Surgery at Korean hospital as foreigner: It sucks

Background: Feel free to skip

I’d been sick since I got to Korea, I just didn’t realize how bad. I had no energy and felt weak. I had an infection (abscess) that had to be lanced before I left the US, and I was told it was healing up really well and I should be fine. I had taken really good care of it (all the doctors said so). Once I got to Seoul, between the stress of everything going wrong and the HEAT, it flared up forcing me into the doctors. The doctors  attempted to treat it with antibiotics, in vain.

 
*WARNING* Lots of cussing!

Check-Up

This is sarcasm, right?

 This is where they do lung EKG, X-ray, blood pressure, urine sample, blood draw, & run other basic diagnostics, and each one in a separate room, no where near each other in the hospital.
This take a couple hours. 
During the pre-checkup we discovered I’d been bleeding into my kidneys due to a medication I’d been taking for my back, probably another reason I was weak. 

At one point during the checkup they told me I would need my friend (or guardian if you've ever watched K-Dramas) to be there with me. I said there will be no one. They actually tried to ‘scare me’ into having a ‘guardian’ threatening me with not being able to have the surgery, and then they said something about not being open because I won’t have someone there. All this was relayed through an interpreter and I called the nurse out on her bullshit. I said listen, there is no one else coming with me, I am alone here. *At this point I felt bad for the interpreter, he looked scared.* 

So telling me that they’re not open when I was told to come for surgery or that I have to come the night before just because I don’t have a guardian is bullshit. I am an adult, I will come the morning of the surgery ALONE. She finally relented. *She really was a sweet woman and I felt bad having to put my foot down on what she felt was best in retrospect, but it had to be done.*

 

Getting Started:

I got to the hospital early to get checked in and after some broken exchange about insurances I was led back to the surgery prep. After some more broken exchanges about how the surgery would go the nurse politely told me to change into some pajama scrubs with the KUMC logo dotted over it. 
I was led to a bed where I sat nervously and quiet. One nurse came over to put the IV line in. As she begun grabbing me I realized she was going to put it in my left hand, she started tapping my wrist. I had better veins up my arm, so I was confused. The other nurse tried to comfort me by telling me this is going to hurt as she slid the thick needle into my wrist. I did my best to stay silent. 
After putting the IV line was in she proceeded to grab my wrist and twist it in order to tape it down, causing me to cry out in pain. 
This was just the beginning. 

The nurse left me to sit with the pain radiating up my arm before someone came in and asked if I was sure I wanted general anesthetic (knock me out). This was about the fifth time I had been asked, but I made it clear PUT ME OUT!

I sat reading a book until the nurses came back to test an antibiotic in my skin. The same nurse, who had inserted the IV line, grabbed my same wrist and pulled my arm toward her in a jerking manner. Of course it hurt like a bitch and I made it known, loudly. She made a face at me while the other, young, nurse cringed. The young nurse let me know the shot would sting as it was inserted under my skin.  

It didn’t sting… No No NOOOOO 

It BURNED! 

My wrist was still throbbing, and when the nurse finished she grabbed it again throwing my hand back at me.
"아파" (THAT HURTS) I said. She seemed shocked at my response.
Soon after the nurse attempted to take my blood pressure on my left arm, it squeezed the IV line. I protested and practically ripped the cuff off.  (A friend who is a nursing student told me this is not okay)
I told them not to use the left arm because of the IV line...
So she proceeded to hit the IV line saying, "It's OK!!" Loudly in my face.
I said, 안괜찮아. 아파!"  "*It's not okay it hurts" and gave her my right arm. 
She didn’t like that. 
- It probably didn't help I wasn't using polite form Korean.
Once across the room she asked if I wanted it moved.
I said "No, just stop touching it."
** Here is the thing I was a CNA for two years. I know this is bullshit already

They took me into the operating room where the nurses asked again about my insurance and tried their best to comfort me. I hadn't taken off a sports bra I had on, they giggled as they begged me to remove it, which I reluctantly did. They asked about my reduction scars in shock, commenting on how big they still are,  more giggles.

 They soothed me again.

I felt the fear coming on I wished it was time for the anesthesia already. I felt the nurse rub my arm and try to comfort me as I went under. 

.

.

.
.

.

.

I’m awake.
.
.

There was NO PAIN MEDICATION.

I was in full blown pain. 
In the USA you are given pain killers before the anesthesia wears off to avoid the following scenario. I burst into tears and LOUDLY began crying like a little bitch. On scale of 1 to 10 my pain was at a thirty-fucking-two! At one point I was asked, “Oh, you hurt?” 
NO I just had a chunk of my ass sliced off and I feel fucking dandy. Let’s go for a frolic ~

 YES I’M IN PAIN.  

The General Ward:

They gave me something that brought the pain down to a 22 on that 1-10 scale and wheeled me back to the general ward. The whole time I continued to cry from the pain. The nurses patted me telling me "울지마. 울지마" *"Don't cry." 
Every bump wracked my body with fresh waves of agony. They gave me another pill with brought the pain down to a 9.5.   
A nurse began asking me questions. I vaguely remember, because I was too busy writhing in agony STILL. 
She wanted to sit down on the chair next to the bed, but a hard pillow (mean hard plastic) inhibited her. So she threw the hard pillow at my legs, enabling her to sit easier. I didn’t have a pillow on the bed already my assumption was that was mine. She asked me some questions, and I was told I was supposed to chart intake and output. I didn’t really care. Eventually I was given a shot in the butt. After a while they asked if I was doing better.

Yesh

My crying was reduced to whimpering and at some point the pain was reduced enough I could fall asleep.

I wasn’t even asleep for an hour when the nurses came in and violently shook me awake saying my name 

 “ 트리스텐, 트리스텐!” (My name) She told me to breathe deep (at least that’s what I think they said, it was in Korean). My response was to scream in pain because IT FUCKING HURT!  

They told me not to fall asleep because of the anesthesia. I just wanted to sleep.

The doctor came into talk to me, but I was in an agony filled haze and didn’t remember much of what she said, just to tell them if I am in pain… PAIN.

 Every movement was painful

I realized that they had the IV drip turned up rather high and I was up for the bathroom every 40 minutes. Whatever they were trying to flush out of my system they succeeded. Each venture out of my bed was a new experience in misery. 
Here’s the fun part! They had me diapered and you know when your body thinks you have clothes on it doesn’t want to perform certain functions… in my pain-filled haze I stood there crying over the fact I couldn’t make myself go to the bathroom although I really had to go.  I did what any pain wracked adult would do... I cried like a little bitch again and debated asking for help. 

I eventually figured something out.

At some point they brought food in, but I couldn’t sit up, so I was out of luck. It took all my strength to lean up and eat a bite. I would slump back against the wall in pain after 10 minutes and maybe seven bites of food I gave up.

Almost looks edible.

The nurses would pretty much ignore me. They would hand me my medication and walk out. No water. The first one to hand me my pills and notice I had no water handed me hot soup to drink it down with (it was with dinner) and then went and got me water. I tried to ask for water again later, but they would pretty much leave before I could even say anything. 

The second day the doctor came in again. They told me it went well and they removed the inflamed tissue. I asked about wound care and I was told to keep doing what I was before; they had said I’d taken really good care of myself, it just did not heal up right. The doctor suggested I stay a second day. I didn't argue, because I couldn't walk.

That day the pain was slightly better. I found if I stayed perfectly still I was okay. Lunch was placed on the chair across the way from me. I couldn’t reach it. After two pathetic attempts I gave up and slumped back in my bed only to have the nurse come in a minute later and yell at me "왜 안먹고서?" *"Why didn't you eat?". "어떻게?"*"How?"
I asked her, how was I supposed to get it?! I’m in a LOT of pain and I can’t reach it. I can't even sit up!

 She figured it out and pulled the tray up on the bed and once she realized I couldn’t even sit up she put it next to me in the bed.  It was disgusting. I ate maybe three bites and rolled over. The food remained in the bed with me for almost two hours. I had to move everything back to pull up tray one at a time to get up and go to the bathroom. I finally convinced them to turn the IV down because it was so painful to get up and go to the bathroom over and over.

My doctor and a nurse came in and asked how I was doing. I said, “As long as I don’t move I’m okay.” About five minutes later a nurse came in and told me to get up hauled me out of bed. I don’t know why. She spoke quickly in Korean, and I apologized and said I don’t understand. She ran out to the hallway giggling (this is a behaviour when someone is embarrassed or nervous) and told them what I said. It was VERY obvious I was in a lot of pain as I slowly moved off the bed. Walking was hell. The nurse grabbed me and jerked me into the hallway and proceeded to pull me quickly, I jerked free and grabbed the wall railing for support as the throbbing waves of anguish washed over my body... I wanted to scream.

I'm pretty sure my face was red.  “Oh 천천히” *"slowly" she said. 

Pain takes a LOT of energy out of you. I moved, slowly, down the hall way. I asked “어디 가요?” *"Where are we going?" (okay, I whined). I didn’t understand her answer. I asked again and this time she said something about food. I could barely walk, and at this point I was in so much pain I couldn’t keep going. I turned around and said I don’t want it. They made me wear these shoes that were so big that keeping them on was making walking more difficult and painful. I kicked them off like a petulant child and I said I didn’t want them. The nurse couldn't contain herself and began giggling (I felt bad about this, but I told them I didn't want the shoes in the first place).  By this time I was in tears because I was in agony. All I could think of is, what the hell is wrong with you?!

Can't reach it

Why was I dragged out of my room? I just said I am in a lot of pain! They ended up having to give me another pain shot in the butt.

They would put the food out of reach a couple more times. 

Once I was able to actually get out of bed, with slightly less pain, I would just move the food a one dish at a time on my own. I eventually put my bag on the chair, forcing them to put up the pull up tray and place the food within reach. 

I still couldn’t sit up though.

At one point I was woke by a nurse hitting me on the back with a lanyard. I’m already over fucking sensitive there due to the nerve damage, but WHY WHY would you wake someone up like that?! She went to take my blood pressure in my left arm and I said no, because of the IV line, and she HIT IT, saying "It’s okay."

I cried out, “아니요. 아프요” ( NO! It hurts!) 

They would also wake me up by shaking my legs. Something else that was not okay. That sent shock waves of pain through the surgical site as well. They were surprised that somehow that hurt me. I was surprised they were allowed to work with humans.

At the Zoo:

uncomfy bed- still can't reach my food

At some point I realized I was on display as well. The other patients would stand staring through my open curtains at me with no shame, and the nurses NEVER closed my curtains when they came in. I was careful to make sure they were shut when I went to the bathroom, but the nurses didn’t shut them after they came in, and they didn't even have enough sense to shut them before pulling my pants down to inspect my wounds. This issue was so bad that at one point visitors of the person next to actually threw back my curtain simply to look at me! 

The other roommate, a Russian lady, would walk by slowly staring at me as she passed. At some point I debated on making animal noises. She would do this when I left the room too, as did her son(?) who had moved in?? 
At one point the nurse came in, to check my wound, she of course left the curtain wide open as she did so. She decided to take off the copious amounts of soiled padding and told me I would need to wear pads. I said, "I don’t have any pads" to the nurse. She said “It’s okay” and walked out… leaving me to bleed into my pants. 
After the night shift came I managed to get a nurses attention I told her, “피가 나요” (I’m bleeding). This nurse got a very scared look on her face, ran from the room and hurriedly came back in to re-bandage me and even gave me a clean pair of pants. She could see the pain I was in and got me another shot in the butt. She even asked if she could get me water. This was the nicest nurse I had the whole time I was there. I kept saying thank you as I fell asleep.

THANK YOU!

I tried to go home Sunday morning, but because of the pain levels they decided to keep me there an extra day. I tried to climb in the laundry cart, but... it never came. I had been there long enough that the bed was hurting my back (it was like sleeping on the ground) and I wasn’t sleeping much at the hospital any way. I wasn’t happy about it. I was going stir crazy. I was elated when my flatmates came to visit. They got to experience the hospital cardboard… uhem,  I mean food. 

My flatmates response to the cuisine

They saw the neighbors staring at me, and how the nurses handed me my meds with no water. It made me feel better that it wasn’t all in my head. I forced myself to walk up and down the hall, it hurt- still hurts to walk as I write this, but I knew it was important to MOVE. 

The day I left:

I was happy to be back in my Led Zeppelin T and sneakers. I wanted out of the hospital scrubs. No more hard hospital bed. I wanted back in my bed with my soft padding and pillows.

I’m still in pain, but I’m getting better every day. I can’t wait until I can sit up on my own! At least I’m eating solid food and speaking in full sentences  :P

Edit*

I would have been the one to shut that curtain~

It was interesting being there. One thing I've been asked a lot since this experience is, "Do you think this (treatment) is racially motivated?" 
I'll be honest, I don't know motives, it may be. It may be ignorance, it may be cultural and I don't know this part of it. However all of my Korean friends were pretty unnerved by this, so I don't think that is it. I'm just going to say, it was an experience.
After I returned to the US I had to have the surgery again. It went well, I went home the same day - NO PAIN that day. The doctors had me pretty much numb from the butt down. I was happy. I managed the pain well, and I am told I am healed up and just need to be careful to avoid it happening again.