Korean Job Discussion Forums

[theatrelily]

So my doctor thinks that I might have Appendicitis...but refuses to test for sure until tomorrow. ...something about testing meds out first as a possible fix before finding out if I need surgery.

Now, I have searched through the past threads on surgery, but I still have some questions.

Does anyone know if there is a cheaper place than SNU hopsital in Bundang or Suwon to have it done? (Seoul National University Hospital gouges people too much for my liking....)

How do you pay for the surgery? Is it done in cash? As soon as you check out? Or considering the higher costs involved, is it done in payments?

After paying to fly myself and my father to my sister's wedding in Trinidad, buying tickets to China for February and paying for student loans, it's not like I have the money to just flop down a few million won on the counter in the next week.

I'm quite worried about all of this....something tells me this surgery isn't exactly something that I can put off.....

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Countrygirl]

10 years ago, in Korea, I went to emergency because I was feeling very sick. The doctors took an x-ray of me (I almost fainted while standing). Said it was appendicitis. I was in the hospital for one week on intervenus (no surgery). When I told my doctor at home he said it wasn't possible. If you have appendicitis it bursts and you can't fix it with drugs. No one ever figured out what it was but I think it was a bowel blockage. My point is get a second opinion before handing out money and getting cut open. My adult students here also tell me that doctors in Korea are like mechanics in the West...some are honest and some are out for the money.

[dr. love]

I work at a university hospital in seoul. You don't want to look for the cheapest price for surgery while in Korea. Depending on your insurance situation and the type of room you choose, you're stay in our hospital would cost about 400-500 000 won. if you have Appendicitis you should get treatment right away.

[KumaraKitty]

Had mine out in 2003 at the Catholic University Hospital in Sosa. With insurance it cost me around 500,000 won. I was admitted early afternoon and held for observation until around 1am. WE repeatedly asked what was wrong, they were uncertain. They made me do a urine test and I had an abdominal X-ray, that was it. Finally they wheeled me in and performed and appendectomy. I woke up around 3am, my throat was in agony from being tubed and I was crying in pain. They had administered a shot of Demarol, and that was it. I was trying to cry quietly because I was in a room with 8 other women, but it was agony. My recruiter was Korean American and she was harassing the nurses to find a doctor to give me more meds. They refused saying they only used things like Morphine if I'd been severely injured. One husband who was sleeping on a cot next to his wife came to my side and brushed my face and lips with a cold wet cloth, whispering "Endure, endure" to me. Finally after over and hour I was given a shot of morphine. i immediately passed out. Too bad I was then woken up at 6:30am byt the nurses. They came in, cranked up my bed and while everyone else was fed breakfast I was hit on the back repeatedly and encouraged to cough the anaesthetic out of my lungs. Keeping in mind they did the old style appendectomy of slicing through my abdomen vs. going through the belly button, coughing was Hell. I was not allowed food or water until I was able to walk to the end of the hospital wing and back to my room twice, unassisted. Since I was required to fast the previous day, it was around 36 hours until I was able to have sip of water. Hourly the nurses came by, woke me up, banged on my back to make me cough, which usually put me in tears. I was not given any more pain killers during this time. I was discharged bright and early the next morning and given some antibiotics and told to take Tylenol for the pain. We were required to pay the costs that insurance did not cover before I could be checked out. Cash or Credit card was accepted.
6 months later I had similar symptoms and I chose to go to Itaewon International clinic. He diagnosed me as having an irritable gallbladder and most likely I was mis-diagnosed with appendictis and never needed the surgery.
I'm telling you this because my Hagwon was cheap, and this was the cheap hospital and the cheap option. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I would worry less about making your student loan payment, missing one or being late is not as unpleasant as a horrible hospital experience. Good luck to you, hope things go well.

[theatrelily]

[dr. love]

The room prices for a private room in our hospital are 220 000 won per night. A two person room is 120 000 and a three person room is 70, 000
the 5-6 person rooms are covered under national medical insurance.

x-rays can be quite expensive, but necessary. Our hospital also offers a scarless surgery for appendicitis and this also reduces the recovery time.

[dr. love]

I can't send messages not enough posts. you can contact me at my office at 02-440-6432. By the way I'm not a doctor, but I do work as a representative for the hospital and deal with our International patients

[sconner]

[Craven Moorehead]

Sorry to hear about your predicament. I have never suffered from appendicitis but I will relate my hospital story, take it at face value. Last year, I ended up in a hospital in Daejeon because of a ferocious flare-up of Crohn's. I was diagnosed with this condition a couple of years ago back in Canada, but have never had to have an invasive procedure to aid in the healing process; an IV and some nasogastric tubing generally do the trick over a period of a week. Anyhoo, when I was in the hospital here, some young hotshot surgeon insisted that I needed surgery. I refused on the grounds that there was no effing way I was having a delicate procedure like this done in a developing country.

He left in a huff, docors here hate having their judgement questioned by patients. I flew home the second I was released from the hospital, and my doctor at home said there was no reason to have surgery done. If you are suffering from appendicitis, you should have been hospitalized immediately. Long story long, I would be very hesitant to have an invasive procedure done in this country.

[basplar]

[Young FRANKenstein]

[kalak]

my appendix burst when i was 12, my parents didnt believe that i was truly in that much pain!!! (i had a history of faking stomach pains...)

anywho, i passed out and was taken to hospital where i was rushed into emergency surgery. what is normally a 2 hour (max) op took about 8 hours, i was unconscious for 3 days and in hospital for over an month and a half with blood poisoning.

so dont leave it!! get it seen to as soon as possible. if you have an infected appendix it can burst anytime. 2m won for 3 days in hospital is sooo much better than paying for a month long stay and loosing half your insides!