Injuries in Thailand

[Travellerdave]

Ive just read Firecat,s thread where he tells us that he has an injured ankle. Injuries like that can certainly clip ones wings and its disappointing when it happens on holiday.

It happened to me a couple of years ago in Pattaya. I was in a gogo bar short time room with a cutie and had proceeded to the shower with him. Coming out i slipped on the floor tiles and fell heavily against a step from the shower room. It hurt. Next day it was really bad and i could hardly move without pain and my back had a huge bruise. I suspected i had broken a rib so went to the Bangkok Pattaya hospital. It turned out i had only badly bruised my ribs. The advice was only to take pain killers and wait

It certainly spoilt the remaining week of my holiday and my activities with boys was severely restricted.

The moral of my story is that you have to my careful. Thailand is not safety conscious. Broken pavements, crazy traffic, slippery tiles, etc etc.

[Gaybutton]

Since you brought it up, I've always gotten better, quicker, and much more attentive medical care in Thailand than I ever got in the USA.  The quality of care in Thailand far surpasses anything I ever got in Florida, that's for sure.

 

For those who live in Thailand, I hope you have decent medical insurance.  For those traveling to Thailand, I hope you make sure your own insurance covers you in case of illness, accident, or any other emergencies. 

 

While most medical care in Thailand, including prescriptions, is far less expensive than in the USA, depending on the problem it can get expensive enough that medical insurance is a necessity.

 

As an expat, I carry my medical insurance through Cigna.  Cigna has policies especially for expats.  For US $3400 per year, I'm covered for a cumulative million dollars per year.  I opted out of dental, outpatient, and prescriptions.  They're inexpensive enough in Thailand that I don't think I need coverage for those.  My deductible is US $375.  Other than the deductible, you don't have to lay out the money and wait to be reimbursed.  That's what I like most about it.  They'll deal directly with the hospitals.  They'll work with any hospital in Thailand, but they do have a preferred list.  Both Bangkok-Pattaya hospital in Pattaya and Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok are on their list.

 

Luckily, I haven't needed to use the insurance just yet.  I hope I never do, but if I need it, it's there.

 

If you're interested in checking with Cigna, their web site is:  http://www.cignaglobal.com

[Bob]

Nothing much has ever happened to me.  Initially...like late 90's....I used to come on vacation and ended up with bloody toes from the god-awful "level" sidewalks over here but that all ended when I began to buy sandals that covered those little puppies. 

 

Other than that, I've smacked my head a couple of times on signs along the street....the bane of being 6' or taller over here...but nothing much else that I can recall.

 

As for medical insurance, I maintain a relatively inexpensive policy with IMG with a high ($5,000) deductible and, like GB, I've never have had occasion to use it.  Typically, I end up going over to the hospital once a year because of bronchitis or some such thing and never end up spending more than 1000 baht to see a doctor and for some antibiotics; however, the last 8-month+ stint over here I incurred no medical expenses (other than a couple of hundred baht for a medical certificate for driver license purposes).  I thankfully don't do any meds other than occasional alcoholic beverages.....

[firecat69]

I'm pretty sure what I have is Gout. It happened overnight and I did not do anything physical to make it happen.

 

I have had in on and off in my Big Toe but never really a problem but I have friends that have had it spread to ankles and even knees. It seemed to be getting better but then I went walking and its back again.

 

If no better by MONDAy I will have to go to BKK Pattaya . Not really much they can do except give me better pain meds then I have. It will pass and I am eating dairy products and juices and lots of water.

 

No red meats or wheat etc . Just a buildup in the blood which has to clean itself out .

[Guest anonone]

Just last trip I banged my head on one of the signs alongside South Pattaya Road near Wat Chai.  Not too bad, just a bit of a bump, but hurt for a couple of hours. This was my first real Pattaya injury.

 

I would have to image slipping in the shower is the most common cause of injury.  I am always amazed at how slick they get...though thankfully I have so far managed to avoid a real fall.  Many close calls though. 

[NIrishGuy]

  I opted out of dental, outpatient, and prescriptions.  They're inexpensive enough in Thailand that I don't think I need coverage for those.

 

 

On reading your above GB I was just wondering if in the long term and as you get older etc if it might be an idea to always keep the opting out of the prescription thing under consideration based on insurance companies love of the term "pre-existing condition" and how they won't put you on cover once you DO need that cover when you consider what might happen if you did succumb to a longer term, more serious illness ( fingers crossed you don't of course).

 

I'm thinking back here to the likes of the ex owner of SGT and his crippling monthly prescription bills which aside from his actual illness where always the main cause of his ongoing angst as his costs for those would have floored him had it not been for his American ex business partner agreeing to pay for them under a old agreement they had re him being covered for health insurance in Thailand by his ex company, which then had to be cancelled, leading to the need for the agreement for physical cash payments to take place to carry on in lieu of the insurance to cover that for as long as was required, as if that help had not been forthcoming then his that large monthly ongoing prescription tab alone could have proved crippling to almost anyone I believe. 

 

Maybe however you're sitting on a several hundred million baht there under your pillow so it's just not an issue for you I don't know, but I just thought I'd mention it as none of us are getting any younger of course and is always something to think about for the future as no doubt at some point the insurance company will stop offering that cover as you get older?

[colmx]

I fell down a flight of stairs in work and broke 3 bones in my foot and ruptured some ankle ligaments a week before i was due to go to Thailand in December 2012

Luckily i was in put one of those velcro shoes from toe to knee and not a full plaster cast

 

Everybody told me i was crazy to still go to thailand but i went ahead anyway...

I was on crutches for the entire 3 weeks but it was easy enough to get around with mocy taxis etc

 

It did however completely put a dampner on any sexual activity.... The boot could only come off during showering... so it was pretty unerotic trying to have sex with this big lump of plastic on the end of my leg!

 

And at night i had to sleep with the boot in a pillow case (to prevent the bed getting dirty)

 

So it was a retty miserable holiday for me.... except of course for all the extra care and attention i got when i hobbled from bar to bar!

 

HOWEVER - on my return to ireland in late january to 6 inches of snow - I was pretty glad that i had been in LOS for the last 3.5 weeks... and not trying to make my way into work everyday with that weather!

[colmx]

By the way in terms of accidents IN Thailand:

 

My Sunee to Boystown motorbike taxi ran the red light at 2nd Road/Pattaya Tai junction and we were T-boned by another motorbike.

I ended up with loads of cuts and scratches on my arms and very bruised ribs. Like travellerdave I had to go to the hospital very early the next day for x-rays due to chest pain etc... Any hugging or thrusting was completely ruled out for the test of that trip.

(Cheeky fucker even charged my 40B for the journey!)

 

Another time the back wheel of BFs motorbike slipped on some wet grating and the bike went over (luckily he always travels very slowly) Net result for me was some torn ligaments in my knee... and the last 2 days of that trip ruined!

 

I guess my lesson should be to never travel on Motorbikes in Pattaya... but the convenience is just too much to resist!

 

By the way i have also witnessed:

Farang falling of back of songtaew as it pulled away before he was fully on board... That was a pretty nasty one for the farang and he was lucky there were no vehicles coming behind

 

Arab guy on a Powerfull mohorbike crashing into the back of a startionary Songtaew and being thrown straight at the back window of the songtaew cab... luckily there were no passengers on the songtaew or they would have had really bad injuries 

[Guest]

UK travel insurance tends not to cover you for riding on the back of a motorcycle. So medical bills from a motorcycle taxi accident could become a big problem.

[colmx]

UK travel insurance tends not to cover you for riding on the back of a motorcycle. So medical bills from a motorcycle taxi accident could become a big problem.

I think as long as motorbke is less than 100cc and passenger has helmet - then its ok... or at least on my policy it is!

[Travellerdave]

Since i started this thread which obviously has some resonance i should like to recall another accident in Pattaya i was involved in, which however did not involve any injury to myself, but which was a tricky situation.

Im a keep fit enthusiast and whilst in Pattaya i join the Tony Gym on third road where most mornings i work out with weights, treadmill and swimming, following which i normally proceed to Dongtan Beach for a restful afternoon.

Leaving Tonys i was wanting to cross Third Road to get a motor bike taxi but there was two lines of traffic waiting at the Third Road/ South Road junction traffic lights.

Being impatient i threaded my way to the outer lane and in front of a large coach. I stepped onto the clear road beyond when WHAM i was hit by a motor bike taxi which was overtaking the coach. The bike plus driver plus passenger fell onto the road and slid for maybe 20 yards. The driver had hurt his leg for sure and the Thai lady passenger was screaming. By some miracle i was unhurt but shaken.

I picked up the bike and parked it and helped the driver onto the footpath. I thought i was in trouble - Big trouble.

The lady calmed down and she said it was a 50 50 accident. I asked her what should i do, because the driver definitely needed medical attention. She suggested i gave him some money and i quickly produced 2000 baht. He took it said "OK" and got into a baht bus which was empty and she told that he was off to the public hospital. The Thai lady stopped another motor bike taxi and went off without another word.

I went to the nearest bar - Roo Bar I think, and drank a double whiskey. I was extremely relieved !!. I was told by experienced Farangs that i had escaped very lightly.

[Gaybutton]

Maybe however you're sitting on a several hundred million baht there under your pillow so it's just not an issue for you I don't know, but I just thought I'd mention it as none of us are getting any younger of course and is always something to think about for the future as no doubt at some point the insurance company will stop offering that cover as you get older?

 

If I had that kind of money, I wouldn't need insurance.  I'll give serious thought to what you are saying about prescription coverage.

[williewillie]

I'd always heard it was impossible to get health insurance in Thailand if you are over 60 y.o.

I'm pretty sure gaybutton is over 60, so obviously one can get health insurance over 60.

One should not take what farang insurance agents say as gospel and check for themselves.

I've heard many farangs very unhappy with health insurance sold to them by farang agents.

[Gaybutton]

I'm pretty sure gaybutton is over 60, so obviously one can get health insurance over 60.

 

 

Yes, damn it - I'm over 60.  Oh well, I'm an official old man.  I guess I've been an old man for quite some time.  When I was still living in the USA, a friend and I went to a Chinese restaurant.  We each had the same thing.  When the bills came, my friend's bill was $3 higher than mine.  He called the waitress over to ask why.  Her answer - she pointed at me and said, "I give him senior citizen discount."  I nearly fell off my chair.

 

One thing to check when buying expat insurance - some insurance companies won't cover you at all if you are past a certain age - usually 70.  Even if you've had a policy with them for years, when you reach their age limit, goodbye insurance.  In other words, make sure your policy continues coverage as long as you keep paying your premiums, no matter how old you are.

 

Aunt Esther:  "You heathen!  You're a dirty old man!"

Fred Sanford:  "Right!  And I'm gonna be a dirty old man 'til I'm a dead old man."

-  'Sanford and Son'

[vinapu]

 

 

So it was a retty miserable holiday for me.... except of course for all the extra care and attention i got when i hobbled from bar to bar!

 

HOWEVER - on my return to ireland in late january to 6 inches of snow - I was pretty glad that i had been in LOS for the last 3.5 weeks... and not trying to make my way into work everyday with that weather!

you see, always look at bright side

[Bob]

One thing to check when buying expat insurance - some insurance companies won't cover you at all if you are past a certain age - usually 70.  Even if you've had a policy with them for years, when you reach their age limit, goodbye insurance.  In other words, make sure your policy continues coverage as long as you keep paying your premiums, no matter how old you are.

 

Even those insurance companies that will continue to cover you charge premiums based on age and there's a point where one begins to wonder if the cost is worth it.  Most of the older (low to mid 70's and older) guys I know over here that don't have special insurance (VA coverage, government policies, or special company policies) are going absolutely bare and hoping that they can handle their medical expenses.  And many also already say that, should a long-term and expensive medical problem arise, they'd go back to their home country to take care of it. 

[Guest lonelywombat]

Followed up gaybuttons endorsement ,I applied to Cigna and got this reply

 

{BTW where is +44}

 

Thank you for the information you have provided so far.

 

Based on the details you have provided about the country of residence and nationality of the policyholder and / or others covered under the policy, Cigna would be unable to proceed with this quote.

For more information, please contact our sales team on +44 (0) 1475 492119.

[Guest lonelywombat]

I'm pretty sure what I have is Gout. It happened overnight and I did not do anything physical to make it happen.

 

I have had in on and off in my Big Toe but never really a problem but I have friends that have had it spread to ankles and even knees. It seemed to be getting better but then I went walking and its back again.

 

If no better by MONDAy I will have to go to BKK Pattaya . Not really much they can do except give me better pain meds then I have. It will pass and I am eating dairy products and juices and lots of water.

 

 

I had a long standing problem with the big toe and finally arranged to get it Xrayed . They told me it was arthritis and as it was localized it could be removed by injection. That was 3 months ago. I have some inconvenience , not great . Not sure what happens to the replacement of the area displaced by the injection.

[Gaybutton]

Since this topic is titled "Injuries in Thailand," if you are looking for injury-only insurance and don't already have coverage, both Bangkok Bank and Siam Commercial Bank sell accident insurance.  I'm sure there are also several other companies that will sell accident insurance.  Travelerjim might be able to help with that too.

[firecat69]

Followed up gaybuttons endorsement ,I applied to Cigna and got this reply

 

{BTW where is +44}

 

Thank you for the information you have provided so far.

 

Based on the details you have provided about the country of residence and nationality of the policyholder and / or others covered under the policy, Cigna would be unable to proceed with this quote.

For more information, please contact our sales team on +44 (0) 1475 492119.

 

44 is United Kingdom

[Gaybutton]

Followed up gaybuttons endorsement ,I applied to Cigna and got this reply

 

I'm surprised.  With me, they couldn't possibly have been more helpful and attentive.  I dealt with their office in Scotland.  I do know that, just like Thai banks, different offices give different answers.  The best suggestion I can give is to directly contact the agent I dealt with at:  Khalid.Sharif@cigna.com

 

Request a call back.  He will call, and quickly.  Be prepared for a thick Scottish accent, despite his name.

 

Let us know what happens.

[2lz2p]

I had a long standing problem with the big toe and finally arranged to get it Xrayed . They told me it was arthritis and as it was localized it could be removed by injection. That was 3 months ago. I have some inconvenience , not great . Not sure what happens to the replacement of the area displaced by the injection.

 

I'm pretty sure what I have is Gout. It happened overnight and I did not do anything physical to make it happen.

 

I have had in on and off in my Big Toe but never really a problem but I have friends that have had it spread to ankles and even knees. It seemed to be getting better but then I went walking and its back again.

 

If no better by MONDAy I will have to go to BKK Pattaya . Not really much they can do except give me better pain meds then I have. It will pass and I am eating dairy products and juices and lots of water.

 

No red meats or wheat etc . Just a buildup in the blood which has to clean itself out .

 

A few years ago, I had a very painful big toe - I thought gout and saw an Orthopedist at BHP who diagnosed it as a skin infection and prescribed pain pills and antibiotic and to come back if not okay when antibiotics finished (7 days); but I went back to see Dr. Anna in Dermatology - she agreed it was a skin infection and continued the antibiotic -- 3 more times over a few months, it recurred and she determined a fungal infection of the toe nail was allowing bacteria to get under the nail and cause the infection. She took care of that, but it took 8 months of antifungal medication to finally get a new toenail grown.  Then, I had pain in the other big toe - but very painful - not red like the skin infection, so I went to Orthopedist again -- this time it was gout.  He prescribed two medicines to lower the uric acid (cause of gout) and offered either an injection for immediate relief of pain with pain pills to follow or just the pain pills - at the time of the offer, pain was shooting through the toe - so I definitely opted for the injection first - immediate relief.

 

A few months later while being treated by Dr. Apachai in internal medicine for a bladder infection, I recognized the beginning of gout returning to the toe and asked Dr. Apachai to test Uric acid - it was high and he prescribed the same two medicines the Orthopedist had prescribed and expressed surprise that he had not advised that I continue to take it as a preventative.  Since I get most of my "maintenance" medicines prescribed by my Cardiologist, I had him add those two medicines to my regular 90 day supply.  I haven't had any recurrence of the gout since then.

 

As to health insurance in Thailand, the Pattaya City Expat Club (PCEC) has a group policy available for members - the broker handling it is Khun Neng and the Insurance Company is AXA - because it is a group policy, the premiums are a bit lower than individual health insurance, but policy limits are lower than some may wish to have, but on the other hand better than not having health insurance. As with all Thai Insurance policies, it excludes pre-existing conditions. There are also age restrictions under 65 to join and continues to age 75 - http://www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com/expats/docs/GROUP_%20HEALTH_%20INSURANCE.pdf . But, there have been recent changes on age limits which will be updated soon - these are included in an announcement in the latest PCEC Newsletter:

 

CHANGE TO HIGHER AGE LIMIT FOR ELIGIBILITY FOR THE CLUB’S HEALTH INSURANCE

Khun Neng advises that he can now enroll members who from 66 to 70 years of age for a slightly higher premium. For Plan 1, the first year premium will be 33,626 Baht. If there is no claim that first year, the renewal premium will be the same as for all enrollees – currently 29,320 Baht per year. Under the Group policy, you can renew up to age 75. Once you are 76, you can carry on with an individual policy till at least age 80 and higher but with conditions. For more information, see Khun Neng at the Sunday meeting (he is usually there by 11:30am.

 

This is mentioned as one possibility to consider as IMO, it is up to each person to decide what is best for them.

 

Also, as mentioned, some of the Banks offer accident insurance - but, you may find a better policy with lower price from a broker - in my case, I use Khun Neng for an accident policy for my Thai partner - it is with AXA Insurance for up to 1,000,000 Baht coverage for 2,941 Baht premium for one year coverage. 

[ChristianPFC]

Nothing serious so far, but several close calls, recently made a list:

 

http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2014/10/christianpfc-gets-hit-by-car.html

 

In addition to that list, twice hurt my big toe (blood), lightly hurt my head a few times, slipped and fell once (wet tiles, flip-flops) and many times almost fell.

 

Several colds or running nose and one or two herpes. With such conditions, it's not advisible to have sex and spread it, anyway I don't feel like having sex when I have a cold. Living here, you can just sit it out, but when on holiday it's very annoying.

[vinapu]

 

Several colds or running nose and one or two herpes. With such conditions, it's not advisible to have sex and spread it, anyway I don't feel like having sex when I have a cold. Living here, you can just sit it out, but when on holiday it's very annoying.

it's very unhealthy thing to get sick

[Travellerdave]

I have developed colds in the first few days of my trips, but the hot weather and sea air in Pattaya seems to shift them faster than at home in cold wet England.

Whilst I've the cold i do try and be considerate and avoid kissing the boys, but i suppose i believe over them. Not had any cold related complaints though.

Im always a bit nervous about sucking minus condom. Im not sure if mouthwash does any good. When i went to Magnolia Massage there was a supply of Listerine available and i always have a small bottle with me when i intend to have a massage or have sex in a ST room.