Hospital visit

[dj230]

Thought I’d make a thread about my experience in a bangkok hospital incase anyone was wondering how the healthcare is like in bangkok

 

long story short, a friend had some abdominal pain, went to the ER (private hospital), pretty much no wait. 
The experience was very similar to the healthcare in Canada, except more luxurious.

 

Typical imaging, blood work, pain meds (IV) and then once you’re admitted you’re sent to a private room 
 

Couldn’t really believe how nice it was and when the bill came, definitely re-enforced how important health insurance is. I have travel health insurance but I’ll probably fork out a bit of extra cash and get extra health insurance incase I get an emergency while I’m in Thailand, just to make sure I’m fully covered. 

 

Definitely would want to be in a private hospital vs a government hospital, the treatment/care was top notch and the room you’re admitted in is pretty much as nice as a hotel room (private room, shower, bathroom, fridge, tv, microwave) 

I actually have some medical conditions which I was going to go back to Canada to have taken care of, but after visiting the hospital in Bangkok, I may just have it done in bangkok instead. (They’re not covered by government healthcare in Canada so I’d be paying out of pocket either way)

Edited October 12, 2021 by dj230

[Faraday]

The government hospitals here are ok, certainly less money is spent on decor, & the nurses don't look as fit. Many doctors work at both private & govt hospitals, & in my experience, the standard of care is the same.

An example. I had a hip replacement 4 years ago, Bangkok hospital quoted me around 500k baht, & were quite persistent in trying to get a deposit from me.

I was operated on by a senior surgeon at the Army hospital in Udon, I had a private room, & the bill which I paid on discharge was 130k.

[billyburi]

You don't get a private room if you are admitted to an ICU, , only later on when you are less ill/critical.  Your wife cannot stay with you, sleep outside the ICU on chairs etc.  I did six nights  in one in January this year, collapsed lung caused by massive pleural effusion. I still shudder at the size of that needle they shoved thru my rib cage.....

Private hospital with good medical staff and I have reasonable health cover with ThaiLife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Faraday]

17 minutes ago, billyburi said:

You don't get a private room if you are admitted to an ICU, , only later on when you are less ill/critical.  Your wife cannot stay with you, sleep outside the ICU on chairs etc.  I did six nights  in one in January this year, collapsed lung caused by massive pleural effusion. I still shudder at the size of that needle they shoved thru my rib cage.....

Private hospital with good medical staff and I have reasonable health cover with ThaiLife.

How much did this cost, Bill?

Is everything ok with your lungs now, & what caused the effusion?

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, Faraday said:

The government hospitals here are ok, certainly less money is spent on decor, & the nurses don't look as fit. Many doctors work at both private & govt hospitals, & in my experience, the standard of care is the same.

An example. I had a hip replacement 4 years ago, Bangkok hospital quoted me around 500k baht, & were quite persistent in trying to get a deposit from me.

I was operated on by a senior surgeon at the Army hospital in Udon, I had a private room, & the bill which I paid on discharge was 130k.

I wiped out on my motorbike pretty bad in Samui

Managed to drive myself to Bangkok Hospital 

They did a great job evaluating me and dressing me up and I don't think the bill was all that bad

 

But on the follow up visit they were very aggressive in suggesting all sorts of things I definitely did not need 

 

Walked out

My travel insurance reimbursed me 

[RobMuir]

1 hour ago, Faraday said:

the nurses don't look as fit.

That really is true. You get the stunners by going private. I love the white high heeled sneakers they wear.

They are the reason I always go private for my prostate examinations. 

 

[billyburi]

44 minutes ago, Faraday said:

How much did this cost, Bill?

Is everything ok with your lungs now, & what caused the effusion?

Its a long on going saga bud, I'm only 65 and this has knocked me for six. I still visit the cardio department at the hospital every month, for x-ray and bloods/ check up. Lungs are just not producing enough O2, get out of breath very easy. The stay in hospital was B84,140, and ThaiLife coughed up B47,840.  During the stay I had CT scan and ultra sound tests , plus other stuff which bumped the bill up. The treatment seemed straight forward, drain lots of fluid out, and fill you full of anti biotics. The Docs were a bit hesitant to release me as O2 levels were low, I was moved to a very nice private room, where the wife could stay etc..

When I was discharged, the surgeon said I should have a lung biopsy  but they couldn't carry out as they didn't have a respiratory expert inhouse. I had to go to Bangkok Phitsanulok Hospital for that, the lung specialist there, very switched on I thought, just one night in ICU/private room.

Draining lungs (again), lung biopsy and drugs pumped inside me, discharged next day, cost B32,183, ThaiLife only paid out B4,700 towards bill this time...

Pathology report was done in Bangkok, very comprehensive, no infection, lung disease or malignant cells.

I still have a small amount of liquid in lung area, it shows up on x ray all the time, taking meds for it and still under investigation...... My next strategy is to make an appointment with a Bangkok based cardio specialist, this recent lockdown stuff has put a lot of stuff on hold. 

 

 

[NCC1701A]

5 hours ago, dj230 said:

Thought I’d make a thread about my experience in a bangkok hospital incase anyone was wondering how the healthcare is like in bangkok

the latest fad with the ultrasound techs at Bumrungrad Hospital is to wear two pairs of false eyelashes. 

If you have never been to Bumrungrad you should try at least one time. Blows Bangkok Hospital out of the water. Expensive as hell. 

Do you know what type of pain killers your friend received?

[Faraday]

6 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

the latest fad with the ultrasound techs at Bumrungrad Hospital is to wear two pairs of false eyelashes. 

If you have never been to Bumrungrad you should try at least one time. Blows Bangkok Hospital out of the water. Expensive as hell. 

Do you know what type of pain killers your friend received?

Is that where Pookie works, or is she not current anymore?

[NCC1701A]

i was in the hospital for 23 days and I hired a woman to stay with me the whole time. She was happy to sleep on the extra sofa bed thing. the nurses are great but having someone to hand you your notebook computer and plug it in or turn the lights out when you are hooked up to a VI can be really nice. 

two or three nurses coming in a group everyday "you want us clean body?" 

 

[NCC1701A]

5 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Is that where Pookie works, or is she not current anymore?

Pookie is in training. 

[Faraday]

1 minute ago, NCC1701A said:

two or three nurses coming in a group everyday "you want us clean body?" 

I was given a body bath when I had my hip done. I was in quite a lot of pain & the experience was just uncomfortable & embarrassing. 

Shame really...

[dj230]

38 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

the latest fad with the ultrasound techs at Bumrungrad Hospital is to wear two pairs of false eyelashes. 

If you have never been to Bumrungrad you should try at least one time. Blows Bangkok Hospital out of the water. Expensive as hell. 

Do you know what type of pain killers your friend received?

Haha you mean the nurses or the healthcare ;)

 

I’m guessing an opioid of some sort, that’s what they give typically in Toronto at least
 

they said she needs surgery for gallstones, crazy, she’s pretty young, was quoted for 180k for the surgery, not including ER fees, I’m new to Thailand but from what I read it’s probably even more for foreigners? She’s a Thai national so I thought it’d be cheaper

 

I’m calling some health insurance companies when they open in North American hours, going to get extra coverage/make sure I’m covered 100%, no way I’m getting stuck with one of those bills if something goes wrong while I’m in Thailand, I’d rather pay up the extra premiums and be safe. 

Edited October 13, 2021 by dj230

[NCC1701A]

15 minutes ago, Faraday said:

I was given a body bath when I had my hip done. I was in quite a lot of pain & the experience was just uncomfortable & embarrassing. 

Shame really...

i met the nicest nurse who was giving me a bath. her name was Noi. she made it really clear she was looking for a boyfriend. unfortunately i did not get her number so now we are like ships in the night. i was hooked up to morphine and two types of antibiotics so hard to think straight.

  

[gummy]

Just now, NCC1701A said:

i met the nicest nurse who was giving me a bath. her name was Noi. she made it really clear she was looking for a boyfriend. unfortunately i did not get her number so now we are like ships in the night. i was hooked up to morphine and two types of antibiotics so hard to think straight.

Sure you were not hallucinating ?

[NCC1701A]

2 minutes ago, dj230 said:

I’m guessing an opioid of some sort, that’s what they give typically in Toronto at least

it could be morphine but even the best hospitals in Thailand can be lacking when it come to pain management. that's why i asked. just doing a survey of what people are getting. i have kidney stones so always freaked out about it. 

[dj230]

1 minute ago, NCC1701A said:

it could be morphine but even the best hospitals in Thailand can be lacking when it come to pain management. that's why i asked. just doing a survey of what people are getting. i have kidney stones so always freaked out about it. 

Interesting, I’ll keep that in mind, I can’t imagine not having good pain meds if I ever had an emergency, the second I go to the hospital in Toronto for my health conditions, I ask for some, has always done wonders for me in eliminating pain except one time it had barely any effect and I had to undergo an emergency operation 

I’ll have her ask one of the nurses what they gave her, in Toronto they typically use dilaudid 

also a nice bonus is it eliminates hunger when being on NPO (no food/water), it gives some terrible constipation though which is not great post surgery

[JamesE]

1 hour ago, billyburi said:

Pathology report was done in Bangkok, very comprehensive, no infection, lung disease or malignant cells.

If you can, check out this book: Breath by James Nestor. It's not an instruction manual by any means but it looks into a host of breathing techniques and goes into the whys and whats of all of them. Many of the chronic lung conditions extant can be traced back to, as he calls it, "forgetting" how to breathe. Very well written and much less woo-woo than I was expecting.

[palooka]

22 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

it could be morphine but even the best hospitals in Thailand can be lacking when it come to pain management. that's why i asked. just doing a survey of what people are getting. i have kidney stones so always freaked out about it. 

Do your self a favour. Drink hot water with lemon and honey every morning, the lemon breaks up the stones and you will pass them in urine.  It is not an overnight cure and takes a few weeks. Check it out on Dr Google.

Used to have kidney stones, 20  years ago, extremely painful.

[NCC1701A]

30 minutes ago, palooka said:

Do your self a favour. Drink hot water with lemon and honey every morning, the lemon breaks up the stones and you will pass them in urine.  It is not an overnight cure and takes a few weeks. Check it out on Dr Google.

Used to have kidney stones, 20  years ago, extremely painful.

Thank you for this info.

i have a long and painful history and I now have three stones, two of which are too big to pass. same happened twenty years ago. a nightmare of torture.

i am also drinking Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar which can be found at Villa Market and some Tops Market location. 

also prescribed Uralyt-U which also jacks your acid levels in your urine. and eating those giant grapefruit looking things. Ph levels shifted from 8,0 to 6,7 so far. 

the pain is my bad man Karma.  

[Faraday]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

it could be morphine but even the best hospitals in Thailand can be lacking when it come to pain management. that's why i asked. just doing a survey of what people are getting. i have kidney stones so always freaked out about it. 

Yes, they do seem to not be very knowledgeable about pain relief, don't know if it's because I am a falang, & therefore much heavier than most Thai people.

I had a microdisectomy in June, & the only pain relief administered was 5mg Morphine IV.

I pointed it out that being a svetle (555) 100 kg male, the dose should be nearer 10mg.

I didn't receive anymore analgesia & was in a lot of pain for 10 hours.

Never mind, everythings ok now.

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

it could be morphine but even the best hospitals in Thailand can be lacking when it come to pain management. that's why i asked. just doing a survey of what people are getting. i have kidney stones so always freaked out about it. 

This was a while ago and maybe things have changed 

But I had neck surgery and took a bottle of vicodin with me when I moved to Thailand 

 

I ran out and went to Bangkok Pattaya hospital and showed the doctor the empty bottle and he prescribed a refill

I just said my neck was hurting me again

[Marc26]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

i met the nicest nurse who was giving me a bath. her name was Noi. she made it really clear she was looking for a boyfriend. unfortunately i did not get her number so now we are like ships in the night. i was hooked up to morphine and two types of antibiotics so hard to think straight.

I wiped out on MB(again 555)

I was going to Phuket International everyday to get cuts cleaned 

This really cute nurse would sing and change my bandages

We flirted 

One day another nurse was helping me and my cute nurse came over to confirm the admitting info was correct 

She called me that night 

 

Went on a couple dates but I was still in naughty boy mode and didn't want to lead her on

 

But I've heard others meeting nurses

So maybe more single guys should wipe out on their MB's 55555

[NCC1701A]

19 minutes ago, Faraday said:

Yes, they do seem to not be very knowledgeable about pain relief, don't know if it's because I am a falang, & therefore much heavier than most Thai people.

I had a microdisectomy in June, & the only pain relief administered was 5mg Morphine IV.

I pointed it out that being a svetle (555) 100 kg male, the dose should be nearer 10mg.

I didn't receive anymore analgesia & was in a lot of pain for 10 hours.

Never mind, everythings ok now.

yes i got quite grumpy with my doctors in a nice way but then had to leave Bangkok Hospital because they had no idea what they were doing in my case of a life threating infection. They cut me open with no pain killers at all. 

I was sorted out instantly at Bumrungrad as soon as i got there. you really have to be proactive with the Thai doctors and at Bumrungrad the doctors are western trained and all speak English. My doctor went to UCLA in Los Angeles so we had much in common, even LA restaurants. and they understand Farang culture where you might question everything without them loosing face or melting down. That did not fly in Hua Hin. Farang needs pain. We like. My sister say he bad. 

[dj230]

I’ll do a short update of the surgery/post surgery care afterwards. Hoping everything goes well & there are no complications.
 

Had some when I had my abdominal surgeries, which ended up being worse than the initial surgeries. 
 

so far service has been 10/10 & healthcare, actually was surprised how laid back they are with payments. 
pain was moderate so they didn’t go too crazy with painkillers, although they asked quite a few times about the level of pain and if the patient wanted more pain meds. 
 

doesn’t seem like they do any financing/instalments though, a Thai friend told me some government hospitals do, they did allow to pay 50% pre surgery & 50% after. 

One thing I noticed, even at bangkok hospital, the nurses aren’t fluent in English, they know a bit, doctors are fluent in English however. Maybe it’s because the patient is a Thai national though