Gastrointestinal doctor in BangNa/Samut Prakan area?

[watthong]

I've been having stomach problems: bloated, difficulties with bathroom no 2, having to use enemas the last couple of times just to get it out. It's been a couple of weeks so time for me to pay a visit to the doctor. In my area the go-to public hospital is Sirindhorn hospital in Prawet but from what I've seen/experienced you will be see by very young doctors in training and English communications is not workable.

I'm seeking recommendatiosn of not for profit (ie low-cost) private hospitals in the area, since I will be paying cash. Any recommendation? If not in BangNa then elsewhere in Bangkok?  Plan B is I will go to Mission Hospital and see Dr. Nick Walters, he's a family physician, not a specialist, but  I had good experience with him eons ago when I was living in Bangkok. 

[Sheryl]

How old are you?

 

Have you had a colonoscopy in past 10 years?

 

Hsve you already tried prunes, senna, increased fiber? 

[watthong]

5 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

How old are you?

 

Have you had a colonoscopy in past 10 years?

 

Hsve you already tried prunes, senna, increased fiber? 

 

Age 70

 

Last colonoscopy 2020 just before the onset of covid

 

I have tried everything prunes, tripala, fitne tea, enama (seems to be the only one that worked)
Recently the stool came out hard, pellet form even though my diet is lots of fruit and veggie. Used to do number two 2,3 times a day.
I'm suspecting nerve problem in the lower lumbar area, had diskectomy 2004 , L4 - L5 region. The sphinter seems shut tight.

[watthong]

Just now, watthong said:

Recently the stool came out hard, pellet form even though my diet is lots of fruit and veggie. Used to do number two 2,3 times a day.

 

This is before trying prunes, fitne etc.

[Sheryl]

6 minutes ago, watthong said:

 

Age 70

 

Last colonoscopy 2020 just before the onset of covid

 

I have tried everything prunes, tripala, fitne tea, enama (seems to be the only one that worked)
Recently the stool came out hard, pellet form even though my diet is lots of fruit and veggie. Used to do number two 2,3 times a day.
I'm suspecting nerve problem in the lower lumbar area, had diskectomy 2004 , L4 - L5 region. The sphinter seems shut tight.

In that case I think Dr. Nick at Mission is good place to start. 

[watthong]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

In that case I think Dr. Nick at Mission is good place to start. 

 

I've been browsing older threads and found your recommendation of 

 

DR.THANAKORN HARNSOMBURANA

at St Louis hospital in Silom.

Am thinking of going to see him instead of Dr. Walter since 1) a specialist 2) closer to home.

??

 

[watthong]

19 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

In that case I think Dr. Nick at Mission is good place to start. 

 

Thank you Sheryl for your input. Much appreciated as always.

[Classic Ray]

I use Sirinthorn Hospital for my GERD/Type 2 Diabetes etc treatment and find the doctors and nurses excellent. Doctors have better English of course than nursing staff but I can get by without much Thai.

 

i would give them a chance first, but of course you have to write off most of a day for treatment/waiting.

[Sheryl]

On 6/16/2024 at 11:32 AM, watthong said:

 

I've been browsing older threads and found your recommendation of 

 

DR.THANAKORN HARNSOMBURANA

at St Louis hospital in Silom.

Am thinking of going to see him instead of Dr. Walter since 1) a specialist 2) closer to home.

??

 

Frankly I think all you will get from z GI specialist is advice on diet, laxatives and perhaps recommendation for colonoscopy.

 

 

[watthong]

On 6/17/2024 at 1:36 PM, Sheryl said:

Frankly I think all you will get from a GI specialist is advice on diet, laxatives and perhaps recommendation for colonoscopy.

 

 

 

That was also my kinda premonition...This is how my day unfolded:

 

1) 8 am - I checked first thing this morning with Mission Hospital. Dr. Nick is on a month-long vacation (lucky guy) and will be back next month. So I decided to go to Chula Memorial (instead of St. Louis), just by the good experience I had at Chula with my colonoscopy/endoscopy there in 2020.

2) 9pm -Just got home from a grueling day going to Chula Memorial in Silom.  Was sent away to come back tomorrow, reason they needed to update my passport info, the one they had on file, from last colonoscopy, had expired - and I didn't think that far enough to have brought along the new passport!

 

btw, to prepare myself to be seen tomorrow (after 5pm appointment) is it okay to have breakfast at 8am and nothing afterward ( a 9 hr span) so I will be good for a blood test if called for?

[watthong]

9 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

I use Sirinthorn Hospital for my GERD/Type 2 Diabetes etc treatment and find the doctors and nurses excellent. Doctors have better English of course than nursing staff but I can get by without much Thai.

 

i would give them a chance first, but of course you have to write off most of a day for treatment/waiting.

 

Are we talking about the same hospital? Because according to Google, there's another " It’s worth noting that Sirinthorn Hospital is also known as Dr. Sirinthorn Teerayanont, and it seems to be a part of the Mission Hospital organization." And  "There is also a Sirindhorn Hospital in Bangkok, located on Soi Onnut 90, Prawet sub-district, Prawet district, Bangkok 10250 Thailand."

 

The one I mentioned in my OP is the latter (the one IN PRAWET zip 10250) Actually quite a lot lately... my partner's Mom having chemo there at the moment. I myself saw a doctor there last April, like all the docs that I have seen working there during the day, she was a young intern - and her English was non-communicable. Moreov every time mom was seen by a doc, it was always by an alarmingly young intern. When I went there last April for a bad case of respitory problem, even though we deliberatedly chose afternoon, there was no after hour/special clinic. And I was sent away with a prescription that featured no antibiotic for cure. So it's all hopeless for me.

 

Therefore if the one you went to is the one IN PRAWET I am really curious how you got to be seen by (what sounds like ajarn ie prof) doctors with "better English"! If you could give me info how to get to one, I would appreciate it very much, it's only a 15 min taxi drive away... Thanks.

[geisha]

On 6/16/2024 at 6:20 AM, watthong said:

 

Age 70

 

Last colonoscopy 2020 just before the onset of covid

 

I have tried everything prunes, tripala, fitne tea, enama (seems to be the only one that worked)
Recently the stool came out hard, pellet form even though my diet is lots of fruit and veggie. Used to do number two 2,3 times a day.
I'm suspecting nerve problem in the lower lumbar area, had diskectomy 2004 , L4 - L5 region. The sphinter seems shut tight.

You might have  

polyps that is creating a blockage. Have a colonoscopy and they can take it / them out if necessary. I’ve had the same worries for a few weeks , I’ve also been diagnosed with diverticulitis in the past. Tomorrow I’m have a colonoscopy and endoscopy as I have bad acid reflux sometimes . X rays and a scan showed nothing . I’m in France though so cannot advise on Specialists, but I’m sure Bangkok is your best bet. You need an answer from Sheryl.

[watthong]

2 hours ago, geisha said:

You might have  

polyps that is creating a blockage. Have a colonoscopy and they can take it / them out if necessary. I’ve had the same worries for a few weeks , I’ve also been diagnosed with diverticulitis in the past. Tomorrow I’m have a colonoscopy and endoscopy as I have bad acid reflux sometimes . X rays and a scan showed nothing . I’m in France though so cannot advise on Specialists, but I’m sure Bangkok is your best bet. You need an answer from Sheryl.

 

Definitely. Thanks for the recommendation and for sharing your own situation.

Would like to get update of the results of your tests. Hope they both come out clear!

[mstevens]

I had ongoing gastro issues for a long time, saw a lot of doctors, specialists and they even sent me to an endocrinologist at one point because they could not work out what was going on and suspected hormones might be affecting my digestion. I had terrible gastro symptoms but all labs and all tests were fine (except for some hormones which they could not work out and the endo said he'd never seen labs like mine)! Eventually I would see a functional medicine practitioner in Australia and they conducted tests with the samples sent to the US. I had SIBO, Fungal overgrowth and a gut colonisation of mould. My hormones were off, and my nervous system was disregulated. Once I got a diagnosis I had a pathway to return to good health. Saying it was a long road is an understatement!

 

You definitely need to see a gastro first as there are many things they can check for, and rule out. However, if by chance they don't find anything, you might like to consider a functional medical practitioner and do an OATS test (you can Google it for more more info).

[Sheryl]

11 hours ago, watthong said:

 

That was also my kinda premonition...This is how my day unfolded:

 

1) 8 am - I checked first thing this morning with Mission Hospital. Dr. Nick is on a month-long vacation (lucky guy) and will be back next month. So I decided to go to Chula Memorial (instead of St. Louis), just by the good experience I had at Chula with my colonoscopy/endoscopy there in 2020.

2) 9pm -Just got home from a grueling day going to Chula Memorial in Silom.  Was sent away to come back tomorrow, reason they needed to update my passport info, the one they had on file, from last colonoscopy, had expired - and I didn't think that far enough to have brought along the new passport!

 

btw, to prepare myself to be seen tomorrow (after 5pm appointment) is it okay to have breakfast at 8am and nothing afterward ( a 9 hr span) so I will be good for a blood test if called for?

Yes. Even 6-8 hours is enough.

 

but I doubt you will need a blood test

[watthong]

22 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Yes. Even 6-8 hours is enough.

 

but I doubt you will need a blood test

 

You're correct. No blood test.

Saw doc at the after hours clinic in Chula.

He poked a finger through my sphincter and told me to try to poo.

(I had told him earlier my feeling of the sphincter just tight shut.)

His finding was that it's acting the reverse, closing while it should be opening. Thus the problem to defecate.

 

So made another appointment with a specialist for some bio-feedback (?) to "train" the sphincter to get back to acting normally. That wlll be in 2 weeks. In the meantime, I was sent home with several bottles of  Emulax (milk of magnesia) mild laxatives. Doc has also looked in my record at the result of the last colonoscopy there and said it looks fine. Maybe do another one next year (a 5 yr interval.)

 

[in the meantime, this might be helpful to some folks...Since this weekend I have started taken the Thai medicine Tripala (a combo of 3 herb ingredients) - 2 tsp before bed time - and that has helped with "churning" the stomach to prepare for excavation. It seems to produce results, ie I was able to excavate some what, but still have stomach gas.]

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, watthong said:

 

You're correct. No blood test.

Saw doc at the after hours clinic in Chula.

He poked a finger through my sphincter and told me to try to poo.

(I had told him earlier my feeling of the sphincter just tight shut.)

His finding was that it's acting the reverse, closing while it should be opening. Thus the problem to defecate.

 

So made another appointment with a specialist for some bio-feedback (?) to "train" the sphincter to get back to acting normally. That wlll be in 2 weeks. In the meantime, I was sent home with several bottles of  Emulax (milk of magnesia) mild laxatives. Doc has also looked in my record at the result of the last colonoscopy there and said it looks fine. Maybe do another one next year (a 5 yr interval.)

 

[in the meantime, this might be helpful to some folks...Since this weekend I have started taken the Thai medicine Tripala (a combo of 3 herb ingredients) - 2 tsp before bed time - and that has helped with "churning" the stomach to prepare for excavation. It seems to produce results, ie I was able to excavate some what, but still have stomach gas.]

I actually find the Senna tabs sold in every 7-11 to work best in cases where prunes alone aren't enough. Sold in the section with traditional Thai medecine. Green box and says Senna in small English lettering.

 

Prior poster's point about hormones worth considering, specifically thyroid. Low thyroid can cause constipation. Have you had a recent thyroid panel? If not, should.

 

Lastly I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of deferring colonoscopy to next year. I realize 2020 was clear, but with such a marked change  better safe than sorry. When next you see the doctor, suggest you push for colonoscopy now. 

[msbkk]

Just as a side note, dates are also excellent to help with constipation. 

[watthong]

On 6/19/2024 at 12:14 PM, Sheryl said:

Prior poster's point about hormones worth considering, specifically thyroid. Low thyroid can cause constipation. Have you had a recent thyroid panel? If not, should.

 

Lastly I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of deferring colonoscopy to next year. I realize 2020 was clear, but with such a marked change  better safe than sorry. When next you see the doctor, suggest you push for colonoscopy now. 

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I will ask for colonoscopy when I see the specialist next. The last one was done here at Chula and I was pretty happy with their services (the doc who did the examination came out and talked to me, in good English, at my bedside when I was recuperating).

 

About thyroid panel, that's new to me...As I hit 70 my health is on a downward slope due to environment, stress and moving to hostile Samut Prakan only exacerbates the negatives.  it's been a long while since I had a decent  check up (2017 during my trip back to the US!) so choosing a health check package will be next in line...A suggestion in this regard would be very helpful!