My Heart Operation At Suandawk Hospital

[helitool]

I and my wife arrived here in CM about two months ago along with my machine shop in one 20 foot container and our personal positions in another 40 foot container. I immediately started helping my brother-in-law (who is also a machinist) set up the equipment in his shop and teach him how to use it. After about a month of this I started feeling a pressure like someone squeezing the left side of my chest when I exerted myself and told my wife that at some point I should see a doctor. So we scheduled a visit to see Dr. Tanawat at 4:00 pm Saturday at Suandawk Hospital. He told me it sounded like angina and scheduled me for a stress ECG on Sunday afternoon.

We went back to my B-in-laws house where we are staying until our house in San Sai is finished. I walked up stairs and the angina started up and would not stop. So I threw half a dozen aspirin in my mouth and chewed them up as I went back down stairs and told my brother to get me back to the hospital. This he did in record time. Be time the time we arrived the aspirin had thinned my blood enough that the pain had subsided. They wheeled me up to the 13th floor to see Dr. Tanawat who put me on an ECG and injected me with blood thinner. He then suggested that I should remain in the hospital until Sunday afternoon when he would do an angiogram.

Sunday at 1:00 they tossed me into a Giant contraption that looked like an operating table from Star Wars. The doctor inserted a catheter into my right femoral artery and pushed it up to my heart and injected florescent die so that we could see where the constriction was. Since no general anesthetic is given I was able to watch the entire procedure being done on the same monitor that the doctor was using.

As soon as he found the location of the blockage he asked me if I wanted him to install a stent at that time and if so did I want the drug coated type or the conventional type. I chose the coated stent and after he consulted with the assisting doctor concerning the proper size to use he went ahead with the installation. All of this took about 1 hour. I was then taken to the ICU until 3:00 pm Sunday afternoon when I was released.

The Suandawk medical system as well as the personnel gets an 11 out of a possible 10 points on this one. Everyone I dealt with was fast, efficient friendly and professional. I received better care than I would have in the US at 10% of the price.

Here is a copy of the bill I paid so you can get an idea of what medical costs are here in CM

Inpatient Medication 5079

Home Medication 461

Stent 85501 (pricey 1gram of steel)

Laboratory 1390

Angiogram and special diagnostics 56100

General Medical equipment 700

Operating Theater 16550

Nursing 3700

Medical supplies 100

Initial patient evaluation 400

Subsequent inpatient care 200

Discharge day care 200

Physicians fee 15000

Room charges (private + ICU 1900

Other charges 115

Total 187,446 about $us 5,500

Oh, Yes and 5 kilos of lynches (gift by sister to ICU personnel) 350

[JimmyTheMook]

Good report , more importantly how do you feel?

[sceadugenga]

As a one of the forums fat old men I'll google up the phone number and make a note of it.

[Blinky Bill]

Good report , more importantly how do you feel?

Hmmmm. No reply. That's not a good sign.

[helitool]

Good report , more importantly how do you feel?

I feel far better than I have for many months, thank you for your concern.

At no time during my stay did I experiance any pain other than needle pricks from injections. They injected xylocaine into the artery to deaden the feeling of the catheter being pushed through the blood vessel. I felt no pain during or after the procedure. I am driving my sister-in-law nuts by running up and down stairs and in general acting normal instead of lying in bed for a week to "recover".

The doctor said that it is ok to execise all I want but that I should wait 3 days to make sure the 2.5 milimeter hole made by the catheter in my femoral artery has closed up and won't start bleeding. Several months prior to this I had noticed my blood pressure and pulse rate going up slightly above what it normaly is. This may have been my heart trying to force more blood down the small coranary artery that was restricted. My heart rate is now 65 and BP is 120/90. Also I am 59.

[eek]

All the best with your health helitool.

[Puwa]

Here's to your continued good health.

It's nice to read a positive report about a local hospital for a change. I feel that I have always been treated well, and thoughtfully, by Thai doctors, and charged a reasonable price. Maybe I have just been lucky, but anyway I am glad to know I am not the only one.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thanks to the opening poster for that glowing report; good health to you.

Maharaj Hospital, just outside Suan Dok Gate, is my hospital. When the ambulance delivered me there at my request after I killed the dog at Mae Tang, I told the surgeons that the two best hospitals are Maharaj and Chiang Mai Ram. My last surgery was at Maharaj. Many of their doctors are medical school professors. Farang usually use the special clinic on the 13th floor. I stayed on the 14th floor of the Siripat complex last time, and it was every bit as good as Chiang Mai Ram.

So, on May 23 when I knew I had just had a stroke, we went straight there (as straight as my boyfriend and I could), and received excellent care. And yes, when you can see a specialist in neurosurgery for a clinic visit for 300 baht, that's good price.

[Crow Boy]

The Suandawk medical system as well as the personnel gets an 11 out of a possible 10 points on this one. Everyone I dealt with was fast, efficient friendly and professional. I received better care than I would have in the US at 10% of the price.

Here is a copy of the bill I paid so you can get an idea of what medical costs are here in CM

Inpatient Medication 5079

Home Medication 461

Stent 85501 (pricey 1gram of steel)

Laboratory 1390

Angiogram and special diagnostics 56100

General Medical equipment 700

Operating Theater 16550

Nursing 3700

Medical supplies 100

Initial patient evaluation 400

Subsequent inpatient care 200

Discharge day care 200

Physicians fee 15000

Room charges (private + ICU 1900

Other charges 115

Total 187,446 about $us 5,500

Oh, Yes and 5 kilos of lynches (gift by sister to ICU personnel) 350

Helitool - pleased that the operation was a success and you are recovering.

The price of the stent is incredible compared to any of the other charges, the other interesting thing is that if you had to do the same operation in the US the price at the end would have been the about the same ie 187,446 but it would have been US$ not Baht.

CB

[ThaiPauly]

Hi Helitool,

I am very glad everything worked out for you, after what you and PB has posted in the past I think I will stop going to Bangkok for various treatments now and go there.

You have just confirmed what PB has told me about the hospital

Thanks

TP

[cmsally]

Best of health to you.

My neighbour had the same treatment 3 yrs ago at the same hospital. Bill was a bit higher but she spent longer in hospital probably because she has diabetes and her health was not great before. But since then she has been in the best of health not sick for even a day.