Female singer Chayada Prao-hom (20 years old, stage name Ping Chayada) passed away on December 8.
Doctor Somchaichote Piyawatwela said that according to the victim's family, Chayada went to a massage parlor in Udon Thani on October 5 because of neck and shoulder pain.
Two days later, she complained of neck pain and took painkillers. She wrote on Facebook that the massage included a neck twist.
A week later, Chayada experienced numbness in her hands and returned to the massage parlor. Two weeks later, she again experienced a stiff neck and was unable to lie face down. She then experienced tingling and numbness in her right fingers and toes.
On October 30, she went to Piboonrak Hospital for treatment and was transferred to Nonghan Hospital. On November 4, she returned to Piboonrak Hospital and was then transferred to Udonthani Hospital.
Chayada stayed at Udonthani Hospital from November 6 to 11. During this time, she suffered severe pain in her legs and neck and was unable to move her arms and legs.
Medical examination and tests revealed that Chayada had transverse myelitis, a neurological disorder caused by inflammation of the spinal cord. She was treated and discharged from the hospital.
On November 18, Chayada again had a stiff neck and convulsions. She was taken to Piboonrak Hospital and on November 22 was transferred to the intensive care unit at Udonthani Hospital.
On December 8, she passed away. The doctor concluded that the cause of death was blood infection. This surprised many people.
Police and family are looking into whether her death was related to the massage, and health officials are willing to cooperate if the family requests an autopsy.
Dr Somchaichote said Chayada had been bedridden for some time and there were many possible causes of the blood infection. He did not elaborate further.
The massage parlor where Chayada used services and the seven masseuses there were all licensed.
This incident comes after another massage-related incident in Thailand. Most recently, on the evening of December 7, a tourist from Singapore died after getting a massage at Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand.
