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idonojacs
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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 Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:58 pm Post subject: The best thing about having a cold in Korea |
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| Soju tastes like water. |
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kingplaya4
Joined: 14 May 2006
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:05 pm Post subject: |
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| That you get no sympathy beause all of your students claim to have one too. Somehow it doesn't seem to impact their energy levels. |
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Binch Lover
Joined: 25 Jul 2005
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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You can go to work and get sympathy. Then when you want to take a day off for no particular reason you can, and everyone thinks "Oh Binch Lover must really be sick if he can't come to work."
I was very lucky and got sick in my first month at this job. I came into work and suffered it. Since then, nobody has questioned when I call in sick. I love my 15 sick days!!! |
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kermo
Joined: 01 Sep 2004
Location: Eating eggs, with a comb, out of a shoe.
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| Posted: Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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| Ambitious students bring armloads of fresh fruit, juice and tea. |
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DRAMA OVERKILL
Joined: 12 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 12:16 am Post subject: |
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| There isn't any "best thing" about having a cold in Korea (or anywhere else for that matter). I've had one for the past week - 3,000 won a day on Korean weak over-the-counter medication. Cripes, they had might as well be M&Ms. |
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curlygirl
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
Location: Pundang, Seohyeon dong
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 4:53 am Post subject: |
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What the heck is it with this "I have a cold" thing? In Korea I get told to "go to the hospital" where I get loaded up with W3000 worth of useless drugs and still have to go to school. In my home country I either just lump it or take a few days off work to spare my co-workers the misery of putting up with my cold-induced snivelling. Just let me take a day or two off and I'll come back right as rain. I really dislike this whole "Bandage me up so I look like a hero" attitude that the Koreans have. "Oooh I'm on death's door but I came into work anyway". GO HOME! HAVE A FEW DAY'S OFF. Come back to work when you're feeling better and stop spreading your germs around.
This is not a rant at the OP this is a rant at the Korean system which doesn't allow my poor co-teachers a day off. |
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idonojacs
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 5:19 am Post subject: |
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curlygirl wrote:
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What the heck is it with this "I have a cold" thing? In Korea I get told to "go to the hospital" where I get loaded up with W3000 worth of useless drugs and still have to go to school. In my home country I either just lump it or take a few days off work to spare my co-workers the misery of putting up with my cold-induced snivelling. Just let me take a day or two off and I'll come back right as rain. I really dislike this whole "Bandage me up so I look like a hero" attitude that the Koreans have. "Oooh I'm on death's door but I came into work anyway". GO HOME! HAVE A FEW DAY'S OFF. Come back to work when you're feeling better and stop spreading your germs around.
This is not a rant at the OP this is a rant at the Korean system which doesn't allow my poor co-teachers a day off. |
Well put.
I think it has something to do with the fact that there are no substitute teachers for public schools in Korea; at least I have never seen one.
I have given up. What's the point of staying home and getting well if you are just going to be exposed to more bugs when you return? Koreans do not seem to teach their children anything about sanitation, aside from the largely decorative face mask that spends most of the time protecting the student's throat. There is not even a single bar of soap in any bathroom in my school. So of course bugs spread like wildfire. (I have seen school board members take a tour, as well as the PTA. You would think someone would say something about the lack of soap.)
As to DRAMA OVERKILL's plight, I made a startling discovery today. I asked for some Benedryl again. Last time the pharmacist and doctor looked at me blankly, so this time I wrote down diphenhydramine, the generic name. The pharmacist told me it was available by prescription only. And then she asked if it was available as a pill in the U.S. I said yes. She said it was not sold that way in Korea. I said, fine, I'll take it as liquid. She said it was only available for external use as a lotion, creme or plaster.
Huh?
I don't think there is a safer, more useful drug available. It is so safe, even pregnant women can take it. At Costco you can buy a bottle at 1 cent a tablet. Every dollar store in the U.S. has Benedryl. It is one of the key ingredients in OTC cold and sleep aid stuff.
And in Korea it is illegal?
Maybe this pharmacist is mistaken, so if you hear otherwise say so.
I also got a blank stare from the doctor when I asked for guiafenesen, the expectorant in OTC cough medicine.
And until this week, every request for codeine, which is available OTC in Canada, was ignored by the doc. Finally I got some, thank god. This is the best cough suppressant, if it agrees with you. He had given me all sorts of other junk, including apparently, a way too strong narcotic, and tons of NSAIDs.
You should not take NSAIDs for more than a few days. Tell your doc it bothers your stomach and ask for codeine. That seems to have been what did the trick.
I also asked for a sleeping pill. When I handed the paper to the pharmacist I learned the doc had prescribed loratadine. That kinda blew my mind. That's generic Claritin, one of only two non-drowsy antihistamines. Absolutely worthless for sleep, of course, unlike Benadryl. I've lost track of how many times I went back and forth to the doctor, but the doctor also tried to prescribe a pill for sleeping the pharmacist said was to prevent you from vomiting if you had an upset stomach. I didn't have an upset stomach, and generally prefer to vomit if I am that sick, so back I went.
I finally got something the pharmacist said was a sleeping pill, plus two other pills, one was some sort of antacid or digestive aid, the other was to stimulate muscle contractions in the duodenal sphincter, from the way the pharmacist explained it, with the help of sketches. What did this have to do with sleeping, I asked.
The best I could figure is that they think if you digest your food well, or something, you will sleep well. Of course, an antacid does precisely the opposite of helping you digest your food, but I gave up debating the point.
I told her to hold the other two drugs, and that I was through taking stuff that I did not understand. I haven't tried the sleeping pill yet. I spent the afternoon in bed and just woke up, about as miserable as I was earlier, but a little less tired.
Sorry for the tirade, but I feel people need to learn to be assertive with doctors and pharmacists here, unlike the locals. Back home, some of these folks would be charged with malpractice for the bizarre level of incompetence and failure to read up on the drugs they are administering. So you need to protect yourself.
That drugs are handed to patients unlabeled, without any written details on how to take them, or about side effects that they should look for, is also something that is unheard of in the U.S., and I presume other modern countries. I have a wide assortment of packets of unlabeled pills sitting around from this and previous doctor's visits.
From the way doctors casually mix and match drugs largely for dramatic effect upon patients, you can be sure that the doctors in Korea are killing people on a daily basis from drug interactions. It happens in the U.S. even with all the precautions; the only difference here is apparently no one says anything.
(Oh, and don't mix soju with sleeping pills, etc. I was just trying to look on the bright side.)
______
Binch Lover:
| Quote: |
You can go to work and get sympathy. Then when you want to take a day off for no particular reason you can, and everyone thinks "Oh Binch Lover must really be sick if he can't come to work."
I was very lucky and got sick in my first month at this job. I came into work and suffered it. Since then, nobody has questioned when I call in sick. I love my 15 sick days!!! |
You are very lucky. This approach didn't work for me. I was sick a lot my first three months, and went to the doctor several times. Finally, after getting some antibiotics, I figured I needed to spend some time in bed to recover, and called in sick.
The principal, assistant principal, and co-teacher showed up at my door at 9:05 a.m., apparently to make sure I wasn't faking it or drunk. I was in my underwear. I showed them the prescription medicine.
I was told by the principal to never take sick leave again. This despite a contract with two weeks of sick leave promised. I returned to school sick the next day.
I have worked sick, sometimes very sick, many times since then. Even when I have been so congested I was barely able to talk in class without having a coughing fit, no one said, "You're sick. Go home and come back when you are better." The best I have gotten was "Take a rest" from an assistant principal -- AFTER I had finished my classes for the day. Gee, thanks. |
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Papa Smurf
Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Fri Mar 28, 2008 8:29 am Post subject: |
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| Binch Lover wrote: |
You can go to work and get sympathy. Then when you want to take a day off for no particular reason you can, and everyone thinks "Oh Binch Lover must really be sick if he can't come to work."
I was very lucky and got sick in my first month at this job. I came into work and suffered it. Since then, nobody has questioned when I call in sick. I love my 15 sick days!!! |
nice play!
puts down notebook. |
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idonojacs
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:32 am Post subject: |
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Well, the so-called "sleeping pills" the doc prescribed didn't work.
So I took a closer look, with a magnifying glass. They are labeled: Xanax.
I looked them up, and they are for treating panic attacks and anxiety disorders, none of which I have in the slightest, thank you. Irritability with incompetence, yes; anxiety, no.
Do they produce drowsiness? Not in me.
According to the data, the most common side-effect of Xanax is:
Insomnia.
29 percent of the time.
And this is a potent tranquilizer that can lead to dependency, with unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when you stop taking it.
In other words, Xanax is a powerful drug that is not free of dangerous side-effects.
All I am trying to do is get over a lousy cold, forcrysakes. I shouldn't be getting potentially addictive, unnecessary drugs.
Always try to find out as much as possible about the drug your doctor is giving you. And if you can't, throw them out.
_____
From the PDR on Xanax:
DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE
Physical and Psychological Dependence: Withdrawal symptoms similar in character to those noted with sedative/hypnotics and alcohol have occurred following discontinuance of benzodiazepines, including XANAX. The symptoms can range from mild dysphoria and insomnia to a major syndrome that may include abdominal and muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, tremors and convulsions. Distinguishing between withdrawal emergent signs and symptoms and the recurrence of illness is often difficult in patients undergoing dose reduction. The long term strategy for treatment of these phenomena will vary with their cause and the therapeutic goal. When necessary, immediate management of withdrawal symptoms requires re-institution of treatment at doses of XANAX sufficient to suppress symptoms. There have been reports of failure of other benzodiazepines to fully suppress these withdrawal symptoms. These failures have been attributed to incomplete cross-tolerance but may also reflect the use of inadequate dosing regimen of the substituted benzodiazepine or the effects of concomitant medications.
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DISCONTINUATION-EMERGENT SYMPTOM INCIDENCE
Percentage of 641 XANAX-Treated Panic Disorder
Patients Reporting Events
Body System/Event
Neurologic
Gastrointestinal
Insomnia
29.5
Nausea/Vomiting
16.5
Light-headedness
19.3
Diarrhea
13.6
Abnormal involuntary movement
17.3
etc.
Now I see why the doctor prescribed this with the two other drugs, one to reduce nausea, the other having something to do with intestinal muscles. They were to control the side-effects from the Xanax. |
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rD.NaTas
Joined: 06 Nov 2007
Location: changwon
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:45 am Post subject: |
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| i have sum amoxicillin you can buy ,i brought a bottle of 55 pills 500 mg when i came |
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idonojacs
Joined: 07 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Sat Mar 29, 2008 5:50 pm Post subject: |
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Getting antibiotics in Korea is not exactly the problem.
OK now everyone, LISTEN UP!
Bookmark this webpage:
http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/rxlisting?drugsymbol=A&Complete=Y
With it, you can look up information about the drugs you are getting here in Korea, if you can get some help deciphering the drug name, either the brand or the generic name. Do a little research on the web, if necessary.
Check for side-effects and drug incompatibility warnings. Check to see if it is safe and appropriate for you.
Here is the entry for Xanax:
http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/rxmonograph?ndcvalue=00009002901&pageFrom=rxsublisting&drugsymbol=X&familyname=XANAX&sproductname=XANAX+0.25+MG+TABLET
You can judge for yourself whether Xanax is an appropriate medicine to prescribe to someone with a cold who is having trouble sleeping because of stuffy nose, chest congestion and sore throat.
Now here's a drug that might actually be useful to take at bedtime for a cold:
http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/cvs/gateway/rxmonograph?ndcvalue=00182049210&pageFrom=rxsublisting&drugsymbol=D&familyname=DIPHENHYDRAMINE+HCL&sproductname=DIPHENHYDRAMINE+25+MG+CAPS
Unfortunately, the pharmacist said Benadryl, or diphenhydramine, is not sold in Korea, except for external use to treat mosquito bites, etc. Of course, in the U.S., and probably every other developed country, it is available without a prescription in tablets or capsules.
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And on a lighter note, I asked the doctor during one of the visits why he never took my temperature before prescribing drugs. So he had the nurse take my temperature -- after he had prescribed the drugs.
So I go back in the next day when I discover what he had prescribed didn't make sense. And while I was still sitting on the couch in the waiting room, he had a nurse come over and take my temperature, in both ears.
Back home, I never had a nurse examine me in the waiting room. This does not seem very professional.
I noticed my bill went up by 500 won. Apparently they charge extra for taking your temperature, even though it only takes about five seconds with those ear thermometers.
_________
Koreans are clueless. |
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