cancer specialist
Good luck
Best of luck with everything Robbie.
Let me repeat from my earlier post:
Let me repeat from my earlier post:
I want to strongly encourage everyone over 50 to have a colonoscopy done. It may just save your life.
Colon cancer is what is called the silent killer. You can have it and it can proceed to advanced, incurable stages without your realizing it. (Especially important if you have any family history at all.)
Get over yourself and have it done. Period.
Hi All
Back in the land of the living now so I would like to carry on with this thread in case it is of any use to anyone now or in the future
I am now home from the hospital after the operation everything went well with the offending bit of gut removed. They tell me there are little indications of any spread as only one of 12 lymph nodes examined showed and sign of spread, this apparently is considered very good however there will be no chances taken with this and I will have a short 2 day course of Chemo every month for the next 6 months. This is to seek out and destroy anything that has escaped.
Something I am not very keen on but can accept is a temporary Stoma which is when the end of the small intestine is brought out through the skin and a bag attached to catch anything that would normally go down the colon. This is in order that there is no pressure on the join in the colon where the bit has been cut out allowing it to heal. This will be with me for about 3 months and the bag must be emptied several times a day and changed every few days. At the end of that time the small intestine will be connected back to the colon then things should be back to normal.
There was a complication a week back when the day before I was due to leave hospital I developed a urinal tract infection that wasn’t responding to the antibiotics I was on. A change of antibiotic has beaten that although it took an extra week to get it out of the system. I now have a handful of pills to take every day but that is no problem.
I am very happy with the care I have received from both the doctors and the nursing staff. There was a team of about 10 doctors involved with the surgery and the recovery under the main surgical specialist Dr Sahapon. In the days after the surgery they would all turn up in the mornings and afternoon to inspect and discuss the work and change the dressings, I thought it quite amusing with a mob of them round the bed all trying to be the one to put on the dressing or a bit of tape to hold it in place.
The whole team of nurses would also turn up at least once a day and ask a lot of questions, I even had a couple of visits from the Nurse General, that is General as in star on the shoulder (it’s a military hospital). Nurses and doctors were on call 24hrs although I had little need to press the buzzer, there was only one night when I had a bad back pain that I had to call and get some relief. There has been very little pain throughout and virtually none in the area of the incision.
As I have said this is a Government Military Hospital with a medical school and nurses training collage alongside, someone said it is the third biggest hospital in the country. And it is big, I had a private room on the 14th floor of the main building that was better than most of the hotel rooms I have been in anywhere. It had a small kitchen at one end, a sliding glass door to a balcony, a comfortable couch for the lady to sleep on, lots of storage space and the usual hospital bed array of switches and plug in things like oxygen and suction. The bed as seems to be the case with all hospitals I looked at was too hard for my back so the lady went out and bought a foam rubber topper pad which made things much more comfortable.
The only thing I can say against the place is that the size makes the distance between things quite long, for instance: The operating theatres are on the second floor in the same building as the emergency Dept which is in the building on the left as you go in the main gate. ICU is on the eighth floor of another building which I am told necessitated a bit of a gallop along covered walkways to get me there ASAP then getting back to my room was another down, up and round corners trip.
Other than that there are really only 3 drawbacks for any westerners wanting to be treated there, the hardness of the bed,. These is also the language barrier if you don’t speak good Thai, although there are always English speaking doctors and nurses not far away that can be called on if needed. The main problem would be the food which is almost exclusively Thai. They have very little idea of how to cook any western food. This was great when I was on a liquid diet for a few days after the operation for the lady got to eat the lot and said it was aroy maak (very delicious) but not so good when I started eating. We had a talk with the nurses and I got eggs and sausages with bread with marmalade even, along with milk to drink for breakfast. Other meals were not quite so good with macaroni and spaghetti which was cooked very well being the mainstay. Having the kitchen and the small rice cooker we took with us meant the lady could do soup or something for me when unsuitable food arrived so really it wasn’t a big problem for me.
Costs were very low compared to private hospitals here and hospitals overseas, I will give you a few as a comparison and I can only compare some with San Paulo in Huahin because the lady has worked there.
One day in ICU 350B (San Paulo 10,000B).
The 6 hour operation with the full team of doctors, less the cost of medication 17,000B, private room per day 2,000B, meals (3 per day) Thai food 100B western food 250B the lady said the food was far more and better than San Paulo.
The highest cost has been medication which can I suppose be expected because it will all come from the big mostly overseas companies.
As I said before they are being very thorough with me hence the 6 months of Chemo. There will also be another small operation to remove the Stoma and reconnect the small intestine to the colon, after that I suspect there will be a few check-ups then on to the rest of my life. It will end up being a long treatment but if at the end it has got all the cancer out of my system it will be well worth the time and money.
I am also very thankful for the insurance I took out with BUPA when I first came to Thailand, it won’t pay everything for my policy which is a minimum has some limits but it will pay for the majority. We have been sending in claims as the bills come and have therefore been getting regular payments which certainly helps with the bank balance. I started the policy in Huahin and made the first claims there and the lady there has been fantastic even after we moved to BKK. She has called us regularly to ask if everything if everything is OK told us ‘call any time if you have a problem’ a service we have taken advantage of several times.
This is the first day back in our room, smaller than the hospital room, and I am feeling tired and want to rest regularly, this will improve over the next week and I will soon be wandering around the streets again for a bit of exercise. This morning we worked out diets for the next the next couple of weeks and the lady is off buying food and stuff we will need and putting in another insurance claim so that gives me a bit of quiet time to do this.
I will update you as things progress, you all stay fit and healthy hear!
Robby
Back in the land of the living now so I would like to carry on with this thread in case it is of any use to anyone now or in the future
I am now home from the hospital after the operation everything went well with the offending bit of gut removed. They tell me there are little indications of any spread as only one of 12 lymph nodes examined showed and sign of spread, this apparently is considered very good however there will be no chances taken with this and I will have a short 2 day course of Chemo every month for the next 6 months. This is to seek out and destroy anything that has escaped.
Something I am not very keen on but can accept is a temporary Stoma which is when the end of the small intestine is brought out through the skin and a bag attached to catch anything that would normally go down the colon. This is in order that there is no pressure on the join in the colon where the bit has been cut out allowing it to heal. This will be with me for about 3 months and the bag must be emptied several times a day and changed every few days. At the end of that time the small intestine will be connected back to the colon then things should be back to normal.
There was a complication a week back when the day before I was due to leave hospital I developed a urinal tract infection that wasn’t responding to the antibiotics I was on. A change of antibiotic has beaten that although it took an extra week to get it out of the system. I now have a handful of pills to take every day but that is no problem.
I am very happy with the care I have received from both the doctors and the nursing staff. There was a team of about 10 doctors involved with the surgery and the recovery under the main surgical specialist Dr Sahapon. In the days after the surgery they would all turn up in the mornings and afternoon to inspect and discuss the work and change the dressings, I thought it quite amusing with a mob of them round the bed all trying to be the one to put on the dressing or a bit of tape to hold it in place.
The whole team of nurses would also turn up at least once a day and ask a lot of questions, I even had a couple of visits from the Nurse General, that is General as in star on the shoulder (it’s a military hospital). Nurses and doctors were on call 24hrs although I had little need to press the buzzer, there was only one night when I had a bad back pain that I had to call and get some relief. There has been very little pain throughout and virtually none in the area of the incision.
As I have said this is a Government Military Hospital with a medical school and nurses training collage alongside, someone said it is the third biggest hospital in the country. And it is big, I had a private room on the 14th floor of the main building that was better than most of the hotel rooms I have been in anywhere. It had a small kitchen at one end, a sliding glass door to a balcony, a comfortable couch for the lady to sleep on, lots of storage space and the usual hospital bed array of switches and plug in things like oxygen and suction. The bed as seems to be the case with all hospitals I looked at was too hard for my back so the lady went out and bought a foam rubber topper pad which made things much more comfortable.
The only thing I can say against the place is that the size makes the distance between things quite long, for instance: The operating theatres are on the second floor in the same building as the emergency Dept which is in the building on the left as you go in the main gate. ICU is on the eighth floor of another building which I am told necessitated a bit of a gallop along covered walkways to get me there ASAP then getting back to my room was another down, up and round corners trip.
Other than that there are really only 3 drawbacks for any westerners wanting to be treated there, the hardness of the bed,. These is also the language barrier if you don’t speak good Thai, although there are always English speaking doctors and nurses not far away that can be called on if needed. The main problem would be the food which is almost exclusively Thai. They have very little idea of how to cook any western food. This was great when I was on a liquid diet for a few days after the operation for the lady got to eat the lot and said it was aroy maak (very delicious) but not so good when I started eating. We had a talk with the nurses and I got eggs and sausages with bread with marmalade even, along with milk to drink for breakfast. Other meals were not quite so good with macaroni and spaghetti which was cooked very well being the mainstay. Having the kitchen and the small rice cooker we took with us meant the lady could do soup or something for me when unsuitable food arrived so really it wasn’t a big problem for me.
Costs were very low compared to private hospitals here and hospitals overseas, I will give you a few as a comparison and I can only compare some with San Paulo in Huahin because the lady has worked there.
One day in ICU 350B (San Paulo 10,000B).
The 6 hour operation with the full team of doctors, less the cost of medication 17,000B, private room per day 2,000B, meals (3 per day) Thai food 100B western food 250B the lady said the food was far more and better than San Paulo.
The highest cost has been medication which can I suppose be expected because it will all come from the big mostly overseas companies.
As I said before they are being very thorough with me hence the 6 months of Chemo. There will also be another small operation to remove the Stoma and reconnect the small intestine to the colon, after that I suspect there will be a few check-ups then on to the rest of my life. It will end up being a long treatment but if at the end it has got all the cancer out of my system it will be well worth the time and money.
I am also very thankful for the insurance I took out with BUPA when I first came to Thailand, it won’t pay everything for my policy which is a minimum has some limits but it will pay for the majority. We have been sending in claims as the bills come and have therefore been getting regular payments which certainly helps with the bank balance. I started the policy in Huahin and made the first claims there and the lady there has been fantastic even after we moved to BKK. She has called us regularly to ask if everything if everything is OK told us ‘call any time if you have a problem’ a service we have taken advantage of several times.
This is the first day back in our room, smaller than the hospital room, and I am feeling tired and want to rest regularly, this will improve over the next week and I will soon be wandering around the streets again for a bit of exercise. This morning we worked out diets for the next the next couple of weeks and the lady is off buying food and stuff we will need and putting in another insurance claim so that gives me a bit of quiet time to do this.
I will update you as things progress, you all stay fit and healthy hear!
Robby
That all sounds like good news Robby. Glad to hear it. Stay strong and good luck to ya. 
Per Angusta In Augusta.
-----------------------------------------------
http://www.facebook.com/huahinhamandbacon
www.hamandbacon.co.th
-----------------------------------------------
http://www.facebook.com/huahinhamandbacon
www.hamandbacon.co.th
Good news Robbie
Chas, can't agree more. A colonoscopy is a must at 50 plus and extremely reassuring. Years ago they didn't treat things unril they had a hold. Now with the modern technology finding any problems early is easy.
Even got a DVD given of mine
Anybody want a look up my ass? (Katoeys excluded) 
Chas, can't agree more. A colonoscopy is a must at 50 plus and extremely reassuring. Years ago they didn't treat things unril they had a hold. Now with the modern technology finding any problems early is easy.
Even got a DVD given of mine
Anybody want a look up my ass?
(Katoeys excluded) RICHARD OF LOXLEY
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
-
Randy Cornhole
- Rock Star
- Posts: 3701
- Joined: Sun Feb 27, 2005 5:01 pm
- Location: London
- Contact:
Something a friend sent me by email
This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.
No plastic containers in microwave.
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave.
A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic
bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital ,
was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.
He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the
microwave using plastic containers...
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin
into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic
containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin.
So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc.,
should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper.
It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away
from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when
placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high
heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent
To anyone important in
Your life!
ALSO -------------------------------------
Bottled water in your car
very dangerous.
This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and said this same exact thing. This has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especially in Australia .
A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the Doctor told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel Canteen or a glass bottle when you can!
.
This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.
No plastic containers in microwave.
No water bottles in freezer.
No plastic wrap in microwave.
A dioxin chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.
Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic
bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.
Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital ,
was on a TV program to explain this health hazard.
He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us.
He said that we should not be heating our food in the
microwave using plastic containers...
This especially applies to foods that contain fat.
He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin
into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic
containers for heating food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin.
So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc.,
should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper.
It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away
from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...
Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when
placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high
heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.
This is an article that should be sent
To anyone important in
Your life!
ALSO -------------------------------------
Bottled water in your car
very dangerous.
This is how Sheryl Crow got breast cancer. She was on the Ellen show and said this same exact thing. This has been identified as the most common cause of the high levels in breast cancer, especially in Australia .
A friend whose mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and the Doctor told her: women should not drink bottled water that has been left in a car.
The doctor said that the heat and the plastic of the bottle have certain chemicals that can lead to breast cancer. So please be careful and do not drink bottled water that has been left in a car, and, pass this on to all the women in your life. This information is the kind we need to know and be aware and just might save us! The heat causes toxins from the plastic to leak into the water and they have found these toxins in breast tissue. Use a stainless steel Canteen or a glass bottle when you can!
.
RICHARD OF LOXLEY
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
It’s none of my business what people say and think of me. I am what I am and do what I do. I expect nothing and accept everything. It makes life so much easier.
-
Vital Spark
- Legend
- Posts: 2045
- Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:34 pm
- Location: Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
I'm sorry Richard, but I'm going to ignore all the 'fear factor' bits in your post.
Anything that ends with 'Send this to anyone important in your life' just makes me switch off. Sheryl Crow (who's got a great voice) on the Ellen Show (whatever that is) should know better.
Robby - I hope that you're recovering well and I don't think that this informative and important thread should be high-jacked with a junk e.mail.
VS
Anything that ends with 'Send this to anyone important in your life' just makes me switch off. Sheryl Crow (who's got a great voice) on the Ellen Show (whatever that is) should know better.
Robby - I hope that you're recovering well and I don't think that this informative and important thread should be high-jacked with a junk e.mail.
VS
"Properly trained, man can be a dog's best friend"
-
Wanderlust
- Legend
- Posts: 2862
- Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 12:27 pm
- Location: Hua Hin
richard,
Agree with VS. You have done this before - while you are only passing this stuff on, can I suggest that you do a little research on your own before doing so? I refer you to this site as a first step to anyone concerned about this, followed by this one as referenced in the first one, and finally for the facts about dioxins, which are harmful, go here and here.
I didn't have the time to look this up when i first read this, and have spent a restless night thinking about it, hence the time of my post. I am sure others have been worried too.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU POST AND DON'T JUST RELY ON EMAILS SENT TO YOU.
Agree with VS. You have done this before - while you are only passing this stuff on, can I suggest that you do a little research on your own before doing so? I refer you to this site as a first step to anyone concerned about this, followed by this one as referenced in the first one, and finally for the facts about dioxins, which are harmful, go here and here.
I didn't have the time to look this up when i first read this, and have spent a restless night thinking about it, hence the time of my post. I am sure others have been worried too.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE THINK BEFORE YOU POST AND DON'T JUST RELY ON EMAILS SENT TO YOU.
Once again I will do an update in case it is of use to anyone in the future. This will probably be the last I do as the majority of my treatment is now over. All that remains are 5 courses of oral chemo which will take me up to some time in June making it a full year since I was first diagnosed. This time it is not all good news as I have had a lot of complications, more on that later.
First a little more on the hospital; I knew I was dealing with a big hospital but didn’t really understand the scale until I had been in there for a while. The Colo proctology unit which is the one my treatment is under has 4 or 5 doctors, surgeons, each with a team of 5 or 6 doctors working with them and they seem to have a huge workload. We asked one day how many inpatients the team that was treating me had to see on that day and were told “about 40” and this doesn’t include the outpatient clinics that are held 4 days a week and of course this is only one of the teams of doctors in the unit and one of the many specialties represented in the hospital. I have no idea how many inpatient beds there will be but it must be at least 2000 so it is a very big place and because there are both medical and nursing schools attached there are many trainee doctors and nurses around.
When I went for my latest operation I was told the team had 10 operations to do that day and I would be number 9. The team of doctors came to visit me every day usually between 7 and 9 am to change my dressings and ask if there were any problems. On a few occasions only 2 or 3 of them would come as they had split into two groups to get around an increased number of patients. The main man Dr Sahapon who is said to be one of the top, if not the top man in his field in the country came about once a week unless we specifically asked to see him. He gave us his personal phone number and told us “call any time if you have a problem”. On a couple of occasions we were told he was working at a private hospital which confirmed what I already knew that he and presumably other specialists are farmed out to the private hospitals that don’t have a specialist on their staff. This could mean that if I or you opt for an expensive private hospital we may well be treated by the same doctor.
OK down to my case. After 4 months with a colostomy I went back to hospital on the 14th December for an operation to have my small and large intestines reconnected, only a small operation I was told 4 or 5 days and you will be back home. The operation was no problem but the day after I developed an infection; whether that was anyone’s fault or just one of those things I can’t say and there is no point in trying to lay blame. If I was in the fabulous US of A (President Obama told me the fabulous bit) I would probably have had a school of law sharks circling trying to sue someone for millions but TIT. The stitches were taken out the wound cleaned and a sample sent to the lab and an antibiotic recommended. After 3 days it became obvious the antibiotic was controlling but not clearing the infection so the antibiotic was changed and the difference was immediate for in 2 days the infection was gone. Another couple of days and the wound was re-sutured and I was put on a fluid diet and a couple of days later was told to go home, great still in time for Xmas. I was told to stay with a soft diet for a while and eat small amounts often but I went and ate too much in one go and overloaded the fragile system. The result a fistula of the small intestine, that is a hole in the gut that lets the food come out. I was lucky that the hole discharged into the wound rather than into the abdominal cavity where it would have caused a serious problem.
So I was back in hospital again with the stitches taken out and this time I could not eat and was put on intravenous food until such time that the fistula closed of its own accord. When this happened I was on liquid again but now I had a blockage in the small intestine, twisted bowel they called it. Treatment for this is to reach for the knife and go in and physically straighten it out or put a tube through the nose into the stomach and apply gentle pressure to pull everything back into place. The doctor opted for the latter. Didn’t like the tube in the nose bit at all, most uncomfortable, but it did work even though it took a week or so, then back on liquid and it was obvious to me that there was still a partial obstruction of the small intestine but the water and milk I was drinking did go through and what goes in must come out so I was kept busy running to the toilet. Everything eventually straightened its self out and I got off IV feed and on to soft diet again, a few days to make sure the fistula would not open again and it was go home time and about time, I have had enough of lying in a hospital bed to last me for the rest of my life.
So the whole process from entering hospital for the “Small operation” to back home and eating again has taken 6 weeks and a whole heap of Baht I didn’t budget for. I have had indignities without number preformed on the long suffering body, instruments of torture shoved up every available orifice and been harpooned with needles in every vain in the arms in the name of intravenous feeding and blood tests but that is behind me now and I am eating again and feeling good although still weak and about 7kg down in weight. I still have a hole on my belly where the operation wound is slowly healing and it has to be dressed each day but we do this ourselves so no problem. There is a visit to the doctor next week for a check up and some time in the future when I regain strength the 5 courses of chemo. The urologist had another look in my bladder and the growth they saw there before had shrunk, probably the result of the chemo so it can most likely be called a tumor and I have another appointment with him in 3 months to have another look. I am taking this as a good thing because if it disappears it will give a good indication that the chemo is destroying any stray bits of cancer in the system.
So overall impressions:
Competent experienced doctors who really took an interest in me and my case, great nurses, good to look at, on call 24, 7 always with a smile, food, well I wasn’t eating most of the time but when I was I could order the sort of things I wanted within reason. Cost, the whole exercise to date has cost me and the insurance company between 8 and 9 thousand baht and the remaining chemo will bring that to around a million. To put that in prospective it represents a full year of treatment for a serious condition with radiation, chemo and 2 months in hospital. I think you will agree a bargain.
Would I use the same doctor, hospital again? Without hesitation. And I would recommend them to anyone. The only major problems that you won’t get with private hospitals is the waiting around time for appointments and this is due to the sheer number of patients and you will need someone with you who speaks Thai.
I was going to comment on insurance but I will do this on a separate post tomorrow.
Once again if anyone has similar problems and needs help give me a call.
Robby HH
First a little more on the hospital; I knew I was dealing with a big hospital but didn’t really understand the scale until I had been in there for a while. The Colo proctology unit which is the one my treatment is under has 4 or 5 doctors, surgeons, each with a team of 5 or 6 doctors working with them and they seem to have a huge workload. We asked one day how many inpatients the team that was treating me had to see on that day and were told “about 40” and this doesn’t include the outpatient clinics that are held 4 days a week and of course this is only one of the teams of doctors in the unit and one of the many specialties represented in the hospital. I have no idea how many inpatient beds there will be but it must be at least 2000 so it is a very big place and because there are both medical and nursing schools attached there are many trainee doctors and nurses around.
When I went for my latest operation I was told the team had 10 operations to do that day and I would be number 9. The team of doctors came to visit me every day usually between 7 and 9 am to change my dressings and ask if there were any problems. On a few occasions only 2 or 3 of them would come as they had split into two groups to get around an increased number of patients. The main man Dr Sahapon who is said to be one of the top, if not the top man in his field in the country came about once a week unless we specifically asked to see him. He gave us his personal phone number and told us “call any time if you have a problem”. On a couple of occasions we were told he was working at a private hospital which confirmed what I already knew that he and presumably other specialists are farmed out to the private hospitals that don’t have a specialist on their staff. This could mean that if I or you opt for an expensive private hospital we may well be treated by the same doctor.
OK down to my case. After 4 months with a colostomy I went back to hospital on the 14th December for an operation to have my small and large intestines reconnected, only a small operation I was told 4 or 5 days and you will be back home. The operation was no problem but the day after I developed an infection; whether that was anyone’s fault or just one of those things I can’t say and there is no point in trying to lay blame. If I was in the fabulous US of A (President Obama told me the fabulous bit) I would probably have had a school of law sharks circling trying to sue someone for millions but TIT. The stitches were taken out the wound cleaned and a sample sent to the lab and an antibiotic recommended. After 3 days it became obvious the antibiotic was controlling but not clearing the infection so the antibiotic was changed and the difference was immediate for in 2 days the infection was gone. Another couple of days and the wound was re-sutured and I was put on a fluid diet and a couple of days later was told to go home, great still in time for Xmas. I was told to stay with a soft diet for a while and eat small amounts often but I went and ate too much in one go and overloaded the fragile system. The result a fistula of the small intestine, that is a hole in the gut that lets the food come out. I was lucky that the hole discharged into the wound rather than into the abdominal cavity where it would have caused a serious problem.
So I was back in hospital again with the stitches taken out and this time I could not eat and was put on intravenous food until such time that the fistula closed of its own accord. When this happened I was on liquid again but now I had a blockage in the small intestine, twisted bowel they called it. Treatment for this is to reach for the knife and go in and physically straighten it out or put a tube through the nose into the stomach and apply gentle pressure to pull everything back into place. The doctor opted for the latter. Didn’t like the tube in the nose bit at all, most uncomfortable, but it did work even though it took a week or so, then back on liquid and it was obvious to me that there was still a partial obstruction of the small intestine but the water and milk I was drinking did go through and what goes in must come out so I was kept busy running to the toilet. Everything eventually straightened its self out and I got off IV feed and on to soft diet again, a few days to make sure the fistula would not open again and it was go home time and about time, I have had enough of lying in a hospital bed to last me for the rest of my life.
So the whole process from entering hospital for the “Small operation” to back home and eating again has taken 6 weeks and a whole heap of Baht I didn’t budget for. I have had indignities without number preformed on the long suffering body, instruments of torture shoved up every available orifice and been harpooned with needles in every vain in the arms in the name of intravenous feeding and blood tests but that is behind me now and I am eating again and feeling good although still weak and about 7kg down in weight. I still have a hole on my belly where the operation wound is slowly healing and it has to be dressed each day but we do this ourselves so no problem. There is a visit to the doctor next week for a check up and some time in the future when I regain strength the 5 courses of chemo. The urologist had another look in my bladder and the growth they saw there before had shrunk, probably the result of the chemo so it can most likely be called a tumor and I have another appointment with him in 3 months to have another look. I am taking this as a good thing because if it disappears it will give a good indication that the chemo is destroying any stray bits of cancer in the system.
So overall impressions:
Competent experienced doctors who really took an interest in me and my case, great nurses, good to look at, on call 24, 7 always with a smile, food, well I wasn’t eating most of the time but when I was I could order the sort of things I wanted within reason. Cost, the whole exercise to date has cost me and the insurance company between 8 and 9 thousand baht and the remaining chemo will bring that to around a million. To put that in prospective it represents a full year of treatment for a serious condition with radiation, chemo and 2 months in hospital. I think you will agree a bargain.
Would I use the same doctor, hospital again? Without hesitation. And I would recommend them to anyone. The only major problems that you won’t get with private hospitals is the waiting around time for appointments and this is due to the sheer number of patients and you will need someone with you who speaks Thai.
I was going to comment on insurance but I will do this on a separate post tomorrow.
Once again if anyone has similar problems and needs help give me a call.
Robby HH
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mikehuahin
- Novice
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:43 pm
Colon/Rectum Cancer
Hi Robby , sounds like you are very positive about your recovery .
Last September I was loosing a little blood and thought I had a problem with Piles . A trip to Poly Clinic and the Doctor stuck a finger up arse and said goto Hospital and do not pass go . I went to Petcharat and was seen by the Surgical Registrar who did a few tests and again the probing . Had to come back as specialist X-ray machine had gone wrong . Got a call on the friday to return saturday .
Went back and had something stuck up arse very rudely and was most unpleasant for about 10 minutes .
Whilst waiting for the X-rays 2 patients spoke to me about the surgeon and hospital and were most encouraging and also Dr Ann came and spoke to me and my Thai wife . Was called in to see the visiting surgeon a Dr Taweesak who studied the X-rays and put his finger up my arse so smoothly and quickly I hardly felt a thing . He gave me the options which were to operate at Petcharat or Bangkok or to go home and see specialists anywhere I liked . I looked at VIP room and booked in for the operation .
In on wednesday 1 week after seeing Registrar and operated on Friday . 2 days in Intensive Care and back to ward .Out of hospital after a week . Back for drains to be taken out 2 weeks later . Promptly sprung a leak and had to have the pee bag put back by Dr Vittaya . Like you I got several urinary tract infections . Some anti-biotics worked better than others . The infections caused a delay in Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy which started in December . Oral Therapy only 9 pills a day plus 6 vitamin pills . Radiotherapy on what was your arse is brutal . Uncomfortable and very tiring - 28 times 5 days a week . If you are insured stay in a hotel rather than hospital - the insurance companies save lots of money . I had the Radiotherapy treatment at The Cancer Centre at Ari which was very friendly and Dr Chanawat was very simpathetic about burnt arse and after last treatment gave us a great burn cream which has worked wonders over the last 3 weeks . Can now sit on a chair for more than 3 hours without pain -after treatment it was about 2 minutes .
I am halfway through the chemo treatment a feel very positive . Up 7 kilos since New Year and feel extremely confident about the future .
The Stoma is your friend and makes lots of funny noises - finding the Colostomy bag that suites you is a bit compicated and depends on what you find upsetting . I prefer the clear bag so I can see what is going on .
As for Dr Ann and all of the Surgeons and Doctors I have seen I cannot praise and thank enough .
My advice is see people who give you confidence and go with them . Confidence and positive thinking go a long way in the healing process .
Last September I was loosing a little blood and thought I had a problem with Piles . A trip to Poly Clinic and the Doctor stuck a finger up arse and said goto Hospital and do not pass go . I went to Petcharat and was seen by the Surgical Registrar who did a few tests and again the probing . Had to come back as specialist X-ray machine had gone wrong . Got a call on the friday to return saturday .
Went back and had something stuck up arse very rudely and was most unpleasant for about 10 minutes .
Whilst waiting for the X-rays 2 patients spoke to me about the surgeon and hospital and were most encouraging and also Dr Ann came and spoke to me and my Thai wife . Was called in to see the visiting surgeon a Dr Taweesak who studied the X-rays and put his finger up my arse so smoothly and quickly I hardly felt a thing . He gave me the options which were to operate at Petcharat or Bangkok or to go home and see specialists anywhere I liked . I looked at VIP room and booked in for the operation .
In on wednesday 1 week after seeing Registrar and operated on Friday . 2 days in Intensive Care and back to ward .Out of hospital after a week . Back for drains to be taken out 2 weeks later . Promptly sprung a leak and had to have the pee bag put back by Dr Vittaya . Like you I got several urinary tract infections . Some anti-biotics worked better than others . The infections caused a delay in Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy which started in December . Oral Therapy only 9 pills a day plus 6 vitamin pills . Radiotherapy on what was your arse is brutal . Uncomfortable and very tiring - 28 times 5 days a week . If you are insured stay in a hotel rather than hospital - the insurance companies save lots of money . I had the Radiotherapy treatment at The Cancer Centre at Ari which was very friendly and Dr Chanawat was very simpathetic about burnt arse and after last treatment gave us a great burn cream which has worked wonders over the last 3 weeks . Can now sit on a chair for more than 3 hours without pain -after treatment it was about 2 minutes .
I am halfway through the chemo treatment a feel very positive . Up 7 kilos since New Year and feel extremely confident about the future .
The Stoma is your friend and makes lots of funny noises - finding the Colostomy bag that suites you is a bit compicated and depends on what you find upsetting . I prefer the clear bag so I can see what is going on .
As for Dr Ann and all of the Surgeons and Doctors I have seen I cannot praise and thank enough .
My advice is see people who give you confidence and go with them . Confidence and positive thinking go a long way in the healing process .
Hi Mike
Lookes like you went about things a bit differently from me with a quicker rusult.
The uncomfortable thing the stuck up your bum was a sigmoidascope, about the same size as the hubble telescope and as you say not nice although it depends a bit on the operator. I had 2 the first, part of the diagnosis, was painful, the second to have a look at the join after the OP I hardly felt.
The Mrs askes where it was you had radiation?
For me radiation had no side effects, no burns or anything but I suspect it was much different from yours. Mine was done before the OP and I was lying flat on my back under the machine which was pointed at the tumor with the beam shielded by lead blocks. There was one burst of radiation streight down and another from each side, 10 minitues from start to finish.
Sounds like you have a permanant colostomy on the colon whereas mine was temporary on the small intestine which meant in my case I didn't get the full value from what I ate as i had no use of the remaining part of the colon for the time I had the bag on. I used the B Braun 2 piece system with a plate glued on and a detachable bag, replaced the bag about every 3 or4 days and the plate 5 to 7.
Hope your recovery goes well, stay positive and focus on quality of life and do whatever you want to do now for we never know if these things can re-occur. If you ever feel you need any help or support just yell
Lookes like you went about things a bit differently from me with a quicker rusult.
The uncomfortable thing the stuck up your bum was a sigmoidascope, about the same size as the hubble telescope and as you say not nice although it depends a bit on the operator. I had 2 the first, part of the diagnosis, was painful, the second to have a look at the join after the OP I hardly felt.
The Mrs askes where it was you had radiation?
For me radiation had no side effects, no burns or anything but I suspect it was much different from yours. Mine was done before the OP and I was lying flat on my back under the machine which was pointed at the tumor with the beam shielded by lead blocks. There was one burst of radiation streight down and another from each side, 10 minitues from start to finish.
Sounds like you have a permanant colostomy on the colon whereas mine was temporary on the small intestine which meant in my case I didn't get the full value from what I ate as i had no use of the remaining part of the colon for the time I had the bag on. I used the B Braun 2 piece system with a plate glued on and a detachable bag, replaced the bag about every 3 or4 days and the plate 5 to 7.
Hope your recovery goes well, stay positive and focus on quality of life and do whatever you want to do now for we never know if these things can re-occur. If you ever feel you need any help or support just yell
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mikehuahin
- Novice
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:43 pm
Bags and support belts
Hi Robbie ,
I have almost given up on 2 piece systems as they fall off whilst exeising . I now use a 1 piece called Coloplast which sticks much better and is much more flexable with body movement .
The only drawback is the bag has a clear plastic outer layer which some people might find offensive . I find it useful as I can see what is happening to Stoma .
I am looking for a support system to help support the bag and Stoma . I can find lots on the Web but has anyone seen them in Thailand ?
I have almost given up on 2 piece systems as they fall off whilst exeising . I now use a 1 piece called Coloplast which sticks much better and is much more flexable with body movement .
The only drawback is the bag has a clear plastic outer layer which some people might find offensive . I find it useful as I can see what is happening to Stoma .
I am looking for a support system to help support the bag and Stoma . I can find lots on the Web but has anyone seen them in Thailand ?