. 

I'm applying a hot water bottle to my chest in the hope it makes it more comfortable, this worked yesterday.

It's now 23.35 the pain is nearly gone and I feel better than when it started.

Edited October 18, 2020 by Badrabbit
More info

[lopburi3]

On 10/17/2020 at 10:47 PM, Badrabbit said:

I'm now convinced its trapped wind,

So why have you apparently not tried antacids?  They are cheap and available everywhere and can make an immediate and huge difference if it is trapped gas.  Gaviscon has been a life saver for me (although more expensive than basic types).  Air-X works for most and is cheap.  At least if you try and does not help you further reduce possibilities - but suspect they may help a lot.

[Badrabbit]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

So why have you apparently not tried antacids?  They are cheap and available everywhere and can make an immediate and huge difference if it is trapped gas.  Gaviscon has been a life saver for me (although more expensive than basic types).  Air-X works for most and is cheap.  At least if you try and does not help you further reduce possibilities - but suspect they may help a lot.

It's not trapped wind as I didn't realize that the CT Scan included an xray, Xray did not show trapped wind, I've been to the hospital today to see the Cardiologist( he said to see him first if having further problem) he is 100% certain what I am experiencing is not connected to my heart, he seems too think that Acid Relfux could be the problem, everything he asked me makes him think this is the problem(he suffers from this) he suggested that I see a Stomach Specialist today or he will prescribe some medication to see if it sorts out the problem tonight, if it continues tonight then I will have to see Stomach doctor, the other problem is finance as everything so far has been OPD now cost me over 30,000bht if I lose my savings I dont know if I could survive here just on my pension, so more worry.

[PFMills]

1 hour ago, Badrabbit said:

It's not trapped wind as I didn't realize that the CT Scan included an xray, Xray did not show trapped wind, I've been to the hospital today to see the Cardiologist( he said to see him first if having further problem) he is 100% certain what I am experiencing is not connected to my heart, he seems too think that Acid Relfux could be the problem, everything he asked me makes him think this is the problem(he suffers from this) he suggested that I see a Stomach Specialist today or he will prescribe some medication to see if it sorts out the problem tonight, if it continues tonight then I will have to see Stomach doctor, the other problem is finance as everything so far has been OPD now cost me over 30,000bht if I lose my savings I dont know if I could survive here just on my pension, so more worry.

I had chest pain a while back. It was eventually put down to my GERD flaring up. So I took a 2nd generation PPI for a period and also 'coated my stomach' with Antacil Gel HH...don't use more than the recommended dose though, before eating.   It sorted my pain. Also at the time of the pain I was more breathless than I normally am. Breathlessness is pretty well back to normal now, I am led to believe that I have some COPD. 

 

I asked for a treadmill just to be on the save side. Got into stage 4 and a -ve test result. He said you did over 10Mets which is fine for a 75 year old, your problem is not heart. I had a MI and a bypass at 48 years old and a stent fitted 4 or 5 years ago.  The treadmill was done about three weeks ago and cost 1500thb at CCIT.

 

I had the angiogram and stent fitted at CCIT (Central Chest Institute of Thailand). It was quite a long medicated stent. I think it cost 110,000thb in total and some of that was because I used the Extra Clinic to bypass a long waiting list. 

 

Now I understand that some government hospitals apply a two tier system ...not sure about CCIT.

 

Edited October 19, 2020 by PFMills

[NanLaew]

On 10/18/2020 at 11:27 AM, Sheryl said:

 

Yes, I considered aneurysm but CT scan should have detected it.

That's interesting. Aberdeen RI is a teaching hospital for the local university so I imagine they would have had CT scan capability back then. Since they chose to do the body scan in two halves, lower before upper, you would have though that a single body CT scan would have been more efficient but back then, maybe not a consideration.

 

I guess I will add that to my extra-special medical test requirements shortly... if my insurance covers it.