Korean Job Discussion Forums

[dogshed]

Here's an email I sent a friend of mine about today:

Last night I noticed my shingles were coming back. I decided to try out the Korean medical system and get some drugs.
I walked past the clinic because I couldn't remember where it was. I went back and found the clinic. Very third world country. I showed the guy my note where I had written the Korean word for Herpes Zoster, Acyclovir and Aciclovir (British spelling) on a piece of paper. The old guy behind the window talked to the doctor in the back and then told me to go down the street.

I found a nice clean pharmacy with a guy who spoke English. He tells me he doesn't have Acyclovir, it is very expensive and I should go to a bigger city an hour bus ride away. I kept talking to him and he called across the street to see if they had it. He told me I needed to get a prescription to get it cheap with my health insurance. I asked him to call the clinic and explain things to him because he speaks English.

I walked the two blocks back to the clinic and they gave me a prescription and paid at the window. Then the doctor asked me into the back room. He decided to look at it as an afterthought. The exam room was worse than the waiting room. I didn't even want to sit on the exam bench.

After the broken English chat with the doc I go back to the two pharmacies and go in the one across the street with the woman pharmacist. She wanted to see the shingles. She also repeated the words "stress" and "tired". What if it had been genital herpes? She calls the doctor and repeats one word over and over. She gives me the prescription and I ask if it is Acyclovir. She says no this is better. She gives me the drug information sheet. I look it up on the Internet and the one word she was repeating was Korean for Famciclovir. The Internet documents I found say 500mg Famciclovir three times a day. She gave me 250mg twice a day. I went back and talked to her some more. She called someone and we scribbled on papers. Eventually she sold me some more pills and pointed to the drug information sheet where it has "3" and "250". That's half the dose I found on the Internet. Will that work? Will my Herpes zoster become resistant?

She was able to tell me that her daughter is one of my students and wrote her name down for me. She wants me to show her the shingles in 4 days.

Life is an adventure. -Jeff

[Paddycakes]

At least the Doc didn't just say: "Drink warm water" and then send you on your way...

[dogshed]

I realized walking home that even though I got her to increase my daily dosage to the Korean dosage of 3x250mg there were only 15 pills which is a five day supply. I will have to go back and ask for more pills. -Jeff

[Oreovictim]

Have some lady's student check out your condition? What the heck?

Right before I left America (October 18th), I went to the dentist. My trusted dentist said that my teeth are in good condition and that things are okay. I come and had my director set up an appointment. All of a sudden, I have a really rotted tooth that needs attention. Three other weird things happened.

1. When I opened my eyes, the dentist, his assistant, and the receptionist, were all looking down on me. The dentist said something and everyone started to laugh.

2. At the end of my cleaning, he didn't even bother to floss me. I thought that all dentists do that.

3. I didn't realize this at the very end, but the moron didn't wear latex gloves! The thought never occured to me that he wouldn't wear gloves.

My director said that this dentist is very good and speaks English really well. My director must have meant that this quack speaks English really well for someone who has been studying it for two weeks. Turns out that they're both good buddies.

I'm not digging the whole medical system over here.

[ajgeddes]

[Qinella]

Hmm my first visit to a Korean dentist freaked me the hell out. I already get jittery going to dentists anyway. This place was just a slightly large room with all the chairs together, no privacy or division, everything cramped together. They covered my face with a paper and two women who appeared to have no idea what they were doing fiddled around in my mouth for a bit. Then the dentist came over, poked around with a stick for about 15 seconds, and declared everything was fine.

That was all there was to it. I was shocked. What the hell kind of dental visit was that?


My first doctor visit occurred when I got some kind of infection and my jaw was in a lot of pain when I'd open my mouth. My director took me to a doctor friend of his in town. The guy didn't do any kind of examination. He just told me that the problem stemmed from one of the following explanations:

1. I was opening my mouth too wide when I eat. At this point, he made a hand gesture signifying a hamburger, because that's all I eat apparently.

2. I am chewing too many times when I eat.

3. I am talking too much.

4. When I sleep at work, I'm not resting my head the proper way on my desk.

I was incredulous. I suggested that it could also be an infection, and begged him to prescribe some medicine. Ok, so he relented, prescribed the medicine, and the problem was solved in about two days. Sheesh.

[JeJuJitsu]

[blaseblasphemener]

My dentist has his doctorate from a University in Germany. Did a great job. Maybe look for one's with degrees from abroad.

[dogshed]

[ChopChaeJoe]

Why would a dentist need to wear latex gloves???

[Banana Bender]

How about, to reduce the chances of infecting themselves or you.

[ChopChaeJoe]

how do you give aids with your hands??

[tzechuk]

[ChopChaeJoe]

[tacon101]