Varicocele surgery

[simplespiveys]

( I'm gonna talk about nuts, so brace yourself ) My husband is in great health, but has had a varicocele his whole life (he's 24)and it causes him severe pain now. What's worse, is it may be impacting his testosterone production and fertility since it is in the left testicle. I am fertile & we've been together about 5 years without protection, so I'm lead to believe we may have trouble reproducing if we chose to at some point without this surgery. I have requested information from a few hospitals, but I'm not sure if they are recommended or will even provide any information via online form. If you can suggest anywhere to go, or anyone to talk to, we would really appreciate it. Either before embarking in June or during our stay(mostly in bangsaen) It's my understanding that without insurance, anything other than embolization is outrageously expensive here in the US. I got a quote a while back for surgery costing just as much as embolization here(he doesn't want his jewels under an xray for an hour, i dont blame him) so I figured it would be worth a shot to try and get it done. He has never seen a urologist before because an appointment for a referral or consultation for surgery would be around $200 for a 30 min visit followed by $6-$8K for the surgery. Hopefully not having medical history is not an issue, as i figured he would be buying a consult/exam in Thailand. His pediatrician from at least 10 years ago saw no issue with it being extremely harmful other than being painful and impacting free testosterone/fertility down the line. If you have any estimate of how long he might be in the hospital or just on bedrest after a procedure like this? Also, would purchasing insurance from an agent here bring the hospital bill cost down any over there? Again, any info is much appreciated.

[sunnyjim5]

Pre-existing conditions are usually not "covered" by insurance companies so expect any insurance purchased to refuse a claim made against treatment of your husbands existing condition. However, obtaining travel insurance for the trip is a very good idea.

There are private hospitals in the area which you will be staying. It would be simple to obtain an appointment with a Urologist at a cost of <> 2000 Bht.

The urologist will explain treatment options/cost.

Any information about cost etc. received in response to "online" inquiry" is likely to be inaccurate and supplied by clerical staff.

Choosing a surgical treatment option will only involve a very short hospital stay.

[Sheryl]

As above but I would add that while consultation even at the most expensive private hospital will not be much, surgical repair costs will vary greatly by hospital. My guess -- and it is only a guess - is that it would range anywhere from 80,000 - 200,000+ baht depending on hospital. So at the higher end, not much cheaper than in the US, but at the lower end, significantly less. Cost does not in any way correllate to quality in private hospitals here, only to amenities.

As you will be paying out of pocket I suggest one of these urologists at St Louis a hospital, a no-frills non-profit hospital:

Prof. Apirak Santingamkun (Werdnesday evenings 5-7 PM and Saturdays 1-4 PM)

Dr. Sanguanchai Chokdeesumrit (Tues, Wed, Thurs and Sun mornings, Monday afternoons).

The hospital is on Sathorn road walking distance from BTS Surasak station. No appointment needed but register to get a patient number downstairs, and as it is first come first serve, arriving a little early is good.

[simplespiveys]

Thank you so much! Sunnyjim, if you're referring to US insurance, I believe obamacare changed the pre existing condition deal. However, purchasing insurance here is unhelpful in the very best scenario. Travel insurance would cover the cost of any unforeseen early return or something correct? Sheryl, your advice is very helpful. We appreciate it

[sunnyjim5]

Thank you so much! Sunnyjim, if you're referring to US insurance, I believe obamacare changed the pre existing condition deal. However, purchasing insurance here is unhelpful in the very best scenario. Travel insurance would cover the cost of any unforeseen early return or something correct? Sheryl, your advice is very helpful. We appreciate it

I was not referring to US insurance.

I doubt there is a insurance Company anywhere in the world that would insure a pre existing condition, outside ones normal country of residence but you are welcome to prove me wrong. Perhaps Mr. Obama will provide insurance for your husband to be fixed in Thailand .

Travel insurance does cover a range of unexpected occurrences (including accidents/ ill heath), is relatively cheap and well worth having.

Read the small print especially if you intend to ride motorbikes/scooters or engage in inherently risky activity.

[Sheryl]

Travel insurance is important to have but will not cover the variocele repair. You will have to pay for it out of pocket.

[inbangkok]

You are correct that health reform now requires insurers to cover pre-existing conditions in the USA in many instances. However, convincing an insurance company to cover a procedure outside of the USA is still virtually unheard of at this point. I can say with 99.9% certainty you will be paying for this procedure out of pocket here in Thailand should you choose to pursue it.