OVER the doctors ...

[sierra2469alpha]

Friends, Ms. C has had a very dry cough now lasting some 4 months. The muppets that were recommended to us are expat doctors (and I'm sure some of us know who we're talking about). Their agenda, even though going back 4 times and seeing 2 different doctors resulted in 2 different approaches to care. Having a fair degree of paramedic knowledge behind me I know all they are trying to do is charge exorbitant prices and flog the drugs they have in stock.

Therefore, and personal experience any of you may have with doctors would be welcomed. Obviously, only recommended ones would be appreciated.

Also, is it normal for local doctors to ask that you just go to their clinic/rooms and take a number?

With many thanks in advance, Mr. P

[ksl]

Friends, Ms. C has had a very dry cough now lasting some 4 months. The muppets that were recommended to us are expat doctors (and I'm sure some of us know who we're talking about). Their agenda, even though going back 4 times and seeing 2 different doctors resulted in 2 different approaches to care. Having a fair degree of paramedic knowledge behind me I know all they are trying to do is charge exorbitant prices and flog the drugs they have in stock.

Therefore, and personal experience any of you may have with doctors would be welcomed. Obviously, only recommended ones would be appreciated.

Also, is it normal for local doctors to ask that you just go to their clinic/rooms and take a number?

With many thanks in advance, Mr. P

Buy the honey vinegar, it will relieve the dryness and lubricate the larynx take it on a spoon and wash it down, rather than making a beverage, because if it is mixed, it is really not a vinegar, but a beverage and only good for health maintenance with about 2% vinegar, any Chinese medical hall, or NTUC fairprice. Take 3 times a day after meals 1 teaspoonful undiluted, there is no real vinegar taste, they are made specially by agricultural chemists for health. Mind you if you buy the wrong brand, you will get vinegar strong taste.

Doctors here are only interested in $, I have paid 60$ for small 15ml creams, that didn't work, went to the specialist skin hospital and paid heavy consultation 89$, but only 7$ for the cream, that worked. I have decided to avoid the doctors if possible, I don't feel a bit safe in Singapore when it comes to treatment, extract $ comes first.

Besides I can treat myself much better these days with the internet.

The dentist took 1 hr to do a root canal, I thought she was going for the guiness book of records for the longest time I had cramp in my jaw several times, because she was taking too long and I needed to close my mouth and couldn't because of a drill bit, while she was messing around with the x-ray machine.

[Addadude]

For general GP purposes, I found Ong's Clinic in Burlington Square to be pretty good. It's a father and son practice but the father is at the very least semi-retired. The son studied medicine in Ireland, so he must be good...

[sierra2469alpha]

KSL - helpful as always but tried the similar remedies - semi vinegar ones as you say. No joy Damn expat doctors just want to sell sell sell.

Addadude - thanks Can they take appointements, or is it just a roll-on-up and take your chance for appointments?

Nice to see the old team are back and running up here Thanks team for your help.

Mr. P

[Addadude]

Afraid not. You need to turn up and wait. I used to live right upstairs so there was never any problem for me with getting there early.

[sundaymorningstaple]

Nice to see the old team are back and running up here Thanks team for your help.

Mr. P

They never left. Anyway, welcome back although I've seen your posts for a while now.

I've always figured that going to expat type docs here were an exercise in $$$ extraction only. I used to use one way back when my gout was acting up. They would alway prescribe Xyloric. Go the the polyclinic or local GP and they would prescribe allipurinol. Exactly the same thing except one is generic and the other is "Named" and charged 4x as much. That was the end of that. Same with an expat dentist at Gleneagles. Gave it up and just use Q&M. Same service, quarter of the price and most are western trained anyway.

And yeah, local docs/clinics are a first come/first served basis unless you are bleeding all over their floor or leaving a trail of watery stool wherever you walk or sit!

[ksl]

KSL - helpful as always but tried the similar remedies - semi vinegar ones as you say. No joy Damn expat doctors just want to sell sell sell.

Addadude - thanks Can they take appointements, or is it just a roll-on-up and take your chance for appointments?

Nice to see the old team are back and running up here Thanks team for your help.

Mr. P

You know the old saying when you go to the doctor, they say #what's wrong with you#, explain the symptoms the best you can, then it's a guessing game after that, if it's been going on for months, I would sincerely insist for a more test for cancer, yes I know it sound harsh. But one of my best school friends had it and died last month becuase he left it to late.

He was a smoker, and went through a coughing phase, when it happened to me, I stopped smoking, I've been there and done that with a 20 pack a day most of my life. Some people never fall foul, others do, so if she is a smoker get some tests done now, because it is a very slow disease starts with coughing takes 5 to 7 years to develop.

My philosophy in life is to weigh up the risks, with the quality of life, it really has hit me hard having a heart attack last year, and I am not yet over it, because they can extract a lot of $, by prolonging it, after paying 10k for nothing, I ask myself why they didn't do something, there answer was policy says, not to put a stent in unless you are 70% blocked. I'm only 60% blocked in the main artery but it means i live with pain every day, and cannot run, they say" if the pain gets worse you will have to pay for another angiogram, so that we can see how bad it is." Of course I don't want to keep paying for angiograms, and that will only take place if the enzymes are raised, but every emergency costs a small fortune. because if you are a foreigner you have to pay the rates, they charge under their system.
Although I feel we should rebel all over the world, when we pay our taxes on income earned no matter where we live, we should be looked after if the same way as any citizen if a tax agreement is in place, one must have the right to choose cost.

[sierra2469alpha]

SMS - great thanks The expat ones were a recommendation of a friend who thought they were good, alas our story not so much. Indeed they are dollar$ extractor$ !

Will try Addadude's suggestion.

Many thanks all Mr. P

[patsy_sg]

mr p, if that doesn't work, go to GIFT clinic in upper aljunied, Mon-wed-fri look for dr. lo.... he's the only one who can cure my dry cough

[sierra2469alpha]

Thanks patsy_sg

[aadvark]

Thanks patsy_sg

not sure if it helps, but when i studied in australia, i developed a dry cough which lasted for months. didn't go to a doc as it's quite expensive.

mum told me to make chrysanthemum tea as a remedy, and it worked for me after 2 weeks of consumption. i'm not a doc, so i dunnoe if there's any basis for it.

[sierra2469alpha]

aardvark - thanks have passed that on to the good lady wife. Mr. P