Getting Sick in Thailand

Getting sick is never fun, but there are some times when you really, really don't want to get sick...like when you're traveling in foreign countries where the health care might be questionable. Well, I got sick in Thailand. Actually, I got an ear infection from all of the snorkeling and swimming that I'd been doing down in Phuket. I woke up one morning with a little bit of an earache, and within 24 hours it was a full-blown, very painful, ear infection. We flew back to Bangkok that day, and that night I woke up in the early morning hours with terrible pain in my left ear. It was so bad that JB even thought of taking me to the emergency room. I've never had an ear infection before, and it was horrible to get one so far away from home. The next morning (on JB's birthday!), our Thai friend Satha called to make sure we had made it back safely to Bangkok. When JB told him about my ear and asked about where to take me to see a doctor, we were so excited to learn that Satha and his girlfriend Nok are friends with an Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor. What luck!! They told us where to go and even phoned ahead to tell their friend that we were coming.
I have to say, I was very impressed with the quality of healthcare that I received. At the hospital we filled out a form and were immediately escorted up to the waiting room. Within five minutes the doctor saw me. He spoke excellent English. He checked in my ears, told me that I had a swollen ear drum, and instructed me to continue taking the antibiotic ear drops that I had bought at a pharmacy and also to take oral antibiotics, which they would give me right there at the hospital. The most shocking part of the experience was at the cashier's desk. We were charged a total of 240 bahts--the equivalent of about 7 USD!!! The doctor had not charged us at all, and the 240 bahts covered the nurse's fee, hospital fee, AND my antibiotics. We had come totally prepared to use our travel insurance, but who needs to file a claim on a seven dollar hospital visit?? With the $3 taxi fee coming and going, our total bill for the trip to the doctor ended up being $13. You can't beat that in the US! I am now ear infection free and forever grateful to Dr. Wichai and his kindness and help!