Daily life in Thailand: Wim falls ill
Have returned from a three week visit to family in Ban Hinhea, Isaan. At the end of my second week with my Thai family, I'm starting to feel bad.
I unexpectedly get a high fever, a pounding headache, chills despite the heat and severe pain in my whole body. The next day I can't help but stay in bed, eating is impossible, the smell of cooking already makes me nauseous. Tung, my wife, decides to take me to a doctor.
After some hesitation, I agree. I don't have too much cash with me anymore and I'm afraid of the costs. I don't want to burden my Thai family with that either. Tung immediately understands this and says that I don't have to worry about the costs, everything will be taken care of. Afterwards it appears that a sister of Tung has transferred 10.000 baht to cover the costs.
The family decides not to take me to a doctor in the village but to the Khon Kaen Ram Hospital, they have more confidence in that. After a drive of more than an hour (also in Khon Kaen there are traffic jams these days) we arrive at the hospital. A collection of white buildings with a huge partially covered parking lot behind them.
After walking through a maze of corridors and staircases, we finally find the reception of this vast complex. This is clearly a hospital for the financially better off Thai. Sleekly decorated and clean. There are seats everywhere, shiny chrome base, pink leather seat and backrest.
We report to the reception. The first one is asked for my passport, a copy of this is immediately made. We get a number and take a seat somewhere to wait until our number is called. I notice that there are many pregnant women in the waiting room, without a husband. I also see some older Europeans, perhaps expats who have been staying in the area for some time.
After a fifteen minute wait, a nurse picks me up, super slim, tightly dressed in a spotless uniform, on white pums! That looks very different from the nursing staff who shuffle through the corridors on eccos in the Netherlands. She takes me to a small examination room in the internal medicine department. After I have taken a seat in another comfortable chair, I can put my arm in a device that measures blood pressure, which can be read digitally. My doctor would be jealous. My temperature is measured through the ear.
After the nurse has recorded the data, I can go back to the waiting room. Between the departments of internal medicine and orthopedics, there is a flat screen on the wall showing a Thai soap opera and the necessary loud advertising. A few look at it with amusement, but the majority of those waiting have immersed themselves in their mobile phones. Constant calling and texting.
My name is called and I am escorted, by yet another handsome, well-groomed appearance, to the consulting room of the doctor on duty. Now I know for sure: the staff of this hospital is selected by age and appearance. It turns out to be a female doctor, stunningly beautiful in her early thirties at the most. “Good morning sir”, followed by a wai. “What can I do for you sir?”?
I tell her my complaints, after which she looks at me with a somewhat embarrassed smile. This lady speaks good English, but apparently I went a little too fast. I repeat my story at a somewhat slower pace, she nods in understanding. “Sir, to check what is wrong with you, we have to test your blood. you ok?” I agree, I don't have much choice and I would also like to know what is wrong with me.
I can accompany you to the lab. There is a small examination room, in a corner there is a bed on which an elderly man is lying on an IV. Blood is drawn from me, quickly and professionally. The nurse tells me that the results of the blood test will be known an hour later. Until then I can take a seat in the lounge of the hospital.
Not an hour but three quarters of an hour later I can go back to the doctor who will tell me the results. “Sir, we have tested your blood, you have a serious infection, it's dengue.” Maybe naive of me, but it means nothing to me and I ask for an explanation. In her best school English she explains to me that this infection is caused by a mosquito species, which can be very dangerous. And then she also tells that there are no medicines against it!
The only thing I can/may do is take paracetamol, two at a time, every six hours. Keep drinking a lot and especially try to eat. She can't tell me how much longer I'm going to feel bad. Can be 1 week or more depending on my fitness and resistance. I immediately think of that winged statement by De Rijdende Rechter: “This is my verdict and you have to make do with it.”
I am given medicines, paracetamol and a number of sachets of ORS and a new appointment to come back for a repeat of the blood test. I'll be there two more times that week. I don't keep the last appointment, too scared to be told that I have to postpone my return flight because of the too great risk of internal bleeding caused by the higher air pressure in the plane.
I am now “safely” back in the Netherlands. Blood tests here at the hospital confirmed what I already knew: dengue, dengue fever.
It's slowly getting better every day. When you are sick you feel most comfortable at home, in your own bed. My home is now also Thailand, I can't wait to go back!
Submitted by Wim
– Reposted message –
Dengue itself is not much more than a strong flu. Have had it myself once. An additional advantage is that you are then resistant to it. The disadvantage is that there are four variants and if you have had the first, the second etc. are more dangerous. Last year another Thai movie star passed away after an illness of (I think I remember) 6 months. Treatment costs were around 3.000.000 Thb in the Ramathibodi Hospital in BKK, but in the VIP department.
Jdeboer.
You are not fully informed about being resistant. Because you are indeed resistant to 1 variant, but the other 3 variants are therefore not properly recognized and can go more destructive, a second infection with Dengua is possibly even more dangerous.
The Thai Superstar / movie star as Por Thrisadee (37 years old) died of dengue last January. You can't buy health. Then it's better to prevent getting dengue: protect.
I also had it 2 years ago, it still nags with me for a long time until half a year to a year, little resistance quickly tired etc, there seem to be four types of denqie mosquitoes, it is very common at the moment.
Dear Wim,
We are very sorry that you have fallen victim to this disease.
But I think the story is very commendable for your concerned in-laws and the nursing staff at the hospital.
Thank you for this very instructive story and I hope you are back to normal soon.
I'm still surprised that they put you to bed there because a farang is cash register.
My wife spent 3 days in a hospital in Khon Kaen with dengue but not in this hospital.
Been there this week because they have a dentist department because my regular dentist couldn't help me because I wanted to put a crown, but they took a picture 80 baht. Not the Ram hospital, they don't do it for 80 baht.
Furthermore, there were 4 assistants walking around, blood pressure was measured, OK conversation with the dentist, explained what I wanted, showed the photo that had been taken in advance, well that was the main prize, 28000 baht, I was already lying in the chair, as if bitten by a wasp, I jumped up and thanked the dentist and the 4 assistants for their hospitality, I didn't see anyone else there in the department, but I can imagine the extortionate (farang) prices. That was the Ram hospital in Khon Kaen.
Have an appointment with another dentist tomorrow, there's no rush.
khon Kaen Ram hospital is beautiful, big and clean, but quite expensive.
Ask for the price first, before the doctor will help you.
You will be helped quickly and expertly without a long wait, but talking to a doctor for 10 minutes can easily cost 3000 to 4000 baht including a bag of medicines that are 25 percent of the bill.
The average patient always receives medicines for about 1000 baht. The paracetamol and other medicines of the same brand are sometimes 50 percent cheaper outside the hospital, and you are always prescribed far too many medicines. (for example, the paracetamol)
It is good to keep each other informed about experiences in Thai hospitals on this blog.
a good greeting from Danny
Same Ram Hospital had an ear infection some years ago, I went to the doctor and he looked in my ear with a viewing light and said yes, I can't see anything while I was bursting with ear pain. OK. I go to the checkout and there is a mountain of medicine ready in all the colors of the rainbow, I ask is that for me??? What should I do with that? The doctor didn't see anything.
So I neatly push the medicine aside and say I don't need it, I saw the face of that fold, he looked at me in surprise and he thought the farang didn't want to be helped.
I say if that doctor doesn't see anything why does he give me so many medicines, yes she couldn't explain that either, so only consultation doctor paid 700 Baht,
On to the farmacy bottle of ear drops cost 40 baht and 2 days later I was back to my old self, yes that Ram hospital is the last time I go there.
Although the chance of dying from it is relatively small (141 recorded deaths in Thailand last year, perhaps a few times that in reality), it is something you can take preventive action on, mainly by using DEET and a mosquito net. Well-intentioned advice to always wear body-covering clothing seems unrealistic to me.
There is indeed no such thing as a drug, but a vaccine has recently become available on the market, which has now been approved in eleven countries, including Thailand.
I don't know if it's available yet, it's all still in the rollout phase.
.
See:
.
http://www.sanofipasteur.com/en/articles/first_dengue_vaccine_approved_in_more_than_10_countries.aspx
Dengue mosquito bites mainly during the day. And if you live in Thailand, I don't think it's good to apply deet daily because it affects nerves.
The day often starts early and DEET is also safe with long-term (correct) use.
.
https://goo.gl/GkB4f6
Had it this year too, was too sick to go to the doctor, didn't know what it was, by the way. I didn't eat for 5 days and hardly drank and after 2 days my legs turned bright red that was from internal bleeding. I had stopped taking my blood thinners a few days before that was my salvation because you are not allowed to take aspirin or other blood thinners because of the risk of internal bleeding . Full recovery takes weeks, especially fatigue.
“I unexpectedly get a high fever, a pounding headache, chills despite the heat and severe pain in my whole body. The next day I can't help but stay in bed, eating is impossible, the smell of cooking already makes me nauseous.”
It is quite special in this situation to still have so much eye for all that feminine beauty…
was probably hallucinating….(wink)
Maybe he was hallucinating, but feminine beauty can also have a healing effect. Usually disappears spontaneously when the bill follows 😉
A few years ago I was in kk ram with acute appendicitis.
Very good care and treatment, operation, enjoyed.
Because I could not properly prove that I was insured, I had to pay in cash.
However, before I was 'home' a phone call could collect money again. Covered by insurance.
I liked the price
But yes I think ram is often expensive but I also think it's worth all the money.
A satisfied customer/patient
Indeed Peter, I also had a very positive experience with RAM Chiangmai about 5 years ago. Supposedly had a skin infection on my head according to Bangkok Pattaya hospital. Then left for Sisaket, Khon Kaen, Udon, Pitsanaluk. We visited “the better” hospitals in each of these cities and each time: “Ooooh sir, skin infection”, each time with a higher dose of antibiotics (3 mg 875 times/day !!!!!). The pain was terrible. When I arrived in Chiangmai and went to RAM hospital, I saw a young doctor trained in Boston (USA) who told me after 10 seconds that I did NOT have a skin infection at all but Herpes Zoster (commonly called Zona), so a virus. So I took full antibiotics for 10 days for nothing. So if I have to go to a specialist in Thailand, I first and foremost look at their biography, on their website and see where they are trained. No more Thai-educated charlatans for me.
Herpes Zoster is shingles.
The same virus causes chickenpox in children.
See also:
https://www.huidarts.com/huidaandoeningen/gordelroos-herpes-zoster/
Read with some regularity that Thai private hospitals would be quite expensive. Ask me if people are aware of the price of treatment or hospitalization in the home country. Can you assure that this is significantly higher than even the more expensive private clinics in Thailand, where there seems to be no waiting list, a doctor can often be visited at the weekend and when admitted, people usually stay in fairly luxurious single rooms. Doctors do prescribe various medicines, but of course you don't have to swallow everything like sweet cake. Be assertive and ask the doctor what medications he has in mind before leaving the office. A prescription for 'expensive' paracetamol and vitamin pills is of course not necessary.
In Khon Kaen there are hospitals that are especially expensive.
RAM, Bangkok Hospital and Ratchapruek.
The care is good, the hotel area is fine, and the examinations and tests are often too much of a good thing.
Then there is the university hospital, excellent treatment, hotel section according to capacity, and very good doctors.
At the bottom, well at the bottom, dangles the government hospital, nothing wrong with that if you don't mind waiting, doctors and nurses fine, hotel section from extremely cheap to reasonably priced.
The advantage of the last hospital is that you will certainly be helped and not sent away.
Incidentally, there is also an evening consultation, costs a little more, but short waiting times.
There is also a dental department, also open in the evening.
I myself usually go to the Lamphun state hospital.
Also have experience with private hospitals here in the immediate vicinity and also in Chiangmai , but I can give you one thing .
And that is , they can write like the best .
And don't think that the nursing staff earn more than in a state hospital.
Jan Beute.
Here too you can see that good insurance is certainly not wrong.
Whether you are a holiday maker or 'farang', if you are ill you want to be helped properly and if you are really sick you have little awareness of yourself and the bill often comes afterwards, or in other words in bht. in other words, in not being healthy or not.
In Chiang Mai, we always go to the Bangkok Hospital. We have visited Thai many times in state hospitals, but when I look at the hygiene there, I get the creeps. Man oh man, the filth already makes you sick