A Visit to the Doc's

Before today, I had been to see a doctor here in Korea twice. Once last spring when I came down with a debilitating flu that put me out for three school days in a row (of which I spent literally 16 hours per day sleeping), and another time last fall for an obnoxious cold. The doctor I saw for my flu diagnosed me with a common cold and prescribed for me some mystery packets of unidentified pills (that in turn did absolutely nothing for my 104 degree fever that persisted three days thereafter), and the doctor I saw for my irritating cold prescribed for me what I now refer to as the "magic injection" (a mysterious clear liquid given to me via intramuscular shot that actually DID do something to relieve my symptoms and make the cold go away).

Today, I finally gave in after 12 days of the worst sinus infection recorded in my personal history. Sparing you any of the gross details, let's just say that the stuff coming out of my nose and lungs--and the pure quantity of it--is not fit for anyone's eyes but my own. Not to mention the constant coughing, stuffiness and pain all over my face... And did you know sinus infections can cause toothaches? I didn't--but I do now.

So, just like my previous two trips to the doctor (all at different locations and with different doctors), I walked in and told the young lady at the reception desk that I wanted to see a doctor. They made me write my name and cell number on a piece of paper and asked for my medical insurance card--that to the foreign eye would look more like an old, wrinkled brochure given to me by some Jehovah's Witness than a medical card. Today, I had a wait time of approximately fourteen seconds before actually seeing the doctor (the other two visits have been about 20 minutes and over one hour).

Today's case was special. It was special because today's doctor spoke no English. In the past, they've spoken at least SOME English...

When I walked in, the doctor said nothing more to me than "Please, sit down"--in Korean. After some moments of silence, I took initiative and told him "I think I have a sinus infection. It's been twelve days." Still no response, so I continued--this time using single words or very simple phrases--to make my best attempt at describing my condition (e.g., mucous, green, pain here, cough, lungs). He took one half-second look at my throat, listened to my lungs and then prescribed me with four days worth of antibiotics. Well, what I presume to be antibiotics (when I asked him of they were indeed antibiotics, he pointed to his hose and said "bacteria").

So, I was out of his office as quickly as I had entered. Downstairs, conveniently, was a pharmacy (there are two on every block here anyway) and I got my packets of magical mystery pills.

The grand total for such an endeavor over here?

Office visit: $3.22
Four days of antibiotics (a total of 14 pills PER day): $2.69

*I will post a picture of my funny little pill-packets in the next few days.

Wow, Korea. WOW. In some ways, this is great. In other ways, this is madness! Or, maybe that's just the overly-careful, paranoid American in me...