Korean Job Discussion Forums

[stevieg4ever]

Just wanted to ask some advice from people who have had surgery in Korea (not cosmetic). It looks very likely that I will need arthroscopic surgery for a damaged cartilage in my knee. I have it on good advice that it is minor surgery performed many times a day. I have had all manner of rehabilitation therapy, shockwave treatment and other methods too, in Korea. Put simply, I can do most daily tasks that do not involve too much weight being placed on the injured knee / leg. But handling any kind of weight is an issue. Inflammation is random.

Has anyone had any experience of surgery in Korea (but not cosmetic)?

Early signs are not so good (regarding the op in Korea): wrestling with the healthcare system here for the best part of 3-4 months has compromised what little confidence I have here. Estimates I have received range from 1.3m to 5m. The other mitigating factors against having the operation during my contract would be: 1) the aftercare is very important for this kind of operation and 2) having to climb stairs at my school that is counter-productive to recuperation and finally 3) the allotted time off being just too short to fully recover: according to my holiday allowance I could get 2 weeks.

If I return to the UK to have the operation it will mean leaving Korea and almost certainly breaking my contract and having to re-apply all over again.

I have a good and workable relationship with my school but haven�t entered into discussions this far yet. Neither EPIK or the 교육청are aware of my situation as far as I know. My school mentioned briefly that I could use up a week of my holidays to recuperate.

Any words of advice or anything someone considers useful information regarding this issue would be helpful

[Optimisticeyes]

I am in the same boat as far as needing knee surgery. I don't have insurance in the States and don't plan on paying $20,000 for a $3,000 surgery. . Just an idea--(I'm assuming you teach ESL) maybe your employer will be flexible as far as return dates home and can give you at least a couple weeks to leave after your contract ends. If you have surgery on one of the last days of your contract then maybe you could work it out where you wouldn't miss too much. Or say you have a contract that goes until May, you could renew your contract a few more months until August when most of us have that first week off and have your contract reflect your last day being the last day of vacation. That way you could have your surgery and then the second week of aftercare without having to physically work...I know some people at our school who work different shifts have covered other people's emergencies etc. so maybe you could also pay that other teacher to cover your classes while you are out if you are not allowed to move dates around...

[youtuber]

I had knee surgery in Korea. If I could go back in time, I wouldn't do it again. Some things you should know:

-It took me about 1 year to recuperate. Cartilage procedures are notoriously tricky and I highly doubt that 1 or 2 weeks will be sufficient.

-It is very expensive and costs ratchet up quite quickly. National Health Insurance covers only a portion of the surgery. And if there are complications, you could be looking at major $$$$$

-The environment is not conducive for recovery. Korean hospitals require lots of help from family/friends to take care of the patient. Korean food, as you know, is "interesting" and not too great when you are in a medical crisis.

-And as you know, the after-care is critical. If you feel your life is stable enough, then this might not be an issue. Most expats are quite transient though.

-The communication barrier is a huge thing. Even if the doctor can speak English, there is tons of missed communication there since he is not a native speaker. And that information is critical

-There is not much that can be done for cartilage injuries. Most of the time, they will just take out the damaged part and leave whatever is intact. Stitching the cartilage back together usually doesn't work. Your lifestyle has to change to be more "knee friendly".

If I were you, I would wait it out in the UK and get the surgery there. Then come back to Korea when you are ready. Finding a job in Korea is easy enough but you will be very mad at yourself if the operation goes seriously sideways in Korea. And what is your recourse in Korea if the operation does get screwed up? Nothing. At least you have some options in the UK.

PM me for more info, if you like.

[Optimisticeyes]

Thanks for the info. I wanted to PM you but don't have the 24 posts required to do so, hence I will ask on the forum if you don't mind me asking--how much was your surgery? You said it was expensive or can be expensive and I was just curious what you think expensive is... Without health insurance in the US this surgery would cost on the low side about $13,000 and on the average/higher side $20,000...

[jk1984]

I'm glad I read this as I also need surgery to tighten up my loose ACL and remove some cartilage...

I thought that I might be able to get it done here...I went through all the procedures back in the UK and was ready to be booked in for surgery but I was due to leave for Korea and a 6 month waiting period on the NHS in the UK wasn't feasible.

From the stories on here, as desperate as I am to get this corrected (I had reconstructive surgery 3 years ago and am desperate to play football/soccer), its not worth the hassle and the cost.

Just out of interest, how much exactly did it cost for you guys to get your surgery here? If you don't want to post it in the forum, feel free to PM me as it would be nice to know.