Hospital

Hey…so sorry I have not written…I have been quite busy these days with new things going on at the school…meeting new teachers and getting around the town a bit more and plus…a nice experience with the hospitals here already!!! I had been feeling strange pains in my abdomen and thought nothing of it…but the pain travelled to my back and knew it was my kidneys…the strangest, very uncomfortable, painful feeling in your back.

Anyway…the first night I went to the emergency room…the doc told me all these tests he wanted to do…and because I don’t have insurance…he warned me that it would be a bit expensive…so I told him that I feel better and want to go home now!! HA! (Of course…I didn’t feel better!) He didn’t want me to go either so he wanted to at least check me on the sonogram free of charge…everything looked okay but he told me if I get a fever or chills, or if the pain worsens to return immediately.

The next evening…the pains get worse, much worse…so I go to the hospital again…and now they want to admit me for 5 days!!! But I insist that they just give me some medicine and let me go!!! Long story short they do just that…but not after getting all these tests done…x-ray, sonogram…which was so funny!!! The doc wants to do another sonogram to make sure that I don’t have stones and we go to open the door to the room and he immediately shuts the door and apologizes and tells me to have a seat and wait…then I hear him yell to his staff, “Where is the sonogram machine?” About 10 minutes later…they wheel that thing in!!! HA!

They poked me in the ass twice!!! And I have a nice long cut running along my ass cheek…as the nurse told me to relax…so I move my hips to relax, but did not know she was in the process of poking me and the needle went scraping across my skin. Ouch!

That’s the problem…all the doctors refuse to speak English…this whole country tends to be that way…as they are a bit shy and embarrassed to speak. Regardless of the fact that I was upset and a bit panicky…because I did not understand exactly what was going on…they did not speak any English…all the medical books are in English…I took a peek at the computer all the doctors use and all their diagnosis’s and notes are in perfect English…they just don’t want to speak it!

Another issue I have with the hospitals here is how dirty it is…they told me to lie down on one of the emergency beds…and I COULD NOT find one without any blood on it!!! I lied down on one that had the least amount of blood on it!

They gave me two infusions…one yellow and one clear cocktail! The clear one they give to everybody! I swear…Korean men drink so much!!! I think they get wasted then they walk into the emergency room to get one of these infusions…then sober up a bit and go home!!! I saw several business type looking men…walk in…get their infusion…walk out…even have a cig in the meantime…walking around with their bag and IV in hand!!! One guy was so impatient…he started to take out his own IV and started to bleed all over the place…the nurse runs over and takes it out for him…then he just walks out!!! And the sheets did not get replaced. (shiver)

Well…I am fine…been taking medication…done with that…and feel better…but as soon as I feel some pain or get a fever…I’ll be back there. Well…gotta run…sorry I have not written and will write again soon…have so much to tell you guys!