The Private Hospital Dilema. Spin Off Thread.

[earthdome]

 

 

Having COPD from smoking for many years (no longer smoke) I have been hospitalized perhaps 5 times since living here. Each time, I have used St. Raphael Med Center in Dau close to Angeles City. Although nothing fancy; I have found the service and care top notch. Also I have a good internal medicine doctor as my attending physician and he is better than any doctor I've had back home in the States. With a new wing added on and a state of the art ER, they do very well. Only down side there is the food.

 

Three years ago I had double cataract surgery and had an excellent eye surgeon at Angeles Medical Center in the old downtown. Again, great place and an excellent eye surgeon.

At that time my youngest daughter was just 9yrs old and since she is going to be a neonatologist (doctor for premature babies)  the doctor allowed her in the operating room and she was able to assist in the surgery as well as take a few photos. Good experience all around and turned out to be a fun morning.

 

For simple stuff there is a small clinic in our town but use it mostly for buying meds. My youngest daughter also gives me my yearly flu vaccine injection and pneumonia injection every three years and that saves a higher cost at a doctors office for us.

 

Nephi

 

2013-10-02 07.26.19.jpg20131002_080317.jpg20131002_090559.jpgIMGP3489.JPGIMGP3493.JPG

 

I was diagnosed with COPD the fall of 2014. At the time I had lived in the Philippines almost 2 years, most of that time in Baguio. I moved back to the USA the following spring. It is a relief to breath cleaner air without all the air pollution in the Philippines.

 

How do you think the air pollution in the Philippines affects your COPD?

 

We live in a very rural area of Central Luzon and have very little in the way of noticeable pollution so the effect on my health is minable for the most part. I drive a motor trike for family transportation by choice and avoid being behind or near vehicles that smoke as much as possible. My biggest worry or concern is catching a cold that inevitably winds up in the lungs. So I try to avoid large crowds in small places just to be safe. So far so good but this is home and I would never consider leaving to return to the States or to live anywhere else. Only change I would make would be to have listened to my parents years ago and never smoked that first cigarette. It's terrible to have to spend about P12,000 per month in meds just to stay alive.

Will you be able to return and live here again or are you staying there by choice?

 

 

Nephi 

 

 

We will return for visits and may return in a few years to live full time in the Philippines again. Yeah, last time I got a cold I had a cough that lasted for a month. When we return I will look for that sweet spot location. Close enough to medical care in case the COPD gets bad but rural enough so the air pollution isn't too bad. My COPD is classified as moderate so the goal is to try and keep it from getting worse. My meds were costing me about $100USD/month in the Philippines. Most of that was the cost for the daily Onbreeze Inhaler. Cost is the same in the US _IF_ I order the inhaler from a Canadian pharmacy where it cost only $70/month instead of $230/month in the US. If you haven't already gotten Prevnar 13, a vaccine to prevent 13 strains of pneumococcal pneumonia, you might ask your doctor about it.

[Nephi]

 

 

 

Having COPD from smoking for many years (no longer smoke) I have been hospitalized perhaps 5 times since living here. Each time, I have used St. Raphael Med Center in Dau close to Angeles City. Although nothing fancy; I have found the service and care top notch. Also I have a good internal medicine doctor as my attending physician and he is better than any doctor I've had back home in the States. With a new wing added on and a state of the art ER, they do very well. Only down side there is the food.

 

Three years ago I had double cataract surgery and had an excellent eye surgeon at Angeles Medical Center in the old downtown. Again, great place and an excellent eye surgeon.

At that time my youngest daughter was just 9yrs old and since she is going to be a neonatologist (doctor for premature babies)  the doctor allowed her in the operating room and she was able to assist in the surgery as well as take a few photos. Good experience all around and turned out to be a fun morning.

 

For simple stuff there is a small clinic in our town but use it mostly for buying meds. My youngest daughter also gives me my yearly flu vaccine injection and pneumonia injection every three years and that saves a higher cost at a doctors office for us.

 

Nephi

 

2013-10-02 07.26.19.jpg20131002_080317.jpg20131002_090559.jpgIMGP3489.JPGIMGP3493.JPG

 

I was diagnosed with COPD the fall of 2014. At the time I had lived in the Philippines almost 2 years, most of that time in Baguio. I moved back to the USA the following spring. It is a relief to breath cleaner air without all the air pollution in the Philippines.

 

How do you think the air pollution in the Philippines affects your COPD?

 

We live in a very rural area of Central Luzon and have very little in the way of noticeable pollution so the effect on my health is minable for the most part. I drive a motor trike for family transportation by choice and avoid being behind or near vehicles that smoke as much as possible. My biggest worry or concern is catching a cold that inevitably winds up in the lungs. So I try to avoid large crowds in small places just to be safe. So far so good but this is home and I would never consider leaving to return to the States or to live anywhere else. Only change I would make would be to have listened to my parents years ago and never smoked that first cigarette. It's terrible to have to spend about P12,000 per month in meds just to stay alive.

Will you be able to return and live here again or are you staying there by choice?

 

 

Nephi 

 

 

We will return for visits and may return in a few years to live full time in the Philippines again. Yeah, last time I got a cold I had a cough that lasted for a month. When we return I will look for that sweet spot location. Close enough to medical care in case the COPD gets bad but rural enough so the air pollution isn't too bad. My COPD is classified as moderate so the goal is to try and keep it from getting worse. My meds were costing me about $100USD/month in the Philippines. Most of that was the cost for the daily Onbreeze Inhaler. Cost is the same in the US _IF_ I order the inhaler from a Canadian pharmacy where it cost only $70/month instead of $230/month in the US. If you haven't already gotten Prevnar 13, a vaccine to prevent 13 strains of pneumococcal pneumonia, you might ask your doctor about it.

 

Earthdome, Sorry for such a long delay with a reply. I'll have to ask my doctor about Previnar 13. That's one I have not heard of. I'm using Symbicort, Theophylline, and a Duavent puffer if ever needed when away from home.

I find that the Symbicort works well except it almost $20usd for each one I buy and at times it is defective and must be replaced. Mercury Drug is good about a free replacement but kind of unnerving as it is a required med and must be available and work for each dose.

 

I'm wondering your cold was in reality an allergy instead? I have never been allergic to anything in the States all my life. That changed it seems when I moved here years ago and end up with cold like symptoms every year starting in Feb all the way through about mid April. Something that grows I guess but makes life uncomfortable each year.

 

Having COPD, if you come to or end up living in Central Luzon, I would suggest Dr. Raymundo Marquez Jr. He is an internal medicine doctor and is the department head at St. Raphael Medical Center in Dau, Mabalacat where he also has his clinic. For me, his better than any doctor I ever had back home in the States-bar none.

 

 

 

Regards

 

Nephi

Edited February 10, 2016 by Nephi

[chris49]

Earthdome, Sorry for such a long delay with a reply. I'll have to ask my doctor about Previnar 13. That's one I have not heard of. I'm using Symbicort, Theophylline, and a Duavent puffer if ever needed when away from home. I find that the Symbicort works well except it almost $20usd for each one I buy and at times it is defective and must be replaced. Mercury Drug is good about a free replacement but kind of unnerving as it is a required med and must be available and work for each dose.   I'm wondering your cold was in reality an allergy instead? I have never been allergic to anything in the States all my life. That changed it seems when I moved here years ago and end up with cold like symptoms every year starting in Feb all the way through about mid April. Something that grows I guess but makes life uncomfortable each year.   Having COPD, if you come to or end up living in Central Luzon, I would suggest Dr. Raymundo Marquez Jr. He is an internal medicine doctor and is the department head at St. Raphael Medical Center in Dau, Mabalacat where he also has his clinic. For me, his better than any doctor I ever had back home in the States-bar none.

 

Just want to add here that I have asthma not COPD. Up to now my asthma has been reversible on Ventolin, Seritide with intermittent low doses of Prednisone. 

 

COPD would not be reversible in that the lungs are permanently damaged.

 

COPD needs a strong Internist, preferably a Pulmonologist, and I would say living remotely away from a tertiary care medical center is not a good idea.

[Nephi]

 

Earthdome, Sorry for such a long delay with a reply. I'll have to ask my doctor about Previnar 13. That's one I have not heard of. I'm using Symbicort, Theophylline, and a Duavent puffer if ever needed when away from home. I find that the Symbicort works well except it almost $20usd for each one I buy and at times it is defective and must be replaced. Mercury Drug is good about a free replacement but kind of unnerving as it is a required med and must be available and work for each dose.   I'm wondering your cold was in reality an allergy instead? I have never been allergic to anything in the States all my life. That changed it seems when I moved here years ago and end up with cold like symptoms every year starting in Feb all the way through about mid April. Something that grows I guess but makes life uncomfortable each year.   Having COPD, if you come to or end up living in Central Luzon, I would suggest Dr. Raymundo Marquez Jr. He is an internal medicine doctor and is the department head at St. Raphael Medical Center in Dau, Mabalacat where he also has his clinic. For me, his better than any doctor I ever had back home in the States-bar none.

 

Just want to add here that I have asthma not COPD. Up to now my asthma has been reversible on Ventolin, Seritide with intermittent low doses of Prednisone. 

 

COPD would not be reversible in that the lungs are permanently damaged.

 

COPD needs a strong Internist, preferably a Pulmonologist, and I would say living remotely away from a tertiary care medical center is not a good idea.

 

That is very good advice and especially so if one is not stable or if meds may not always be available where one lives. My Dr here has more than one Pulmonologist available on a moments notice at another local hospital. I find that getting out and doing a lot of walking around town keeps lungs open and end up having less trouble that if I just sit around the house. Exception to that seems to be the last several hours of high air pressure before a major storm or typhoon arrives. Then I spend more time in the air conditioning at home or in a local mall.

[markpa]

On ‎12‎/‎14‎/‎2015 at 5:05 PM, intrepid said:

 

Chris,

So what would you recommend as a minimum now for a medical reserve?  Per person or any difference for family?  My wife has been telling me P 1m.  I was thinking this may be sufficient but maybe it should be much more. 

I think the P 1M might be a good goal to have. I can do that no problem, and a money transfer if still needed. Mark