A few days ago PPT posted on the meticulous reporting at The Nation on a planned trip upcountry by the king and assorted other royals. Suddenly, it was canceled. The reason has now become clear.
The news agency AP reports that the king “has recovered from minor bleeding around the brain…”. Note that he has “recovered” even before he was reported ill! This miraculous “recovery” was from an affliction that “the palace” has said caused “twitching in his [the king's] right hand and a slightly increased pulse rate Thursday evening before a computer scan found bleeding in the brain’s outer membrane.”
A sundural hematoma or haemorrhage is not anything normal or easily recovered from and is seen in the elderly. It is stated: “Subdural hematomas are often life-threatening when acute. Chronic subdural hematomas, however, have better prognosis if properly managed.” Far more information would be required to assess the king’s real condition. Wikipedia adds: “As the brain shrinks with age, the subdural space enlarges and the veins that traverse the space must travel over a wider distance, making them more vulnerable to tears. This and the fact that the elderly have more brittle veins make chronic subdural bleeds more common in older patients.”
The palace says that the king “was given medicine intravenously and recovered Friday morning, with a normal pulse rate and blood pressure and no more twitching.” Problem solved?
It was interesting to see this line in the report: “Thailand’s monarchy once had near-universal respect among Thais, but the king’s fading from public life and the palace’s perceived role in the nation’s political battles have tarnished the institution in recent years.”
The Bangkok Post continues the palace line about the king recovering, but noting that he will “have to continue … medication intravenously…”.
But as is usual the royal Household Bureau states that all is “normal”: The king’s “blood pressure, heartbeat, and breathing patterns were normal, according to the bureau’s statement issued yesterday.” It added that the king “could move his right hand normally and he could sleep well…”.
All is normal, but it isn’t.
Readers may find this article of some relevance to the politics of the king’s health.
[...] match the stories in the media at present regarding the king’s health. A couple of days ago we posted on the king’s “brain bleeding” and noted that this often serious condition was [...]
[...] does match the stories in the media at present regarding the king’s health. A couple of days ago we posted on the king’s “brain bleeding” and noted that this often serious condition was described by [...]