Endoscopy

[moogradod]

I need to do a checkup (endoscopy) of my esophagus every 3 years so I went to Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital in Rayong.

 

After several hours it was revealed that they do only employ one gastroenterologist on a part time basis and I would have to wait until March 2020 or even longer to get an appointment for that (..."and even then the doctor might have left..." my Thai wife was told).

 

Besides she was told that as a farang with a lot of money I should go to Bangkok Pattaya Hospital or "other international hospital" to get a more immediate date. I did not really feel welcome.

 

Now I am simply not willing to pay the prices of a private hospital although I easily could.

 

Has anybody an idea where I could ask (best is near to Pattaya, Rayong, Si Racha etc., Bangkok possible but not preferred) to get this simple checkup and sampling of tissue (did it a number of times in Switzerland) within a couple of weeks at a reasonable price ? And while we are at it it could be extended to include a coloscopy with removing small polyps as well. Easily done while they give you propofol.

 

Any help is very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Sheryl]

Are unwilling to go to any private hospital, or just unwilling to go to the most expensive ones?

 

You are going to run into long waits at any government hospital in the area for this. Fastest government hospital option is probably the Chulabhorn Hospiatl in Bangkok.  But even there may be a wait list though usually less than at the other govt hospitals

 

http://www.chulabhornhospital.com/

 

Otherwise if you don't mind a long wait, the Red Cross Hospital in Sri Racha is a likely bet.

 

Not sure what you will consider to be a reasonable price, even at government hospital will run around 5,000 - 6,000 baht for each endoscopy and more for biopsy (how much depending on number of specimens).

 

Don't be too cavalier about where this is done,. The procedure is not without risks and the skill of the pathologist in reading the samples is very, very important. I also recommend you request to receive the slides to bring back to Switzerland with you just in case,

[Puchaiyank]

Go where you need to...to get your endoscopy taken care of...do you really want to bicker over the price of your health and peace of mind?

[steve187]

my wife had both done at bangkok rayong, i thought the price was fair, 

see  Nopporn Charoenthong, M.D.

อายุรศาสตร์โรคระบบทางเดินอาหาร

[moogradod]

On 12/5/2019 at 3:42 PM, Sheryl said:

Are unwilling to go to any private hospital, or just unwilling to go to the most expensive ones?

.........

 

Not sure what you will consider to be a reasonable price, even at government hospital will run around 5,000 - 6,000 baht for each endoscopy and more for biopsy (how much depending on number of specimens).

 

Don't be too cavalier about where this is done,. The procedure is not without risks and the skill of the pathologist in reading the samples is very, very important. I also recommend you request to receive the slides to bring back to Switzerland with you just in case,

Thanks Sheryl

 

Any place is OK as long as it is a good quality treatment and not a rip off. I did this (combined coloscopy and gastroscopy incl. samples / removal of polyps several times in Switzerland with a private gastroenterologist. Price everything included about THB 21'000.-- with propofol anesthesia. Top notch doctor / equipment. Waiting time about 2 weeks.

 

Now in Thailand: Cannot wait many months for I have acute problems swallowing. I, resp. my wife will ask at Chulabhorn, Red Cross and "Bangkok Rayong" whatever this is. Will find out. Bangkok Pattaya Hospital charged me once about THB 90'000.-- for a 3.5 days stay because of diarrhea (with dehydration) and this is not the level of cost I am really happy with - therefore I am looking for alternatives.

[moogradod]

On 12/5/2019 at 6:54 PM, steve187 said:

my wife had both done at bangkok rayong, i thought the price was fair, 

see  Nopporn Charoenthong, M.D.

อายุรศาสตร์โรคระบบทางเดินอาหาร

Thanks steve187

May I ask what Bangkok Rayong is ? Is there a Bangkok Hospital there ?

I am only aware of the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.

[orchis]

Surgical Endoscopy Chulalongkorn Hospital
They have a facebook page with the same name.

[Sheryl]

Yes, there is a Bangkok Hospital in Rayong

 

Most Thai private hospitals wil cost more for this than you paid in Switzerland.

[moogradod]

On 12/5/2019 at 5:22 PM, Puchaiyank said:

Go where you need to...to get your endoscopy taken care of...do you really want to bicker over the price of your health and peace of mind?

I have done this many times. It is quite standard - at least in Switzerland. In and out in less than 2 hours

for both coloscopy and gastroscopy. With anestesia.

 

I wonder what will happen if I would really need some serious treatment for whatever. Not possible resp. not advisable in Thailand, the medical hub of asia ?

[moogradod]

5 minutes ago, orchis said:

Surgical Endoscopy Chulalongkorn Hospital
They have a facebook page with the same name.

Thanks. I will check. Unfortuntely I do not have a Facebook membership nor would I ever want one. Is this in Bangkok ?

[Sheryl]

It is but if going to Bkk I suggest again Chulabhorn, less wait.

[steve187]

2 hours ago, moogradod said:

Thanks steve187

May I ask what Bangkok Rayong is ? Is there a Bangkok Hospital there ?

I am only aware of the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.

yes one overlooking the sea in rayong

[NancyL]

4 hours ago, moogradod said:

I have done this many times. It is quite standard - at least in Switzerland. In and out in less than 2 hours

for both coloscopy and gastroscopy. With anestesia.

 

I wonder what will happen if I would really need some serious treatment for whatever. Not possible resp. not advisable in Thailand, the medical hub of asia ?

I can assure you that if you had an acute condition where a doctor thought an endoscopy was needed pronto, you'd be able to get it fairly soon if you were already an in-patient in a gov't hospital in Thailand.  

 

That's not the situation in your case.  Thailand is promoting itself as a medical hub, but the government hospitals are not marketing themselves as a destination for routine screening procedures for foreigners.

[xylophone]

4 hours ago, moogradod said:

Now in Thailand: Cannot wait many months for I have acute problems swallowing

Reading this, and knowing your past history, if it were me I would be into any good hospital like a shot, regardless of cost.

[Sheryl]

6 hours ago, moogradod said:

....

I wonder what will happen if I would really need some serious treatment for whatever. Not possible resp. not advisable in Thailand, the medical hub of asia ?

 

Sorry I din't know what you mean by "resp." ??

 

If you are in urgent need of care obviously you can go to a hospital here. Private ones are costly and depending on what it is for a bill can run as high as several million (can also be much less of course...but rarely less than 100,000 if admitted). And they will ask for at least partial payment up front.

 

Government hospitals will cost about 1/4 as much but also ecpect to be paid.

 

I would hardly call Thailand the "medical hub of Asia". It is possible to get good care here if you chose your doctor carefully but in no respect is Thailand on par with say Singapore for health care quality and innovation.

 

[SheungWan]

This year I had the pleasure of being switched to having a rigid endoscopy as opposed to the flexible endoscopy. Required general anaesthetic. Basically its having heavier cutlery up there.

[taxout]

"The procedure is not without risks . . ."

 

Joan Rivers comes to mind. The late Joan Rivers.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, taxout said:

"The procedure is not without risks . . ."

 

Joan Rivers comes to mind. The late Joan Rivers.

Thanks for highlighting that, i just read up on it. Apparently she was given an unauthorised laryngoscopy in addition to the endoscopy plus staff failed to act as her vital signs deteriorated

[mike787]

Price is what you pay, value is what you get.   I recommend Bangkok international hospital.  EXCELLENT care by well trained professionals.  You health is an investment. good luck.

[moogradod]

On 12/8/2019 at 5:15 AM, mike787 said:

Price is what you pay, value is what you get.   I recommend Bangkok international hospital.  EXCELLENT care by well trained professionals.  You health is an investment. good luck.

I suspect that wages of doctors here are far lower than in Switzerland. And infrastructure cost is lower, too. Then the only explanation I have if you need to pay more than in Switzerland for the same thing or even for a more inferior service is an artificially inflated bill (to put it politely). And I am not willing to play that game.

 

It was stated here on TVF that the quality you can expect in a government hospital is not that far from a private hospital. Obviously it depends on the doctor - not the institution - and as the example of Queen Sirikit Naval hospital shows doctors are working in different hospitals - be it a government hospital or a private one.

 

This raises the question of any future treatment of my 39 year old Thai wife as well. She recently was denied health insurance by a very well known insurer without having any preconditions exept a high BMI.

[moogradod]

On 12/7/2019 at 4:30 PM, xylophone said:

Reading this, and knowing your past history, if it were me I would be into any good hospital like a shot, regardless of cost.

Thanks for the advice xylophone. Just wonder how you can know my past history.

 

I have an Ultrashort Barett Mucosa, that is why I need the routine checkup of the esophagus. The last one was 2 years ago with no findings. The doctor then suggested a next checkup in 3 years, so I am 1 year early.

 

Problems with swallowing are persistent since many years. Done many checks, MRI, even swallowed a 30cm long probe and retained it for 24 hours - they did not find the cause.

 

So I believe it is sensible to assume that it is not cancer for this would have shown up already or I would have been given the advice to check up earlier again. But problems are increasing. I suspect an Achalasia of some kind, might be as well stress induced besides Reflux and Barett. So I will for sure show up in a hospital soon but do not panic (yet ????)

[xylophone]

44 minutes ago, moogradod said:

Thanks for the advice xylophone. Just wonder how you can know my past history.

 

I have an Ultrashort Barett Mucosa, that is why I need the routine checkup of the esophagus. The last one was 2 years ago with no findings. The doctor then suggested a next checkup in 3 years, so I am 1 year early.

 

Problems with swallowing are persistent since many years. Done many checks, MRI, even swallowed a 30cm long probe and retained it for 24 hours - they did not find the cause.

 

So I believe it is sensible to assume that it is not cancer for this would have shown up already or I would have been given the advice to check up earlier again. But problems are increasing. I suspect an Achalasia of some kind, might be as well stress induced besides Reflux and Barett. So I will for sure show up in a hospital soon but do not panic (yet ????)

Well you described some of your past history in your posts, as follows.........

 

·         I need to do a checkup (endoscopy) of my esophagus every 3 years so I went to Queen              Sirikit Naval Hospital in Rayong.

         simple checkup and sampling of tissue (did it a number of times in                                          Switzerland) 

·         I did this (combined coloscopy and gastroscopy incl. samples / removal of polyps                      several times in Switzerland with a private gastroenterologist.

·         I have done this many times. It is quite standard - at least in Switzerland. In and out in           less than 2 hours.

 

That's what I meant about your past history, and having suffered from Barrett's oesophagus myself for some years and having many of these procedures, I know a bit about them and the symptoms and treatment.

There was only one time when I found "difficulty in swallowing" and that was because the Barretts had started to become established and stress had meant that the acid reflux was getting worse and also affecting my ability to swallow.

I was terribly worried and during my time have had a barium meal swallow (measured), a barium enema, and many endoscopies/gastroscopies with samples taken.

I had a great doctor/surgeon in NZ and he recognised that my stress levels were far too high and I wasn't sleeping well, so to start with and to get me back onto a sleeping pattern he prescribed triazolam, combined with omeprazole (large doses to start with) and this improved matters, and finally my discovery of a capsule called d-Limonene, recommended to me by a friend who had tried it with success, was the final "treatment".

On my last visit back to NZ and for an exploratory gastroscopy, my surgeon was amazed that there was absolutely no trace of Barretts and all else seemed to be well.

So in conclusion, I think I know what you are going through, so my advice was based on what I would do, having read your posts. That's all.........



 

[moogradod]

51 minutes ago, xylophone said:

........

That's what I meant about your past history, and having suffered from Barrett's oesophagus myself for some years and having many of these procedures, I know a bit about them and the symptoms and treatment.

OK, I see. Thank you xylophone.

 

Your reply is very helpful to me. Indeed there seem to be similiarities to what you had. My sleeping rhythm has somehow changed completely, too which is really strange to me. I will look into omeprazole again and d-Limonene (whatever that is). As it is so difficult here to get help from a doctor I will as well self medicate first. I have a good friend in Switzerland who is a doctor who I can ask as well. And then - well - cant avoid the endoskopy I believe but I do not need to hurry too much I think. Will be off to the islands until Christmas.

 

Thanks again.

[mike787]

3 hours ago, moogradod said:

I suspect that wages of doctors here are far lower than in Switzerland. And infrastructure cost is lower, too. Then the only explanation I have if you need to pay more than in Switzerland for the same thing or even for a more inferior service is an artificially inflated bill (to put it politely). And I am not willing to play that game.

 

It was stated here on TVF that the quality you can expect in a government hospital is not that far from a private hospital. Obviously it depends on the doctor - not the institution - and as the example of Queen Sirikit Naval hospital shows doctors are working in different hospitals - be it a government hospital or a private one.

 

This raises the question of any future treatment of my 39 year old Thai wife as well. She recently was denied health insurance by a very well known insurer without having any preconditions exept a high BMI.

Good point.  Feelings mutual on all aspects of your comments.  It is frustrating.  It begs the question, why bother counting to reside in Thailand if health care is a priority.  My wife and I are questioning the same, perhaps better to move to US and forget all the Thai nonsense. However, what is thee value of your health to you?  How much are you willing to pay for quality of life?  That is personal. It may determine your next move...