My Korean hospital experience

That was definitely something that I didn't want to experience... but there was no other way.

A week ago Saturday my boyfriend and I were at home eating crepes with chocolate cream and bananas for dinner. We were planning to go see LED lights at night on a hill not far away, but I suddenly got a stomachache. I thought it was something I ate and I just figured it would get better after a while, but it only got worse. My boyfriend told me immediately to go see a doctor, but I really was sure I'd be fine. At some point it got so painful that I didn't know what to do anymore. I called my mom and she too told me to go to the hospital. So finally I did.

It was past 10pm so we had to go to the emergency room. The doctor there was luckily a specialist for this kind of problems. So after checking my stomach it seemed he knew right away what was wrong with me. He was talking to my boyfriend and I couldn't really pay full attention, but I suddenly heard them talk about some surgery and I freaked out.

I suddenly remembered all the Facebook posts and different blogs from foreigners in Korea, complaining about Korean doctors. Everyone was looking for English speaking doctors who were used to foreigners, complaining that most Korean doctors would only talk to the husband and almost ignore the wife. Suddenly I thought that's what was happening to me: the doctor's talking to my boyfriend about surgery and I have no idea what's going on. >.<

But luckily that wasn't the case. The doctor wasn't ignoring me or anything like that, I just really was in no condition to be talked to. I was in way too much pain.

They sent me to get an x-ray and CT scan. And CT scan was the most awful thing ever. You just have to lie there still for about 10 to 15 minutes. But I really wasn't able to do that with such a pain in my stomach. My whole body was shaking like crazy....

After the doctor confirmed I had what he thought I had, he pushed a tube through my nose into my stomach. I told him I was going to throw up, thinking that he or someone else would bring me something to throw up into, but he was just "yes, throw up, that's good!", so I threw up all over myself and my doctor's and my boyfriend's hands.

After that I finally felt a bit better and the doctor explained everything to me. I had an intestine blockage called ILEUS. Apparently this sometimes happens to people who previously had surgeries in their abdomen area. By inserting a tube through my nose they were able to remove all the gases out, but they told me I'd have to stay in the hospital for a couple of days and that I wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything.

They moved me upstairs to the fourth floor in a room with 6 beds. My boyfriend said he'd stay with me and I was so happy to hear that. That of course wouldn't be possible in my country where family and friends are only allowed to visit during visiting hours. But here, they can stay with you for as long as they want. Under each bed there is a small sleeping surface you can pull out and someone can sleep on. But the bed next to mine was unoccupied so my boyfriend just slept there. It is terrible enough to be in a hospital, but to be in a hospital in another country so far away from home is even worse. That's why I was so happy to have my boyfriend with me the whole time. But at the same time I remembered MERS and I understood how that can be a problem. In Korea it is a custom that when someone is in the hospital all the relatives and friends come visit you. But that can also be really dangerous in cases like mers. And it can also be just a bit uncomfortable.

My boyfriend's parents came to see me on Sunday morning. My boyfriend got scared when he heard about the possibility of surgery so he called his mom and told her. I was really in a terrible shape in the morning when they arrived and even though I was happy to see that they were worried about me, it was at the same time a bit uncomfortable. I looked awful and I felt awful... My boyfriend's aunt and uncle were also worried and wanted to come see me, but my boyfriend told them not to come. He was worried that I might be too uncomfortable. I guess that's also why he didn't tell his friends until I got out of the hospital.

I thew up a couple times on Sunday and had a terrible diarrhea, but in the evening I started feeling a tiny bit better. The doctor came to see me like he promised he would. He was really nice I must say. On Monday I had some more x-rays and I was told the surgery wasn't necessary. I was so happy to hear that. Finally on Monday I was allowed to drink water and it tasted so good! ^^ For lunch I was told to try eat a little bit of juk, which is Korean rice porridge and is usually eaten when someone has been ill or had digestions problems.

I was a bit worried that the grandma's in our room might feel uncomfortable because of my boyfriend in a room. But one morning when we woke up there was a huge wasp or a hornet in our room and we all freaked out. Then my boyfriend threw a blanket over it and took it outside, even though I'm sure he was scared too :) At that point all the grandma's were saying how lucky they were to have a guy a in a room. :)

On Tuesday I was allowed to go home. ^^ I stayed on soft food for another couple of days just to be sure. Now I'm trying to change my eating styles a bit. I should eat a little bit many times a day, instead of a lot at once. I'm also learning how to chew ;) It's hard when you're used to eating really really fast, but I'll learn.

Even though my experience in a hospital was quite painful and I wouldn't want to go through it ever again... the doctors and nurses were all really nice to me. I've seen many doctors before for a cold or bladder infection or something, but I'd never stayed at a Korean hospital before. I always go to a regular hospital where people speak Korean, rather than search for English speaking doctors which are usually more expensive. And the doctors are always really nice to me and explain everything to me. But I'm pretty fluent in Korean, so maybe that's why I have no complaints. But in any case, I hope I don't have to go back to the hospital ever again or at least any time soon.