Humerus fracture

[tagme55]

Hi there.

Is there anyone out here who has had surgery for a humerus fracture in Bangkok?

Any good orthopedic surgeons you would recommend?

Its a rather bad fracture and i could really use all the help i can get.

Many thanks in advance ??

[farang95]

can you try go the the big hospital at Victory Monument ? the nurses are beautiful...?

[fstarbkk]

I actually had a very complicated humerus fracture, from an accident in BKK, a few years back. The head of ortho surgery at Chula hospital wanted to amputate (not kidding!).

Through good fortune and persistence, I wound up in the hands of Suthorn Bavonratanavech, at Bumrungrad. With the latest surgical techniques, supplemented by months of physiotherapy, he restored my arm to full function and form. I would trust that man with my life.

Last I heard, Dr. Suthorn is now working at Bangkok Hospital. Good luck!

Edited January 29, 2016 by fstarbkk

[Sheryl]

Are you insured? As this is going to be expensive.

[sunnyjim5]

Many Humeral fractures can be successfully treated by conservative means.

Have you been advised your fracture definitely requires surgery?

As already said if surgery is definitely required the bill is likely to be large.

[Issangeorge]

Don't know how serious the fracture is, but you might want to try a good public hospital if you don't have insurance. I had an operation to repair a broken arm and leg, had to put pins in the arm (since removed) and steel in the leg (elected not to have it removed), 8 days in the hospital (ward) less than ฿50,000, more than satisfied with the results. This was at an upcountry district hospital.

[arjunadawn]

I had humeral head related surgery at Bumrungrad. I did not have a fracture though; I had subacromial decompression and cleaning up the ball and socket joint. I was in/out same day in my case as I refused to stay. I convalesced well and never had any subsequent problems. I have had multiple ortho surgeries in the US from trauma and I think hands down my surgery at Bumrungrad was the best with the least post op complaints.

Hrm, I seem to recall something that impressed me then. My doc was associated in the US with Johns Hopkins Ortho or such. It was awhile ago. Positive experience for crumby issue.

[uhuh]

Dr Pornthep Mamanee, Bangkok Hospital

[tagme55]

Hi everyone.

Just wanted to give you all an update.

After having posted on the forum, i unfortunately didn't have much time to follow up and check on what had been said as I was busy making preparations to travel to Bangkok. I did have a look at other threads on the forum regarding shoulder surgery and came across a name being mentioned often -- "Dr Mason Porramatikul".

Many had recommended him and it definitely helped to have reliable posters like Sheryl suggest him too.

Both my husband and I travelled about 6-7hrs and reached Bangkok just in time for our appointment with Dr Mason. He appeared to be a very nice man. Our first impression of him was that he was a no-nonsense, down to earth person. He definitely knew what he was talking about and posted my husband for surgery the following day, on a Sunday.

I was a typical wife that day! Whatever medical knowledge i had, i simply left outside the consultation room. I went on to ask him; not once, not twice, but thrice, whether or not he often performed the kind of surgery he was about to do on my husband. He could have easily just flicked my concerns away nonchalantly , but no, he smiled at me politely and said "ofcourse i have, i am a shoulder specialist" . He had a look at the CT scan that i presented to him ( i had emailed it to him already!) He mentioned it was a pretty bad fracture and popped them on the light box ( indicating he had gone over the pictures i had emailed him ). He explained all the risks, explained how the surgery would be done, and talked us through basically every little thing.. He spent about 20-30 minutes with us. He went on to say that he did not require my husband to get a second CT done ( something that some doctors would simply insist on ) , and asked that my husband get a few x-rays done (x-rays that we were unable to get done back home).

My husband and i left feeling good about our choice to consult Dr Mason. We were just sad that we couldn't have got to Bangkok sooner. Sitting outside in the waiting area, we came up with a few more queries and requested a second meet with Dr Mason. We were once again seated infront of him. He didnt rush us, he didnt appear exasperated for even a minute, and he just smiled and talked us through everything we needed to clarify eventhough he was having a busy OPD day. He said that, yes, it was one of the worst proximal humerus fractures he has seen, but assured us that he would do his absolute best. We finally left the room, with all our doubts cleared.

The following day, we reached the hospital early in the morning, and after all the paperwork, were taken to our room. The room was absolutely lovely. We opted to take a private room, and we were glad we did.

We were initially told that the surgery would take around 2 to 2 n a half hours; however, it went on to last for 5 hours. When it started going on for longer than expected, it had me thinking the absolute worst, thinking of all the possible complications that could arise during surgery. I would say that not being able to get an update from the OT was the only thing that was lacking from our hospital experience. I say this because my uncle had surgery done in singapore and when he did, we constantly got updates from the operating theater. I wish that would've been possible at Bumrungrad hospital as i found it rather hard to get an update on what was going on.

The surgery was a success and boy oh boy were we relieved. Dr Mason said he was very happy with the final results.

One could tell that he was v.happy with his work , and going over the operative details on the medical certificate, i knew without a single doubt that i had chosen the right surgeon for my husband!! The post operative x-ray had me in awe, and his beautiful suturing was impeccable too! Post operative pain with this kind of surgery can be quite bad, but my husband hardly had to depend on strong analgesia. He was prescribed tramadol but didnt have to resort to taking it.

My husbands pre & post op xrays were seen by an orthopod in the UK and we were told it was a "bloody good job!!"

To be honest, I couldn't have made the decision to consult Dr Mason without the info posted on this forum, and so i am forever grateful to those of you who had posted their recommendations.

I would also like to make note that Dr Mason is an epitome of integrity. I think someone else mentioned so in a comment aswell. He is really one of a kind and he has the skills and knowledge to back up his kindness. All i can say is that you're in good hands if it is Dr Masons. He will give it to you like it really is, be it good, be it bad, and thats what u need before u head in for surgery! Both my husband and I cannot recommend Dr Mason enough!!

Our experience at Bumrungrad hospital was nothing but wonderful; from pre-admission to discharge. Dr Mason was the best and the nursing staff was absolutely great too! I would say that 90% of the staff that we encountered had little to almost no difficulty communicating in English. They were caring, attentive, and very prompt. An A+ to the nursing staff on the 12th floor ! Yes, we had to pay big bucks at the end of the day, but we felt that every cent was worth it.

I can only hope that this account of our experience with Dr Mason at Bumrungrad hospital can help someone else as much as the many posts on this forum helped us.

Thank you all! God Bless [emoji120]

[Sheryl]

Yes, Dr. Mason is indeed excellent and by far the best shoulder specialist in Thailand.

Thanks for the update and glad all went well.