Chiang Mai Shoulder Surgeon-Hospital

[BB24]

I have to get shoulder surgery done for a torn tendon and/or SLAP tear - looks like I have really stuffed it up. Can anyone recommend the best place for the MRI to confirm what needs to be done, and a Surgeon and Hospital to perform the proceedure. I was thinking of waiting til I get back home to get the surgery done, but my next visit will not be for many months and I would rather not spend most of my time at home getting organised for and then recovering from the operation (plus it will cost a lot). Has anyone had arthrosopic surgery of their shoulder here? Any ideas on how much will it cost?

[northernjohn]

Thais sorry about my mix up.

Dr Sudhee Sudasna

Part time at RAM (two days/week)

053 920300

Recommended to me

Dr Chanakarn Phornphutkul (sports medicine)

Rajavej Hospital, 053 801999 and 053 204545

(Orthodpedic clinic opposite the hospital on the other side of the river)

as being the best in Thailand at arthroscopic surgery.

[NancyL]

Yup, I was going to recommend Dr. Chanakarn at Rajavej also, but Northern John beat me to it. Excellent doctor and the hospital has very reasonable prices.

[brommers]

A third vote for Dr Chanakarn! He dealt with me at CM Ram.

[uptheos]

For shoulders and knees especially he's an expert in arthrosocopy.

Dr Chanakarn Phornphutkul

Rajavej Hospital, 053 801999 and 053 204545

(Orthodpedic clinic opposite the hospital on the other side of the river, turn right about 100 meters on right)

5-7pm and from 9-12 Sat

Don't bother with making an appointment at Rajavej IMO

[James T]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

[uptheos]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

That MRI scan centre is excellent!

Pictures given to you plus CD in a nice carry bag, comprehensive report emailed to you and doctor ........first class service. 8,000 for knee.

BTW I was up and walked out of Rajavej next morning

[Saan]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

No problem with recommending the doctor but I'd think twice about Rajavej if you are not able to help yourself while there.

Despite its pretensions as an international hospital it is Thai style and you really need a family member to be there to assist.

I was confined to be with an 'absolute bed rest' sign attached to my bed. I was unable to feed myself and as a result went hungry as there was no one available to help. My food was brought in and placed beside the bed and taken away untouched. Even a cup of tea was impossible with a cup and a teabag placed beside me without hot water. There was a water heater around the corner but out of reach. I only survived by friends bringing me in snacks and feeding me.

[NancyL]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

No problem with recommending the doctor but I'd think twice about Rajavej if you are not able to help yourself while there.

Despite its pretensions as an international hospital it is Thai style and you really need a family member to be there to assist.

I was confined to be with an 'absolute bed rest' sign attached to my bed. I was unable to feed myself and as a result went hungry as there was no one available to help. My food was brought in and placed beside the bed and taken away untouched. Even a cup of tea was impossible with a cup and a teabag placed beside me without hot water. There was a water heater around the corner but out of reach. I only survived by friends bringing me in snacks and feeding me.

This is common in all the private hospitals in Chiang Mai. The assumption is that you will have someone (family member, friend) assisting you. That's why the private rooms all have a sofa for a family member to stay overnight. Rajavej has some very good English-speaking customer service reps and the answer would have been to ask to speak to one of them to explain your problem. (Frankly, the head nurse should have seen the problem and asked them to come visit, but oh well). The customer service rep could have arranged for an off-duty staff member to take on the role of family member to come feed you, etc Yes, you would have had to pay extra for this, but the charge would not have been very high.

Amazingly, this isn't necessary in Suan Dok, the University hospital. If a patient can't feed themselves, then one of the nurses will do it and they add a 50 baht charge to the bill for each meal where feeding assistance is required This seems to be a more straight-forward solution that I wish the private hospitals would adopt.

[BB24]

Thanks for the advice everyone - fantastic - very much appreciated.

I am off to see Dr Chanarkarn at the Clinic next week, and my GF will look after me in the hospital.

Cheers - Bob.

[Saan]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

No problem with recommending the doctor but I'd think twice about Rajavej if you are not able to help yourself while there.

Despite its pretensions as an international hospital it is Thai style and you really need a family member to be there to assist.

I was confined to be with an 'absolute bed rest' sign attached to my bed. I was unable to feed myself and as a result went hungry as there was no one available to help. My food was brought in and placed beside the bed and taken away untouched. Even a cup of tea was impossible with a cup and a teabag placed beside me without hot water. There was a water heater around the corner but out of reach. I only survived by friends bringing me in snacks and feeding me.

This is common in all the private hospitals in Chiang Mai. The assumption is that you will have someone (family member, friend) assisting you. That's why the private rooms all have a sofa for a family member to stay overnight. Rajavej has some very good English-speaking customer service reps and the answer would have been to ask to speak to one of them to explain your problem. (Frankly, the head nurse should have seen the problem and asked them to come visit, but oh well). The customer service rep could have arranged for an off-duty staff member to take on the role of family member to come feed you, etc Yes, you would have had to pay extra for this, but the charge would not have been very high.

Amazingly, this isn't necessary in Suan Dok, the University hospital. If a patient can't feed themselves, then one of the nurses will do it and they add a 50 baht charge to the bill for each meal where feeding assistance is required This seems to be a more straight-forward solution that I wish the private hospitals would adopt.

I spoke to the head nurse and the customer service rep all to no avail. I did not eat their food while I was in there apart from the time spent in intensive care where I was helped with my meals.

Also, I had one of the top private rooms but the windows were so dirty that I could not see out. If they don't clean their windows I wonder what else the don't clean.

[Saan]

Thanks for the advice everyone - fantastic - very much appreciated.

I am off to see Dr Chanarkarn at the Clinic next week, and my GF will look after me in the hospital.

Cheers - Bob.

To find his clinic you drive along the river from the city and as you approach the bridge that takes you across the river to Rajavej he is on the left about 100 metres before the turn to the bridge. There is a big sign along the fence line announcing orthopedic clinic.

Good luck.

[NancyL]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

No problem with recommending the doctor but I'd think twice about Rajavej if you are not able to help yourself while there.

Despite its pretensions as an international hospital it is Thai style and you really need a family member to be there to assist.

I was confined to be with an 'absolute bed rest' sign attached to my bed. I was unable to feed myself and as a result went hungry as there was no one available to help. My food was brought in and placed beside the bed and taken away untouched. Even a cup of tea was impossible with a cup and a teabag placed beside me without hot water. There was a water heater around the corner but out of reach. I only survived by friends bringing me in snacks and feeding me.

This is common in all the private hospitals in Chiang Mai. The assumption is that you will have someone (family member, friend) assisting you. That's why the private rooms all have a sofa for a family member to stay overnight. Rajavej has some very good English-speaking customer service reps and the answer would have been to ask to speak to one of them to explain your problem. (Frankly, the head nurse should have seen the problem and asked them to come visit, but oh well). The customer service rep could have arranged for an off-duty staff member to take on the role of family member to come feed you, etc Yes, you would have had to pay extra for this, but the charge would not have been very high.

Amazingly, this isn't necessary in Suan Dok, the University hospital. If a patient can't feed themselves, then one of the nurses will do it and they add a 50 baht charge to the bill for each meal where feeding assistance is required This seems to be a more straight-forward solution that I wish the private hospitals would adopt.

I spoke to the head nurse and the customer service rep all to no avail. I did not eat their food while I was in there apart from the time spent in intensive care where I was helped with my meals.

Also, I had one of the top private rooms but the windows were so dirty that I could not see out. If they don't clean their windows I wonder what else the don't clean.

I'm surprised with this. Perhaps it wasn't clear to them that you were willing to pay extra for this service -- that you were asking them to find an off-duty person to help you and not wanting to add to the workload of someone already on duty. Many foreigners think this is something that should be included as part of the regular nursing services at the private hospitals and it's simply not.

[Saan]

No problem with recommending the doctor but I'd think twice about Rajavej if you are not able to help yourself while there.

Despite its pretensions as an international hospital it is Thai style and you really need a family member to be there to assist.

I was confined to be with an 'absolute bed rest' sign attached to my bed. I was unable to feed myself and as a result went hungry as there was no one available to help. My food was brought in and placed beside the bed and taken away untouched. Even a cup of tea was impossible with a cup and a teabag placed beside me without hot water. There was a water heater around the corner but out of reach. I only survived by friends bringing me in snacks and feeding me.

This is common in all the private hospitals in Chiang Mai. The assumption is that you will have someone (family member, friend) assisting you. That's why the private rooms all have a sofa for a family member to stay overnight. Rajavej has some very good English-speaking customer service reps and the answer would have been to ask to speak to one of them to explain your problem. (Frankly, the head nurse should have seen the problem and asked them to come visit, but oh well). The customer service rep could have arranged for an off-duty staff member to take on the role of family member to come feed you, etc Yes, you would have had to pay extra for this, but the charge would not have been very high.

Amazingly, this isn't necessary in Suan Dok, the University hospital. If a patient can't feed themselves, then one of the nurses will do it and they add a 50 baht charge to the bill for each meal where feeding assistance is required This seems to be a more straight-forward solution that I wish the private hospitals would adopt.

I spoke to the head nurse and the customer service rep all to no avail. I did not eat their food while I was in there apart from the time spent in intensive care where I was helped with my meals.

Also, I had one of the top private rooms but the windows were so dirty that I could not see out. If they don't clean their windows I wonder what else the don't clean.

I'm surprised with this. Perhaps it wasn't clear to them that you were willing to pay extra for this service -- that you were asking them to find an off-duty person to help you and not wanting to add to the workload of someone already on duty. Many foreigners think this is something that should be included as part of the regular nursing services at the private hospitals and it's simply not.

Something must have been obvious when all my meals were taken back uneaten. The man from the international department spoke excellent English and was fully aware of my plight.

If the wanted an addition charge they had only to ask me. They had no problems adding charges to my bill.

[uptheos]

In hospitals you pay for EVERYTHING.

Have surgery and ask for a complete cost breakdown of your time spent in there, you will be amazed right down to 20 baht for a pin.

It's the way it is, they don't do or give anything for nothing, that's just the way it is so you need to adapt.

[NancyL]

Nope, they're not going to ask why you return a meal uneaten. They will even put on the chart that you didn't eat it if the doctor has requested to track everything you eat and drink. They will even chart the weight of a patient with dementia or other very serious problem losing weight at an alarming rate and it won't occur to someone to question why that person isn't eating.

Critical thinking isn't part of the job description.

I'm sorry -- I didn't want to hijack this thread. It's just that I've had a lot of experience assisting foreigners in the local hospitals and it comes as a complete surprise to most that they are expected to have family members come along to help them to the toilet, and feed them. If they are alone in the room, then they need to specifically ask to hire an off-duty nurse to do this and that person will mostly just sit around (or sleep on the coach).

Conversely, it comes to a complete and absolute surprise to the Thai staff in hospitals that foreigners live alone, have no one to care for them when they are sick, have grown children in foreign countries who don't drop everything and come to Thailand to be at their bedside and that foreigners stay here to end their final days, rather than return to their home country. They can't image spending their final days in a foreign country.

[northernjohn]

I can only speak about Rajavej I stayed in the private room. Not the deluxe one. They have two different rates for Private. When I got my bill I noticed that they charged me 200 baht a day for the food. I am surprised that they would not wonder about some one not eating the food if they were paying for it.

I did not realize that was optional. I would still have gotten it if I had.

They also charged me 400 baht a day for the nurses service which I found to be very pricey for what they did.

Next time I go in there I will not use the nurse unless the doctor says to. When it comes to my medication which is all they did my wife can do it. That is if it doesn't involve using a needle.

[toesolipsolie]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

Hi there James T,

This thread and your post is of particular interest to me because I can no longer live with the pain of my torn meniscus.I can walk and get around but after 10 years of living with it, It's my plan to come to Thailand and have my knee scoped and hopefully by Dr.Chanakarn given the endorsements by you and other TV members. If you have any interest in reaching out to me I have some general questions about overall cost, recovery time, physical therapy,etc,for your procedure,( I understand that it my situation is probably not like for like with yours). My goal in knowing this information would be helpful because my deductible here in the states is USD10,000 and I think I could come there on a double entry visa, have the procedure, and stay for 60 days and all for less than $10,000.

All helpful advice and input by my fellow TV members is appreciated and I thank you in advance.

.

All the best to you all

[NancyL]

I can only speak about Rajavej I stayed in the private room. Not the deluxe one. They have two different rates for Private. When I got my bill I noticed that they charged me 200 baht a day for the food. I am surprised that they would not wonder about some one not eating the food if they were paying for it.

I did not realize that was optional. I would still have gotten it if I had.

They also charged me 400 baht a day for the nurses service which I found to be very pricey for what they did.

Next time I go in there I will not use the nurse unless the doctor says to. When it comes to my medication which is all they did my wife can do it. That is if it doesn't involve using a needle.

Northernjohn, I don't think you're going to be able to "opt out" of the nursing services at Rajavej. Yes, you can "opt out" of the food, but not the nursing services. They're doing stuff that you don't see. Like keeping track of medications ordered by the doctor and noting if you took them. Taking and recording your temp and blood pressure, maybe your output of urine, if that's been ordered, too. They come into the room when the doctor visits to help him and note anything he orders to be done for you. Just because they aren't spending time in your room, laying hands on you, doesn't mean they aren't doing activity on your behalf. Also, if you had a problem -- like choking or sudden cardiac arrest, you'd sure want nurses to be running to help you, wouldn't you?

A lot of what the nurses do here in Thailand is called "charting" -- i.e. writing down everything that's happening with you. Some of it is so the doctor can see when he comes to visit, some it is for billing purposes.

[kuma]

As with everyone else, I can recommend Dr Chanakarn 100%....

He did an arthroscopy on my right knee for a cartilage tear, and the results were 100% - in fact, he did such a good job that only 8 hours after the op, I was walking and weight bearing on it!

No need to go to the Rajavej for appointment...I just rocked up at the Clinic and made an appointment for initial consultation, and everything went from there. He recommended the best MRI scan centre, then performed the op within weeks at the Rajavej.

After 4 months, I've had no post-op issues at all, and am busy building up the joint strength.

No reservations - go see the guy, he's good!

Hi there James T,

This thread and your post is of particular interest to me because I can no longer live with the pain of my torn meniscus.I can walk and get around but after 10 years of living with it, It's my plan to come to Thailand and have my knee scoped and hopefully by Dr.Chanakarn given the endorsements by you and other TV members. If you have any interest in reaching out to me I have some general questions about overall cost, recovery time, physical therapy,etc,for your procedure,( I understand that it my situation is probably not like for like with yours). My goal in knowing this information would be helpful because my deductible here in the states is USD10,000 and I think I could come there on a double entry visa, have the procedure, and stay for 60 days and all for less than $10,000.

All helpful advice and input by my fellow TV members is appreciated and I thank you in advance.

.

All the best to you all

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Good day

I also have been diagnosed via MRI with a detached and torn ligament in my shoulder, part of the rotator cuff I guess.

Today I find out insurance will cover roughly 47k thb, and hospital wants me to pay an additional 300k thb!

Seems crazy to me, would like to hear of others experience and comments on whether the surgery is necessary, perhaps there are other ways to manage thru it?

I am still very active and bicycle to work daily and on the weekends so I want to get back to as good a state as possible but think this hospital is very expensive....and my insurance really is junk, so comments or suggestions on other hospitals to consider would be great. In my case I went to Samitivej in Bkk.

From what I see on this thread, the service and quality in CM seems good and the price much more favourable.

Cheers