A Rehabilitation Doctor Who Loves Making Patients Laugh
– Dr. Thimaporn Bamrungchaowkasem –
Dr. Aun, or Dr. Thimaporn Bamrungchaowkasem, a Rehabilitation Medicine and Physical Therapy specialist at BNH Hospital, often elicits laughter from her patients with what she describes as “five-baht, ten-baht jokes” (cheap jokes). Yet, these jokes remarkably strengthen the bond between her and her patients. The doctor also possesses a wonderfully imaginative mind, leading her to create secret rooms in her home and unusual dishes. This is the story of Dr. Aun.
Once Longed for the Forest
“When choosing a faculty, I had two options: firstly, to live in the forest as a veterinarian for elephants, and secondly, given the economy at the time, I felt farmers worked hard but weren’t adequately compensated, so I wanted to study agricultural economics.”
Dr. Aun’s father worked in forestry, fostering her deep connection with nature. Her interests during adolescence were thus closely tied to work that involved being close to nature. Even though her mother had secretly planned for her, being the eldest child, to study medicine.
“It’s probably my nature to do everything wholeheartedly. So, when I came to study medicine, I fully committed to it. Even if it wasn’t my absolute favourite, I certainly didn’t hate it. And I wanted sick people to get better. When I did my best and did it well, I came to love this job.”
Although Dr. Aun did not end up working with nature as she once dreamed, her fondness for forests and mountains remains. Kaeng Krachan National Park was a place she loved to visit since her student days.
“I went about 10 times, even sneaking away from home because my family didn’t like me staying overnight with friends. But during university, I lived in a dormitory, so I could sneak out. I went so often that I became close with the park rangers. They would find me a spot to pitch my tent where I could see wild elephants. When they went to explore the forest, they would invite me along. I had never climbed to a mountain peak looking down into a deep chasm before. It was very impressive.”
After her studies, her forest adventures gradually decreased due to time constraints and other responsibilities. Dr. Aun completed her rural service at a hospital in Ayutthaya Province, where she discovered her preference for short procedures and developed an interest in emergency medicine. However, this interest coincided with her plans to start a family with her future husband. Wanting to dedicate herself to her work whilst also spending as much time as possible with her child, she decided to adjust her preferences and chose a specialty similar to her partner’s, who intended to become an orthopaedic surgeon. Thus, rehabilitation medicine became another path in her life, a field she completed at the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital.
Dr. Aun began her career as a rehabilitation medicine doctor at BNH Hospital in 2017. She was impressed by the warm, home-like atmosphere and the close relationships among all staff and doctors across departments. This fosters easy communication and convenient consultations or patient transfers, especially in the rehabilitation medicine department, which requires integrated work with various departments. This integrated approach aims to provide Complete Care – holistic and comprehensive care – for those who have suffered injuries or prolonged hospital stays that affect their mobility, helping them regain movement as close to their previous state as possible. It also focuses on preventing minor ailments from escalating into difficult-to-treat chronic conditions, such as the common office syndrome, which can become chronic if not properly addressed.
Five-Baht, Ten-Baht Jokes
“When I’m with friends, I don’t want any ‘dead air’; I want everyone to have fun. Sometimes I just say silly things, those ‘five-baht, ten-baht jokes’. But sometimes I go home exhausted because, in reality, I’m not that much of an extrovert. I just want to make people happy.”
“With patients, if they seem ready, I’ll joke around. They usually find it funny and it makes them feel less tense, which helps them feel more comfortable being treated by me.”
Dr. Aun’s approachable personality, characterised by her easy smile, cheerfulness, and playfulness, helps younger or same-aged patients relax, as she is unpretentious and treats them like friends. With older patients, she employs a different approach, maintaining a sincerity that isn’t so serious as to make them uncomfortable.
“I treat them as if I’m caring for my own family members. I look at many aspects and parts, because if it were my family, I would want them to receive that kind of care.”
“Normally, I tell patients the facts directly, but I also have to talk to them to gauge how much they can handle. Sometimes patients come with their own views on treatment. We talk openly and directly: ‘This is beneficial, this isn’t suitable, how good or bad is it?’ We listen to each other, share ideas, and find a middle ground.”
Given that rehabilitation medicine is a field where patients require a long time to gradually recover, and sustainable rehabilitation has no shortcuts, patients need immense encouragement. Often, simply talking helps them feel at ease, improving their condition or encouraging them to open up more to the doctor, leading to a more accurate diagnosis or a more suitable treatment plan for the patient.
Extraordinary
If anyone visits the doctor’s house, beware that some doors might lead you to its secrets… In truth, the doctor doesn’t have any actual secrets in her house, but the secret rooms really do exist. Or, to be clearer, rooms located in unexpected places, such as behind a door that looks exactly like a wall, or under a floor where there shouldn’t be any space.
“I don’t like anything that’s too plain; there has to be something special within it. So, I talked to the architect to try it. Sometimes it cost a lot, but it was to fulfill my dream, which is my happiness. The secret room will probably be my office, but I just don’t want anyone to see it. I ended up spending a lot of money on this craziness before it was finally done.”
Dr. Aun enjoys work that involves creative imagination, though she is more of an idea generator than someone who draws or paints, which she readily admits is not her forte. In primary school, she and her friends would swap homework: she’d do math for her friends, and they’d do art for her. Realising her interests were somewhat lukewarm in that area, she didn’t pursue an art-related career, instead channelling her interest into small design projects where she acted as the client.
The various secret rooms in her home also reflect her fondness for investigative content, something the doctor didn’t realise about herself until she found her Netflix viewing habits leaning heavily in that direction.
The doctor’s love for creating something ‘special’ also extends to her food menus. She was a bubble tea customer since it first arrived in Thailand, but over time, her body began to reject dairy products. So, she switched to drinking clear tea with jelly to enjoy the chewing sensation instead.
“Lately, I started brewing my own tea because it’s more cost-effective. I order tea from Japan, then buy jelly to make it at home. My child follows suit but uses milk they drink instead, and whoever adds pearls. Nowadays, everyone’s addicted.”
Once she started brewing her own tea, Dr. Aun progressed to creating her own Mocktail recipes, investing in all the equipment to experiment and indulge her passion for unique beverages.
If the drinks are special, then the doctor’s cooking must be special too. She enjoys making dishes that keep the diner guessing what’s different.
“My husband often asks, ‘Can I eat this?’ I look at many different cookbooks and then adapt them. For example, for ‘rad na’ (Thai gravy noodles), I’ll add fried mushrooms instead of vegetables, or change the meat to grilled shrimp. I just don’t want it to be like anyone else’s.”
Sometimes, the doctor’s dishes are adorned with carved fruits and vegetables, which is one of her artistic hobbies she once took seriously, diligently practising her skills for a period.
“I once carved an apple into a swan. I’ve carved strawberries too, into snowmen.”
In fact, one could summarise the doctor’s penchant for making things special as a DIY enthusiast. She does it herself, makes it unique, and most importantly, the creator finds happiness in it.
“Back on Mother’s Day, others would make flower garlands to pay respect to their mothers. I would buy salad greens and arrange them beautifully in a basket to give to my mother. She was puzzled. I just thought, ‘A garland will just be thrown away, but salad greens are edible.'”
Raising Children with Board Games
“My child says Mum is strict.”
Despite being jovial with others, as a mother, the doctor is serious because she wants her children to learn discipline from a young age.
“So, I want to be strict with them. For example, when they come home, they must wash their hands and feet first. I like teaching them to do difficult things before easy ones, like finishing homework before playing, completing what needs to be done before anything else.”
Homework time is when the doctor gets to spend time with her children. Some days, it’s followed by a Movie Day where everyone in the house watches a film together. But later, the doctor worried her children were watching too much, so she switched to playing board games together instead.
“Now our house is full of board games. Many of them train planning skills. But most of the time, when I play with my children, I’m not that serious, but they are very serious. They’ll tell me I need to plan. Sometimes I pretend to make a move for them. I see they have empathy. Sometimes they lose and complain why they didn’t win, but as they continue playing, they start learning on their own that there will be both wins and losses.”
The doctor has two children, a boy and a girl. She started playing board games with her children when her eldest was seven, beginning with common games like Monopoly, checkers, and chess. She then gradually observed the development in both children.
Part of why she has so much time with her children is due to the support from her husband, who is also a doctor. He commutes daily to a hospital in Ayutthaya so their children can study in Bangkok. Each day, the children go to bed around 9 PM, waiting to see their father who arrives home around 8 PM. It’s a short, precious time when all family members are together. The rest of the childcare falls to Dr. Aun, which she manages well thanks to the flexibility gained from balancing her life with her dedication to her patients.
“When I treat, I don’t think about anything other than wanting to give them the very best. When I think like that, it naturally follows what they should receive from me.”
It is said that we are like a ball, depending on which side we show to whom. Dr. Aun is both funny at times and serious at others, depending on her role at that moment. But she always acts with the best intentions, never forgetting that her own happiness comes from doing what she loves.
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THIMAPORN BAMRUNGCHAOWKASEM, M.D.
พญ. ธิมาพร บำรุงเชาว์เกษม
Speciality
Rehabilitation Medicine
Clinical Interest
Cardiac Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation in Swallowing Disorder
Education
Medical Degree, Doctor of Medicine, Rangsit University, Thailand
Board and Sub board Certification
The Medical Council of Thailand, Rehabilitation Medicine
Language
English
Thai
Gender
Female
Schedule
Rehabilitation Department
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | - |
| Tuesday | 08:00 - 19:00 |
| Wednesday | 08:00 - 14:00 |
| Thursday | 08:00 - 15:00 |
| Friday | 08:00 - 19:30 |
| Saturday | 08:00 - 16:00 |
| Sunday | - |
Premier Spine Rehabilitation Centre
| Day | Time |
|---|---|
| Monday | - |
| Tuesday | - |
| Wednesday | - |
| Thursday | 12:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 08:00 - 17:00 |
| Saturday | - |
| Sunday | - |
This is the doctor's regular weekly schedule. Actual availability may vary — please confirm the available date and time when you make an appointment.