Korean Job Discussion Forums

[mattdemers]

Did you? Flu, cold, food poisoning. Let's hear your adventures with microbes.

[Triban]

I am currently battling some kind of illness. General body ache, fever, fatigue, sinus trouble. Still had to come to work though!

Also I had food poisoning 6 months ago and my stomach is still bad from it.

[Kurtz]

I've eaten Korean food nearly every day for 4 years and I've never had any form of food poisoning.

I've had several colds which you get from working with kids, but only on two occasions I would put them in the bad category.

I would tell someone going to Korea they have nothing to worry about in terms of health, mental health is another issue though.

[mattdemers]

[Triban]

[Triban]

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I've gotten food poisoning twice. The second time was from some bad hwe banchan (never eat hwe banchan covered in spicy sauce if it's not a place that specializing in hwe).

I got a bunch of colds my first year, but this second year I've been pretty healthy, cold and flu-wise.

[johnnyrook]

I haven't had many colds in Korea but both winters I've been here I've had re-occurring tonsilitis problems. Never had tonsilitis in my life before coming to Korea.

[jonpurdy]

The longer I stay here the less sick I get. I haven't had a cold since the summer and I had like three within the first six months of my first year.

[Skippy]

I rarely got food poisoning I have a pretty strong constitution but I did get the colds.

Two factors - First working and teaching little diease carriers called children does not help.

Second - most people who are new here have yet to become acclimized to the bacteria around in the food, nature, etc.

Given time you will develop a tolerence.

Actually the really annoying part of this life is the school and their not wanting to give sick days.

SO ANYBODY WHO HAS A COLD GET BACK TO WORK NOW!

[goreality]

I have heard of people getting home sick and experiencing culture shock. Yellow fever is another concern.

[pangaea]

I was in Korea for about a month when I came down with a cold/allergies/respiratory infection that lasted for 3 months. I'm still not sure what it was. I think it started as allergies because I was exposed to all new allergens in the environment in the spring, but it morphed into something more serious. My head was so congested, I felt like I was walking around in a fog and my voice sounded to me like it was coming from 3 feet away. I had to blow my nose constantly for the majority of that time and I started coughing up crud from my chest. Every day, I would go home from work and curl up in bed. I feel sorry for my students who were dealing with a tired, irritable, lethargic teacher for weeks. I finally went to the doctor after 6 weeks when I decided it wasn't just a cold. After hearing me briefly describe my symptoms and looking at me from across his desk, he diagnosed me with, "a cold and allergies." No cultures, no blood tests, no listening to my chest. He prescribed 5 or 6 pills for my so-called "cold and allergies," which seemed to knock the edge off a little, but it was another 6 weeks before I was fully recovered. This is the reason I don't like going to doctors here and I don't fully trust the diagnosis or treatment that I get.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

I had something that resembled bronchitis, but wasn't. The doctors told me allergies and gave me antihistamines. After a few weeks, I called my doctor back home and asked if I could take some of the antibiotics he'd given me before I moved here (he's an awesome doctor), and he said take them for 10 days. That and a hot toddy every night, and I was better in 6 days (though took the meds for the full 10).

Now, I don't think that antibiotics should be used for everything, but I'm glad that my doctor gives me a large supply when I'm home before each contract, for "just in case" scenarios. I also always call him first and describe each and every symptom to him, and the failed Korean meds that I've taken before resorting to him. I've only had to use the antibiotics once, but they saved me. I ended up giving the rest to my friend, who was also sick with the same exact thing, and the meds do have a shelf life of about a year.

[crossmr]

I got the allergy/cold diagnosis as well, however he also said that with the colder than usual weather we had combined with low humidity was causing many people to have the same thing as me. I've got the major congestion with tons of things coughed up at random times. but I don't really have any body ache, tiredness, or any other real symptoms.

I did finally buy a humidifier for the bedroom and after 3 nights of that I noticed a big improvement but I also noticed moisture on the wall. Unfortunately I've got a bit of a humidity problem that requires I run a dehumidifier pretty much non-stop to keep the mould away. I need to find some kind of balance I think.
I'll be getting a new place this summer, so maybe it'll be fine.

[I-am-me]

Always with things I never ever heard of!!!