|
New pain management techniques
have been developed
MC Roy Albiston presents Dr
Mungkorn with a Certificate of Appreciation as thanks for his very
informative talk.
You don’t have to feel the pain; at least not to a great
degree. This was the message to the Pattaya City Expats Club on Sunday,
December 15. Dr Mungkorn Teeyaphudit, an orthopaedist from Phyathai Hospital
Sriracha, spoke on the topic “Current and Innovative Pain Management
Techniques in Total Knee Arthroplasty.” Dr. Mungkorn received his medical
degree from Thammasat University (Bangkok) where he also graduated as a
fellow in Orthopaedic Surgery and in Arthroplasty Joint Replacement as a
Subspecialty.
Although knee pain can be debilitating, whether it comes from damage to a
knee that needs to be treated, or from the treatment itself, fortunately,
the pain from the treatment is usually short-lived. And new pain management
techniques have been developed that reduce reliance on morphine as a pain
management tool explained Dr. Mungkorn.
Member Bruce, Dr Mungkorn, Gavin
and the Phyathai staff providing much appreciated free blood pressure
checks, pose after the meeting.
The most common problem patients experience following a
total knee replacement is post operative knee pain. Total knee replacement,
also known as total knee Arthroplasty is a surgical procedure in which parts
of the knee joint are replaced with artificial parts (called prostheses).
Why treat the pain, Dr Mungkorn asked? Apart from the obvious reasons to
reduce pain and suffering, improve quality of life and speed up of recovery;
if the pain is not relieved, serious complications are possible. These
complications can be cardiovascular (e.g. increased blood pressure and heart
rate); respiratory (e.g. decreased lung capacity, retention of secretions);
and gastrointestinal (e.g. food staying in the stomach longer than normal,
and constipation). Further, other possible complications of unrelieved pain
are immobility, weakness, fatigue and sleep deprivation.
Analgesic drugs are used to treat post-operative pain. If the pain is mild
to moderate, Dr Mungkorn said, doctors usually prescribe non-opioids,
anti-inflammatory drugs or paracetamol. To treat moderate to severe pain,
mild opioids (such as codeine) are used, with or without non-opioids.
Finally, for severe pain, doctors will prescribe strong opioids (such as
morphine), with or without non-opioids. Also, administering too much
morphine creates problems. Apart from the fact that the drug is addictive,
morphine has side effects, such as headaches, nausea and dizziness. So, new
approaches have been developed to provide alternatives to the use of
morphine. He mentioned that these approaches include pre-emptive analgesia
and multimodal analgesia; using the two approaches in combination provides
optimal pain control.
Pre-emptive analgesia involves administering treatment before the surgical
procedure in order to reduce the sensitisation of the body’s central and
peripheral pain pathways that knee surgery creates. Multimodal analgesia
involves the use of different classes of analgesics and different sites of
analgesic administration to provide improved pain relief with reduced side
effects. Multimodal analgesia is associated with lower use of opioids.
Dr Mungkorn explained that four options are available for the anaesthetic
used for a knee operation: spinal block, general anaesthesia, epidural block
and peripheral nerve block. He said that he prefers to use the spinal block
technique. To manage pain during and immediately after the operation, many
doctors, he included, are using a peri-articular anaesthetic cocktail where
portions of the cocktail are applied to different tissues surrounding the
knee joint.
In his experience, Dr Mungkorn said, the cocktail helps to reduce pain to a
score of 3-4 compared to a pain score of 6-7 without the cocktail (the
higher the number, the greater the pain).
In summary, Dr Mungkorn said, he uses four techniques to manage pain
associated with knee surgery: (1) pre-emptive analgesia; (2) spinal
anaesthesia; (3) anaesthetic cocktail during surgery; and (4) post-operative
anaesthesia.
After Dr. Mungkorn answered several questions, Master of Ceremonies Roy
Albiston brought everyone up to date on upcoming events and called on Tony
Heron to conduct the Open Forum, where questions are asked and answered
about Expat living in Thailand, especially Pattaya.
To learn more about the Club and their many activities, visit
www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
|
|
Bangkok woman wins 100,000B party in Hilton Pattaya Dine ‘n’ Fly grand-prize drawing
Hilton Pattaya GM Rudolf
Troestler (2nd right) presents the grand prize to Ornchuma Watanakorn (front
row, 3rd left) as Hilton management and staff help her to celebrate.
Phasakorn Channgam
A Bangkok woman won a party worth 100,000 baht for 50 of her closest
friends in the Hilton Pattaya’s Dine ‘n’ Fly grand-prize drawing.
Ornchuma Watanakorn can design her own gala at the Horizon bar on the Hilton’s
34th floor rooftop. Hotel General Manager Rudolf Troestler presented Ornchuma
with her prize Nov. 3.
Finishing its third year, the Dine ‘n’ Fly promotion awarded five prizes this
year, including a three-day, two-night stay at resorts in Singapore, the Chinese
cities of Beijing and Shianghai, and Seoul, South Korea.
The contest was open to guests who spend at least 3,000 baht at the Hilton’s
Edge, Flare, Shore, Drift or Horizon restaurants and bars. Entries could also be
had by ordering room service or spending the same amount at the Eforea spa.
|
|
Royal Garden lights up
promotions for holiday season
Royal Garden’s 12-meter-tall
Christmas tree is festooned with more than 100,000 bulbs.
Terasak Suthathiwong
Royal Garden officially launched its holiday season with the lighting of
the mall’s Christmas tree.
City Councilman Rattanachai Sutidechanai, chairperson of Pattaya’s tourism &
sports and culture committee, along with mall General Manager Somporn
Naksuetrong flipped the switch before a large crowd of tourists Dec. 6.
Somporn said the 12-meter-tall tree will remain alight through the New Year
holiday. It is festooned with more than 100,000 bulbs, shining light on the
mall’s holiday promotions.
PILC escapes the busy life in Pattaya
Not all of the PILC ladies knew each other before hand,
but since PILC is such a friendly and welcoming group, that makes no difference
at all and everybody was soon chatting away.
Helle Ransten
Ever so often you find yourself feeling a bit tired of all the cars, all
the noise and the constant reminder of how many people find Pattaya a great
place to enjoy their holidays. And what better way than to escape than on sea in
a 21 meters long Catamaran? That is precisely what a group of PILC ladies and
some husbands chose to do on a normal Monday. Not all of the PILC ladies knew
each other before hand, but since PILC is such a friendly and welcoming group,
that makes no difference at all and everybody was soon chatting away.
Who knows, I might even be dancing on
the roof the next time.
The catamaran had everything you could ask for: lots of space
and sitting areas, trampolines if you felt like jumping or enjoying the sea,
great freshly cooked food and helpful staff. The trip gave us plenty of
opportunity to swim in the beautiful sea or visit 3 islands along the way. The
only small problem and I do realize you might find me old, but I sometime have a
problem with the constant need for loud music wherever you go and sometimes find
myself asking, “Do I really need Rihanna or who ever to accompany me in the
background?” My answer is always no, so I took the liberty to turn down the
music a couple of times. By the end of the day a very kind staff member who had
been observing me turning the music down very politely informed that now is was
happy hour and that meant the music was to be turn on to full volume and the
dancing on 3 catamarans sailing parallel to each other could begin. All of
sudden all the staff was dancing on the roof, joined by many guests wearing wigs
and having a great time. It was indeed a very happy hour and the right time and
place for very loud music.
The day was enjoyed by all and we can’t until the next catamaran trip takes
place. Who knows I might even be dancing on the roof the next time.
|
|
Pattaya International Ladies Club Christmas Lunch
Ann Winfield
Almost 200 ladies (and some spouses) attended the Pattaya International
Ladies Club (PILC) Christmas Luncheon held recently at the Royal Cliff Hotel.
This annual event has been held at the Royal Cliff for over 20 years, and is
always a much anticipated event for PILC members. The hotel’s Pornthip made sure
that the dining room looked beautifully festive, with Christmas trees and
ornaments in abundance decorating the room and the stage.
Kim Jun Man regaled the audience with two operatic
songs, and a beautiful rendition of the Italian classic canzone, O Sole Mio.
PILC President Helle Rantsen welcomed everyone and thanked them all for their
support during the past year. She made some “housekeeping” club announcements,
and then informed everyone that the recently held Christmas Bazaar had raised
over 400,000 baht in support of the PILC’s charitable endeavors. A number of
vendors who participated in the bazaar were also in attendance at the lunch,
selling their beautiful and one-of-a-kind wares.
In addition to the wonderful buffet lunch, entertainment this year included a
short pantomime presented by the Pattaya Players, a local theatrical group, and
Christmas Carols and songs by the Bella Voce Choir, under the direction of
international opera singer, Kim Jun Man. In addition, Kim also regaled the
audience with two operatic songs, and a beautiful rendition of the Italian
classic canzone, O Sole Mio.
PILC Vice President Joyce Aldridge and her helpers also sold raffle tickets for
the great raffle that was held to raise funds for charity. The Royal Cliff Hotel
generously donated a beautiful watch as a prize, and many other great prizes
were on offer, many donated by the vendors.
Entertainment this year included Christmas Carols and
songs by the Bella Voce Choir, under the direction of international opera
singer, Kim Jun Man.
Lunch was served after the entertainment, and the Royal Cliff outdid themselves
this year with the amazing array of delicious traditional Christmas dishes, as
well as wonderful seafood appetizers and desserts. After dessert and coffee,
attendees were then treated to an after lunch Amaretto served in a beautiful
Lotus Crystal liqueur glass, which they got to take home with them.
After lunch, Helle announced that the raffle had netted over 30,000 baht and she
thanked everyone for their generosity.
All in all, it was a really fun event to wrap up the year and start the holiday
season in style. The Pattaya International Ladies Club comprises over 200
members from 34 countries. Its primary aim is to serve as a networking and
social organization to help foreign women make friends and transition into
living in Thailand with a secondary aim of helping raise funds for the
disadvantaged in and around Pattaya.
Why not join us for our next social and informal event? The PILC will be the
host for “An evening of Wine” on the 25th of January in Siam Gardens. Come and
meet new friends or say hello to old ones and enjoy an evening with wine,
outstanding finger food and a relaxed atmosphere.
For more information about PILC or this event please contact Helle Presidentpilc
@gmail.com or visit our website
www.pilc-pattaya.com
The Royal Cliff outdid themselves this year with the
amazing array of delicious traditional Christmas dishes
PILC President Helle Rantsen welcomed everyone and
thanked them all for their support during the past year.
|
|
|
