I'm devastated

[Impulse]

Sorry to hear of your copd diagnosis Joe. I understand your reluctance to travel alone after finding this out.

Maybe you can wait till you’re out of the hospital and decide then if you really want to cancel your vacation. I say this because in a year or two you will have accepted the diagnosis and be treating it with the help of your doctor. You might find looking back that it was a hasty decision to cancel when your condition is stabilized.

It’s funny because I was diagnosed with a life altering condition about three years ago, only about a month before I was to travel to Pattaya. I wanted to go maybe “ one more time” in the worst way. So I told my doctor how important it was that I go and let’s finish the test and get on with the medication. I also told him I’ve been having sex with boys from Thailand for many years and it’s all I had to look forward to now. He agreed with me and thought having lots of sex would be good for my psyche.

Just kidding with the last two sentences. But I went and I’m stable now. Also like a poster mentioned before. It was just a label that was put on something I’ve had for years. Really if you feel the same, without the diagnosis you probably wouldn’t think twice about not going. Hoping all goes well with your treatment.

[frequent]

A) That goes without saying, however when Joe is posting it to an internet chat forum the assumption is he's happy and willing to discuss and hear feedback on his post, as to whether or not he listens to any of it is fairly obvious of course.

As he's already admitted that he's on Facebook I just assumed he's as needy and "Look At Me" as the millenial fuckwits whose home it is

[sglad]

As he's already admitted that he's on Facebook I just assumed he's as needy and "Look At Me" as the millenial fuckwits whose home it is

Joe is neither needy nor a fuckwit. He had received some "devastating" news which he wanted to share with his forum friends, some of whom he had met in real life. Most have responded sensibly and empathetically. And his post is relevant to 'gay Thailand' because he has been talking about and making plans for his upcoming 'gay Thailand' trip for months, something which you've never done and will probably never get to do.

[arsenal]

I've left this thread a few days to think about what I wanted to say.

You know Joe that due to your age and a lifetime of drinking and smoking too much (me too so I'm not criticising) you probably won't make old bones.

At some point you're likely to be lying in a hospital bed waiting for the Grim Reaper to knock on the door and say 'it's time'. (me too)

So. Fuck it. Go to Thailand and milk it for all it's worth because that way when the hooded guy shows up you can go with a smile remembering the trip.

[arsenal]

And BTW. Remember that even if your insurance won't reimburse the cost of the flight you're still entitled to claim the tax back from the airline.

[Manforallseasons]

Joe, I really hope you have a real support group other than this virtual one also as I said before my mother had the same health issue and it was not very invasive in her life.

[Nirish guy]

or switch to electronic ...

Which if you decide to do and still decide to travel be sure to remember that Ecigs are banned in Thailand and the police love nothing more than stopping tourists on the street and handing them a (ridiculously) large fine if they see them smoking them !

[joe552]

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I am happy to discuss my situation - I wouldn't have posted if I wasn't. I've just come home after a 3 day stay in hospital. At the moment, I feel well. For me, it's not really about the 'medical' fact. It's about my own confidence in coping alone if something were to happen when I'm away. I have close family here to rely on.

Anyway, the flights have been cancelled. I'll be looking into my travel insurance. But we are where we are. And that's not Thailand, at this stage.

[Oliver2]

One of the god things about visiting Thailand is that, with the possible exception of the Christmas/New Year period, both flights and accommodation are always available. Perhaps you'll feel well enough to travel soon...I hope so.

[joe552]

Brace yourself, Bridget - prepare for some blasphemy. As I get used to the idea that I'm not going to Thailand next month, I realise I'm not actually all that disappointed. I've been there maybe 15 times since 2002. I've been to Issan, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Koh Chang, so I've seen the country (or as much as I wanted to). So my holidays had become 2 weeks in a very small part of Pattaya.

Right now, I feel that I wouldn't be devastated at all if I didn't go back. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!