Spinal Treatment Recommendations Needed

[semperfiguy]

I am in desperate need of spinal treatment for chronic pain related to possible lumbar and cervical spinal stenosis which was recently revealed in x-rays. I'm ready to move past treating the symptoms with meds and doing something more permanent to fix my problems. I don't want to go to a private hospital without first having heard from someone who has had a first hand experience with this sort of problem and found relief from a competent and trustworthy doctor/hospital either in Udon, Khon Kaen or even Bangkok or Pattaya. I'm strictly cash and carry, so I need to keep my expenses as low as possible. I thank you in advance for your responses.

[vlad]

I have been diagnosed with a Disk pressing against my spine and trapping an Artery that circulates ro my legs making it difficult to walk distances. Due to my Heart failure and the risk of an Anesthetic i have been told they can not risk it.

[AlexO]

Go to the MRI shop in Udon. X-rays are not detailed enough, around 8K compared to Bangkok Udon 20+K. Cost me best part of 200K Baht for surgery and 3 night stay but residual spinal nerve column damage still a problem, dont leave it much longer as damage just gets worse. My surgeon was boss orthopedic of KK general hospital but comes to Bangkok Udon every second weekend. Good surgeon but cannot perform miracles. About 6 months waiting list at Udon General. Good luck.

[tamada]

^ A friend of mine recently underwent some back surgery at Bangkok Hospital where they removed some stuff from around his L4 and L5 vertebrae to release a pinched nerve that was causing intense butt pain for about a month. Not the same as your problem but a competent back surgeon who may be able to advise? I'll see if I can get his name for you. It was done under his insurance so the costs may be a guesstimate.

[vlad]

Yes same as i get Tams my arse cheeks are sore like someines kicked it them my calfs get very warm and heavy legged like riding a push bike when your calfs stiffen. Because its not life threarening I suppose ill have to put up with it

[AlexO]

Yes same as i get Tams my arse cheeks are sore like someines kicked it them my calfs get very warm and heavy legged like riding a push bike when your calfs stiffen. Because its not life threarening I suppose ill have to put up with it

Be careful Vlad. I was at the stage that I could not walk 30 meters without being in real agony. It will also take much longer for the nerve damage to be rectified the longer you leave it. There is is life threatening and life changing illnesses. Up to you.

[AlexO]

Dr Kittipong Orthopedic Surgeon, trained in USA, very good English and patient manner. Recommended by all Thai orthopedic doctors. Attends Bangkok Udon every 2nd weekend but is chief resident at KK General mostly.

[jai yen yen]

I had a microdiscectomy done at Bumrungrad back in 2009. The herniated disc was pressing against my spinal chord and i wanted to die the pain was so bad. The doctors name was Dr. Sarapong. He was fantastic and the hospital was as well. Quick, efficient and clean. I highly recommend them and Dr. Sarapong. They gave me another chance at life again and still good after 11 years.

[Hoopoe]

Wing military hosp , my friend was in a lot of pain, the USA diagnosed Hips were the prob , (presumably around the Havasu area thats where he lived)on getting much worse he attended the wing , they did the scans and he had 3 vertibrae , were the prob , they have fused 2 , the last 1 is still a prob , as ran out of funds , he's in a lot less pain , ( he was in seriously a lot of pain , )he now has to use a wheelchair to get around , (super markets etc ) in hosp 5 days ,private room , they told him the cost was 50,000 bht ,,on payment 20,000 bht disappeared rapidly (brown envelope ) total cost 150,000 bht ,he's married to a school teacher so thought he would get reimbursed ,,this was not the case , they only reimbursed him a fraction of the costs ,knowing how much pain he was in , the out of pocket expenses of 130,000 bht i believe is well worth it ,hope this helps ,

[vlad]

Thanks Alex but i have seriouse heart failure bad enough because i have to lye on my chest he had said the stress and strain would be too much for my heart to take at the moment its to much of a risk but it may ease a little with physio but its worth a try i am worried that if i need for an Anesthetic say for a broken leg or a drained cyst will this be turned down?? At the moment i canget about and walk for 10 mins

[Khun Paul]

Any back operation is a dangerous exercise ( I know I had two in earlier times ) I look at it this way either a back op or a motorised bucket . We can often do irepairable damage to our backs in our younger years that over time assist in its degeneration .
I was diagnosed with a smashed disc ( brought on it is believed by Military activities including the 10 mile dash carrying upwards of 40lbs and a rifle ) and had it removed immediately , although a second op was required to remove some minute bits that were missed the first time. NOT FUSED as fusion impedes movement ( had I been fused I would have been invalided out of the police as movement would have been restricted ) but allowed to heal gently with loads of physio and exercise. Painkillers were strong but I weaned myself off them , so now if my back plays up, just rest for up to an hour , it is ok.

Finally as others have said NOT to have or to HAVE an Operation is a personal choice, but the pain is almost overwhelming and the possibility of being paralysed if you do not , should concentrate ones mind, the risks are now minimal as in truth until they go in, they are not 100% sure of what they will find . So any operation on the only thing keeping your head off your arse is risky but not life threatening . Go for it you will be thankful when the pain disappears.
Costs here have no clue, but in the UK, some 36 odd years ago it was in total over 60,000 Gbp .
Just my two pennysworth.

[fatbob]

There is a back specialist at the Military Hospital, he also has a clinic in Udon, very busy, Dr Pa Nu Wat (incorrect spelling). He was recommended to us via a doctor that operated on my hand, he claims he is one of the best in Thailand. Long story short my wife ruptured a disc 18 months ago, we had one week in the AEK, they were anxious to operate, we ended up going to see Dr Pa Nu Wat and very thankful we did, I fully recommend him, he is in is mid 30's and seems to have the knowledge of more modern techniques, he was totally against an operation. Good luck.

[semperfiguy]

Just wanted to thank everyone who responded with comments and recommendations. Today I went to see Dr. Phanunan (Dr. Panuwat is his twin brother who is an Opthamologist and whose clinic is in the same building) who was recommended by Fatbob.) Dr. Phanunan is spinal surgeon who practices at Udon General, Bangkok Hospital Udon and the Army Hospital, but has his own clinic. I was very impressed with him. He seems to be very knowledgeable, confident, speaks good English and was very personable and concerned for my welfare. He recommended MRI's for the cervical and lumbar areas of my spine. I explained that I didn't want go to a private hospital under any circumstance and I asked for a referral to the MRI clinic at the Tessaban Municipal Hospital since my wife has used them before. The cost of each area per their price sheet is only 8000 Baht, and Dr. Phanunan volunteered to arrange a 3000 Baht discount on each region, so only 10,000 Bath total which is a good deal compared to the private hospitals. I will return to see him on Monday evening for treatment options going forward. He seemed to think that surgery would not be necessary, but he couldn't say for sure without first having seen the MRI's. He only charged me 300 Baht for the office visit, and not once did he try to push meds on me, so that speaks volumes to me. I think I've finally found a spine doctor with whom I feel comfortable, so I'll keep you posted. For anyone that may want to visit him, I will attach the location below. Look for the red arrows. His clinic phone number is 042 211 151 or cell is 065 575 8936.

[AlexO]

Any back operation is a dangerous exercise ( I know I had two in earlier times ) I look at it this way either a back op or a motorised bucket . We can often do irepairable damage to our backs in our younger years that over time assist in its degeneration .
I was diagnosed with a smashed disc ( brought on it is believed by Military activities including the 10 mile dash carrying upwards of 40lbs and a rifle ) and had it removed immediately , although a second op was required to remove some minute bits that were missed the first time. NOT FUSED as fusion impedes movement ( had I been fused I would have been invalided out of the police as movement would have been restricted ) but allowed to heal gently with loads of physio and exercise. Painkillers were strong but I weaned myself off them , so now if my back plays up, just rest for up to an hour , it is ok.

Finally as others have said NOT to have or to HAVE an Operation is a personal choice, but the pain is almost overwhelming and the possibility of being paralysed if you do not , should concentrate ones mind, the risks are now minimal as in truth until they go in, they are not 100% sure of what they will find . So any operation on the only thing keeping your head off your arse is risky but not life threatening . Go for it you will be thankful when the pain disappears.
Costs here have no clue, but in the UK, some 36 odd years ago it was in total over 60,000 Gbp .
Just my two pennysworth.

2.4 million baht for a spinal disc operation nearly 40 years ago??? Did that come with the full frontal lobotomy as well. My op for virtually the same problem (long term damage, probably army related) was 200K baht, 3 nights post op stay in hospital, Bangkok Udon.

[samuel]

….so I'll keep you posted….

yes please … and i wish you all the best for the upcoming treatment.

[noosard]

Semperfiguy my problem was fixed for now by one doctor but mates problem became worse after an op
I would suggest if you need an op talk to lots of patients and the nurses that help with these ops
The nurse who looked after me told me my mates doctor was butcher and used old ideas even though he was a lot younger than my doc and suppose to be the bees knees

[Khun Paul]

Any back operation is a dangerous exercise ( I know I had two in earlier times ) I look at it this way either a back op or a motorised bucket . We can often do irepairable damage to our backs in our younger years that over time assist in its degeneration .
I was diagnosed with a smashed disc ( brought on it is believed by Military activities including the 10 mile dash carrying upwards of 40lbs and a rifle ) and had it removed immediately , although a second op was required to remove some minute bits that were missed the first time. NOT FUSED as fusion impedes movement ( had I been fused I would have been invalided out of the police as movement would have been restricted ) but allowed to heal gently with loads of physio and exercise. Painkillers were strong but I weaned myself off them , so now if my back plays up, just rest for up to an hour , it is ok.

Finally as others have said NOT to have or to HAVE an Operation is a personal choice, but the pain is almost overwhelming and the possibility of being paralysed if you do not , should concentrate ones mind, the risks are now minimal as in truth until they go in, they are not 100% sure of what they will find . So any operation on the only thing keeping your head off your arse is risky but not life threatening . Go for it you will be thankful when the pain disappears.
Costs here have no clue, but in the UK, some 36 odd years ago it was in total over 60,000 Gbp .
Just my two pennysworth.

2.4 million baht for a spinal disc operation nearly 40 years ago??? Did that come with the full frontal lobotomy as well. My op for virtually the same problem (long term damage, probably army related) was 200K baht, 3 nights post op stay in hospital, Bangkok Udon.

No it was over a period of three yeas between the TWO operations , both 4 hour operations and a recuperative styay not exceeding two weeks following the operation with physio each day .

[dunroaming]

£60000 40 years ago would be equivalent to £236,344.40 in today's terms that's expensive. But for an ex army general and police chief constable and MI6 operative a drop in the ocean to us mere mortals that's serious cash outlay

Anyway more important did it remove the rod from your ass

[Khun Paul]

Look you can dispute the cost as much as you want, the first operation removed 99% of the smashed disc ( Surgeons words not mine ) from between two vertebrate,( interestingly for those that decry surgery ) The Myelogram showed the problem between L3 AND l4 AND IT WAS IN FACT BETWEEN L4 and L5 the problem was ) so as I previously said the Surgeons do not really know UNTIL they open you UP !! ) a larger piece was busily attempting to cut through the spinal cord, the rest just floating about. The second operation was needed to remove that 1% WHICH Had hidden itself from the surgeon the first time and was wandering around causing havoc with the spinal cord.
Both times had a myelogram ( injection of a coloured fluid into the spinal cord to ascertain problems ( a proceedure that takes over 24 hours )
My private health insurance paid for it and I paid for that through the Police . So costs were to me irrelevant and we all know as here if insurance is involved costs seem to be higher . The Hospital; was the Chilterns Hospital in great Missenden , okay, so pull your horns in chaps , use your brains and stop attempting to rubbish an actual story , as I said cost for both operations was just over 60000 British pounds, so where you get your figures from I have no idea, the poud I believe was approx 70+ to the pound then.

It is true many many scenarios are on offer if you have back pain, but the fact that I felt as if i WAS BEING CUT IN HALF, HASTENED THE OPERATION , as any amount of drugs or even massage would have sorted it out . You take your chance , a good orthopaedic surgeon will I am sure advise you , refusing an operation because of cost is counter-productive , being in a wheelchair permanently is not a life for most I am sure .

[noosard]

Had xrays followed by a MRI to determine the problems about $300 for both
I know my op cost just under AUD $40k that was 9 years ago
This was to remove part of the vertebrae to give room for my spinal cord
Piece removed is called the lamina and spinous process
1 week in a private hospital
Had private medical insurance for this
Private insurance did not pay for the scans or some other minor fees
2 weeks recovery at freinds place as was livng alone at that time
Advised may need some help but did not
best to be safe than sorry