ER Visit - Korea Style.

Dec. 29th, 2012
ER. ugh. (but all is well). I think.




  { It is health that is real wealth, not pieces of gold and silver. } - Gandhi






Let me start off with, I'm feeling much better and everything is ok and I'm so blessed -- I am grateful for a hospital within walking distance, medicine, doctors who attempt to speak English and a nice passer-by who spoke FLUENT English and FLUENT Korean! But here's the whole story.......




So, long story short - Friday I threw up and had a fever and chills and body aches. So, I thought flu or maybe food poisoning (from eating duck - yes the 'quack quack' animal!) the night before. So I thought I'll sleep it off. Well I woke up Saturday morning with bad side pain in my lower right side. My first fear was appendicitis. So I FaceTimed my mom and decided to go to the hospital (병원) but of course that was closed since it was a Saturday so I had to go to the ER (응급실). So I signed my name and walked into this large room filled with people laying on hospital beds. I was escorted to one in the back of the room near a man who looked like he was in a lot of pain. So I laid there and the nurse got my vitals, then someone came and took blood, then another lady came and put my IV in. I asked what is in the bag (since I have a ton of allergies) and she said nothing. So I said like water? Yes, she replied. Ok, great. It was my first IV and it was strange because they put it in on top of my wrist. But I was thankful since it freaks me out to have it put in my hand or under my wrist (ok no more about needles sorry for those of you who hate them!)

Then 2 Korean guys came (probably in their mid 20's) with a crazy looking machine with lots of ball like clip things. They yanked the curtains around me and said 'test-uh heart-uh'. He said 'shirt' and did a motion like he need to lift my shirt up. Whatever, I thought, gotta do what you got to do. They attached these weird suction cup things on me and said 'don't move.' They got the results and he said, 'heart-uh good.' Great. They opened the curtains and were gone to the next patient! You're welcome for the free show, I thought. I didn't think anything of having two young guys doing this until I looked across the way a little later and saw 2 ladies with the machine doing it to an older lady. RIIGGGHTTT.. so pretty sure those two guys quickly volunteered to do the heart testing to the young foreigner.. but were probably conveniently 'busy' when it was time for the older lady! - oh Korea.


I then got told, x-ray. (This is literally the extend of the explanations I got all day. One word clues into what I was maybe doing!) Ok, so they sat me up, I put my shoes on and walked to the x-ray room. The man there said something to the affect... blah blah han-gul.. blah blah. (asking if I knew Korean I assumed). And I said (조금) jo-geum meaning little and by little I really meant basically none. He then said braw-jear. I was like um breathing? uh... oh man the guessing game. But once he pointed to his chest I understood.. bra. Right - nope no wires. So I got my x-rays done and walked back out and laid back down. As I went to lay back down I realized my bed had some stains on it... hmmmm I was just hoping they were clean (but after observing I don't think they really changed the bedding - hmm interesting.....)


Next a nurse came and said CT scan - symptoms - nausea, this medicine help that. Ok, so she hooked up a jug thing of drugs to my IV. It felt weird, but hey I guess if it was going to help, then fine! Soon I was wheeled off while I laid in my bed, past a bunch of other sick people in beds (I kept thinking, I really can walk.. but ok, I guess you can push me around!) We went out the doors to the ER and into a room with huge thick doors. There I got put onto a bed with the circular tube thing around it and that man asked the same jumble about me knowing Korean, I look disappointed and replied with a shake of my head, a motion with my fingers and said jo-geum. He then had me lay down on the CT bed thinger. I got some more meds in me and then the thing spoke to me -- IN ENGLISH. It said, 'Take a deep breath and hold it.' I was so surprised by the English that I didn't really breath and didn't really hold it. oops. So I did it a couple more times and then he came over and put a bunch of medicine into me that literally, no joke made me think, feel and believe that I was peeing my pants. I kept thinking, I hope they have those gown things because I am going to get up and there will be a pool. I tried to mention it to him, he said (괜찮아요) kwench-chan-na-yo? meaning are you ok? And I was like if by that you mean are you peeing your pants, then yes sir I am fine. And why does my body feel funny? What is GOING ON? Is what I wanted to say but instead I said, ne - yes. I went through again, then got up, back on my roll-y bed and headed back to the communal room of sick people.


Next a guy, I had seen him around but not for sure if he done anything to me, maybe he was the one who did the heart thing (aka the free show) - I don't know, but he knew my name. He said, 'uh hi - uh ku-lis-su-tin. Hi I said. My english-y no good. Oh it's ok, my Korean is not good either. And then we had a typical conversation where I don't really understand what he is asking or what he wants. But I got that he was a student and was 24, same as me (Korean age) so we are (친구) chin-gu -- friends. I told him that I teach English, he looked confused so I said, English-y Teach-a. OHHHH. (then he got it). Great, I also learned he was leaving in 5 minutes but would be back tomorrow from 7 AM to 2 PM. (Guess he'll be sad I didn't have to stay the night!) Then he said just a moment, scurried off, came back a minute later and said, I hope you have a quick recovery. (He had to have asked someone how to say that). He turned around and said, you are cute and was off. He waved one more time as he was walking out and then after a bit I looked over and there he was peering in the window.. he waved one more time and disappeared. Of course I would get hit on while I was laying on an ER bed, with an IV in, no make-up, had not showered and looked like death, but thanks sir.. glad you think I'm cute. It's really only because you Koreans are not really exposed to white chicks that often! haha But it made me laugh and now I have a pretty good story to tell and that would be a first for me, hit on in the ER.

I laid there for a while longer, then had to pee in a cup... twice. I guess the first one wasn't good enough? I had to roll my wheel-y thing with my IV bags attached to it into the bathroom. I got more pain meds, which I was a bit nervous about since the last time I took Korean pain meds they made me nocturnal and I didn't fall asleep till 5 AM. but whatever, I just let them do their thing. (turns out I was right and was up skyping my family until 3 AM that night wide awake!)


Next, a guy in a white coat came and took more blood, his English was great - like no weird accent. I was confused.. but whatever. He left, and then was back again in a few minutes and said sorry, more blood. I said your English is great and (like they always do) he got all shy and said -- NOOOO... but I said really you sound American. I found out he lived in the states for 2 years, for 2nd and 3rd grade. Crazy how that little time can make a HUGE difference. 


I finally got to talk to a doctor (or I guess that's what he was). He said it was my liver. That the number my liver is supposed to be at was 40 but mine was 80. He said the disease is 'fatty liver'. I said what? and he spelled it out and sure enough it was 'fatty liver.' Ok, I thought whatever that is. I said my appendix is ok? Yup. He was off, and a nurse came a bit later, told me I could go, took out my IV, gave me packets of medicine, and said I had to come back next week to see another doctor. I was like ok, that's it? She escorted me out and said she would help me get an appointment, she was super cute and super sweet! The receptionist asked for my insurance (well I have it but they don't give me a card - so I pay out of pocket, get the receipt and then get paid back later). Well, he looked worried and I was confused he said very expensive. Oh shoot.. how expensive. At first he said, 100,000 won (100 dollars) I was like yeah right.. then he said 100,000,000 won (100,000 dollars) I wanted to die.. but then we figured out it was 1.2 million won (1,200 dollars), ok do-able but would I get that back? Did they have to do that CT scan? Can I reverse that? Not do it? Pretend I didn't? Hello I am foreign I don't know what was going on and still don't... oh please someone someone hellllpppppppp.....

meet -- Burt. (photo requested by loyal reader: Doug).

AND just then this Korean guy walks up and says can I help you -- in perfect English. I was like yes, and still spoke slowly to him (because I can never tell how much they really know) and I was confused still... and out of it. But this man (Burt), in his mid 30's ended up saving my life and saving me a thousand dollars. He lived in Houston, TX for 12 years from age 2 till high school and was FLUENT in both English and Korean. He found out my problems, the diagnosis, my job and what I was doing here and started translating. At first they were thinking I would maybe get 800 dollars back (not bad) but then after talking to my mentor teacher he said I would only get 300 dollars back (so I would be paying 900 dollars for this visit!) But then we learned that there was a catch -- if I was in the hospital for more than 6 hours or over night the insurance would cover 90%. Soooo, after much talk and negotiation we got the doctors to agree to let me stay a bit longer, pay a little more and then be able to get 90% back! Burt stayed with me and we talked about tons of things! (the differences between Koreans and American cultures and how femmie Korean guys are, how I got hit on in the ER, how humid Korea is - you know the works). He was there for a relative who was sick, so I felt bad, but he said it was ok. So I sat in the lobby for over an hour, just waiting and talking to Burt and my mentor teacher and also the nurse. Then I got the papers, paid a little more, thanked the receptionist and nurse endlessly.. (감사합니다 , 감사합니다) and was off. 




I stood outside in the snow for a bit still talking to Burt, thanking him over and over and over for all of his help. I said you were literally a life saver and helped me so much. I said you're for sure an angel. I started thinking about it and he was. He truly was, I have no doubt that God was looking out for me. Because that doesn't just happen, at the exact moment I need a translator, he happened to be there. There are not many Koreans who speak English that well, I only know of maybe one or 2 others. So this, my friends, was a miracle and as I walked home from that hospital in the beautiful snow, I thanked God! I am truly blessed. I don't know how or why I deserved to be helped and have Burt sent to me at the moment I need him, but it happened and I am so thankful! Koreans are some of the nicest people I have ever met, I am so thankful for them, for medicine and for doctors who were kind and attempted to speak English despite their insecurities and lack of English abilities! I was pretty calm and collected throughout this whole day, I guess I just trusted in God that it would work out. I am thankful for that peace I felt and for everything working out for the best! Thanks to all of you for your love and support and prayers while I am far away from home, I have no doubt that played a huge part in me being ok and getting the help and blessings I needed! I love you all :)