I am honestly boggled by how Korea functions. I scheduled surgery in May for July 29th. I was told I needed to check into the hospital by 5pm, July 27th. I got a call 3 weeks ago maybe, asking if I was still having surgery and if July 29th was still ok. Uhhh, yeah, buddy... My knee isn’t going to heal itself and if I changed the date I’d have to wait another 4months! Later, I tried to contact the hospital to get information regarding a few things but the line was always busy or no answer, voicemail is non-existent here, so there goes that option. I tried to email several times but every time the email would get sent back to me. I tried multiple addresses but all did the same. Do you know how frustrating that is?!!! So, now here we are on July 27th, I can’t leave work until 3:30 because my 240 co teacher can’t teach an extra forty minutes. I get home 3:45ish, phone rings, I pick up. It’s the hospital calling to see if I’m coming in. “Yes, I am. I was told I needed to be checked in by 5pm, I just got off work, I’m collecting my things and I’ll be there asap.” “Oh, really... ok.” Get to the hospital at 4:40, I go to the international clinic to check-in. They are confused. "Can I help you?" "Yes, I have surgery scheduled for the 29th, I need to check-in." "Do you need to make an appointment for surgery?" “Um, no....I already have an appointment. I have it on Friday.” I give them my ARC (green card). Them still confused, “Do you need to make an appointment?“ “No, I have an appointment, on Friday, the 29th, for the ACL." "DO you know your doctor's name?” "I don't" (you'd think that's weird but they always verbally tell me his name, and then write it in Korean. I'm a visual person so the odds of me remembering it, not so good plus I hear it once every 3 months.) Them: You don't know his name?" Me, super annoyed, frustrated. “No, I don’t know it." They tell me they don’t have the hospital’s files on their computer, and hand me back my card. Me....flabbergasted, Um, ok...what am I suppose to do about that? Why am I paying extra then for you guys to handle my information and appointments? Is this really happening? Another lady takes my ARC card again, and she tells me she finds my information. Thank you! The lady who was helping me before then proceeds to tell me they had two accounts for me. One was with the wrong number but if they entered in my name both accounts would come up, so they'll cancell the wrong one and fix it. Wow...that’s comforting.
I get escorted up to my ward, 94. They take me to my room and a nurse comes in to take some information and do a leg palpation test (nothing on my knee). She asks me if I take any medication for the knee. I tell her I do, I take Ibuprofen every day, all day. She’s surprised that I say this and asks me for it. I hand her my unmarked bottle filled with Costco IBuprofen and Aleeve, and then she tells me she’s going to keep it, to ask the doctor if I can continue to use it after the surgery. UHhhhh....are you serious? They are NSAIDs, of course they are fine to take after the surgery. Give me back my drugs, lady!! I find out later that she thinks they are prescription meds from the doctor I tell her the docotor didn't give me anything for the pain except crutches but she still refuses to let me have them back. After, I have to go out out with her to the nurse’s station because She forgot to get my vitals. After I get weight and my height taken (not my blood pressure), she asks me the routine questions, do you drink? How much? (I might have lied a bit) Do you smoke? ...are you pregnant? I’m handed a small cup and told to go back into my room and change into the hospital clothes, where they laid out a medium. My roommate tells the lady who escorted me in that I would probably need a bigger size because the clothes fit small. So, the lady gives me a large. Nice...now, I’m fat. Thanks roomy, maybe you should get some Botox! I go into the bathroom to change and the clothes are enormous, I could fit three of me in them...I don’t like my roommate.
After a while, I get taken down to an x-ray room, where I’m pushed, turned, rotated in all sorts of uncomfortable positions. When I’m finished, They open the door and basically push me out. I was expected to find my way back to my room which I did but I’m pretty sure I went up the service elevator, and then my roommate found me wondering the hall and guided me back to the room. In my room, I found my dinner which was cold, and the milk warm. A few minutes later my doctor comes in with his entourage of 5 others (Asan is a teaching hospital) and asks me why I don’t have all my range of movement back. I didn't have to the courage to tell him I went to Mud fest and tried to belly slide on a giant blown up slip'n slide but failed and tweaked it having to crawl out. I did the best I could, Doc, it’s painful and you didn’t give me any exercises to help me do it.
Now, I’m just hanging out in my room, the air is stale and has no circulation. I’m hot and unbelievably bored. It’s going to be a long week.
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