Where The Hell Am I?: health care

Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

She's here: Meet my Minimed Revel Insulin Pump

There she is attached to me while laying on my laptop keyboard.

Finally!

I got the pump I gushed about getting yesterday. A MiniMed nurse/trainer met me this afternoon to walk me through a new and improved pump and all the new things I need to learn to make it effective in managing my diabetes.

The frustrating part was I was approved for it sometime in early or mid-April. I have an approval letter from my insurance. The pharmacy I chose is run by people who just don't seem to care. They're one of just two or so pharmacies approved to provide MiniMed pump supplies, so the attitude there seems to be a whole lot of "whatever."

My Minimed nurse contacted me at the end of April to set up a time to train me, so she's been on this mad roller-coaster ride too. However, I switched pharmacies yesterday. I hope the new one I chose is better. It was sort of like playing darts blindfolded as, I had no idea of their customer service reputation. Also, in Korea, there was just one supplier as I paid out of pocket for my supplies (expensive). They were on the ball and then some most of the time. I don't want to stress the ineptness of the first pharmacy. It's over. I've got my new pump, so yippie!!!

This.pump.is.awesome. Here is a great guide to the model I have written by Scott Hanselman*: A Diabetic Product Review for Non-Diabetics - The Medtronic MiniMed Paradigm "Revel" Insulin Pump and CGM.

I don't have the CGM, continuous glucose monitoring, component. However, my nurse is working on getting that for me too. Yeah, MiniMed!!!

Here are links to the TwitPics I sent out last night when I was having a geekgasm over my new diabetes equipment. I'm truly blessed to have this. It will literally add a few years to my life.

My stash of new Minimed Revel insulin pump supplies and new g... on Twitpic

My glucose is a bit too high right now, but that's because of bad carb counting on my part and because I drank too much orange juice before I exercised this afternoon. However, with this pump, it reminds me to check my blood glucose two hours after a dose, so I can keep on those numbers better. Now it's time for me to get to work. Since I blog for others and manage their social media now, that means my hours are usually split with early morning work, an afternoon check-in and on nights like this, some work on a newsletter.

My pump is awesome, and I'll definitely post an update a few weeks in to give you an update on how things are going.

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*Scott and I have been connected on Twitter since the day I joined the site back in 2007. I remember specifically searching out other diabetics. I'm glad I found him because he also works in tech, for Microsoft.

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Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Jimmy Fallon and The Roots Make Healthcare Sexy With a SlowJam

Hilarious...

(coding sucks...ignore the "read more" link)

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Tuesday, May 26, 2009

An English Teacher Under Quarantine in South Korea

via underquarantine.tumblr.com

Okay, this is the inverse of the great health care system they've got in South Korea. Someone has decided to quarantine off over 50 English teachers there.

Click above for the link to the blog written by the dirty foreigners who are quarantined because of N1H1 virus fears in South Korea.

I've got to say, it's crap like this that does make me happy I'm not there anymore. Here I don't have health insurance and here some people grab their purses tighter when I'm nearby, but still I don't have to deal with being an outsider more often than not.

Last I checked the virus originated in Mexico!

Now I've gone back and read how it started. They were working with someone who came down with it, but I think they'd have it by now. Okay, I'm not a doctor, but this really seems to be over the top.

(Okay, yes, the USA has it's dumb leader moments too...we just had 8 years of it.)

Posted via web from Regina's posterous

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Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day Emergency Room Visit :(

Update: May 27, 2009 @ 2:59pm

Much better now - my stitches are out and the wound is doing its best to heal (taken June 5th) ;)

Well, between Twitter and Facebook, I've gotten a ton of well wishes. Thanks everyone.

I'm recovering now. Unfortunately, I am sporting the domestic violence victim look. I know, I know. I ought not say that, but come on. It is what it is.

When I was in the ER, the nurse who took my history asked me straight out if I felt safe where I was staying. I'm glad they're checking because if it were domestic abuse I'd want someone to help me.

Instead, it's simply a diabetic snafu. Good intentions (my friend trying to get me out of a hot car) coupled with my over-zealous insulin use resulted in an accident which required 5 stitches and a prominent piece of gauze taped to my forehead. It's not pretty, but sometimes life just isn't pretty.

The one thing that is irritating? When you KNOW people want to know what happened and they don't ask. That's so much more about them and the internal drama in their minds than about me. I'm in Manhattan today. In the two hours I've been here, I've gotten four "what happened?" questions. Not bad Big Apple ;-)

It's much more fun than the awkward side-eye. Just ask people, really. If the person ends up being mean to you or short with you, you'll have your answer real quick. The person probably got popped upside the head. I'm thinking since I'm on the other side of it right now that it's probably not as bad as it looks.
________________________________

After a weekend of drinking in Avalon on the Jersey Shore, I get back and I'm steps away from my friend's door. Only THEN do I fall down face first. I'm all good now.

Here is an ER pic taken by my friend:

I MIGHT update later. Then again, I might not.

I've got a few stitches, and I got a CAT-scan, so all seems to be good ;)

What I'm not looking forward to, that EMT and ER bill. Maybe I ought to send this to the White House's email too!

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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Okay, I Lied

Okay, I lied. That previous "Last Shout Out" post wasn't my last shout out. And, learning from that, I'll only go as far as saying this ~might~ be my last shout out to the awesomeness that is the South Korean medical system. Who knows what might happen between now and getting on the plane.

I had a few things on my list I wanted to get done before leaving. One was to go through the gauntlet of medical exams I have to get that ranged from exams everyone ought to get on a regular basis to the specialized ones I need because of my two auto-immune conditions.

However, there are other things. I figured out when I got here that prescription eye glasses can be a bit less expensive out of pocket than back home. I'm near sighted, so for most things, I don't need glasses. However, even though I rarely drive in the States, I do sometimes and I ought to wear glasses when I do. It's not required...yet, but why take chances? I got two pair of mad stylish frames and prescription lenses yesterday for less than I'd pay out of pocket for the same frames back home. Frame shops are everywhere in Korea. If you're curious, I'll say I got mine in Myeongdong in the underground center next to Lotte Department Store, and I probably paid more than I would have if I'd gone to a different part of town. I just wanted something on the high end of the style scale and, frankly, I'm out of time. So I went where I know the drill.

Also, regular readers know that I got a bad toothache over the summer that ended up being a deep cavity that needed filling and during the treatment, which took a few days, I ended up loosing the temporary filling. That required a late night run to Yonsei's Dental Hospital. My love for my primary dentist dimmed over time because, like a lot of medical professionals, he was much more used to talking than listening. Also, I think just being in pain and having him take that pain away caused a bit of euphoria. This all happened about 8 months ago, so it was time for another dental cleaning. Yonsei was definitely where I was going to go.

It was easy. I called the day before and was told to just come in, no appointment required. I got there and asked where to go. I was escorted upstairs, even though I asked the woman to just tell me, she insisted leading me upstairs to the second floor. I payed for the initial visit, went back down to the first floor and waited maybe 10 minutes to see a dentist. He checked my medical history and asked me the basics. There was a bit of running for x-rays and a blood pressure check. A thorough exam, including a bit of consulting with senior dentists, proved things were normal to his satisfaction and he put me through a fairly gentle dental scaling. I'm sure some of you have experienced the teeth cleaning that felt like it was done by Marquis de Sade. I've got to say this was almost painless - not completely, but almost. After, I went back to the second floor cashier to pay up for the x-rays and scaling. Virtually painless.

So for those I'm leaving behind and to those that will find this after I'm gone, when you need your teeth cleaned (that's every six months, BTW - yes, the Freakeconmics guys might not agree), try Yonsei's Dental Hospital (click the picture to go to their home page, then click "English" if you need to). It's new, it's huge and you can easily get lost but the basic services are on the first two floors and there are enough staff members who speak enough English to point you in the right direction.

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Monday, February 23, 2009

Last Shout Out to the Korean Medical System

Here I am at my hospital, Hanyang University Hospital. I'm going through a series of regular tests. Being an insulin dependent diabetic and having Graves' Disease (a thyroid disorder) means I've got more tests than usual to take on a yearly basis. I got here a few minutes late for my 9:40am OB/GYN appointment. But, in spite of running five minutes behind, it's been smooth sailing.

My OB/GYN was female, as I requested, and her English was pretty decent. She talked me through the exam and caught that I'd not had a mammogram in over five years. It was time for another one. The nurse sped me off to pay for the exam and then took me to the exam room. The exam tech was really friendly and was honest that it was going to hurt. It did. Ouch.

I have my final appointment with my endocrinologist tomorrow, so I had to go to give them what they needed for a bunch of lab tests. Then it was off to my scheduled eye exam. For those that don't know, diabetes wreaks havoc on your blood vessels, internal organs and also messes with your heart. That's why it's really important for diabetics to keep their blood sugars in as normal a range as possible. As a result, diabetics ought to do yearly eye exams. Not just the ones where you look at a chart but the unpleasant one that requires your pupils to be dilated. That way the doctor can literally get a good look inside to see if there is any diabetic retinopathy (eye damage from diabetes).

Right now, that's the phase I'm in. My pupils are dilating, and I've got to refocus every minute or so because I'm sitting here typing on my laptop.

So, for those that don't know, it's worth saying again. At least on the university hospital level, medical care here is modern, affordable and efficient. Like any system, there are frustrations and glitches. It's not perfect. I went to one clinic that really did cut corners to the point that all I did was walk in, say what I needed and walked out with a prescription. That's dangerous. Also, a lot of doctors here have a God-complex, so their listening skills aren't the greatest. They're not really used to a pro-active patient.. They're much more used to telling a patient what's wrong with them and not being questioned. In contrast, I'm the sort of person who gets out and does the research so I know a fair bit about the latest research regarding the two conditions I have. Those are the most irritating points, but there are doctors with God-complexes back home. At least here I can afford to see a doctor.

As a whole, the system is much easier to navigate and much more accessible in terms of cost. The worst thing would be communication issues. If you don't speak Korean, it can be a problem. If you speak Korean, it can be frustrating because almost everyone assumes you've got no clue. Today I had a doctor express pure shock that I could read her name in Hangul even though she could see from my chart that I'd been here for a few years. (I'm sorry but how dumb must a person be to not know how to read Korean after being here that long?) However, I've learned to just smile, realize they're doing their best and try not to take things at more than face value. It's worked well for me. I've blogged about having a scratched cornea and having excellent service. I've blogged about other positive experiences here as well. Being someone with experience in both the US and Korean health care systems, I've got to say Korea slays the US in terms of accessibility. When I was at Ewha, I didn't have the public health insurance card and I could afford to pay out of pocket for my medical exams, tests and medicines. I could never afford that out of pocket in the States for two years. I truly think the US system is a travesty. How can such a developed nation have so many people who don't have access to basic health care?

With that said, I'm not looking forward to wandering back into the morass that is the US medical system, especially in this crap economy. However, it comes with going home and having two chronic conditions to manage. The fact is, I can't avoid it even if I wanted to.

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

The 2008 Flu Shot Chronicles

On Friday I got my yearly flu shot. Although medical professionals recommend that diabetics get flu shots yearly, just a few years ago I'd not gotten into the habit of it. During my 2003 winter vacation, I was one day from getting on a flight to Paris to spend a month taking a French course. The problem was I felt absolutely awful. I went to the doctor to see what was wrong and the doctor told me I had the flu! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

However, that was the first time I'd ever had the flu. Being ignorant of the real dangers, I took my prescription medicine and I chose to get on the plane anyway. I mean this was Paris! It ends up that the day I flew in, it snowed in Paris. So we had to spend the night in Frankfurt. I felt awful, and it was just a crazy mess. The next day I almost missed the flight to Paris because I had my laptop plugged in to access the net from my hotel room. I'm assuming that when they rang the line was busy and no one thought to send someone to get me. I finally got to my destination and, for the first few days I was there, I didn't feel well. My gracious host was astounded that I had la grippe. It was probably connected to having the flu and just being out of it, but I was so tired one afternoon that I took an insulin shot and ended up falling asleep before I ate anything. My blood sugar, of course, dropped to a dangerous level. I went into convulsions, someone heard it, called the paramedics, and I was rushed to the local ER. That was scary!

Lesson learned. Now I get a yearly flu shot.

This year, I waited until mid-November, so the hospital where I usually go was already out of vaccinations. Instead I went to Soonchunghyang University Hospital's International Clinic. I went there because it's close and, these days, I'm too busy to run across town when I don't have to. I'm glad I didn't because the people there are both efficient and friendly. I had a brief consultation with Dr. Byung-wook Yoo and he was great. The clinic's efficiency and friendliness along with Dr. Yoo's great "bedside" manner probably has a lot to do with great training coupled with the medical center being in the Hannam section of Seoul. For those who don't know, Hannam-dong is the area where diplomats and high income foreigners reside. There is a level of care these people expect. It did have that feel about it. So, here is another option for international care. You can contact them at 02-709-9114.

I figure the more health care choice options foreigners are aware of here, the better.

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

My 치과 Adventures Continue*

As you know, I went to the dentist last week because I was in pain. My old fillings were taken out and temporary fillings were put in. This is to give my mouth time to heal and then the dentist can determine if it's root canal time for one of my molars or if fillings will do the job.

So far so good on fillings doing the job. I went in yesterday for a quick follow-up. All is good in my still tender mouth. However, today I screwed up.

I got home in the early evening and had dinner. After dinner I simply couldn't resist the urge to take a "nap". I have a bad habit of doing that these days but it probably has something to do with my thyroid disorder - my cat naps tend to turn into full REM sleep sessions. I woke up about 5 or 6 hours later and realized [...gasp...] I'd not brushed, flossed and rinsed my teeth!!!

I get right on it. I start flossing and, sure enough, that loose temporary filling I was worried about slipped right out. Now I'm in a mild panic because I know I'll live, but since I'll be busy all day tomorrow I'll have a big hole in that right second molar. That can't be good considering the nerves in it felt like they were starting to throb a bit.

So I start looking for medical centers that have emergency dentists on staff. The first place that crosses my mind is Yonsei. Yonsei Severence Hospital system ALWAYS saves me (see here for my scratched cornea adventure in 2006). However, first I futz around a bit looking at my options on the Internet, sent a text message to Seoul's 24 hour medical referral service, called Seoul National University's alleged 24 hour dental clinic (no answer) and called an ER of a local hospital. All that time wasting and, of course, I ended up going to Yonsei eventually because they ALWAYS save me and they ALWAYS have people on duty who have it together.

I call them, I use my pidgin Korean to start but the woman spoke English, so yeah! I tell her what's wrong - temporary filling slipped out, a little pain but nothing ridiculous, and no blood. I'll live but it will be over 18 hours before I can get to a dentist to get it fixed.

So my question was this: I'm up but do they have a dentist that's also up? Of course they do. It's Yonsei.

I hop in the shower real quick (believe me, if you are in this hot and humid weather you understand why), get dressed and get a cab to the Yonsei's dental hospital. I walk in. Two dentists are on duty. One waves me in and tells me to sit down. I explain why I'm there. She takes a look and then replaces the lost temporary filling with a new temporary one. It takes less than 5 minutes. I ask her where should I go now because I'm assuming I've got to fill out a paper or two and pay someone something. She says "you can go home now."

That's it; that's all.

And, again, I say the likelihood of that happening with that level of ease and in the States is pretty low.

Okay, time to go back to sleep.

Yonsei's Dental Hospital's website: http://yd.iseverance.com/dent/ (you can find the number on their website)

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* 추과, chee gwa, means "dentist" or "dental" in Korean

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Thursday, July 31, 2008

I LOVE my dentist ;)

I'm up late watching 늑대의 유혹 or Romance of Their Own (aka Temptation of Wolves or True Romance) on TV.

BTW, let me just say that 강동원, Kang Dong-won, is a mad hotty. Gotta love a leading man in a romantic comedy that can also pull off crazy fight scenes and this movie starts with a fight scene. He's from Pusan. Without revealing too much about my recent dating life, it seems I've got a thing for dudes from Pusan ;)

Anyway, on to the real reason I'm posting 'cause the tooth brushing cat has nothing to do with my new crush on 강동원.

On Wednesday I had a very bad insulin reaction, low blood sugar. Being diabetic, that means I've taken too much insulin and I have to have some fast acting sugar ASAP. I carry glucose tablets with me and popped in a couple of those. I chew on my right side. After though I was in major PAIN. During the course of the day, it didn't go away, so I made a dentist appointment for the next day.

They were great, but, yeah, my old fillings were on their last leg and one tooth had some serious decay. The dental assistant said I might need a root canal. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! The dentist, however, chose a more cautious route.

He removed the old fillings, drilled the decay away and gave me temporary fillings. The pain I had yesterday seems to be gone. He got a little drill happy - ouch! But I'm sure having such a bad cavity made it virtually impossible this would have been 100% "ouch" free. It was from no lack of trying on his part. They anesthetized the area, waited for it to take effect and told me to raise my left hand should I feel pain. He did explain I'd have some pain for a couple of days after and it would subside. He stressed though if the pain kept up after a couple of days then that's a sure sign that ExpatJane needs a root canal. Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Okay, that's not really all that exciting but the pic of the cat with the toothbrush is cute and this topic gives me a reason to use it ;)

If any expats need a dentist, mine is 서홍석, Seo Hong Seok: 02-792-1817. He's in Hannam-dong and, therefore, has foreign clients and knows the value of anesthesia. That makes him and his staff keepers. He's a bit in need of listening skills...most male Korean professionals are, so he's in good company, unfortunately. However, he and his staff do a good job.

For my fellow diabetics -10 Diabetic Dental Myths I've Run Across

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Monday, April 28, 2008

A Good Day

Today could have been a bad day, but it wasn't as I've learned when to accept help and ask for help when I need it. Now, of course, the result depends on who is involved. Some people are very helpful while there are others wouldn't help their grandmas.

Good for me I had someone from the first group to save me. Today I had my regular appointment to see my endocrinologist. It was time to check my glucose levels and thyroid hormone levels. My computer died a virus took it out, ooops but I had another as a backup. That's how much of a geek I am, I'd just purchased a used one off of someone. Well, that backup is giving me a bit of grief (USB issues, software issues, etc.), nothing I can't figure out, but grief is grief. Basically, I wasn't able to upload my glucose results to the computer I'm using now. It sucks in the sense that those numbers are crucial to my doctor's appointment, so we did our best without them. It's happened before, but I prefer being prepared. It was annoying as I was prepared but my computer didn't work as I expected.

In the madness of getting ready, realizing my computer wasn't cooperating and the let down that I'd have no data to give my doctor, I ran out of my apartment without my wallet. I was carrying my old computer because I was going to have one of the drives taken out as that's where my iTunes library and other files are. I run down the hill, hail a taxi and was about 1/3 of the way there when I realized I had no money, no credit card and no identification. When your parents pass away you learn real quick to not be careless. I've not misplaced or lost my wallet or keys in years. However today was an exception.

In a panic I asked my taxi driver to turn around and then I called my nurse. It ends up that next Monday is a holiday, so I couldn't reschedule. Instead, she offered to cover my taxi fare for me and then ended up loaning me money to cover my bill for today and then some. She loaned me 200,000 won (or about $200.00). I made a bank transfer to her and promptly paid her back once I got home. But still, that was very nice of her.

What hospital nurse do you know back in the States that would loan a patient, long term or not, $200 on the spot? For me, it's an example what how you're treated by Koreans when they see you as someone in their circle. At this point, I've been going to the same medical team for years. They know me quite well. However, still it's an idea that didn't even cross my mind when I was in a panic in that taxi. It was my nurse who suggested it. How nice of her.

It's just another nice thing that happened to me here.

Me going on about how much I love my health care team over a year ago: Healthcare in Seoul, South Korea Rocks!.

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Monday, August 7, 2006

Health care in Seoul, South Korea Rocks!

You know what? Americans tend to be incredibly arrogant most of the times it seems. However, don’t take it that I'm bashing American’s only, because I’ve found that Europeans and Canadians aren't much better. However, as I'm an American so most of my observations are about other Americans. Why am I making this observation?

Well, I remember when I first considered moving to South Korea. Friends of mine freaked out for all sorts of reasons, but the biggest one was my health as they were concerned about the quality of health care that would be here for me. It was assumed that South Korea was a country that had to be in the virtual stone ages. Now I realize that the standards of living in America versus some other places is huge, but modern South Korea is very advanced and, in some ways, more advanced than the States.

I’m an insulin dependent diabetic. I have juvenile diabetes, but I was lucky as I started showing symptoms and was diagnosed fairly late on. As a result, I was admitted to Cedars-Sinai. I had the best doctor and nurses, and, overall I just had a wonderful experience. That gave me a great start on diabetes management. When I started working I had an HMO and had an okay doctor. However, I soon found out that without money and insurance that the well runs dry very fast. I was okay initially, but in law school I didn't have health insurance and with a pre-existing condition any I'd find would be expensive or would exclude coverage for, my diabetes, the one thing I needed to insure. I had a close call that was very scary, but after law school once again got lucky and had an excellent physician when I had another HMO.

Here in Korea I’m covered under their social health care system. I call it the health care discount system because that’s essentially what it is. I don’t have a deductible or a co-pay. They just take a certain percentage off the total of your bill. Since I’m diabetic and I have an insulin pump, I go to my doctor at Hanyang University Hospital doctor once a month. My doctor, Dr. Ahn, is awesome. My nurse, Ms. Koo, is the best nurse I’ve ever had. Once a month I get a full spectrum of blood work, a prescription refill (my meds are around $15.00 a month), and consultation with my doctor. I have to say that one big reason I like South Korea is because, if you find the right doctor, the health care here is great. Best of all, it’s affordable.

That leads me to why I’m discussing this now. I’m working and I fell down face first on the pavement walking with my class. I noticed a bloody cut on my hand and got that taken care of right away. However, I didn’t notice that something had gotten into my eye until it was Sunday and I was home in Seoul. To make a long story short, I ended up with a scratched cornea.

Ouch!!! It’s horrible.

I went to Yonsei Severance Hospital simply because I was in a huge amount of pain, and I knew I’d have the least trouble there as a high amount of their staff is bilingual. I speak enough Korean to put most Koreans at ease and then usually they’ll notice that my Korean isn’t up to speed and get me help.

It cost me roughly $50.00 (or 50,000 Korean won). They took me into the triage section and asked me what happened and got my medical history. Then they took me in to flush out my eye with sterile saline which was incredibly painful. I was then referred to an ophthalmologist who did a comprehensive eye exam and discovered that I’d scratched my cornea. He explained what he’d prescribe for me and what I should and shouldn’t do. He also prescribed me a stack of drugs and gave me a shot of antibiotics to ensure that I won’t get an infection. So on top of my $50.00 I had to pay around $15.00 for the huge sack of drugs I received on the way out of the ER.

Now I’m walking around with gauze taped over my eye, a big sack full of drugs and a somewhat boring story of falling over onto my face at work. But what I have is my peace of mind that if something goes wrong I can afford to go to the ER. I have access to great medical care that I can afford.

I can’t say I feel the same way when I’m living and working at home in the States.

That’s just incredibly sad.

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Wednesday, August 9th - Update

For those of you who've asked, I'm doing much better and the patch is off. Here is a picture to prove it. These pictures were taken at 천안 역, Cheonan Station, in South Korea as I've been doing a short-term job there. So this is chipper me at the end of the work day sweltering on the platform waiting for my train. I commute one hour each way everyday because even though I have accommodation in Cheonan it doesn't have air conditioning and my apartment in Seoul does. Plus, there is the benefit of no hyper campers knocking on my door; the kids tend to like me. Plus, I don't have a roommate to worry about at home.

Anyway, all is well with my eye for now.