Doing A Backgroung Check On Your Doctor In Cm.

[chuchok]

Here is a small part of the story.The rest is in the link below.Bloody scary if you ask me.

So my electrocardiogram is abnormal. I have to see a cardiologist. In the West that might mean a waiting period of six weeks or longer, but here it’s this afternoon. My cardiologist Dr Hart does a thorough investigation, even making me run on the treadmill machine at breakneck speeds as his nurse stands by ready with the defibrillating machine, in case I suffer a cardiac arrest. I’m told that I have Coronary Artery Disease followed by “tell your doctor in America”. I told Dr Hart, as I was drying off my sweaty brow, “you are my doctor. I live here.” So he says, “take a baby aspirin a day for now and see me next year.”

Chiang Mai City News

[JXXXL]

Here is a small part of the story.The rest is in the link below.Bloody scary if you ask me.

So my electrocardiogram is abnormal. I have to see a cardiologist. In the West that might mean a waiting period of six weeks or longer, but here it’s this afternoon. My cardiologist Dr Hart does a thorough investigation, even making me run on the treadmill machine at breakneck speeds as his nurse stands by ready with the defibrillating machine, in case I suffer a cardiac arrest. I’m told that I have Coronary Artery Disease followed by “tell your doctor in America”. I told Dr Hart, as I was drying off my sweaty brow, “you are my doctor. I live here.” So he says, “take a baby aspirin a day for now and see me next year.”

Chiang Mai City News

I'm not surprised she was advised to go to Bangkok. A little work on the boards will yield some good advice as to where the best specialties are held. I would also seek and 2nd, 3rd and probably 4th opinion on any new discovery made here in Thailand.

And, yes, background checks are a good idea and they yield surprises even in the 1st world.

[earlofwindermere]

All I can say is that I'm impressed with the fact that they noticed that the EKG was strange. My EKGs are very abnormal due to a heart condition that I was born with. It is so strange that I have literally been rushed to emergency rooms in North America because the doctor thought I was having a silent heart attack.

However; when I have physicals here in Thailand, no doctor has even noticed the abnormality. One doctor here even told me that everything looks great and normal.

For anything serious, I'd be on the first plane to Bangkok as well.

[Dustoff]

~

I agree with all of the above. I have had "right bundle branch blockage" (my heart fires electically only on one side) for over thirty years and it is easily identifyable on an EKG and any decent doctor can hear it with a stethoscope.. Since I am getting up there in years, I have an EKG done every year and after five years here my latest cardiologist was the first to even notice it.

Several years ago I came down with a serious blood problem called Thromboplebitis and for two years I went through many doctors both here in CM and at Bumrungrad in BKK, supposedly the premier hospital in Thailand, and never got so much as a diagnosis. It finally took my study of my many blood test results via the internet to arrive at a proper diagnosis, I bought my own appropriate medications OTC and the problem is cured. The scary thing is that the life expectancy of a person with my symptoms has a life expectancy of only two years without treatment and I was already over two years into it.

Whenever I attempted to discuss my tests with several of my specialists, they seemed uncomfortable and even mildly offended giving me the impression that they had not cracked a book since getting their license to practice medicine and they were certainly unwilling to do it for me. Perhaps they were unable to admit that they had no clue as to what was going on and simply saved face by moving me on to another doctor, who knows.

I suppose I would recommend Bumrungrad Hospital as the best for any serious malady but even then you had better seriously educate yourself about your own health if you want to live a long life. My next medical educational pursuit on the internet is to learn to accurately read an EKG...

[ThaiPauly]

Sorry to hear your story Dustoff..you look far more healthy than me, even though you are approaching your 100th birthday!!

Personally I ALWAYS check the background..if there are nice flowers, and some nice paintings and a good view that'll do me

background check completed!!!

Edited May 22, 2006 by ThaiPauly

[chuchok]

I do a background check on Dr Throb on the internet, so easy to do nowadays. Yes, he is a real cardiologist, with real credentials from the University of Maryland where he worked. A patient’s family in Maryland sued him for the wrongful death of their loved one. It appears that Dr Throb, due to the insertion of the wrong sized catheter into her heart, had caused internal haemorrhaging in the cardiac pleura and her death. Distraught, I write a letter to the CEO, Medical Director, Surgical Director, and Cardiac Director of the Hannah Hospital and attach a copy of the lawsuit, which I had downloaded from the internet. To my amazement, I get a response.

“Dear Ms. Wons,

At Hannah Hospital each physician has to go through a strict credentialing process before we accept him/her to be our Professional Staff Organisation member.

Dr Throb went through the same strict process. We were aware of the lawsuit and after thoroughly investigating the event, we found it was a serious complication of cardiac catheterization and balloon treatment. In the hands of good cardiologists, the complication could happen at 3%. The percentage is higher in less busy cardiologists. The matter ended up with a settlement because Dr Throb could not go back to defend himself since he has moved to Thailand already.”