Well, at least I didn't give into the bum shot!!
So, I've been sick for over two weeks now. Started with a sore throat, and went through various symptoms including queasiness, being faint, headaches, ridiculously aching muscles, stuffed nose, and finally a cough that moved from a mere throat irritation to a nasty plegm infested thing that racks my chest. (Lovely description, I know). Anyway, anyone who knows me knows I'm a decently stubborn person. And, anyone who's from Canada knows that we don't generally go to the doctor's for 'trifles', only sicknesses where you feel like you're going to die.
The Koreans I work with were apalled that I didn't go the hospital like two weeks ago, at the first sign of a problem. I explained though, that it didn't work like that in Canada, we didn't go to the doctor for little things because we had to wait so long and most of the time they couldn't do anything for a cold anyway. The biggest thing for me though was probably the inconvenience I imagined it would be, my dislike of hospitals, and the wariness over the packets of medicine I'd seen my coworkers coming back with whenever they were sick.
Last night though, I went out - tired of the many plans I've had to cancel in the last little while because of being sick and not wanting to do it again. I ended up staying at my friend Jovita's and keeping both of us up from my nasty hacking cough. (Though she graciously insisted I wasn't bothering her, and she was just concerned for me when at about 2:30 I said I thought I should take a taxi home so she wouldn't have to hear it). I had decided I'd go to the doctor if I was still sick after the weekend but when, on the bus home today I could hardly breathe between the coughing I decided it was time to stop being a stubborn idiot and see if the Korean way would work for me.
So I called up Jamie asking which doctor/hospital I should go to. As I assumed, she said she'd go with me after teaching her first class, so I headed into work two hours earlier and we were quickly off, while the kindergarteners practiced their firedrill, to a clinic (not hospital, YEA!) next door and within 15 -20 minutes we had given all my information, received a prescription, had it filled at the drugstore downstairs and were back in the school before the fire drill practices were even over!! And all for about $5. It was incredible! No wonder Koreans go to the hospital or doctor so easily. I'm still wary of the medicine. I declined the bum shot, which Jamie said would be 'put in my ass to get rid of nose running', but I did take the sick packets (with about 8 pills in each) to take every eight hours for the next two days. Oh, I was also warned to make sure I took the pills a half hour after eating a meal. I said I'd just eaten an hour ago but Jamie said no, it was too long. These are strong pills and if my stomach doesn't have enough food I may feel dizzy or fall over . . . Alright, I have no idea what this concoction of little pink, orange, and white pills are - but I'm off to take the first dose now!!
Let's see what happens!
The Koreans I work with were apalled that I didn't go the hospital like two weeks ago, at the first sign of a problem. I explained though, that it didn't work like that in Canada, we didn't go to the doctor for little things because we had to wait so long and most of the time they couldn't do anything for a cold anyway. The biggest thing for me though was probably the inconvenience I imagined it would be, my dislike of hospitals, and the wariness over the packets of medicine I'd seen my coworkers coming back with whenever they were sick.
Last night though, I went out - tired of the many plans I've had to cancel in the last little while because of being sick and not wanting to do it again. I ended up staying at my friend Jovita's and keeping both of us up from my nasty hacking cough. (Though she graciously insisted I wasn't bothering her, and she was just concerned for me when at about 2:30 I said I thought I should take a taxi home so she wouldn't have to hear it). I had decided I'd go to the doctor if I was still sick after the weekend but when, on the bus home today I could hardly breathe between the coughing I decided it was time to stop being a stubborn idiot and see if the Korean way would work for me.
So I called up Jamie asking which doctor/hospital I should go to. As I assumed, she said she'd go with me after teaching her first class, so I headed into work two hours earlier and we were quickly off, while the kindergarteners practiced their firedrill, to a clinic (not hospital, YEA!) next door and within 15 -20 minutes we had given all my information, received a prescription, had it filled at the drugstore downstairs and were back in the school before the fire drill practices were even over!! And all for about $5. It was incredible! No wonder Koreans go to the hospital or doctor so easily. I'm still wary of the medicine. I declined the bum shot, which Jamie said would be 'put in my ass to get rid of nose running', but I did take the sick packets (with about 8 pills in each) to take every eight hours for the next two days. Oh, I was also warned to make sure I took the pills a half hour after eating a meal. I said I'd just eaten an hour ago but Jamie said no, it was too long. These are strong pills and if my stomach doesn't have enough food I may feel dizzy or fall over . . . Alright, I have no idea what this concoction of little pink, orange, and white pills are - but I'm off to take the first dose now!!
Let's see what happens!
posted by Charles at 10:36 PM
1 Comments:
Chicken!!! Too scared to get the shot, eh? I grew up on those shots. Doctors back then thought it was the only thing that would work and it usually did. Get better soon, sweetie!
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