Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Robot_Teacher]

Recently I'v been experiencing dull aches in my left arm and hand with night time fears of having a heart attack so I went to the doctor 3 days ago for an EKG and blood test which both turned out normal.

The doctor referred to a large hospital for stress testing and possible angiogram testing to determine if I have blocked coronary arteries. I'm 35 and my dad had his 1st heart attack at 36 with his dad passing away at 42 to cardiac arrest. This heart business runs in my family big time as my 36 year old brother had heart attack and stroke last Summer.

I'm not over weight, smoke, and I eat healthy to avoid fat, cholesterol, and junk food, becuase I've been aware of this since I was a kid. My blood cholesterol is only 171 which with HDL at 43 which is very good.

I wanted to get checked up in the states, but with no insurance it would be so prohibitly expensive so I'm getting checked up now that I have insurance.

The EKG and blood test only costed 30,000 won with my 1st week of beta blocker and benzo costing only 2,500 won.

How much might a stress test and ultrasound of my heart cost? I know this would cost a few grand in the states without insurance.

I'm also open to advice on this subject so feel welcome to post or PM me anything you have to add. Thanks.

[dr. love]

With medical insurance it will not be very expensive.

You can make an appointment with an English Speaking cardiologist by calling 02-440-7304.

You can ask for Dr. Jin Man Cho or Dr. Chong Jin Kim. They are great doctors and will be able to help you.

[afsjesse]

Good for you for getting tested! It truely is amazing how cheap medical checkups are here. That is one thing I will never forget about Korea. I have no idea how much a stress test will cost but perhaps you should send a PM to Dr. Love. He is a user on this board and works at a highly reccomended hospital in Seoul. He can refer you to the proper specialist etc....

I hope that helps! Good luck and good health!

Jesse

[afsjesse]

LMAO the old fart responded at the same time as I did. All the info you need is above! Suerte!

[hugekebab]

[hugekebab]

[bassexpander]

I get blood checks every 6 months, if I can. I have a blood condition in the family where my blood is essentially too thick, and may clot easily. Even though my cholesterol is low, I started getting warning signs in my blood test which showed I need to keep an eye on it and probably take blood thinners eventually. My point is the cholesterol is not the only thing you should be looking at -- testing is so cheap here, and good to do often.

[poet13]

I would love to get my heart checked (angiogram), but I'm also afraid that if I come up with something wrong, I'll lose my job and get booted from the country.

I'm afraid that I might actually have something fairly serious going on in my chest.

Anybody have any idea what the policy or practise is here on that?

[fromtheuk]

When did robots get hearts?

[MissSeoul]

[poet13]

But would I pass the next medical?

[Robot_Teacher]

[bluelake]

This is a subject that is, literally, near and dear to my heart...

Back in '89, after my wife, son, and I returned to Korea, my elder brother died of a massive heart attack at the age of 43. Needless to say, it devastated me, especially as I was half-way around the world. In my bro's case, he was a smoker, recovering alcoholic (6 years sober), a touch overweight, ate most anything, didn't exercise a lot, etc. I, at the time, was not quite 30, a non-smoker, not-much-of-a-drinker; I was also a touch overweight, ate most anything, and exercised occasionally. Some days after his death, I woke up at about 1 a.m. with my heart racing, chest pain, etc. My wife and I didn't have a car at the time, so we ended up taking a taxi to the only open hospital, which was in the next city. They put me on an EKG and could only find that I have a RBBB (right bundle branch block), which is shared by a good many people, and something I've probably had most of my life. They said my reaction was most likely anxiety, but that I should see a cardiologist.

The next day, my wife and I went to see a local cardiologist and explained everything to him. He ended up giving me not only nitro, but also digoxen and procardia, which are both heavy-duty heart meds. They knocked me on my rear. I ended up heading back to the States for rest and I went to see a doctor there. The doc was shocked when I said what the Korean doc gave me; I was told to stop it immediately. In a matter of a day, my energy returned.

Today, I'm still a bit overweight, but I try to exercise regularly, eat healthily, sleep correctly, and keep an overall positive attitude. Also, I take Lipitor for high cholesterol and a daily low-dose aspirin. In my family, cancer is almost unknown, but there is quite a history of heart disease, so it is something I watch out for.

As for employment issues, I would say that one needs to be careful as medical privacy laws are not the same in Korea as in the West. Although they cannot fire you for having a bad ticker, they can look for cause in other areas if they are so-inclined. Still, I don't think it is something to be overly concerned about.

[Robot_Teacher]

Good news!

I got my EKG and treadmill test done last Monday and they checked out completely normal with 85% of full possible cardio strength achieved which indicates I'm strong, healthy, and don't have any heart damage. I already knew I was strong as I can climb mountains and workout with no chest pain or weakness, but felt concern I had partial atery blockage causing mild angina. I've been on a beta blocker and mild benzodiazapine for 1.5 weeks now and feeling great. No left arm pains, more energy, new confidence, and even feel more happy. Looking forward to getting outdoors more this Spring/Summer season. There is one uninsured expensive way to view the coronary arteries themselves to see if any plaque build up, but this is invasive and is usually only done to heart patients who are seriously ill due to heart attack damage having already occured. The only preventive maintenance is keeping risk factors low through lifestyle choices and keeping your sanity in check. It's each of our own responsibility to understand our bodies and take care, but I would like a complete body scan where you're examined from head to toe. We just don't have StarTrek technology where you get instant full body scans for preventative maintenance, catching problems early, and eliminating anxiety over wondering what's going on inside your body. MRI is a big imaging machine capable of this like something out of a science fiction movie, but they don't liberally use it on just anyone who walks in the door asking for a complete body scan and analysis, but is only used after a major injury; not for preventative maintenance. I had MRI of my knee 10 years ago before I underwent ACL reconstructive surgury.

Despite heart disease being in my family, I live my life very differently than them as I got an education, exercise regularly, always been much more active where I walk alot, and eat healthy though I sometimes enjoy my fried fish. Maybe corn oil is not nearly as bad as shortening like my parents and grandparents ate most days? I eat fried fish once a week and drink a few beers here and there, but mostly eat stir fry with olive oil as well as baked foods. I workout 1 to 1.5 hours a day, but still 35 pounds over optimal weight in terms of body fat content. My main lifestyle problem is lacking sleep since I love to just stay up too late to read up on many things online. I'm a real independent self learner who can't turn off the computer as the clock spins like a top.

I have anxiety and high blood pressure which are now under control. Had I left those unchecked, no exercise, and bad diet, then I too would be like dad with his 1st heart attack at only 35 and grandpa dying of cardiac arrest at 42 and my older brother who is just about dead at 300 pounds, heart attacks, high blood pressure, poor diet, and irresponsible. I honestly believe it has more to do with lifestyle choices than simply, "your going to die young, becuase CAD runs in your family," like many people say although some people are more suspectable than others when risk factors are present.

[afsjesse]

Good for you! Glad to hear everything is ok!