Another Day, Another Doctor

I woke up at 3:30 yesterday morning and felt pretty miserable, worse than I had felt on Friday and Saturday. I hung in there until about lunch time, but when I started feeling even worse, I decided it was time to call H-k and ask if the clinic has an emergency number since it's closed on Sundays. She and T decided I needed to go to the emergency room, and she came to pick me up a little while later.

H-k took me to the Samsung Seoul Hospital. They did a bunch of tests, concluded that I have a kidney infection and pneumonia, and pumped me full of fluids and antibiotics. Six hours later, we were allowed to go home, with an arsenal of medications (with labels!) and a follow-up appointment on Friday.

The emergency room was very crowded yesterday, probably because it was Sunday and most local clinics were closed. There were a few other foreigners there. While I was waiting for an xray, I observed a southeast Asian couple struggle to make themselves understood by the doctors and nurses. I was so thankful that H-k was there with me. Even though the doctors and nurses could speak and understand English, it was such a reassurance to have someone else there who could help me communicate when difficulties arose. I told H-k that she graduated to a new level of friendship yesterday, not only because of her care and concern, but also because at one point she had to help me remove my bra while I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and had an IV in my hand. No easy task, let me say. We joked that it was an R-rated version of the human knot game that we played with our students in the park just a couple weeks ago. It's good to keep a sense of humor about things.

A visit to a medical facility is never my idea of a fun way to spend the day, and in Korea, I find it all the more uncomfortable because of the language barrier and cultural differences, but I have to say that what I experienced in the emergency room was not significantly different from what I would expect in the U.S., with a few notable exceptions.

The first major different was the lack of privacy. Examinations that required undressing were performed behind a curtain, though I had other people walk in on me twice without any notice, but all other procedures and consultations were carried out in a crowded common room. The other major difference I noticed was a different standard of sanitation. The hospital was clean, but the examining tables didn't have linens or paper, and I didn't notice anyone disinfecting them between patients. I'm also used to doctors and nurses at home washing their hands right there in the room before they touch you. I didn't see anyone do that here. No one's hands appeared dirty, but now that I think about it, I didn't notice a sink anywhere around. Maybe we're a little paranoid about things like privacy and sanitation in the West, but I'm not so sure that's a bad thing.

T is teaching my classes again today, and I'm really thankful for all his help this week. I'm getting very tired of staying at home, so I'm hoping I can go back to school on Tuesday if someone helps me with crowd control in my classes. I miss my students and friends.