dying from cancer at home in Thailand

[helloagain]

On 5/16/2025 at 4:37 PM, fvw53 said:

I am 82 years old and I live in Thailand since 1987.

Last year during holidays in my home country (EU) a bladder cancer was detected. Since then I have undergone TURBT, cistectomy, radiotherapy but the cancer always came back and now as a last option immunotherapy will be tried.

If this does not work I would prefer to be no longer a burden for the friends where I am now staying and return to Thailand to dy in my own house.

However I do not know if in Thailand there is palliative care at home 

What do Forum members recommend?

 

Somebody i knew, stopped food and water intake, he got his wish within 3 weeks.

[Nip]

They supply Medical Nurses. Here is an add. This is home care average monthly charge 15 to 20K Baht.
 

Are you looking for a professional nanny, tutor, maid, helper, elderly care or driver? 
Please contact our customer service officer:
=> Pui, 097-0748659 (LINE: madawaofficial)
=> Nan, 094-6409066 (LINE: fongbeer.mdw)
=> Benz, 062-0623799 (Line: 062-0623799)

หากคุณกำลังมองหาผู้เชี่ยวชาญด้านการบริการ โปรดติดต่อเจ้าหน้าที่บริการลูกค้าของเรา:
=> Pui, 097-0748659 (LINE: madawaofficial)
=> Nan, 094-6409066 (LINE: fongbeer.mdw)
=> Benz, 062-0623799 (LINE: 062-0623799)

 

There is another company I can forward you. Good luck and best wishes. 

[xtrnuno41]

10 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Oral morphine is certainly available and not necessarily expensive. Even government hospitals will prescribe it for home use in terminal situations (though not necessarily in enough dose and quantity).

 

I have never seen or heard of IV morphine drips in the home (and I know wealthy people who certainly tried). If you do, please share the details. By PM if not here.

What are details?, but a neighbor woman age 85 had pains in body. They couldnt define where it was from.

She had a mobile morphine pump. Once in a while I meet her and she tells everything, also about the morphine pump. She is tough lady and goes on and on, now about 89 !

she even had heart surgery, despite her age in late 70ties then ! As I understood (red) cant , healing proces is a worry. And sedation could be a problem, however she had. I go by what she is telling me and then Im only flabbergasted.

Cant say if she really had morphine, she just told me , she had. I have though seen the device on her, but substance injected? no clue, she tells me it was morphine.

She doesnt have the device anymore , I believe, as the morphine didnt work !?

Im not sure, have to ask her again some time.

She forces herself out of the house to walk , if possible. Sometimes good times , sometimes worse.

If she is really feeling good, she walks to the shops about 300 meter away, do little shopping and walks back !

At one time saw her walking out and I offered to walk with her. Her words:

"No, thank you, dont be slilly, I want to walk by myself and not bothering someone"

Amazing woman, tough lovely lady.

[connda]

23 hours ago, PoorSucker said:

Yes, breaking the law.

Know it.

Social security card gives it for free, but have to wait 3h to see doctor, I work.

Paying 600 baht is worth it at this pharmacy.

I make 5000-7000 baht per day, so waiting 3h costs ,I only work 6h/Day

 

My pharmaceutical is is Katoy, kicked out from med school

Then 3 years in prison would cost you between 5.5 to 7.5 million THB.  Plus you'd be kicked out of Thailand at the end of your sentence.

Private psychiatrists can be seen by appointment.  Then you have a legal prescription.  But hell, I'm not going to argue with you.  You consider it to be an acceptable risk - up to you.  I wear a helmet when I ride a motorcycle and a seat-belt in my car.  And I have a prescription for diazepam.  If others chose not to wear a helmet, not to put on their seat-belts, or choose to carry and consume tranquilizers without a prescription - hey, up to them.  You pay your money and take your chances. 

[connda]

On 5/17/2025 at 1:34 PM, Sheryl said:

Codeine (which comes only in oral form) would also not be enough for advanced cancer pain.  At that stage one needs morphine or related drugs like fentanyl.

 

Are you sure you got codeine from a pharmacy? It is a schedule 2 narcotic in Thailand and sale allowed only from hospitals and clinics.

 

On 5/17/2025 at 1:36 PM, Sheryl said:

Oral morphine is certainly available and not necessarily expensive. Even government hospitals will prescribe it for home use in terminal situations (though not necessarily in enough dose and quantity).

 

I have never seen or heard of IV morphine drips in the home (and I know wealthy people who certainly tried). If you do, please share the details. By PM if not here.

 

On 5/17/2025 at 1:37 PM, Sheryl said:

Your pharmacy is breaking the law, big time.  (not for the tramadol. But for the rest). And so are you, in buying these over the counter.

 

What does Social Security have to do with buying meds from a private pharmacy?

 

On 5/17/2025 at 1:40 PM, Sheryl said:

 

I would not necessarily agree, there are other considerations, as I outlined. Money is essential but not sufficient.

 

He will not remain in a condition able to direct his care and supervise paid attendants. 

 

Someone else has to be willing and able to do that, if he is set against going into a private facility even in the last stages.

 

On 5/17/2025 at 1:44 PM, Sheryl said:

Yes, I discussed and linked to this in my first post.

 

Looks quite good but I have no first hand feedback.

 

However OP needs to clarify if he would accept this at some stage since his original post specified dying at home.  That, much harder to manage as things progress, and needs a capable person to manage it.

 

Besides Koon, as I previously said, St Louis has a wing for palliative care and I have had good feedback on it.  https://www.saintlouis.or.th/clinics/palliative-care-center/40

 

On 5/17/2025 at 1:50 PM, Sheryl said:

 

 

This is not a hospice.

 

It is a  center for diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.

 

There are some (few) hospices in the Western sense here, as I previously described. But not many.

 

There are also foundations/temples that provide very basic, unskilled custodial care to homeless people with terminal illnesses. But I would nto really call that "hospice" in the palliative sense.

 

 

It would be an immense service to our community if you could create a "pinned" post with as many resource for end of life issues as you know of and which have been discussed in various posts on the topic over the years.  We're all getting to be that age where end of life issues just become a reality, especially for those of us with family here or who otherwise plan to live out their lives in Thailand.  It would be an excellent and worthwhile topic. It would be better than having a bunch of threads on the subject.  It would be nice to have this information pinned in one topic in the Wellness and Health forum which you could do as our Asean Now resident health expert.  

[fredwiggy]

On 5/16/2025 at 4:37 PM, fvw53 said:

I am 82 years old and I live in Thailand since 1987.

Last year during holidays in my home country (EU) a bladder cancer was detected. Since then I have undergone TURBT, cistectomy, radiotherapy but the cancer always came back and now as a last option immunotherapy will be tried.

If this does not work I would prefer to be no longer a burden for the friends where I am now staying and return to Thailand to dy in my own house.

However I do not know if in Thailand there is palliative care at home 

What do Forum members recommend?

 

I just want to say, I'm sorry for your diagnosis. I lost my mom at 84 from bladder cancer. The doctor waited too long and should have done a cistectomy and it spread. She never smoked, which is a leading cause of the bladder type. I hope you find help for this and hope you have more time here.

[GinBoy2]

I'm in the go back home to die camp.

 

Hopefully you have family there to support you, but they will be able to obtain care and will get you through this difficult phase of end of life.

 

I don't know how fluent you are in Thai, but being able to express yourself in a native language at this stage will help too

[hotandsticky]

34 minutes ago, GinBoy2 said:

I'm in the go back home to die camp.

 

Hopefully you have family there to support you, but they will be able to obtain care and will get you through this difficult phase of end of life.

 

I don't know how fluent you are in Thai, but being able to express yourself in a native language at this stage will help too

 

 

I am in the opposite camp. Whilst I understand your view, I would not wish to burden my family with any end of life responsibilities.

 

If I suffer a difficult end of life phase, I will seek to shorten it.

 

A long time ago I discussed with my daughters the fact that I expected to die in Thailand and would be cremated in whichever country I died in. I checked that they neither wished to attend the cremation, nor required any of the 'ashes'. I have included £1,000 in my bequests for the family to have a 'celebration of my life' if they so wish.

[emptypockets]

On 5/17/2025 at 6:14 PM, PoorSucker said:

Yes, breaking the law.

Know it.

Social security card gives it for free, but have to wait 3h to see doctor, I work.

Paying 600 baht is worth it at this pharmacy.

I make 5000-7000 baht per day, so waiting 3h costs ,I only work 6h/Day

 

My pharmaceutical is is Katoy, kicked out from med school

How does this information help the OP who is suffering from cancer?

[jori123]

Im in same boat as OP (almost)   diagnosed with cancer there in India/Thailand...came back to UK,..Radiation ,chemo ,one session.   Getting on for 2 years now,got bottles of  morphine lying around,never use it Co-D  too strong stuff,hardly use that,its my damned knees,they are painful,awaiting double knee whatever,if bone doc will do it in few months time.There are plenty of places there  if pain gets too much that Snow White is available,just asking the correct people for it.  Coming back there to TH in few weeks again,when and if pain takes hold Ill resort to plan B.   DWP treat cancer patients OK  increase benefits 110 quid a week tax free,was in fire brigade and army before  but they all in some way help out