Urologist recommendation Bangkok ?

[britishjohn]

Looking to get prostate checkup, I'm living in Thonglor area. Can anyone recommend a urologist ?

[GarryP]

7 minutes ago, britishjohn said:

Looking to get prostate checkup, I'm living in Thonglor area. Can anyone recommend a urologist ?

I saw Dr. Charuspong Dissaranan at Bumrungrad. I was very impressed. He has also been recommended by others on Thaivisa. 

[Surelynot]

5 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I saw Dr. Charuspong Dissaranan at Bumrungrad. I was very impressed. He has also been recommended by others on Thaivisa. 

Didn't see the same guy, but did go to Bumrungrad...very good.....expensive (for me) but got sorted in the end.

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, GarryP said:

I saw Dr. Charuspong Dissaranan at Bumrungrad. I was very impressed. He has also been recommended by others on Thaivisa. 

As one who had major cancer surgery by this doctor when he was at Bangkok Hospital have, and do, highly recommend him.  Very good English and easy to talk with.  

[Sheryl]

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/936921-urologist-recommendations/

 

[britishjohn]

Thanks for the replies. 

I've been reading about various treatments for BPH, and came across one called Rezum which seems good and only takes about 10 minutes to perform. 

However I suspect it's not available in Thailand. 

[GarryP]

12 hours ago, britishjohn said:

Thanks for the replies. 

I've been reading about various treatments for BPH, and came across one called Rezum which seems good and only takes about 10 minutes to perform. 

However I suspect it's not available in Thailand. 

No, it is not yet available in Thailand. The nearest I could find it when checking it out early last year was Singapore. However, the treatment was very expensive (aren't all new ones? ). It would have been cheaper for me to go to Sydney for the treatment. I also looked into getting the treatment in the UK. But Covid screwed up all plans and I will wait until international travel gets back to normal, before going to Sydney, unless by that time it is available closer to home at a more reasonable price.

 

All the advertising make it seem like a walk-in walk-out treatment. However, most of the doctors I contacted advised that it can be very uncomfortable for a few weeks after your treatment and you will also need to use a catheter for a few days afterwards. There is another poster who has written on this subject and posted in another thread (xylophone). Anyway despite the initial discomfort, I am still aiming to get this treatment as in the long term it has fewer side effects such as ED and retrograde ejaculation, which are much more common with TURP, and I do not want to be on BPH drugs for the rest of my life as I tend to be very sensitive and suffer drug side effects. There is also the issue that many of the drugs may potentially result in ED or impotence. 

 

I also read an interesting article that the UK NHS now provide this treatment (I actually contacted an NHS hospital in Yorkshire and they confirmed this - but having lived overseas for the past 39 years I would no longer qualify and would have to go private), and in many cases recommend it over taking drugs. This is because in the long term, taking drugs works out more costly than Rezum treatment, and ultimately if you live long enough, many people will still end up having to go through TURP. My father did at the young age of 88 after being on BPH drugs since his very early 60's. Rezum treatment can also be repeated if the symptoms return (which they often do after 10 years or so). 

 

There is also the Urolift treatment, but I really am not interested in that. But that is another story.

 

Apologies for waffling on, but hopefully there is something useful there. 

[Sheryl]

Before even considering Rezum and the like, the first line of treatment is simple medication.

[GarryP]

7 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Before even considering Rezum and the like, the first line of treatment is simple medication.

I would say it is best to consult with a urologist, as there are many surrounding factors to take into consideration. At the moment I am on medication prescribed for me by Dr. Charuspong, but going on medication long term is not always the best solution for some of us. Also, it should be noted that Rezum and some of the other invasive treatments are not appropriate for everyone. 

 

The best thing is to consult a doctor with experience in treating BPH.    

[britishjohn]

On 3/2/2021 at 12:56 PM, GarryP said:

I would say it is best to consult with a urologist, as there are many surrounding factors to take into consideration. At the moment I am on medication prescribed for me by Dr. Charuspong, but going on medication long term is not always the best solution for some of us. Also, it should be noted that Rezum and some of the other invasive treatments are not appropriate for everyone. 

 

The best thing is to consult a doctor with experience in treating BPH.    

 

So I had a consult with Dr. Charuspong at Bumringrad over the weekend. I did an ultrasound which revealed the prostate has grown further and I'm now intent on getting one of the so called minimally invasive procedures.

 

I'm on medication, but alpha blockers have side effects on me, the worse being fatigue. And finasteride can badly affect libido.

There are a whole raft of new procedures however it seems none of them are available here. Dr Charuspong did tell me Rezum is coming here soon, although there's no telling what soon means. So my plan is to fly back to the uk and have something done as soon as travel becomes easier. 

 

This website is very useful, it gives all the procedures and where they are available in the uk.
https://prostatematters.co.uk/

 

I'm undecided between Rezum and Urolift. At least with Urolift the benefits are almost instant, you are unlikely to need a catheter and there are zero sexual side effects. There is however a higher possibility of needing a repeat procedure compared to rezum.

 

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) also seems interesting. Aquablation is another new technique, which is effectively a waterjet to destroy tissue. It's more thorough than rezum or urolift but I get the impression there's a small chance of erectile dysfunction.

 

Rezum and urolift will cost around £5k - £6k done privately in the UK

 

GarryP you say you decided against Urolift. What are your reasons ? 

[GarryP]

3 hours ago, britishjohn said:

 

So I had a consult with Dr. Charuspong at Bumringrad over the weekend. I did an ultrasound which revealed the prostate has grown further and I'm now intent on getting one of the so called minimally invasive procedures.

 

I'm on medication, but alpha blockers have side effects on me, the worse being fatigue. And finasteride can badly affect libido.

There are a whole raft of new procedures however it seems none of them are available here. Dr Charuspong did tell me Rezum is coming here soon, although there's no telling what soon means. So my plan is to fly back to the uk and have something done as soon as travel becomes easier. 

 

This website is very useful, it gives all the procedures and where they are available in the uk.
https://prostatematters.co.uk/

 

I'm undecided between Rezum and Urolift. At least with Urolift the benefits are almost instant, you are unlikely to need a catheter and there are zero sexual side effects. There is however a higher possibility of needing a repeat procedure compared to rezum.

 

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) also seems interesting. Aquablation is another new technique, which is effectively a waterjet to destroy tissue. It's more thorough than rezum or urolift but I get the impression there's a small chance of erectile dysfunction.

 

Rezum and urolift will cost around £5k - £6k done privately in the UK

 

GarryP you say you decided against Urolift. What are your reasons ? 

I just prefer not to have "lift" implants, or whatever you want to call them, inserted when you have other options. Having said that Urolift does seem a good treatment option but can be quite a bit more expensive than Rezum; costs depending on how many implants you need.

 

One good thing going for Urolift is the downtime, or lack thereof, unlike Rezum which can be uncomfortable for several weeks. Long term is very much up in the air as these are relatively new treatments but in the short term or 3 years after treatment, Rezum has slightly better results than Urolift. However, neither of these have a patch on HoLEP in terms of urinary function, but this latter poses more of a risk to sexual function. I would probably go for Holep if I was at an age that I no longer cared about action between the sheets. There is an interesting video on YouTube that goes into much more detail on these treatments, focusing on efficacy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScKeblRI_AI

 

 

I also like the fact that if I am in the small percentage of people that need retreatment, that is really not such a big issue with Rezum, but more complicated with Urolift.  

Edited March 23, 2021 by GarryP

[xylophone]

On 3/2/2021 at 12:00 PM, GarryP said:

There is another poster who has written on this subject and posted in another thread (xylophone).

Yes GarryP, that person is me and I read your post and was especially interested on the YouTube link that you posted and found it really great, so thank you for posting it.

 

I had a TURP at the Epworth Hospital in Melbourne, however it did present me with quite a few problems after the operation and I had to self catheterise for quite some time, and although it's not pleasant and is a frightening thought initially, one gets used to it.

 

After the operation my ejaculatory function was still good and I was most pleased with that, however some seven or eight years after the operation I developed urine retention, and the surgeon here suggested that I had scar tissue at the bladder neck which was impeding the flow, so he operated to remove that scar tissue, assuring me at the time that I would have no side effects!

 

Unfortunately I had to self catheterise again on and off for a month in all, and then when that seemed to be finished I found that I had retrograde ejaculation, and still have it to this day!!

 

Obviously not what I wanted, but one has to live with these things, and now I find that I have the occasional problems with urine retention and have looked at the Urolift and Rezum procedures, and they are what I will seek if my urine retention becomes a problem.

 

I did favour Urolift however after reading your link, the Rezum has come back into focus, so once again thanks for posting that link.

[britishjohn]

This is what I have been quoted to have this done in Oxford.

 

REZUM
Initial Consultation - £250.00
Procedure:  Consultant's fee will be £750.00. The Anaesthetist will charge £200.00.  The Manor Fee will be £3920.00 + £79.00 for a pre-procedure Covid swab.
A follow-up appointment will be £150.00.

 

UROLIFT
Initial Consultation - £250.00
Procedure:  Consultant's fee will be £500.00.  The Anaesthetist will charge £250.00 (approximately).  The Manor Fee will be £5451.00 + £79.00 for a pre-procedure Covid swab.
A follow-up appointment will be £150.00.

[britishjohn]

Has anyone considered Prostate Artery Embolization ?

 

 

[FruitPudding]

Anyone know of any clinics in Bangkok that has a urologist?

 

[lopburi3]

Clinics are normally one GP type doctor treating cuts and colds - hospital out patient is where most medical doctors work as testing facilities are on site.  If cost is not major factor can recommend below doctor (removed my bladder seven years ago and I am still here).

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/charuspong-dissaranan

[Ralf001]

6 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Clinics are normally one GP type doctor treating cuts and colds - hospital out patient is where most medical doctors work as testing facilities are on site.  If cost is not major factor can recommend below doctor (removed my bladder seven years ago and I am still here).

https://www.bumrungrad.com/en/doctors/charuspong-dissaranan

 

Good Doctor.

 

He is coming to Phayathai Sriracha to do my kidney removal later this month.

[Sheryl]

17 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Good Doctor.

 

He is coming to Phayathai Sriracha to do my kidney removal later this month.

You are in excellent hands

[Sheryl]

19 hours ago, FruitPudding said:

Anyone know of any clinics in Bangkok that has a urologist?

 

There are very, very few stand alone "clinics" in Bangkok and most are best avoided.

 

Clinics in Bangkok are almost entirely located in the outpatient departments of hospitals. Think of those as large clinics.

 

Outpatient department in any large hospital will include a urology clinic.

[CM4Me]

Today I received a flyer from Bumrungrad on their new Water Vapour Therapy for BPH. Could be interesting for some

 

Water Vapor Therapy: A simple, fast and safe new form of treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (bumrungrad.com)