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​What 3 Hospital Visits and 1 Clinic Visit in Thailand Taught Me

Well I didn't think I'd be sharing a second hospital story in six months but here we are!

If you remember several months ago I made this video about our hospital visit in Mexico.

What a doozy!

We successfully claimed the visit with SafetyWing and are still with them.

While people wanted to hear about medical tourism in Thailand I did not think it was possible.

A recent trip to Hua Hin was supposed to be relaxing. No videos. Just sun, sand and a lot of time at my laptop.

The universe had other plans.

What followed were three hospital visits to both the public and private hospitals in Thailand.

The good news is that the visit in Mexico prepared me well. The bad news is that I still had lots to learn.

This email isn't to scare you about getting sick abroad but to help you learn from our experience.

This email is longer because we learned a lot.

Visit 1: “Can” Doesn’t Mean What You Think

Alan woke me up at 2am shaking the bed with fever. We traveled with a thermometer and his temperature was climbing. With tons of mosquitos in Hua Hin and my recent time in Cuba, I was worried about dengue.

We went to Hua Hin Hospital, the public hospital. It wasn’t as convenient as the international English-speaking hospitals but it was just a dengue test, right?

The Good:

• Lots of staff spoke English
• We were taken straight to emergency
• Everything was clean and organized
• Same Thai hospitality you find everywhere
• Total cost: $126 USD

THE PROCESS: They did blood tests and a chest scan first, which took 2 hours at 2am. Then they said they still needed to do the dengue test. I wish they had done it all together as we were there all night,

Lesson 1: Ask upfront what tests they’re planning to run. Don’t assume they’ll do everything at once.

Ask what they are testing, they included an alcohol and various drug tests that were unnecessary and could have saved money and time.

RESULTS: The dengue test came back negative. But they said Alan had dengue before and probably didn’t know it. The real issue was a bacterial infection in his urine. They’d prescribe antibiotics.

Then the doctor said he “can” be admitted for observation OR he “can” go home and come back if there were problems. Alan felt better so we went home.

BIGGEST LEARNING: The Cultural Translation We Missed:

In Thai-influenced English, “can” often means “it is allowed” or “it is possible.” Medical staff avoid language that sounds forceful. Instead of saying “he must stay” or “we strongly recommend admission,” they frame it as something you can do.

We thought we had a choice. We didn’t realize we were going against medical advice until the private hospital later read our report.

When a doctor says you “can” do something, ask directly: “Is this the doctor’s recommendation?” or “What would you advise?”

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Visit 2: The Scariest Night I Can Remember

A few days later we were walking home from dinner, laughing. Then I saw Alan stagger.

He looked intoxicated but he doesn’t drink alcohol.

Half a block from home he needed to stop to throw up. Steps from our condo door he collapsed in the hallway.

I couldn’t wake him.

His breathing was so shallow I wasn’t sure if he was breathing at all. After what felt like eternity but was maybe 45 seconds, he woke up gasping for air.

I got him to the couch but when he tried to get up, he passed out again. Then again.

The Thai couple managing our condo didn’t know the ambulance number because the average Thai person avoids that expense. The husband carried Alan to his truck to take him to the hospital.

Quick Decision: I chose the public Hua Hin Hospital again because Alan was already on file and I knew what to expect.

Staff immediately brought a gurney. I told the receptionist what happened. I noticed she was Muslim so I immediately said Alan was too and this wasn’t from alcohol or drugs.

I didn't want to pay for those tests. But we did again.

The CT scan came back OK. Alan was lucid and hadn’t fainted once at the hospital. He pleaded to go home.

The doctor said everything tested negative except the same urinary bacterial infection from last week.

Again, the option was to stay OR we can leave with antibiotics.

BIGGEST LEARNING: The Language Barrier Hit Hard

Google Translate is great but I needed someone who would understand me 100%.

While waiting I checked SafetyWing’s website that has patient hospital reviews. I saw there was a highly-rated private hospital near our condo.

Alan insisted on leaving. We compromised that he’d be honest about how he felt and I could decide to take him to the closer private hospital if needed.

Less than 24 hours later we were back in an emergency room.

Visit 3: Why Private Hospitals Are Worth It

Alan was resting at home when the micro-fainting started.

He would be mid-conversation and then suddenly drop back for five seconds. He would wake up and resume talking as if nothing happened.

It wasn't the dramatic fainting like before but it was more often, several an hour.

We took a Grab taxi to Bangkok Hospital in Hua Hin. Since it is a top private hospital, the entire process was in English.

Initially the emergency room doctor wanted to do what seemed to be a lot of expensive tests and involve a cardiac specialist. After our time in Mexico I was wary of private hospitals escalating costs.

Google Gemini helped me with how to communicate we needed to only do necessary testing. After we communicated that the nurse was amazing at sharing the costs before we did each step.

The neurologist was methodical and said he needed to be admitted. He used the CT Scan from the private hospital. Over two days we progressively did an MRI, a carotid artery ultrasound and a four hour EEG.

Alan fainted seven times in a single hour during observation. I logged every instance and even caught one on video for the doctor to see. Unfortunately we didn't catch one on the EEG.

Every test came back clear.

We left without a definitive cause. Like our experience in Mexico, sometimes you only know that the immediate crisis has passed.

Total Cost: over 2K USD, worth every penny. Still pending approval from Safety Wing.

BIGGEST LEARNING: AI is a vital tool for medical advocacy when you are the sole decision maker.

I used Google Gemini in a singular chat throughout the entire process from the beginning it helped me:

• Review test results in Thai and English.
• Organize symptoms into bullet points to communicate to the emergency room staff.
• It provided a script to help me navigate costs and decline unnecessary testing at Bangkok Hospital.
• Organize questions for the doctor.
• It also flagged medication concerns that the hospital staff had not mentioned.

AI does not replace a doctor. It simply allows you to be a more informed and effective advocate.
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Visit 3.5: When Medication Was the Enemy

At Bangkok Hospital (the private one), Alan was put on bed rest with medications for pain, blood circulation and anxiety/depression. He was very concerned about the final medication as he doesn't suffer from that.

But the doctor was concerned about tension in his neck so he took them thinking maybe they were for his muscles to relax.

One after breakfast, one after dinner, different one before bed.

The pills after meals left him off balance and sleepy. But he wasn’t fainting.

On the second night at 2am I bolted awake. In my sleep I sensed I couldn’t hear him breathing. I also couldn't see his chest rising.
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​I shook him and finally he woke up.

The next evening he went to sleep early.

All of a sudden I heard him gasping for air. He was asleep but couldn’t find his breath.

I couldn’t wake him.

I took photos of his meds and put them into Gemini. His bedtime pill was Xanax. We had no idea because we only saw its official name.

Because he went to sleep early, it wasn’t long after his post-meal anxiety pill. So he took the anxiety and Xanax within hours.

It was like he was too relaxed and his brain wasn’t telling his lungs to get enough air.

I pulled him upright so he could breathe while asking AI what to do.

I grabbed couch cushions to prop him up, got him dressed while seemingly unconscious.

When I finally woke him up I knew he wouldn't want to go to the hospital but I was prepared with a video to show him where he was gasping for air.

Back to Bangkok Hospital Emergency:

I had bullet points ready (thanks Gemini): symptoms, medication concerns, and why he wasn’t taking antibiotics for the bacterial infection Hua Hin initially found.

I explained I was concerned about the medications, which seemed to knock him out.

The ER doctor wanted an MRI. I was confused since he’d just had two normal CT scans, an MRI and EEG 48 hours ago.

I asked what happens if the MRI comes back normal. She said next step was a blood test.

My gut told me we shouldn’t be in the ER.

Alan was wide awake as the medication started to wear off. We made a pact to stay awake all night so it could flush out. This time we knowingly signed papers refusing treatment.

Bangkok Hospital didn’t argue. They said he could come back if needed and gave us the neurologist’s card.

Visit 4: The Clinic Solution

Alan and I stayed up until dawn and at 9am he fell asleep and I called Be Well Medical Clinic, known among foreigners as an English-speaking day clinic with GPs.

In Mexico we had a fantastic experience at the La Joya clinic and I knew I probably couldn't convince Alan to go to another hospital.

I explained everything to the very patient nurse managing the phone and asked if we could meet with a doctor to review all medical records. They also have testing on site.

When we walked in we both immediately felt so much better.

What the GP Told Us:

The initial public hospital report showed a normal amount of bacteria. Almost all urine has some bacteria. It’s likely why they wanted to keep him overnight and test more, which we didn’t understand because of our lack of Thai language.

The GP agreed with the neurologist at the Bangkok Hospital that all tests were normal and they followed proper procedure to rule things out.

But he thought the anxiety medication might not be necessary. He hypothesized they may have thought since everything physical tested normal, it was likely stress, anxiety or depression causing the episodes.

He agreed that declining the MRI made sense since Alan just had normal tests.

He said if Alan didn’t want the anxiety meds, he could just stop.

We spent 45 minutes with the doctor and tested his urine again just in case.

Thirty minutes later the doctor apologized for the wait (I had to laugh). Tests were negative. Unless something changed, Alan should take it easy and stay hydrated.

Total cost: $32

It’s been several weeks and Alan has been fine.

What You Need to Know for Medical Care Abroad

Cultural Communication: In many Asian countries, medical professionals avoid direct language. “You can” often means “this is recommended.” Always ask: “What do you recommend?” or “What would you do?”
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Public vs Private Hospitals: Public hospitals in Thailand were thorough and affordable. But the language barrier was real. Private hospitals cost more but staff fluency and cultural understanding made complex situations manageable.

I appreciated that SafetyWing has a page where patients have reviewed hospitals all over the world.

Before You Leave the Hospital: Review every medication thoroughly. Ask: What is this for? What are the side effects? How will it interact with other medications?

A nurse told us when to take things but not what they were for or side effects. If we had known one was Xanax, we would have asked to speak to the doctor.
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When to Choose a Clinic: For non-emergencies, clinics are fantastic. We weren’t rushed, had ample time with the doctor, staff were fluent and we felt comfortable.

In Mexico last autumn, the clinic doctor, Dr. Ruben was the best either of us had. We still talk about him today. The hospital was expensive and we mostly waited for a doctor who spent 2 minutes with Alan.

Be Well was amazing. All of the staff were fantastic and the doctor reviewed all of our tests telling us what each of them meant.
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Thailand vs Mexico: The Thailand hospital experience across the board was much better and less expensive.

Even at the public hospital in the middle of the night we only waited 2 hours for tests. At the private hospital the doctor met with us often.

The neurologist at Bangkok Hospital and our ER nurse were also fantastic. I wouldn't hesitate to go back. But also to be prepared to let him know we needed to consider only necessary tests.

Use Your Resources: I used an open chat to talk to AI (Gemini) at every point. I updated the chat, shared photos of tests, Alan's symptoms, doctor's responses and any concerns I had when I needed control to stay calm.

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​Trust Your Gut: When the ER doctor wanted another MRI despite normal tests 48 hours prior, I know she was trying to be responsible and diligent. But my instinct said we needed a GP to review everything, not more emergency testing.

This was a long one but I hope our experiences help others.

If this helps even one person navigate a scary medical situation abroad, it was worth sharing.

Keep Life Delicious

Ayngelina