Korean Job Discussion Forums

[itiswhatitis]

This past Friday I had the first panic attack of my life and
I had to leave work to go to the hospital halfway through class (public school elementary).

My eyes were bloodshot, my heart rate was fast and my heart was POUNDING, my skin around my eyes had strong rosacea, I could actually see the vein in my temple sticking out and my left leg was totally numb.

I am in excellent health so I had no idea what was happening.

I thought I was having a heart attack, stroke, a bad reaction to food or MAYBE even a problem with my blood cell count (blood cancer).

I have had some mild despresssion and mild to moderate anxiety but nothing like this ever before. It was actually very scary and I was afraid that permanent damage (or worse) was on the way.

At the hospital they gave me sedatives and medicine and told me that having a random panic attack at some point in life is not uncommon. I am also going through a transition and some stress right now. I have a strong conscious and sometimes I probably work harder than I should. It just all built up.

Anyway:

My co-teacher wants to know what happened. Maybe they suspect somethng alcohol related (I rarely drink and have not had a drink since Novemeber). My blood shot eye is SLOWLY getting better
and I feel better from the anxiety meds. I plan to come off them once this transition period is over.

My co-teacher was upset that I took off right away but I felt like I was dying at the time.

Can this kind of thing cause trouble with the E-2 visa/health check???
Should I tell my co-teacher??? I found a video online that explains what happened to me:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32K-rEIbBgE

I worry about their suspicions BUT I don't want to spill the beans about things that could screw up my E-2 visa health check.

Another bizarre twist:

I had a job interview 2 days before the panic attack. The interview went well and I thought I was hired but I was told yesterday that I was not hired. What a horrible time to call the co-teacher for a reference check, not to mention the blood shot eyes during the interview.


I never paid much attention when people talked of panic attacks before.

From my experience:

They are real, and very frighteneing. I thought I may die at the time.

Thanks for reading!
Thanks in advance for any advice/insight.

This was (and is) very upsetting so please no silly comments.

[Nolos]

Don't worry about it bro. Panic attacks are horrendous when they happen. I've had so many that I can 9 times out of 10 control them from ever happening. I can instantly feel them coming on and I can by "mind over matter" prevent them. My pupils will dilate and I get that out of body experience feel. I can get them if I drink too much coffee. It could be genetic, I'm not sure. But for me, let's just say I "partied" too much when I was in my teens and in high school/college and I got carried away with things people do at parties, if you know what I mean that led to some of my most scary panic attacks.

Anyway, mind over matter works, but you must be experienced to pull it off. I hope you feel better because they are scary as heck.

I wouldn't tell your co-teacher about it bc she'll think you're strange. Just say you don't know what happened and thought you were having a heart attack and went to the hospital but thankfully the doctor said you were ok. And leave it at that. She still might think it's strange but it will all be forgotten in a day or two.

[Lucas]

Did you just walk out of school without telling anyone?

Were you teaching a class at the time?

[SpiralStaircase]

[Snowkr]

Wow. Thank you for posting this OP.

I went through something very similar at the end of 2009 in Korea, also in the middle of a class. My symptoms were slightly different- sudden blood pressure drop, numbness in hands and feet, very dry mouth, loss of vision and excruciating stomach pain. It all just kind of came out of nowhere. It was very VERY scary. And I was also really embarrassed... Thankfully I had a very supportive work environment and was teaching adults at the time.

It took several months and multiple trips to the hospital though before I learned that it was an actual panic attack attributed to anxiety that I didn't know I had. I'm living with a serious vestibular balance disorder (inner ear), which I've apparently had for over 10 years and then developed an anxiety disorder as a result.

I wanted to suggest that you try and visit Samsung Hospital in Gangnam if you haven't already. There is a doctor there (or at least there used to be) who was able to diagnose it after two consultations, a CT scan and some diagnostic screening for anxiety. My insurance didn't cover it but the cost was still reasonable in my opinion. He told me that medication was an option but that I could regulate these episodes with a change in lifestyle, which I chose over the meds.

Anyone else out there who has experienced something like this may also want to go this route, rather than start on medication. Of course, I do realize that every individual case is different and sometimes the meds are necessary too.

As for the E-2 and reference issues, I also worried a little about this after I got out of the hospital because I knew my problem came from a pre-existing condition. However, the doctor gave me a letter in both Korean and English stating that I'd been diagnosed there and was unlikely to have any more severe problems that may affect my ability to work. Perhaps something like this would be a possibility for you?

[itiswhatitis]

Korea obviously isn't worth it for me anymore.

I am leaving late Aug/early Sept.

Supposedly the reason I didn't get renewed is because of
my open class that was done this past September (3 weeks into my
teaching contract!!!!).

I won't even get started on all I put into the job. Very upsetting.

They claim that the open class is mostly what they base the renewal decision on.

This ain't worth my health.

Thanks for the replies.

[Nolos]

[Lucas]