Jambo

2 hours ago, Glasseye said:

 

Nice treat for a man who certainly deserves it. Be careful with potential blood clots. My brother in law had one a few years back, dropped dead as a door nail. They can be absolute killers.

Yes, I know that is a risk.

I finish my course of blood thinners the day before I fly and I have paid for extra leg room seats in the first row on the flights. Every hour I will stand for 10 minutes and walk around if that is possible.

f**k it!

I feel like I have wasted the last 18 months and I intend to make the most of the time I have left.

The up side is that being stuck in at home it has been difficult to spend much money so my holiday fund is looking very healthy. Every month I buy some more premium bonds. I am even showing a modest profit in my Sky Bet account over the last 12 months. Too much time on my hands.

9 minutes ago, Yesitisdakid said:

When Tiger Air was flying Bangkok to Clark, I used it a few times there was no seat selection. The first time I was seated in the very last row figured I would be forever getting off. Well they opened the rear of the plane same time as the front as we were on the tarmac not at a gate. Happy days from that trip on i always hoped for a seat close to the back.

Flying to Clark was a godsend compared to Manila and that awful traffic jam of a journey by taxi.

I have to wait some time before I am allowed to take a long haul flight of over 4 hours duration. Aiming for Spring next year for a month in Thailand. I have friends, a loved one and 4 dogs I am missing.

Nothing to stop me jumping on a short haul flight to Spain and completing the trip I cut short 18 months ago when I went down with covid after 4 days. I was limping then but blissfully ignorant of the pain to come.

Booked it today. 🤣

Supposed to be still warm and sunny in October where I am going.

Four weeks of exercises to build up my general fitness before going. I am walking fine and off ALL medications other than completing blood thinners.

6 hours ago, Yessongs said:

Interesting, I have full medical through "AIA" here locally and have always had a "Thai Wife Visa" that I ONLY have to have 400k baht to show every year. One of wifey's best friends has her own business LLC ETC, and takes care of this for me every year. Never had a problem. 

 

My problem was somewhat the opposite to reducing the deposit by 400K.

Every year I renewed my Retirement Visa with 800K in the bank except it was always in joint names. ( required my signature for withdrawals).

I had no idea that was not in the rules because every year they accepted the bank deposit without comment. I even visited Immigration a week before the final renewal to clarify whether I had to get the supporting letter from the bank on the actual day of renewal.

On the actual day of renewal I handed over all my documentation only to be told

"You will need a further 400K in the bank in your name as joint deposit not acceptable."

I replied "I actually spoke to you a week ago and you said that was fine."

He ignored that and replied "You will have to apply for an extension TODAY (Go to desk ...) and THEN move money into one account in you name."

Then he said

"Why you not use an Agent?"

He wanted me to use an Agent.

I was still in shock from the renewal not going smoothly so I missed the significance and the easy way out there and then. Instead I spent half a day getting the extension and then going to the bank to unscramble the deposit.

I was so pissed off I went to see Secrets Accountant a couple of days later with my passport and it was returned in two days all stamped up.

Apparently they had been quite amused at Immigration when they saw the temporary extension. A new way to hassle the farlang.

I hated going to Immigration from the very day of my first renewal when that mincing iron hoof Officer returned my Passport by throwing it to me across the desk so it fell on the floor.

9 hours ago, boydeste said:

Awesome stuff Dan.

When my GP came  out of his room and announced my name to the waiting room I quite deliberately left my cane with my daughter and walked towards him and into his room without the trace of a limp. I was being a bit naughty.

He was not my usual GP but the senior Partner to whom the Royal Hospital sent a detailed letter at the time of my discharge. He obviously had been reading my notes but looked a bit puzzled and made a point of studying the wall calendar.

I laughed and said "Not bad for 10 days after my operation."

"Indeed" he said "I was just checking the date of your operation"

Anyway, he was more than happy to agree that with immediate effect I was to cease co-codamol, Etoricoxib and Omeprazole which is what I wanted to hear. Apart from anything else, co-codamol  makes one constipated. The little green tablets I take to counter that give one the galloping shites. It will be good to get back to normality. 😊

2 hours ago, Bernie Num Nums said:

When the Thai government started demanding Farang put ฿800,000 in the bank to qualify for a retirement visa I stopped trusting the whole banking system in Thailand. I'd rather pay transfer fees (there are ways around this) than let these corrupt bastards hang on to my hard earned.

I ceased the 800K after they moved the goal posts and stitched me up at Immigration.

Could not be bothered with all the hassle any more and let Secrets accountant do the renewal for a flat fee. A little bit more expensive than the Agents in Town but guaranteed service and hassle free.

On 9/12/2023 at 11:01 PM, Golfingboy said:

I thought this was a different kind of thread by its title…..

To Wrap, or not to wrap?

That is the question.

Never, ever orally speaking.

I must admit that prior to my operation when I was at my lowest ebb I consulted a "faith healer" along with my mate John who has has a terrible stutter.

We made our financial contribution and entered the faith healer's inner sanctum.

He muttered some kind of prayer and then in a loud voice said

"Danny, throw away you crutches" I threw away my crutches.

"John, John my son. Speak to me!"

"Ddddddddddddddddddddddddannyy's faaalllleeeeen over!

6 minutes ago, Butch said:

Yes mate, they are expensive, and tend to hold their money, that's the problem.

I'd probably opt for an earlier model anyway but I'll need a double cab (which fetches a premium 😞  )

Aged 17, my first car was a "sit up and beg" Ford Popular. It cost me 25 pounds and was written off on Boxing Day by a drunk driver whilst parked round the corner from my house.

I passed my driving test in it having put the L Plates on it outside the test center.

The Policeman who told me the good news offered me a tenner for the wheels/tires.

A month later I received 35 pounds as full settlement of my insurance claim.

Those were the days.

11 hours ago, coxyhog said:

Always good to beat the Jocks😂

 

Mt daughter loves football and used to have a season ticket next to me at the Villa.

She, like me, is English and will be cheering for England. Her son, my 11 year old Grandson is a Scot. My daughter told me Morgan was with all his mates cheering on Scotland and expecting to win.

"Good luck with that says I to his mum."

At half time, with England 2 up, I sent the following message to Morgan

"Scotland, Scotland whats the score

 Scotland , whats then score?"

His reply, to his Grandad, was unbelievably insulting but fair banter in footy terms.

Five minutes after full time he sends me a message challenging me to a Scotland vs England race. Nothing like putting the odds in his favor given my new hip 8 days ago! 😆

13 hours ago, Butch said:

Yep, the torque curve is...well, not much of a curve to be honest, or not when compared to a combustion engine. It does taper off as revs get higher though,due to the back EMF being proportional to speed.

I'm not ready for an EV just yet. I'll keep my classic and will probably switch to a BMW X Drive or maybe even a newish Ford Ranger in due course, which might well be my final car here in the UK, so I need something with a half decent residual value and low running costs without a massive financial outlay to begin with.

As much as I'd like to bring the Hako to the Philippines, I won't. It'll be sold and the money will fund part of my retirement, as Cars are not liable to Capital Gains Tax, thank god.

There is a car dealer quite close to me that sells nothing but second hand Ford Rangers. I cannot believe how expensive they are or how anyone can afford them.

1 hour ago, boydeste said:

I don't see the need to talk to a doctor if the only thing is that you want to reduce or stop taking pain killers. The sooner you can get by without codeine the better methinks. Reducing the amount gradually is the way to go because if you experience pain, your body may react and get inflammation which will cause additional problems and subsequent pain in itself. 

The depression that can be experienced is also an issue,  but you have already managed through that.

Slowly but surely is the way to go.

Good advice.

I just took a phone call from my Doctor's Practice. it would seem they have had second thoughts about seeing me after all. I have a 10'30 appointment on Friday with the senior Partner at the Practice to whom the original two page letter about my medications was sent by the Royal Hospital.

I would place a very large bet that it was the old cow of a Receptionist who decided there was no need for me to see the Doctor. 😄

3 hours ago, Zeb said:

A Thai review "involving" the MG4 -

 

Nice headlamps.

There is a guy on U-Tube who posts regularly about his EV Porsche. He went over some uneven ground and holed the underside of the vehicle. It was feared he had holed the battery which meant a new battery replacement at a horrendous cost. He was fortunate to get away with that but he absolutely hates the vehicle.

He did long journeys and it was a constant problem of finding places to recharge the battery. Go into a filling station for petrol and you are in and out in less than 5 minutes. For EV vehicles you have to plan for long journeys to find a charging point, hope it is working, wait your turn and go and have a coffee or two whilst it gets on with the recharge. f**k that for two soldiers!

I think he has got rid of it now but thanks to the immediate deterioration in value he is left owing I think he said 30K in finance.

More than a little "off topic" but I am seriously considering getting an e-cycle because I like cycling but at my age the assistance of battery power is very attractive.

Then I read about the number of batteries that have apparently self combusted on recharge. I was thinking of recharging the battery in house so to speak which becomes alarming.

The other consideration is that they are three times as heavy as a normal cycle so people fall off them more often at slow speeds.

19 hours ago, Glasseye said:

 

I think anytime you can safely ween yourself off of meds your body will like it.

The less meds we take = the better our overall health.

I have been on co-codomol far too long. I am sure it has become less effective as my body has got used to it every day.

The Hospital wants me to take it 3 times a day but three weeks prior to my operation I decided to reduce my consumption to just two tablets twice a day. I definitely had withdrawal symptoms including a few days of "anxiety" feelings in the morning. That did not last long and I was soon back to normal. Unfortunately in those last few weeks "normal" was very severe pain in my hip but that was due to my hip getting to the point of collapse not the reduction in the medication.

I  decided to make one last attempt at requesting a phone call from my GP simply with the object for him to concur with my decision to get completely off the opioid med asap. Certainly by the end of this month.

The final insult was I tried to complete an online e-consult this morning making the request for my GP to phone me. It came up with a message:

"We are unable to assess your condition on line. Please close the e-consult and telephone your GP to request an urgent appointment."

More chance of winning the lottery.

Monday - Day 7 after my new hip

Dear  Diary

The Good:

1. My total experience at the Royal Hospital in Edinburgh. A credit to the UK's National Health Service

2. Early telephone call this morning confirming the District Nurse will be with me before 1pm to clean and change my dressing.

3. Phone call from Blackburn Pharmacy confirming they will be delivering another batch of blood thinners later today.    ( I have to inject myself with these for the next 6 weeks.)

The Bad:

Telephoned Simpsons Medical Practice as I had not received confirmation that my GP  will see me on Friday to discuss my range of medications as set out in a two page letter issued to them by The Royal Hospital. I had been instructed by the Doctor at the hospital who gave me my initial supply of medications to insist that my GP discussed these with me this week. I sent an email to the Practice asking them to find me a slot this Friday when my Daughter can transport me by car.

No chance!

No appointment available and apparently my GP does not consider there is any urgent need for such a visit.

I should mention that the last occasion I telephoned the Practice for an appointment with my GP the earliest available was exactly 28 days from the date of my request.

The reason I wish to see my doctor is that the Hospital has put me back on Co-codomol which I do NOT wish to take 1 day longer than I absolutely necessary. 

What is the opposite of self-medicate?

From today I reduce my co-codomol intake by 50%. If there is no major increase in pain, and I don't believe there will be, I stop taking this opioid completely on Thursday.

Major Advantage:

No more constipation.

I can have a couple of pints when I take my family out to lunch on Saturday.

Sunday - Day 6 after my new Hip

Dear Diary

It has been a good day. 🤣

Completed my 7 set exercises in full with no subsequent pain other than a dull ache where the wound is healing. It is funny as I have been so used to my left leg not working, not bending, not weight supporting that I still wonder if it is going to work.

I am therefore quite surprised that I can lay on my back and slide my heal  towards my new hip or sit in a chair and straighten my leg all without any pain. May sound silly to say that but extreme pain has been my constant companion for so long.

Everyone is different and has there own experiences. I log into YouTube today and immediately there is a batch of new videos about hip replacements. One of the new ones was I am sure a doctor who had the same operation as me but a couple of days later than mine. He had three days of extreme pain after the operation and was still experiencing that pain as his wife drove him home from the hospital.

The guy in the next bed to me in hospital all but passed out from the pain he experienced from his first attempted walk.

I have been amazingly lucky.

In the 6 days since the operation the only pain I am experiencing is the good pain of a wound healing. I went for a walk today and I am using a stick in my right hand but.........just in case, not because I need it for balance. I went up and down the 5 steps adjacent to the entrance to my flat.

There is nothing special about me. I did read that the posterior version of a hip replacement makes minimal movement to the tendons etc around the hip so there is less to heal. I don't know whether that is true but I give all the credit the Mr W the Consultant who replaced my hip.

Sun is finally coming out today. I think I will head out to the garden with my kindle again. 😄

4 hours ago, Glasseye said:

 

Yes.... excellent advice.

 

Supporting muscle takes time. Go slowly. Following recommended therapy maybe have a protien shake or ensure. That will provide timely protien which will feed the muscle.

Basically as you develop muscle.... The excercise breaks down the muscle. Timely rest and timely protien following the breakdown (within an hour) the muscle then repairs itself (over time gets stronger). The protien input is very important. 

Keep it simple, keep it consistent, don't push too hard, be patient. 

I am intending to return to my carnivore diet from Monday. I still have a target to achieve.

Basically that is all protein being meat and fish/seafood.  No processed food; no sugar; no carbs. Sounds unhealthy but if it was not for my hip I have never felt healthier and I have no cravings.

Do you still recommend adding in the protein shakes? The only additions I currently take is daily strawberry flavored electrolyte tablets. 

Saturday - Day 5 following my new hip.

Not allowed to get the dressing wet so sponge bath spraying water all over the bathroom.

For the first time for months I decided to leave the condo and visit the paper shop which is a 100mtrs or so down hill. I only used one stick just for balance but took it slow and easy. Hit the ATM in the shop and back to the usual football banter with Mo the owner. He had been wondering where I had been.

Back, up the hill this time, then work my way through the condo to the lift. A walk down another long hall and down 5 steps ( bad leg first) and into the flat. My hip was aching from the walk so I decided to take an hours rest before doing my mandatory exercises.

I have 7 mandatory exercises to do twice a day with a further three to add once I am comfortably completing the first seven. I could do them all but I reduced the repetitions on three of them. They emphasize building up slowly. It is a  balancing act between between doing too much and not enough. Both are as bad as one another.

Another rest and then lunch.

Another beautiful day and you have to make the most of these in Scotland. So off I go again walking down to the garden where I spent the next two hours out in the sunshine reading my kindle. Elevated my left leg using a neglected old chair.

Watching England playing footy now. How the f##k is Magire still in the side? I feel sorry for Saka because he is getting no service.

To be continued.

Catz, Boesche, FLB, Living Dolls and back to FLB.

How many times that was my typical night out in Pattaya.

If my memory doesn't let me down Boesche had the glass ceiling and you would find a girl above your head flashing her piss flaps at you.

Living Dolls always smelled funny but I loved it. Went in there first night back after 6 months since my last trip. Service girl takes me to a table and as I sit down she whispers in my ear " Joy not working tonight would you like me to phone her?"  Six months and she remembered I always b/fined Joy at least once every trip.

Happy days.

ps. Joy always brought her latest young friend with her. Tag team.

16 hours ago, tommy dee said:

I guess its the new world that I have yet to embrace  but reading numerous comments of " glad its gone, it was a rip off, I never actually went there"  make me titter.

ripleys, the underwterworld, all those places are for regular tourists and the Thais love them.  its their city after all, and for newbies, it wasnt a bad place to go and take pics.

 

as to parking coach traffic, the coach park is on the railway road behind it and not really in front.

or was

 

anyway its charcoal now.  🙂

Come on Tom.

There are some excellent tourist attractions in and around Pattaya enjoyed by all whether Thai or farlang.

This just was not one of them.

5 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

@Jambo great outcome on the op. Glad it went well for you.

As for posts out order. I've noticed that on occassion. Think it's just a minor hiccup in the forum software, and as others have posted a page refresh will show the posts in the correct order.

The biggest problem I have had is getting all my meds sorted out.

First my 07:00 am meds

12:00 noon its second dose of co-codomol

Shit! forgot my laxative powder but dump completed anyway🤣

10:00pm its another type of laxative, more co-codomol and inject myself with blood thinners for the next 6 weeks.

This morning I start my sets of 7 exercises which I left alone yesterday because I was feeling on a downer which is no doubt simply a natural reaction to having quite major surgery. I feel great today and my daughter has just arrived and she can act as assistant Physio .  Came in bearing gifts from McDonalds which is not compatible with my carnivore diet.

To be continued.

4 hours ago, Phantom51red said:

Just been reading on social media.

The best it has ever looked.

I hope they got the right date on the insurance claim.