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RA1, people travel to Thailand for Medical Tourist for many reasons. But, for me, I forgot to mention that all my doctors were trained in the USA. One in NYC and one in Chicago. This is very common for the Thai hospitals. You are not relying on anything other than a real doctor with great training. The cost is great and very effective for many issues. See their website for this as well. And, I did go to the most expensive hospital in Thailand. There are others that are half the price. I even have friends that get diagnosed at this hospital and ask the doctor if they can do surgery in another one for less money. In other words, you have lots of options and top quality care. As for the bed rest, he said, rest in the bed with 2 Thai boys. I am following his advice.

Not sure how this will translate or maybe you have to be there but here goes. I am in Thailand now and the word pronounced smaoke is the word for giving a Blow Job I finished a session withe this very cute 19 year old and we are on the balcony looking at the Boats and the Sea. He takes out a pack of cigarettes and takes one out and I grab him and say " Smoke Cock is good. Smoke those Bad. Without hesitation he replies. "Yes but I don't always have a Cock"

Thanks for the good wishes! BUT, you used the word Alone for being in Thailand. LOL That is not possible if you know how to smile!

Will you be going to Hero for physical therapy on your legs?

Very very very interesting....Glad you were able to get such great care and at such a very low cost. Thailand is looking better and better to me every day

Thailand and India (among others) are well known for "medical tourism" and your report shows some of the reasons why. Please follow the doctor's orders, especially if he says, stay in bed and get well. Best regards, RA1

Well, while I love John Keats and Percy Booth Shelly, I am not much of a poet so I won't write a beautiful ode for him as it would be silly. (Lookin: if you read this, feel free to chime in) But, I saw a post from Lucky in the Lurkerspeaks thread and then he deleted it to remind us he is retired. I just wanted to remind Lucky that being retired is not the same as being dead. You can retire from posting and just post here and there and it will be appreciated. But, to completely remove yourself is more than retirement; it is desertion. We hope that when you feel the urge, that you will post even while you sip margaritas in PS. You too are very missed as a presence on this site and we hope you drop by a bit more in between your shuffleboard to entertain us from time to time.

Hospitals in Thailand are much different than they are in the United States. First of all the hospitals here are much cleaner and better organized than they are in the USA. I had some problems with my legs and so I made an appointment to see a doctor at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok. http://www.bumrungrad.com The main difference between the hospitals in Thailand and the hospitals in America probably comes down to customer service that is presented at the hospitals in Thailand. When you walk into the hospital, you can go to pretty much any doctor that you want to see and you are treated with kindness and respect from everyone from nurses to doctors to technicians. You do not have to go to the emergency room in order to see see a physician. You check in at the information desk on the first floor and tell them what is wrong and they will point you in the right direction. You can go for any ailment or issue and not have to pay the high emergency room fees. For me they sent me to see a cardiologist. The cardiologist was on the 15th floor of the hospital. Once they determine what kind of a doctor I need to see, I went up to the floor and gave my information to the nurse at the front desk. Once she had my information they do a blood pressure test and check your weight and then you are asked to sit back down and wait for the doctor to see you. The wait is never long. Or, I should say, not as long as the wait in USA. Once the doctor sees you he makes a plan of what he wants you to do in order to find the problems. For me this was a Doppler x-ray of my legs, a urine sample, blood work, a chest x-ray and some other odds and ends. For me every time I would go to a different part of the hospital a nurse would walk with me and direct me to the next reception area in order to check in. Once I finished in that area, another nurse would take me to the next area. And so on and so forth until I got back to my main doctor. I have had some problems with my legs swelling and my feet swelling since I was in the USA for about 3 to 4 weeks. The doctor in the USA gave me a pharmacy for Lasix for 20 mg. For the last few months I've seen three different doctors in the USA. None of them seem to help at all. None of them also did any test except for some blood work to check to see if there was a problem with the kidney, liver, or the heart. This doctor however prescribed for me to see a radiologist and have a Doppler scan of my legs to be sure that there was no blockage of the arteries that was causing the problem. He also had a chest x-ray and several other x-rays done. All of them actually turned out normal and I had no blockage and I had no problems with any of the x-rays. He prescribed for me 80 mg of Lasix twice per day as opposed to one dosage of 20mg per day. Today was the first day that I've actually seen the size of my legs decrease and the swelling on my ankles decrease. All in all I spent two days at the hospital, I saw a cardiologist, radiologist, a regular doctor, several nurses I had time to test done I was there about six hours each day for two days. The total cost for the two days was right around $1100. Not only is the cost much less than what is in the US, you also get much better service in a Thai hospital then you would get a hospital in the USA. That said, this hospital is a pay hospital is a for-profit hospital. This is not a typical hospital that many Thai people would go to. This is something that is very expensive for their culture. The hospital's clientele consist mostly of foreigners. The majority of those foreigners come from the Middle East. The reason for this is many Middle Eastern countries send their citizens to Bangkok in order to be treated at the hospital. They have an agreement with the hospital to wear any of their medical needs the baby is covered by that country. My Blue Cross Blue Shield policy covers me while I'm overseas but I have to pay out-of-pocket and then get reimbursed from Blue Cross Blue Shield in the USA. I had a very good friend that did a got stamps from the hospital last year. He received three stents was in the hospital for one week and the cost of the entire surgery including follow up visits and consultations and meds was less than US$10,000. For me, the doctors appointment with the cardiologist each day was less than US$25. The cost for the radiologist was a bit more rounded to be about US$100. The radiologist actually did the Doppler of my legs and spent the entire hour with me and didn't outsource this to a technician. The price that I gave you for the cost of the entire two days also included all medicines that they prescribed for me on both days as well as a pair of socks that I that were prescription that would go on my legs. The socks were over 80 USD, which is insane. LOL They cost more than seeing my doctor. I did get a break down of the bill which was fascinating as the costs were so low compared to anything I could get done in the USA. The biggest problem that I have with the hospital is the area that it is located. The area is not a bad area for violence. However the area is a very bad area for traffic. It took me an hour go from my hotel to the hospital which is less than 5 miles. There is a sky train in Bangkok that is available for anyone to use, however it is not really convenient for this particular hospital. I have told my sister for many years that if I ever have a major medical problem but I wanted to be in Thailand to be treated. The main reason for this is the friendliness of the people that work in the hospitals, and the cleanliness of the hospitals. Hospitals in Bangkok Thailand in general that expats use really do look and feel more like a hotel that they do a hospital. My one night that I stayed at a hospital in Thailand had a balcony, a mini bar, and a huge well decorated room. As someone who likes to be treated in a certain way, the hospitals and Thailand certainly do not disappoint.

Lucky I have no intention of ignoring you and in fact I always found your posts fun and informative. And if you read my post a little more closely you would understand I was saying nothing about your posting. My comment was that when you had decided not to post you were still on the Board almost every day. And if it was such a bad place where you no longer wanted to post the question was why are you viewing the Board every day rather then never coming to the Board?? As far as the 2 posters who left the Board , I find almost nobody here that thinks they had any valid complaint. And one of them failed to even make a complaint, he just removed all his photos with no discussion. Maybe the Moderators should be mind readers as well as baby sitters??? Anyone who can't handle some repartee on a message board has no business posting in the first place.

And that is just what the Moderators have always done here. And because 1 or 2 individuals are unhappy with a post or two does not give them the right to criticize the overall Moderation of the Board. In fact if you can find a Board that that has as many discussions and as much information with as little Vitriol then anyone is free to go there. I find it interesting that someone who supposedly has disappeared from the Board is viewing the Board almost every day and surfaces to say he is not posting. If things are really so bad here then why would an individual be viewing the Board every day. It would seem he could find a much better place to go. I also find it interesting that the recent unhappy members here have no response to the heartfelt post by OZ on the situation. Me thinks some people can never be made Happy!!!!!

As this is an all-volunteer site, I don't think anyone is obliged to put up with behavior they don't enjoy. Nor do I think it's an act of 'manliness' to endure rude and unpleasant behavior from folks one has never met. Who needs it? There are plenty of manly men around who are just as pleasant and affable as the day is long. Not that this site is overrun with unpleasant behavior. Far from it. Not only have OZ and TY done a great job of setting acceptable boundaries, but I think most posters here are pretty good at moderating themselves. But that's not always the case on all sites, and a little vigilance can't hurt. As we are reminded whenever a favorite poster disappears. I'll also add that I think the responsibility for site health and longevity lies with the person who writes something unpleasant, rather than the person who reads it. Sometimes a reader is already creeped out by the time he realizes he's reading a snarky post or PM. Whereas someone who writes a creepy post or PM always has the opportunity to refrain from hitting the 'send' button. I think most of us can overlook an error in judgement from time to time but, if it becomes the norm, then the site can go off the rails pretty quick. I remember a site called 'EscortSpeak' where the members all had skin as thick as a water buffalo but, even then, folks began to drift away until there was no one left to pay the bills. I also remember my own experience being creeped out at Daddy's a few years ago not by just one poster, who was obnoxious as could be, but by a couple of others who stood on the sidelines and cheered him on. I figured if that's the kind of site they want, more power to them, but I myself had other places I'd rather be. My hope is that this site remains a supportive one where folks keep looking for ways to keep everyone under the tent. Even if someone is having a bad day and feeling crabby, it might be better just to say so before lashing out at someone else. I think most everyone here has a good heart and can be counted on to help soothe another poster's jangled nerves.

Pope's Reform Path: Francis Shakes Up Church Establishment By Hans-Jürgen Schlamp in Rome, SPIEGEL July 6, 2013 It appears Pope Francis truly wants to change the Catholic Church. He's reforming the Vatican Bank first, but he's also circumventing the old guard wherever he can. The establishment is up in arms. A cardinal in Rome earns about ?3,000 ($3,888) a month, even less than a pastor in Germany. But a cardinal's life in Rome is a lot more expensive -- with visits to restaurants and shopping at boutiques for the upscale clothing men of the church are expected to wear, not to mention their jewelry and the antiques they display in their apartments. So it's good to have friends who can treat you or otherwise provide support now and then. Friends are also happy to give a cardinal a hand -- and not just out of religious considerations. A cardinal can be helpful in both political and business terms. So it's not surprising that a symbiotic relationship between parts of the Curia and the upper class around the world has formed -- one that brings together the establishment, luxury and power. It's a nice little tradition that new Pope Francis would like to put an end to. For the Catholic establishment, though, it is nothing less than a catastrophe. A 'Sick' Church of 'Theological Narcissism' Even before his enthronement as pope, when he was still a cardinal, Jorge Mario Bergoglio had spoken clearly about this. During his speech to the cardinal conclave, he warned that, "When the church does not emerge from itself to evangalize, it becomes self-referential and therefore becomes sick." He warned of "self-referentiality" and "theological narcissism." He also criticized a "mundane church that lives within itself, of itself and for itself." And it appears the Argentinian pope meant this criticism seriously. In fact, he demonstrates that every day. Instead of wearing a gold cross, he has one of steel. And he lives in a sparsely furnished apartment in the Santa Marta guest house rather than in the Apostolic Palace. Instead of taking his seat in the Vatican concert hall to listen to classical music, he recently remained at his desk working on the final version of his decree for the church-state's own Institute for Religious Works (IOR) bank. With his signature, he created a powerful special papal commission to review the bank's activities. He also said the new commission must change everything at the Vatican Bank, as it is also known. He said the Vatican certainly needed a bank, but its areas of business should only reach a "certain point." A Papal Bank with Mafia Contacts For decades now, the IOR has been in the headlines for one scandal after the other. At the beginning of the 1980s, it was at the center of one of the darkest crime thrillers in postwar Italian history. The scandal surrounded billions in business with the mafia, and a Vatican banker was hanged from a London bridge by a killer commando. But the chain of scandals never let up. When, in autumn 2010, fresh suspicions of money laundering to the tune of triple-digit millions emerged, then Pope Benedict XVI promised stricter rules for his financial managers. In fact, though, nothing changed. In the so-called Vatileaks scandal, secret documents that had been smuggled out of the Vatican shed light on bizarre intrigues inside the papal state. Often, the Vatican Bank played a role in those intrigues. Benedict XVI was appalled, but also overwhelmed. He failed to prevail over the powerful cardinals who backed the IOR. His resignation was the logical outcome. German Baron Takes Helm of Bank His successor is taking more decisive action. First, he fired Nunzio Scarano, the top accountant in the Vatican office that oversees Vatican property and investments, after he was accused of money laundering and corruption and arrested. Then, practically overnight, he forced out IOR Director Paulo Cipriani and his deputy. Now the bank will be led by Ernst von Freyberg, a German baron and former consultant, member of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the president of the IOR supervisory board since mid-February. Between now and October, Pope Francis wants to ensure clarity and also determine how the financial institute will handle its duties in harmony with the "church's mission" in the future. A that point, a new structure will be created for the bank and a new boss will be appointed. "Did we actually vote for someone who really believes in what he preaches?" some within the Curia are now whispering. Once again, Francis has taken them fully by surprise. In an almost demonstrative manner, he has been excluding the Vatican apparatus in every way he can. Most recently, this happened with the trip the pope announced he would take on Monday to the island of Lampedusa in southern Italy. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, first learned of the planned trip through a papal press release. And instead of the kind of months of advance-team work used by heads of the Catholic Church for trips in the past, Francis has dispensed with that. Instead, the eccentric Argentinian pope ordered his staff to prepare a plane so that he could fly there in the morning and be back by midday. Thousands of refugees have arrived at Lamedusa each year in desperation after making the journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa in small, dangerous boats. Francis wants to pray together with them and also throw a wreath into the sea to commemorate those who have lost their lives trying to make it to Europe. The pope has announced that he doesn't want to meet with the mayor or other authorities. He also also ordered church officials to stay away. http://abcnews.go.com/International/popes-reform-path-francis-shakes-church-establishment/story?id=19573297&page=2#.Udg-u212mTo

How many surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A fish: The most highbrow jokes in the world Ultra-highbrow humour has become the hottest thing on the internet Andrew Johnson The Independent Friday 05 July 2013 Have you heard the one about the internet forum thread which took the world by storm? Scientists are not generally recognised for their sense of humour, but those disparagingly referred to as “geeks” by the more intellectually challenged of us have responded in their thousands to a question posed on the Reddit website: “What’s the most intellectual joke you know?” The huge number of gags – and yes, many of them are funny – cover all disciplines from physics to philosophy. They range from the accessible, such as: “A Roman walks into a bar, holds up two fingers, and says: ‘Five beers, please’,” to those that require a working knowledge of Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle to understand. The joke about Benoit B Mandelbrot, for example, relies on a knowledge of the scientist’s work on fractals. For all their highbrow intellectualism, however, the jokes follow traditional forms. They include puns: “Did you hear about the man who got cooled to absolute zero? He’s OK now” – as well as someone-walks-into-a-bar jokes and light-bulb-changing jokes (“How many Marxists does it take to screw in a lightbulb? None: the lightbulb contains the seeds of its own revolution”). There are also plenty of jokes of the Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman format, where the usual protagonists are replaced by physicists, engineers and economists. It is rather unfair to assume that there is anything improbable about science overlapping with humour. Popular TV and radio shows such as The Big Bang Theory, Infinite Monkey Cage, Museum of Curiosity and Dara O’Briain’s School Of Hard Sums happily marry science with jokes. And, as Brian Cox, the scientist and presenter of Wonders of the Universe, points out, comedians such as O’Briain and Ben Miller are physics graduates. “There is a strange nexus between physics and comedy that I seem to be a part of,” Cox told the Daily Telegraph. “It’s a powerful if strange alliance. Dara O’Briain did mathematics and physics, and is passionate about it. Ben Miller did a PhD in physics. Robin Ince [his co-presenter on Infinite Monkey Cage] is a very good friend of mine.” Too clever by half: 25 highbrow jokes 1. A photon checks into a hotel and the porter asks him if he has any luggage. The photon replies: “No, I’m travelling light.” 2. “Is it solipsistic in here, or is it just me?” 3. What does a dyslexic, agnostic, insomniac spend most of his time doing? Staying up all night wondering if there really is a dog. 4. A TCP packet walks into a bar, and says to the barman: “Hello, I’d like a beer.” The barman replies: “Hello, you’d like a beer?” “Yes,” replies the TCP packet, “I’d like a beer.” 5. An electron is driving down a motorway, and a policeman pulls him over. The policeman says: “Sir, do you realise you were travelling at 130km per hour?” The electron goes: “Oh great, now I’m lost.” 6. Pavlov is enjoying a pint in the pub. The phone rings. He jumps up and shouts: “Hell, I forgot to feed the dog!” 7. How many surrealists does it take to screw in a light bulb? A fish. 8. There are 10 types of people in this world. Those that know binary, and those that don’t. 9. When I heard that oxygen and magnesium hooked up I was like OMg. 10. The barman says: “We don’t serve faster-than-light particles here.” A tachyon enters a bar. 11. A Buddhist monk approaches a hotdog stand and says: “Make me one with everything”. 12. What do you call two crows on a branch? Attempted murder. 13. An Englishman, a Frenchman, a Spaniard and a German are walking down the street together. A juggler is performing on the street but there are so many people that the four men can’t see the juggler. So the juggler goes on top of a platform and asks: “Can you see me now?” The four men answer: “Yes.” “Oui.” “Si.” “Ja.” 14. Never trust an atom. They make up everything. 15. How many programmers does it take to change a light bulb? None, it’s a hardware problem. 16. A student travelling on a train looks up and sees Einstein sitting next to him. Excited, he asks: “Excuse me, professor. Does Boston stop at this train?” 17. Did you hear about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality. 18. Werner Heisenberg, Kurt Gödel, and Noam Chomsky walk into a bar. Heisenberg turns to the other two and says: “Clearly this is a joke, but how can we figure out if it’s funny or not?” Gödel replies: “We can’t know that because we’re inside the joke.” Chomsky says: “Of course it’s funny. You’re just telling it wrong.” 19. A Roman walks into a bar, holds up two fingers, and says: “Five beers, please.” 20. Did you hear about the man who got cooled to absolute zero? He’s 0K now. 21. An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar. The bartender says: “What’ll it be, boys?” The first mathematician: “I’ll have one half of a beer.” The second mathematician: “I’ll have one quarter of a beer.” The third mathematician: “I’ll have one eight of a beer.” The fourth mathematician: “I’ll have one sixteenth of a…” The bartender interrupts: “Know your limits, boys” as he pours out a single beer. 22. What does the “B” in Benoit B Mandelbrot stand for? Answer: Benoit B Mandelbrot. 23. Jean-Paul Sartre is sitting at a French café, revising his draft of Being and Nothingness. He says to the waitress: “I’d like a cup of coffee, please, with no cream.” The waitress replies: “I’m sorry, Monsieur, but we’re out of cream. How about with no milk?” 24. A classics professor goes to a tailor to get his trousers mended. The tailor asks: “Euripides?” The professor replies: “Yes. Eumenides?” 25. A programmer’s wife tells him: “Run to the store and pick up a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen.” The programmer comes home with 12 loaves of bread. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/how-many-surrealists-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-light-bulb-a-fish-the-most-highbrow-jokes-in-the-world-8691191.html

I am curious as well. Poll Started.

It has been about 10 years or so since my last visit to Thailand and I've only been to Pattaya and Phuket, just passing through Bangkok. Both times were for vacations and I had a very enjoyable time. The info from Oz makes me think seriously about spending several months there a year during the cold winters in the midwest. Rather than going the traditional Florida snowbird route, Thailand sounds like a great place to at least give it a try. It will probably be a couple years before I start escaping for extended times during the winter but I will start seriously looking at Thailand as an option. Looking on the internet, average temperatures in Thailand from November through March seem quite comfortable for my liking.

That is what I had heard and read (but not experienced). In other words, mostly US trained MD's as well as clean and very good care. A combination impossible to beat, especially when priced fairly. Best regards, RA1

Glad you are doing better and had such a good experience. Unfortunately. we cannot pick and choose WHERE sickness will strike us, and simply have to deal with consequences when and WHERE they occur. However, as for a retirement spot, sounds like it would be a great place, however agin, some of us are not that adventurous and want to pick up and start our golden Years anew, ALONE and in a strange New place. I know I'm not, although i am extremely envious of those that do. Stay well, and the Best to you !

If you have never been here, you must try. It is amazing!

Actually, each day I went over to Hero after the hospital in order to let some of the traffic die down. I believe a massage is medicinal. (my fucked up mind you know)

It usually improves mine.

As always, thank you for the info. I will have to try this on my next trip.

Great story and photos! http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/04/travel/brazil-10-things/index.html

This trend is just going to continue. No airline has the nerve to just price for the service rendered and expected to be rendered. One "invents" a fee and the others follow or no one follows and the originator retracts. There has been a lot more following lately than retracting. The customers are almost as bad. They gripe and moan but just pay and go. What other industry has such control of its' service? The airlines have 50 different prices every day. They charge you for changing your time of departure. They won't let anyone except you use your ticket. They take your money and still control your ticket/flight. None of this is required by tariff, the TSA or any other regulations. The airlines just made up these rules and we let them get away with it. With rare exceptions hotels do not do this and their rooms are just as gone the next day as an airline seat is once the airplane leaves the gate. Hotels would like to fill up their rooms and discounters fill that requirement very well. But, their clientele has more options and is more willing to go elsewhere if hotels get "too uppity". As you know, I avoid the airlines like the plague. Their attitude is very good for charter and corporate aviation. But, we all need to survive and that isn't easy. Best regards, RA1

"They do need some cost of living increase." I strongly concur. Rates go up all over the world, and one should adapt if he desires to enjoy himself while traveling. Then contrasted with the rates that the guys charge in the Northern Hemisphere,R$100 is not bad at all. These young men have to live. {I've given the sauna boys from R$50 - R$100, nothing higher or lower.}

Precisely, Firecat! Both men have contributed a lot here, especially when it came to travel to Brasil and beyond. In fact, not only did they contribute photographs of note and sagas of their experiences, but they gave restaurants to experience, areas of Rio and Porto Allegre, and I think, Sao Paulo and other places to venture. I've known TomCal for a while and had the good fortune of meeting him while in Rio de janeiro at that long-remembered FESTA which was held at The Atlantico Copacabana Hotel in 2003. From that time onward, he and I have kept in touch via emails as well as from this site. I truly would like for both him and Lurker to reconsider and return!!! Both have been missed tremendously! That was the initial reason why I thought it best to post this thread!

RA1 and CharliePS raise some important considerations that I share but haven't been able to come up with the right way to articulate it as well as they have. We pretty much all come to the forum with our own expectations and vulnerabilities that likely vary significantly from person to person. So there may be times when things happen where participating isn't as fulfilling to ones own needs or enjoyable, and a time may come to make a decision. This can happen when there are perceived or real personal attacks, when the general atmosphere just isn't what one feels suits them, or any of a number of other reasons. It is completely valid to say life is short and it's not worth the hassle any longer. That decision can vary from person to person and I don't think it is necessarily childish or immature to walk away or take a break to gain perspective and/or adjust expectations. In many ways, it is a mature approach to take such an approach. I can relate somewhat to the process of making a decision as I decided to take a break from the other site because I didn't like the tone/environment any longer, as it was negatively impacted by a relatively small number of people there. Some may see that as a sign of weakness or being childish, but ultimately it led me to a place that I find much more to my liking and a better return on my time to be there.

Nothing makes me feel better than to whip up a couple of loaves of my buttermillk, banana walnut bread. But afterward, I I get s0 D-E-P-R-E-S-S-E-D!!! It doesn't help that it tastes so good that I polish off a whole loaf, hot out of the oven slathered with cream cheese. Bad, bad boy.

Fantastic report. Thank you. You have captured my attention and I am most interested in traveling here!