Prostate issues

[KhaoYai]

20 hours ago, BritManToo said:

50bht plus whatever tests and medicine you have,

Medicine very cheap 1bht/pill.

X-ray, blood test, psa test, all around 250bht a go, ultrasound 300bht.

Never had a language problem, the doctors all speak passable English, plus a few words on Google translate sometimes and I take my Thai misses along who speaks Thai and English.

Never understood this forum obsession of seeing the most senior doctors, I wouldn't expect that in the UK, and I don't expect it here. In some ways it's easier to tell the younger doctors what you want and have them do it. Why should I expect to see a better doctor than the locals?

 

Sure I have to wait 8am until 2pm is the longest, but I'm retired and can read my book or play music on my phone wherever I am. I've always been seen and treated the same day. There's a 7-11 across the road and tables outside the hospital I can sit at.

From what I can gather the service offered by Thai government hospitals varies massively depending on the hospital/department.  My wife tells me that they have plenty of nurses but a shortage of doctors and that situation can get worse the further away from Bangkok you go. She says the major cities are usually reasonably well served but obviously they are the busiest due to the size of the population.

 

Apparently retaining doctors in the outlying provinces is a major problem - many may spend a couple of years in their home province once they qualify but then they flit off to 'bright lights', lured by the lifestyle opportunities and the higher salaries paid by private hospitals - another down side to private medicine, the brightest are seduced by bigger rewards.  That's not limited to Thailand though, the NHS in the UK has a very high proportion of foreign doctors - I often wonder how that affects their home countries.

[fifelad55]

On 5/13/2021 at 6:55 PM, Sheryl said:

At BPH, this urologist is well recommended

 

https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=205&depid=28

 

If that is not whom you have been seeing, suggest you change and ask for him specifically

Thanks for that, I have an appointment again for June 14 with a Dr. Sitee(spelling?). As I have had a couple of urine infections recently. he wants to check that the infection has gone. I also had a pws check in April and my level was in the normal range

 

On Monday, I go to see my cardiologist for a (hopefully)  routine check up. He wants to do a blood test to check my liver function as the pills I was  taking can damage it, H reduced the strength I was taking. I drink very little alcohol these days anyway but did see on a supposed medical site that a small amount of re wine is food for the prostate, I'll ask him about this when I see him Next Berries, strawberries, raspberries (are these available in Thailand?)blackberries and blueberries are also good for the prostate. Something else to ask about. I do eat fresh strawberries when in season along with melon, grapes and papaya etc.

 

Alan

[xylophone]

I started another thread called BPH – Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia because I couldn't find this one, but now I see it's here, I would like to post the link to a video I posted on the other site, which consists of a presentation by a urologist with regards to the prostate and the treatments like Urolift and Rezum, as well as detailing some medications to take.

 

It is extremely interesting and I would say it is a must watch for anyone with prostate issues.

 

I wonder if the mods would transfer the posts on my previous thread to this one as they are all concerned with the same thing?

 

  

[fifelad55]

Thanks for the link to the video.  Very interesting . I'll see what my urologist has to say next month. He mentioned muscle relaxants, which co-incidentally my neurologist prescribed for me to help me sleep better. They so seem to be having some effect though too early to say whether they're helping me pee less at night. 

 

Alan

[jumbo]

On 5/14/2021 at 4:37 PM, xylophone said:

Hi Alan, I just looked on Lazada for you and there are many on offer, but quite a few of them do not have a high enough amount of beta sitosterol in them, and I don't think they would make a difference, so I did a little bit more research.

 

I have attached a couple of links for what I consider are the best ones (NOW), which are on iHerb, and they are considerably cheaper than Lazada, even with postage from the US, which believe it or not doesn't take too long.

 

On the iHerb ones, they come in containers of 90 or 180 capsules, with a minimum of 400 mg of beta sitosterol and range from 457 baht upwards, and if you really wanted to give it a good try I would go for the 180 capsules.

 

The instructions on quite a few of these, advise to take between three or four tablets/capsules a day, however I get by with just two of them, one in the morning and one at night.

 

I hope this helps, and by all means contact me again if I can be of any help, and you can always send me a Private Message (PM) if you want to.

 

Good luck........

https://th.iherb.com/pr/Now-Foods-Beta-Sitosterol-Plant-Sterols-180-Softgels/445501 

 

https://th.iherb.com/pr/Now-Foods-Beta-Sitosterol-Plant-Sterols-90-Softgels/44500

 If you google a little bit on Beta Sitosterol and dosage you will find that 400 mg over 2-3 times a day more than sufficient, and even so 'more does not mean a better result.  On ebay you can buy BS in all forms cheaper than lazada, ubuy, iherb and you name them

 

In the west nowadays they prescribe cialis daily 5mg, which you can buy anywhere online and is afaik the best solution

Edited May 31, 2021 by jumbo

[xylophone]

8 hours ago, jumbo said:

In the west nowadays they prescribe cialis daily 5mg, which you can buy anywhere online and is afaik the best solution

Cialis hasn't worked for me, but then again only tried it for a while and would be keen to try again. Do you have a reliable link from which to buy?

[xylophone]

On 6/1/2021 at 6:33 AM, jumbo said:

In the west nowadays they prescribe cialis daily 5mg, which you can buy anywhere online and is afaik the best solution

Jumping back into this subject, and am hoping that a few others can share their experiences with me....... 

 

Cialis has always given me sinus-type headaches, but that was when I was taking 10 mg on occasion, so I ordered some more and have cut those in half and have taken 5 mg, however that still gives me the sinus problems and headaches for at least a day.

 

So my question to others is, does this go away, because if it doesn't I'm not prepared to feel like <deleted> every day in the hope of peeing better, and if I just need to get the old fella working better, taking 5 mg twice a week would suffice for me.

 

Feedback welcomed.

[Excel]

On 5/13/2021 at 1:16 PM, Poet said:

It's usually best to just ignore prostate problems.

I agree. Ever since I was in my twenties I was informed of having an enlarged prostate.  Did not seem to have had any issues despite that and I am now 73. However I did some research and discovered that for good prostate health then having a  regular prostate massage was recommended.  So following that advice for the last twenty or so  years, and having that treatment  by some very pretty Thai ladies it has made any prior concerns and stress I may have had go away. As for my enlarged prostate and whether it is now grown larger I have no idea but the ladies always say during my treatment that I have a big one so perhaps it is has, who cares ???????? 

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

I agree. Ever since I was in my twenties I was informed of having an enlarged prostate.  Did not seem to have had any issues despite that and I am now 73. However I did some research and discovered that for good prostate health then having a  regular prostate massage was recommended.  So following that advice for the last twenty or so  years, and having that treatment  by some very pretty Thai ladies it has made any prior concerns and stress I may have had go away. As for my enlarged prostate and whether it is now grown larger I have no idea but the ladies always say during my treatment that I have a big one so perhaps it is has, who cares ???????? 

Well prostates do come in different sizes, but it's when a prostate is enlarged, when it wasn't previously, that problems can be recognised.

 

It may well be that you had a large prostate to start with, and it functioned normally, as they do, and that's probably why you didn't have any issues. However it's when a prostate becomes enlarged and interferes with bladder emptying or when the enlargement is felt after a DRE or through a heightened PSA test, that problems can begin.

 

Lucky for you that you have had no problems over the years, but for me the thought of having a regular prostate massage sends shivers down my spine, because I absolutely hate the DRE/prostate massage and the horrendous feeling of someone's finger up my back passage!!

 

I only hope that I am not reincarnated as a ladyboy here, so I'm doing everything I can to please Buddha!

[CharlieH]

Exchange of posts removed. This is NOT the Pub !

[NCC1701A]

On 5/14/2021 at 4:58 PM, xylophone said:

  19 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

I was thrown out of the hospital. Seriously. He shouted at me to get out.

 

I had almost exactly the same experience in a major hospital where I am, where the urologist had been treating me for about two or three months for a UTI, and he kept giving me different antibiotics every couple of weeks when it would be completely clear, and to be honest I began to feel very poorly indeed.

 

The last antibiotic he put me on was ciprofloxacin for two weeks, and at the end of the two weeks I couldn't walk because I had a very sore tendon in my right lower leg (I know about these things having damaged them playing football for decades) and it swelled up, so much so that I couldn't walk properly.

 

I went to see this urologist again, limping into the hospital, and feeling dreadful, and pleaded with him to grow a culture because none of the antibiotics were working.

 

He got very angry at this, and simply told me to leave his room/office, saying that he couldn't do anything else for me.

 

Luckily there was another urologist almost next door, so I went to see him, told him the story and he ordered a culture to be grown, and about four days later I went back to see him and I had E. coli ESBL, which means the bacteria had become resistant to many antibiotics, and I had to have daily injections of a very rare antibiotic, over a two-week period to be able to cure it!

 

I swore there and then that if I saw this urologist on a dark night, I would do him some damage (couldn't post what I wanted to) for the pain and anguish he put me through, and of course the arrogance of the pr!ck!

 

If I was expecting the same sort of care and attention I had from doctors in the UK and NZ, then I was sadly mistaken.

 

To get back on track regarding prostate issues, I do believe that one has to be courteous but persistent/insistent with Doctors here to not be treated like they were in their early school days.........the listen to what I say and don't question it scenario.

had the same experience at a hospital here in Hua Hin. a really big hospital full of incompetent doctors. 

never took a swab to do growth test. 

 

anyone reading this, if your Thai doctor will not listen to you, get up and leave. 

[xylophone]

22 minutes ago, CharlieH said:

Exchange of posts removed. This is NOT the Pub !

Well Charlie, I was talking about DREs but it seems to have gone astray!

[frantick]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

Jumping back into this subject, and am hoping that a few others can share their experiences with me....... 

 

Cialis has always given me sinus-type headaches, but that was when I was taking 10 mg on occasion, so I ordered some more and have cut those in half and have taken 5 mg, however that still gives me the sinus problems and headaches for at least a day.

 

So my question to others is, does this go away, because if it doesn't I'm not prepared to feel like <deleted> every day in the hope of peeing better, and if I just need to get the old fella working better, taking 5 mg twice a week would suffice for me.

 

Feedback welcomed.

I only take half of a 20mg Apcalis once or twice a week, depending on my expected needs. I don't get headaches, but I never do ordinarily either. I do get mild congestion though and sneeze when I cum sometimes. Same as if I had a cold.

I take it for sex, but I do notice better urine flow when using.

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, frantick said:

I only take half of a 20mg Apcalis once or twice a week, depending on my expected needs. I don't get headaches, but I never do ordinarily either. I do get mild congestion though and sneeze when I cum sometimes. Same as if I had a cold.

I take it for sex, but I do notice better urine flow when using.

Thanks for replying, and I seem to be in a bit of a conundrum, because the medical profession have now suggested taking 5 mg of Cialis per day will assist in improving the urine flow, which will be helpful as I do have a problem in that area.

 

Having said that, the urine flow does seem to fluctuate, and I think that the Beta Sitosterol that I'm taking does help, but it would be great to get rid of this problem altogether, and the conundrum is; do I take Cialis 5 mg per day and put up with constant sinus type headaches which do make me feel a bit grim, or do I soldier on and just take the occasional Cialis as needed for other events!

 

Decisions, decisions, and I suppose looking at my post, only I can make that choice, however I have ordered something called L Citrulite (sp) that was mentioned in another post or thread and I will give that a try.

[Dart12]

On 5/14/2021 at 5:43 PM, Sheryl said:

 

You can (though you will have to pay, free only for Thais).

 

Waits will be long (sometimes all day and even more than that, having to come back several times for an appointment that would be one hour in & out at a private hospital).  Conditions while waiting are often crowded and uncomfortable which may be of particular concern for someone in your situation. No English spoken except by the doctors and they may not always speak it much either. Most care will be provided by young interns or residents in training, though if you go to the main hospital in Chonburi town you can probably see a more senior doctor via the after hours clinic.

 

With the exception of Pattaya City Hospital, which has dual pricing and can be costly,  the savings compared to private hospitals is considerable. Up to you if the aforementioned inconveniences etc are worth it.

 

 

 

 

Which do you recommend in Pattaya for a foreigner.  
I went to Pattaya City hospital and spent quite a few $$ over 2 months.  I have no idea if they did more than just dual price me, but after reading here, I feel I may have been played.

I feared going to another hospital as it logically made sense to me that they knew all the treatments they were giving, instead of trying to relay that to another doc (where language barrier makes it rough let alone medical jargon).

And yes, I spent freaking full days there basically.

[Dart12]

31 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Thanks for replying, and I seem to be in a bit of a conundrum, because the medical profession have now suggested taking 5 mg of Cialis per day will assist in improving the urine flow, which will be helpful as I do have a problem in that area.

 

Having said that, the urine flow does seem to fluctuate, and I think that the Beta Sitosterol that I'm taking does help, but it would be great to get rid of this problem altogether, and the conundrum is; do I take Cialis 5 mg per day and put up with constant sinus type headaches which do make me feel a bit grim, or do I soldier on and just take the occasional Cialis as needed for other events!

 

Decisions, decisions, and I suppose looking at my post, only I can make that choice, however I have ordered something called L Citrulite (sp) that was mentioned in another post or thread and I will give that a try.

take it at 3mg per day at first for awhile.  You will build a tolerance/ get used to it.  

Or start with a 10mg first day (feel the worst) and then only 3 or 5 a day after and probably not feel a thing.

[Sheryl]

36 minutes ago, Dart12 said:

Which do you recommend in Pattaya for a foreigner.  
I went to Pattaya City hospital and spent quite a few $$ over 2 months.  I have no idea if they did more than just dual price me, but after reading here, I feel I may have been played.

I feared going to another hospital as it logically made sense to me that they knew all the treatments they were giving, instead of trying to relay that to another doc (where language barrier makes it rough let alone medical jargon).

And yes, I spent freaking full days there basically.

 

This uroloigist at BPH has been recommended by a number of TV members. He speaks fluent English:

 

https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=205&depid=28

 

It will cost much more than Pattaya city per visit but much better chance of getting what you need.

 

Don't buy medications at the hospital, get them at an outside pharmacy

 

 

 

[Dart12]

18 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

This uroloigist at BPH has been recommended by a number of TV members. He speaks fluent English:

 

https://www.bangkokpattayahospital.com/en/doctor-profile?v_id=205&depid=28

 

It will cost much more than Pattaya city per visit but much better chance of getting what you need.

 

Don't buy medications at the hospital, get them at an outside pharmacy

 

 

 

Cheryl, I just meant for general instances, not BPH.
  Which hospital should I go to?

Bangkok is a private one, yes?  And this whole thread states stay away from those?

[Sheryl]

22 hours ago, Dart12 said:

Cheryl, I just meant for general instances, not BPH.
  Which hospital should I go to?

Bangkok is a private one, yes?  And this whole thread states stay away from those?

 

There is no one hospital you should go to.

 

Need to chose the doctor, nto the hospital

 

teh thread is about prostate issues nto pros and cons of private vs public hospitals. If one can afford it there are many advantages to using private hospitals

 

 

[Dart12]

6 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

There is no one hospital you should go to.

 

Need to chose the doctor, nto the hospital

 

teh thread is about prostate issues nto pros and cons of private vs public hospitals. If one can afford it there are many advantages to using private hospitals

 

 

research is a llittle more difficult here than in US.  Not that it's easy there either.

Just seeking general issues treatment.

But thank you for taking the time to reply.  All input is valuable and appreciated!

[Thongkorn]

On 5/13/2021 at 7:16 AM, Poet said:

It's usually best to just ignore prostate problems.

yes i did , had mine out last year with Cancer, they call it the Silent killer One in five males over  fifty are walking around with it and dont even know it, Ignore it at your peril.

Edited June 18, 2021 by Thongkorn

[jumbo]

On 6/15/2021 at 5:49 PM, xylophone said:

Thanks for replying, and I seem to be in a bit of a conundrum, because the medical profession have now suggested taking 5 mg of Cialis per day will assist in improving the urine flow, which will be helpful as I do have a problem in that area.

 

Having said that, the urine flow does seem to fluctuate, and I think that the Beta Sitosterol that I'm taking does help, but it would be great to get rid of this problem altogether, and the conundrum is; do I take Cialis 5 mg per day and put up with constant sinus type headaches which do make me feel a bit grim, or do I soldier on and just take the occasional Cialis as needed for other events!

 

Decisions, decisions, and I suppose looking at my post, only I can make that choice, however I have ordered something called L Citrulite (sp) that was mentioned in another post or thread and I will give that a try.

You could try take something to relax your sinus and then reduce that from daily to less frequent to stop in the end.  Something like zyrtec, OTC generic available, no side effects

[LosLobo]

5 hours ago, jumbo said:

You could try take something to relax your sinus and then reduce that from daily to less frequent to stop in the end.  Something like zyrtec, OTC generic available, no side effects

 

Zyrtec, no side effects except for :

 

drowsiness or sleepiness, acid or sour stomach, belching, burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings, change or loss of taste, feeling hot, headache, heartburn, increased sweating, indigestion, stomach discomfort, upset, or pain.

 

also:

 

bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling or ulceration.

 

Zyrtec Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term - Drugs.com

[xylophone]

26 minutes ago, LosLobo said:

 

Zyrtec, no side effects except for :

 

drowsiness or sleepiness, acid or sour stomach, belching, burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings, change or loss of taste, feeling hot, headache, heartburn, increased sweating, indigestion, stomach discomfort, upset, or pain.

 

also:

 

bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling or ulceration.

 

Zyrtec Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term - Drugs.com

About the only antihistamine I can take is this latest third generation one called Aerius, which does seem to work when I do get a touch of congestion.

 

But then again it seems that I'm going from pillar to post with this, and in my case, what I have currently ascertained is that taking 5 mg of Cialis per day does nothing for my BPH at all, apart from giving me congestion and a bit of reflux, which I don't want again.

 

So I am going to give L citrulline a try, as well as using beta sitosterol and see how that goes, but to reiterate, Cialis is not the "holy grail" I thought it would be for my BPH.

 

I had a TURP over 10 years ago and the prostate does grow back again so I could be up for another operation, only this time I will seek out the Urolift procedure in Australia, and until it becomes possible to get there, I will manage it and try other methods to increase my urine flow.
 

[LosLobo]

4 hours ago, xylophone said:

About the only antihistamine I can take is this latest third generation one called Aerius, which does seem to work when I do get a touch of congestion.

 

But then again it seems that I'm going from pillar to post with this, and in my case, what I have currently ascertained is that taking 5 mg of Cialis per day does nothing for my BPH at all, apart from giving me congestion and a bit of reflux, which I don't want again.

 

So I am going to give L citrulline a try, as well as using beta sitosterol and see how that goes, but to reiterate, Cialis is not the "holy grail" I thought it would be for my BPH.

 

I had a TURP over 10 years ago and the prostate does grow back again so I could be up for another operation, only this time I will seek out the Urolift procedure in Australia, and until it becomes possible to get there, I will manage it and try other methods to increase my urine flow.
 

My urologist in Oz recently offered me a Uro-lift and already has me down for a possible future Da Vinci Radical Prostatectomy.

 

Maybe he needs a new yacht for his helipad ???? 

 

An introduction to Robotic Surgery  - YouTube

[3NUMBAS]

what meds did u get for your stroke ?

mri scan ?were u thrombolysed?

Edited June 20, 2021 by 3NUMBAS

[Surelynot]

On 6/18/2021 at 6:30 PM, Thongkorn said:

yes i did , had mine out last year with Cancer, they call it the Silent killer One in five males over  fifty are walking around with it and dont even know it, Ignore it at your peril.

I have a PSA test every three months......nice little earner for Bumrungrad....but also gives some peace of mind.

 

Had a level 4 lesion, which turned out to be benign......now on Xytral (?) an alpha blocker. Was also prescribed Duodart, but read that it may trigger a more aggressive form of prostate cancer in certain cases.

 

Someone mentioned urinary  infections?.....Suffered for weeks given all types of antibiotics....didn't touch it....then prescribed one sachet Monurol........wonder drug for me.....three days later.......infection gone.

[gargamon]

On 5/13/2021 at 4:09 AM, lopburi3 said:

Doctors name should be on the appointment slip - or on last bill if not thrown away.  Kind of important information as hospitals can have the good, the bad and the ugly working as doctors.  A good doctor is likely to be more important than the hospital itself.

Q: You know what they call the person who finishes last in their class in Medical School?? 
A: Doctor

The choice of doctor is always more important.

[jumbo]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:12 PM, LosLobo said:

 

Zyrtec, no side effects except for :

 

drowsiness or sleepiness, acid or sour stomach, belching, burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings, change or loss of taste, feeling hot, headache, heartburn, increased sweating, indigestion, stomach discomfort, upset, or pain.

 

also:

 

bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling or ulceration.

 

Zyrtec Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term - Drugs.com

 

Along with its needed effects, cetirizine (the active ingredient contained in Zyrtec) may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention

 

And then you list ALL side effects that may (or may not) occur....

If you do that with all meds you are offered, you will have a hard time taking anything

[Yellowtail]

On 6/20/2021 at 4:47 PM, xylophone said:

About the only antihistamine I can take is this latest third generation one called Aerius, which does seem to work when I do get a touch of congestion.

 

But then again it seems that I'm going from pillar to post with this, and in my case, what I have currently ascertained is that taking 5 mg of Cialis per day does nothing for my BPH at all, apart from giving me congestion and a bit of reflux, which I don't want again.

 

So I am going to give L citrulline a try, as well as using beta sitosterol and see how that goes, but to reiterate, Cialis is not the "holy grail" I thought it would be for my BPH.

 

I had a TURP over 10 years ago and the prostate does grow back again so I could be up for another operation, only this time I will seek out the Urolift procedure in Australia, and until it becomes possible to get there, I will manage it and try other methods to increase my urine flow.
 

 

Any real downside to the TURP?

 

Meds work okay for me, but I've been thinking about getting "broached"....

 

Baht 170K at Bumrungrad, which is 20-40% less than I would likely have to pay in the US. 

 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Yellowtail
sp