Author Topic: Should I fly back home for treatment? (Read 2430 times)

Redondo · « **on:** June 29, 2014, 09:50:59 PM »

I am between contracts, so I don't need to break one.

I got an MRI a couple of weeks ago, and I have a bulging disc and sciatic nerve pain down my leg. It's not unbearable, but it's making me quite depressed as I am usually very active and participate in team sports a lot so my social life is suffering.

I used to hate the health care in Korea, but I think it's alright as long as I can get an english speaker (big if). Flying back home will cost a lot, but if this gets any worse I may have to do that anyway.

Thinking about surgery might be a long time in the future, but I'm thinking of just seeing if it improves while I'm back home, because when I went back in February the doctor refused to even look at my x-rays from Korea, so I assume he will do the same thing with the MRI...which means that if I need surgery, I can't just fly back home and get it, I would likely have to wait 6 months or so.

It probably won't get that bad, but who knows? I can start working again just fine right now, and flying home is going to cost a lot of money, not to mention living expenses while I am there.

edit:woops posted in the wrong forum

mrs.incredible · « **Reply #1 on:** June 29, 2014, 10:26:46 PM »

Dude, I would suggest doing the surgery here (esp if you have med insurance. I'm kinda assuming you do). You've mentioned about costs going home and the long wait you'll have to getting down to business... Why won't the doctor look at your xrays from Korea?
Anyways, I've had 2 surgeries here and they were pretty clued up with what they were doing. If you're very worried about seeing a brilliant doctor with great English ability, go to ASAN Hospital in Seoul. They are exceptional and Koreans alike speak only well of this hospital.
If you want and worried about the language barrier (as this can be a huge schlep), ask a Korean friend to tag along. That could prove helpful. Also, most of the bigger hospitals like ASAN have volunteers who gladly interpret for foreigners.

Good luck and I wish you all the best. May you make the decision that is right for you.

slycordinator · « **Reply #2 on:** June 30, 2014, 10:29:53 AM »

Quote from: Redondo on June 29, 2014, 09:50:59 PM

when I went back in February the doctor refused to even look at my x-rays from Korea

Did he/she give a good reason for this? An xray is an xray, unless it's one that was done poorly or something.

specter13 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 30, 2014, 10:39:00 AM »

I used to go to Seoul University hospital and the international clinic there. They all speak English well there.

Samteachercheongdo · « **Reply #4 on:** June 30, 2014, 10:54:03 AM »

Hey Redondo, I'm sorry to hear about that, I know how dibilitating it can be. The exact same thing happened to me. I had back pain for a couple of months and then after returning from the Philippines found I couldn't walk. I went to hospital and found that I had herniated one of my lumbar discs. I know from experience that the sciatic nerve pain down the leg is much worse than the disc, I could only walk for about 2 minutes before having to sit down when it was at its worst.

After my MRI scan I received a cortisone shot, which numbed the pain for a while, actually the next day I hiked a mountain which was the stupidest move ever because 2 days after doing that the pain came back treble.

For the next 2-3 months I could just about do half a class while standing and the rest while sitting, but my school and the students got used to it and didn't mind. At one point I considered surgery but then very gradually the pain started to subside and the walking got easier and easier.

This all happened over the winter/christmas period last year, I understand how depressing it is to be bedbound most of the time.

I'm glad to say that a year later I have had no symptoms, I'm back at the gym doing weightlifting etc and my back actually feels much better and stronger now (I'm guessing my disc was bulging for quite a while before it ruptured).

My advice would be to first get the cortisone injection and take it easy for a few months (it takes a long time to heal), then make any decisions for a flight home or surgery after that. The injection literally takes 30 seconds and its painless.

Blast Hardcheese · « **Reply #5 on:** June 30, 2014, 11:05:26 AM »

I empathize. I had one of those thingies in my spine explode a little bit last February and it was unpleasant. The local doctors were able to fix it up pretty good in spite of me not understanding anything they said or did.

With regards to going home:

Is it important to your treatment that you understand exactly what they do and why they're doing it? Unless you believe the doctors here are severely incompetent (not necessarily an unwarranted concern, I'll grant), there's not much benefit to be gained from having a white person do whatever needs doing vs. a non-white person.

A more important question would be what your living situation would be back "home"

Do you have a friend's or parent's couch to crash on? Are you good for food etc? Those things run cheaper over here. Is home the USA? If so, are you covered under someone else's insurance. If you are Canadian, can you afford to loiter for 90 days while waiting for your national coverage to automatically re-up?

Redondo · « **Reply #6 on:** July 01, 2014, 05:32:40 AM »

I don't know why my doctor rejected the x-ray. Canadian medical liability laws are pretty intense so I assume that's why he didn't want to make a diagnosis based on a scan he doesn't really know about.

As I said, I'm Canadian. I can't crash with a friend or family back home, and I agree that it's cheaper to loiter here in terms of rent and living generally. But surgery can cost a pretty penny.

It's great to hear about that Sam from Cheongdo. I'm 24 and I was really starting to get into lifting when this happened. Counting calories and taking creatine but that didn't last very long!

I still have a ways to go before surgery unless the pain gets a lot worse very quickly.
I saw the orthopaedic doctor today, and he gave me naproxen for the pain.

So far I've quit all sports, including motorcycling, and I'll try lumbar traction machine and accupucture, and chiropractic to see if they help.

johnny russian · « **Reply #7 on:** July 01, 2014, 10:44:11 AM »

i've also developed a back problem recently, very mild though, just due to a compressed vertebrae.

interesting all the back problems people seem to get in Korea, i wonder if the rock-hard beds we're provided with and all the floor-sitting we have to do here are contributing factors?

(i jest - sort of).

Redondo · « **Reply #8 on:** July 01, 2014, 11:30:10 PM »

I would say it's all the desk warming actually. sitting 8 hours a day 5 days a week will do it. And if you go home and continue sitting (which I did a lot last year living in a small town), that's a whole lot of sitting.

I had no issues doing squats or deadlifts when I was in Canada, and I'm sure they contributed to it, but I bet sitting in a chair was ore harmful.

slycordinator · « **Reply #9 on:** July 01, 2014, 11:45:25 PM »

Quote from: Redondo on July 01, 2014, 05:32:40 AM

I don't know why my doctor rejected the x-ray. Canadian medical liability laws are pretty intense so I assume that's why he didn't want to make a diagnosis based on a scan he doesn't really know about.

I'll simply assume he did it because he thought your problem was something very recent that the previous xray wouldn't show. That's the only way that makes sense to me.

ashe1590 · « **Reply #10 on:** July 02, 2014, 10:32:30 AM »

I recently had surgery here (although not perhaps not as major as your surgery) in the chungbuk province. In general, I found that the hospitals I went to were very accomidating and almost always had someone who was able to explain to me what was going on. A lot of it turned into general routine (taking blood pressure, samples, etc) so I even got used to the Korean comands of the nurses who didn't speak English and it wasn't as hard as it seems. In my last hospital where the surgery was actually performed, I lucked out and ended up with a gyopo surgeon who spoke fluent English and Korean.

I looked into going home for the surgery, but ended up getting it done here. Here is a list of pros and cons that might help you:

Pros:
- I didn't have to wait for the surgery at all. I had laproscopy the day I was admitted to hospital and my surgery was scheduled about a day or two after that. It was all very prompt. At home, I would have had to wait for about 6 months to get the same surgery.
- I found that in two of the hospitals I ended up in (I went to three in total), I got a lot of special treatment from the doctors and even the other patients. The helped me and were really friends.
- Everything was very clean and sterile when I had my surgery, and the doctors were very competent. I had no complications and would deffinately go back again.

Cons:
- My first hospital was terrible and my roommates were racist ajummas who yelled at me everytime I did anything wrong. Not pleasent when you're sick, but I guess it is luck of the draw.
- Despite having a good support network with me (my partner and his family), nothing sucks worse than being sick and feeling as isolated as I did. I really missed my family back home and the ease of communication.
- Even though I had medical insurance, it was still pretty pricey. I ended up paying about 2 or 3 million won. I know that might seem cheap to others, but if I had of gone home it would have been completely free for me.

Anyway, I don't regret my decision to have it done here and probably would again if given the choice. But those are some things to consider.

johnny russian · « **Reply #11 on:** July 02, 2014, 11:08:10 AM »

Quote from: ashe1590 on July 02, 2014, 10:32:30 AM

- Even though I had medical insurance, it was still pretty pricey. I ended up paying about 2 or 3 million won. I know that might seem cheap to others, but if I had of gone home it would have been completely free for me.

i take it you're from the UK? if so, yeah, you could've had it done for free but probably would've had to have waited 6 months for the surgery

valium kilmer · « **Reply #12 on:** July 02, 2014, 11:17:36 AM »

About 8 months ago I had a similar pain in my leg. I saw the doctor who told me it was sciatica and he gave me a prescription and I had more or less daily treatment, including traction and some kind of electric stimulus treatment (no idea really). The problem got worse, I was instructed to stop most exercise and keep going.

After a while I wasn't able to go, and the condition didn't seem to get any worse so I thought nothing of it.

About 2 months ago I started getting the ache in my leg again and went back for treatment (new city) and was given a host of new pills to take again. 2-3 weeks of this and my condition had gone from an ache in the leg to almost crippling pain - simply walking was difficult, and I had to sit down for a few classes.

I sought out a medical hospital in Seoul as I was getting desperate - they told me I needed an MRI which would establish whether or not I needed surgery). I said I couldn't afford one (at about 500k) and they immediately halved the price - which had me suspicious. I said I'd think about it.

After this I spoke to a relative back home who said they'd had the same condition and the doctor instructed them to relax for a while and take ibuprofen. I tried this instead - the first few days 2 or 3 (400mg) a day, and after that, 1 or 2 max. The condition is much better, and i'm nearly at a point where I feel I could hit the gym a little harder without too many repercussions (though I did that once when getting treatment and nearly put my back out, so I'm holding off).

I don't want to sound negative on Korea - I'm not, and I loathe terms like 'apologist'. However, perhaps it's because I'm from the UK, but I've recently, because of this and another episode, become a little suspicious of Korean doctors - I'm new to the idea of doctors trying to make money out of you. I don't know what kind of pain you're in, but unless it's desperate, I'd try and get second opinions (and from outside the country too) where possible.

Ley_Druid · « **Reply #13 on:** July 02, 2014, 11:53:07 AM »

Very important topic, but why is it in lesson plans?

valium kilmer · « **Reply #14 on:** July 02, 2014, 12:24:55 PM »

See edit from OP.

Awaiting movement from mods.

Nivea · « **Reply #15 on:** July 02, 2014, 12:38:54 PM »

Quote from: valium kilmer on July 02, 2014, 11:17:36 AM

About 8 months ago I had a similar pain in my leg. I saw the doctor who told me it was sciatica and he gave me a prescription and I had more or less daily treatment, including traction and some kind of electric stimulus treatment (no idea really). The problem got worse, I was instructed to stop most exercise and keep going.

After a while I wasn't able to go, and the condition didn't seem to get any worse so I thought nothing of it.

About 2 months ago I started getting the ache in my leg again and went back for treatment (new city) and was given a host of new pills to take again. 2-3 weeks of this and my condition had gone from an ache in the leg to almost crippling pain - simply walking was difficult, and I had to sit down for a few classes.

I sought out a medical hospital in Seoul as I was getting desperate - they told me I needed an MRI which would establish whether or not I needed surgery). I said I couldn't afford one (at about 500k) and they immediately halved the price - which had me suspicious. I said I'd think about it.

After this I spoke to a relative back home who said they'd had the same condition and the doctor instructed them to relax for a while and take ibuprofen. I tried this instead - the first few days 2 or 3 (400mg) a day, and after that, 1 or 2 max. The condition is much better, and i'm nearly at a point where I feel I could hit the gym a little harder without too many repercussions (though I did that once when getting treatment and nearly put my back out, so I'm holding off).

I don't want to sound negative on Korea - I'm not, and I loathe terms like 'apologist'. However, perhaps it's because I'm from the UK, but I've recently, because of this and another episode, become a little suspicious of Korean doctors - I'm new to the idea of doctors trying to make money out of you. I don't know what kind of pain you're in, but unless it's desperate, I'd try and get second opinions (and from outside the country too) where possible.

Whenever I've been to a Korean doctor I find that I've been given a suspiciously large amount of medication compared to what I would be given in the UK.

valium kilmer · « **Reply #16 on:** July 02, 2014, 12:49:19 PM »

Completely.

I'm not entirely happy about self medicating with 1 or 2 ibuprofen per day, but I'd rather take that amount and be out of pain than take about 15 tablets per day for months on end with no pain relief and no word from the doctor as to when I would see an improvement.

ashe1590 · « **Reply #17 on:** July 02, 2014, 01:00:14 PM »

Quote from: johnny russian on July 02, 2014, 11:08:10 AM

Quote from: ashe1590 on July 02, 2014, 10:32:30 AM
- Even though I had medical insurance, it was still pretty pricey. I ended up paying about 2 or 3 million won. I know that might seem cheap to others, but if I had of gone home it would have been completely free for me.

i take it you're from the UK? if so, yeah, you could've had it done for free but probably would've had to have waited 6 months for the surgery

I'm from New Zealand. I said that if I went home I would have had to have waited longer (under the pros), but still think it's worth a mention as a lot of people assume that surgery is a lot cheaper than it actually is. The cost of hospital stays, etc in Korea can stack up pretty quick. The lady in the bed next to me told my co-teacher she had a back opperation that put her over $10,000 out of pocket.

I guess my point was if money is a reason you are considering surgery or treatment in Korea, check what you are entitled to at home and what the expected cost here would be. Don't just assume it is going to be cheap.

Blast Hardcheese · « **Reply #18 on:** July 02, 2014, 02:13:35 PM »

Quote from: valium kilmer on July 02, 2014, 12:49:19 PM

Completely.

I'm not entirely happy about self medicating with 1 or 2 ibuprofen per day, but I'd rather take that amount and be out of pain than take about 15 tablets per day for months on end with no pain relief and no word from the doctor as to when I would see an improvement.

If you need fun drugs go see Dr. Feelgood in Itaewon.

http://www.internationalclinic.co.kr/

Author Topic: Should I fly back home for treatment? (Read 2430 times)

Recent Lesson Plans

Buy/Sell/Trade

Employment