Daily Moan

[Mendip]

Maybe also consider not hanging around one of the scabbiest areas in Thailand.

True enough, I've never been bitten on Soi 4, the other side of the road.

[nidhogg]

Well, you're comparing the NHS to going private there, obviously.

Not like for like.

Fair point. However, treatment under the Thai social insurance system is not too shabby also (hospital dependent). I only swapped to private at the time of covid - the public hospital was just too crowded, but the actual treatment was pretty first class. Indeed, at least one of my doctors works at both places.

[Edmond]

12 hours after arriving in Bkk l went for a walk down Sukhumvit at about 7 am.

Between SOI 5 and 3 l pass 3 SOI dogs.

On latch onto my left hand. Oh the pain and blood.

I believe the owner was a lady who just ignored the incident. One man seemed to confirm that she was the owner but she would not look or interaction with me.

So off to BUMRUNGRAD hospital. Four hours later and B22000 bill I was back at my hotel.

I have insurance but a B10000 excess.

Only four Rabies shots and 3 other outpatient appointment to schedule during my stay.


Walked passed the 3 dogs today at the Nana crossing.

May go and make a police report, I would hate them to bite a child.

Don't you or didn't you work here?

Sounds like something the Thai SSO would cover.

[cyrille]

Indeed, at least one of my doctors works at both places.

Yes, that seems common. So who needs Bumrungrad bills, especially for a fairly common course of injections.

It's interesting to me that you have fairly positive impression of public hospitals.

Perhaps your contacts helped?

I generally hear little positive about the Thai public health system. Many seem to think that Thaksin messed it up beyond repair, but I have little experience of it.

So far.

[BLD]

I've had plenty of experience of Thai hospitals. Living in Lao there was really no choice, you have a serious problem get yer ass to Bangkok. Forget the province. 2 detached retinas treated at rutnin.the finest eye hospital in Thailand. The late King used to go there so if it's good enough for him.its good enough for me. Fortunately both operations were covered by my company's insurance . But I had to pony up cash 100% first then claim back.. The last one was a broken arm requiring 2 surgeries in udon thani. Nice hospital. But wasn't covered for that one. Titanium plate in my arm and treatment cost me about $15000 usd. Lesson learnt. Don't be a cheap [at][at][at][at]. Probably would of cost the same in bangkok but when the bones poking through the skin udon will do.

[BLD]

I think thai public hospitals are probably OK.if you aren't seriously fucked up. And the nurses are cute

[BLD]

Yes, that seems common. So who needs Bumrungrad bills, especially for a fairly common course of injections.

It's interesting to me that you have fairly positive impression of public hospitals.

Perhaps your contacts helped?

I generally hear little positive about the Thai public health system. Many seem to think that Thaksin messed it up beyond repair, but I have little experience of it.

So far.

It's interesting to me that you think Bumrungrab is expensive? You worked all those years in the sandpit. Yet bumgrabbers is the preferred hospital for D dune coo,
whoops
. can't say that. Not even jokingly. I guess you get what you pay for. But all the times I've been to bumgrabbers I've been totally impressed. Certainly can't get that level of efficiency in Oz.the UK?

[Edmond]

A friend was treated in Nakorn Ping on the road to Mae Rim for 3 or so days. Seemed okay. Thai, so auto covered to the tune of 100k or so. From what I gather most Thais regard it as the best public hospital in CM.

[BLD]

Yeah. They got the skills. It's not all chicken head shit they get up to. That kinda shit is only in Korat where mendy hangs out where they snack on bugs, drink lao khao,Leo etc and weird shit

[Mendip]

I get my offshore medicals in Bumrungrad every two years and the price is ok. I also get a skin cancer check there annually because there's a good skin doc trained in California who knows Western skin. The price is ok, tbh.

That reminds me, I'm overdue a check. I may try and stop off enroute to Norway next week...

[BLD]

I guess it's only half a moan from me

[BLD]

I get my offshore medicals in Bumrungrad every two years and the price is ok. I also get a skin cancer check there annually because there's a good skin doc trained in California who knows Western skin. The price is ok, tbh.

That reminds me, I'm overdue a check. I may try and stop off enroute to Norway next week...

Yep. Had a couple of them rascals removed there. One on my schnozz by laser which hurt like fuck. Fortunately soi 4 was not far and I got some sympathy

[Mendip]

One on my schnozz

Is that what I think it is?

I had a basal thingummy jig removed a few years ago, cut out of my shoulder and stitched up. I've been a lot more careful in the sun since then, but it's hard to completely avoid in this bloody place.

[BLD]

Erm. Yep it was my nose

[BLD]

Is that what I think it is?

I had a basal thingummy jig removed a few years ago, cut out of my shoulder and stitched up. I've been a lot more careful in the sun since then, but it's hard to completely avoid in this bloody place.

You are safe enough in asia..in Australia the sun is brutal. But back in the day when safety wasn't a factor or a separate industry we used to work in shorts only,no shirt. Didn't give a fuck back then. One stint I spent 3 months in the Gibson desert came home blacker than Toby's ass

[taxexile]

Is that what I think it is?

I had a basal thingummy jig removed a few years ago, cut out of my shoulder and stitched up. I've been a lot more careful in the sun since then, but it's hard to completely avoid in this bloody place.

having one taken off my ear tomorrow, a basal cell carcinoma. it was biopsied a few months ago. they are not serious and rarely if ever metastasize. but it is a skin cancer.

was yours done using mohs micrographic surgery, or did they just cut it out? i wanted to get mine done in thailand but couldnt find a hospital that did the mohs micrographic procedure.

[hallelujah]

having one taken off my ear tomorrow, a basal cell carcinoma. it was biopsied a few months ago. they are not serious and rarely if ever metastasize. but it is a skin cancer.

was yours done using mohs micrographic surgery, or did they just cut it out? i wanted to get mine done in thailand but couldnt find a hospital that did the mohs micrographic procedure.

Has the doc told you how much they'll be taking off?

A mate of my dad's had something similar and they took half of the top of his ear off.

He really struggled to come to terms with it for quite a while.

Edit: just googled this mohs thing and I guess they won't properly know until they've examined the ear during the op, but do they have a rough idea?

[Edmond]

A mate of my dad's had something similar and they took half of the top of his ear off.

*checks me knob*

[Mendip]

having one taken off my ear tomorrow, a basal cell carcinoma. it was biopsied a few months ago. they are not serious and rarely if ever metastasize. but it is a skin cancer.

was yours done using mohs micrographic surgery, or did they just cut it out? i wanted to get mine done in thailand but couldnt find a hospital that did the mohs micrographic procedure.

I tried to send to a PM but it seems impossible?

Anyway, it's not really private.

I had never heard of this 'Mohs micrographic procedure' before so did a quick bit of research. My basal cell carcinoma was on the fleshy part of my left shoulder, so maybe it was cut out deeply to start with to be on the safe side, seeing as aesthetics wasn't an issue? This was done three days after the positive biopsy and several years ago, and it hasn't come back.

Anyway, I always see Dr Niyom Tantikun at Bumrungrad for a skin check and find him very easy to deal with. I guess you can take any further research from there, if interested.

Good luck with your ear!

[DrWilly]

My basal cell carcinoma was on the fleshy part of my left shoulder, so maybe it was cut out deeply to start with to be on the safe side, seeing as aesthetics wasn't an issue?

I’m pretty sure it could be smack bang in the middle of your boat race and they’d still make the same assessment.

[cyrille]

But then you pretty much have no idea what you are talking about, right?

[taxexile]

they take a thin slice, then analyse it in the lab. you are sent to wait until the lab send their result, about 90 mins.

if the margins and base are clear they dress the wound and send you home, if they are not they take another slice and so on until they have got it all.

this procedure is used in areas where there is not a lot to work on, e.g. ears, nose, fingers and willys brain.

[taxexile]

well ive had it done, and it was more complicated than i thought. theinitial excision took 30 minutes, then a 2 hour wait and then an hour and a half for the reconstruction, all done under local anaesthetic.

the basal cell carcinoma was removed leaving a rather large defect. the lab confirmed that all the carcinoma had been excised in one go and that no further tissue needed to be removed, but that left a rather large wound, the surgeon then proceeded to repair the defect using a "preauricular pull through flap" for reconstruction of the auricle. this is a novel approach using a pedicled flap from preauricular excess skin, which is tunneled through an incision in the helix and is stitched over the defect on the anterior auricular surface.

a bit like patching an old shirt.

illustrated below.




the cancer on my ear was in exactly the same position as the lesion in the photo, and the area from where the flap is taken is closed with sutures giving me a mini facelift, but only on one side!

i have been on a NHS waiting list for about 9 months for this, (i had been quoted between £6000 and £7000 to beat the waiting list and have it done privately) and i must say, the NHS were excellent.

seen on time, friendly staff, a comfy private waiting room with a decent lunch provided whilst i waited for the result of the excised tissue to come back from the lab, everything explained to me in great detail, a bagful of antibiotics and dressings supplied to take home, stitches out in a week and a follow up with the surgeon in a month, there was no cashier to deal with on the way out and most surprising of all considering what i read in the papers about the NHS being super woke, i wasnt asked for my pronouns or if i was pregnant or breastfeeding once!

[klong toey]

Best of luck I had the same thing just below my nose all good now.
I will say the NHS were really good to me I made them wait to do my operation because of flying back to Bangkok. I told them when I would be back in Blighty and true to their word they had sent me through an appointment for a few day's after I arrived back.

[taxexile]

how long did you have to wait to get your procedure done, not counting the time in Thailand?


Once you are actually seen the NHS is pretty good, but you need to be pro active and ask for phone numbers, names of nurses and secretaries and not be afraid to keep phoning to enquire about cancellations and test results.

But compared to thai hospitals the NHS seems to work at a pretty slow pace, at least in the outpatient departments. the waiting rooms, (apart from A and E) are never full, I would think they could see many more patients per day if they wanted to, and their IT systems are from the dark ages. During the 3 weeks before my appointment I received half a dozen texts and 3 posted letters with the same info about my appointment and each letter contained the same booklet describing the treatment.

My NHS hospital experiences in the UK, 2 as an inpatient and quite a few for minor outpatient procedures, mostly for sun damaged skin, have always been good. Getting to see a GP though is a different matter, its never the same one and some of them show little interest in their work.

Luckily I have a few mates that were GPs to advise me should anything crop up, and I keep a cupboard full of the most popular prescription meds purchased in Thailand should I need them, and I avoid the GPs wherever possible.