Adventures in Healthcare: Thyroidectomy, part 2: Pre-surgery

July 3, I had to go in for pre-surgery testing.  I've never had surgery before, so I was expecting a couple of basics, but it ended up being a ENT visit, blood work, x-ray, urine test, CT scan, ECG, and ANOTHER appointment with the surgeon.

Not to mention, I was already irritated because I had to go into work for an hour and half and THEN go have all these tests done.  I mean, I get it's "my job" but they really could have just given me the whole day off, but apparently that's not how things work here.

First of all, and I say this anecdotally, that the first of the month is when the old people get their government checks for healthcare...the hospital was packed!  Thank goodness for the trusty International Clinic because they sent me around to the first few tests with an English speaking volunteer.

This time it was a slightly older man, who had spend time in Seattle...I know because we spent A LOT of time together waiting for tests.  He was also amazingly helpful and would run ahead to register me of the next test while I was being tested so my wait time could be shortened.  I still spent most of the morning waiting and getting "hangrier" by the minute because you can't eat before a blood test or a CT scan.  Um, my CT scan was scheduled at 3:30....and my blood test was at 11-ish...so I'mm getting hungrier and crankier as the day and my wait progressed.

First, is the ENT, but he was running 30 minutes or more behind schedule, so my "tour guide" took me down to do blood and urine testing first.  So, then back to the ENT.  I've never been to an ENT before, and had no idea what to expect.  They tell me to sit and stick out mu tongue. I do and immediately regret it.  He grabs me by the tongue and sticks an antiseptic coated metal flashlight/chopstick down my throat and tells me to talk.  Are you freaking kidding me?  So we settle on vowel sounds and he announces my vocal cords are fine.  And now my whole mouth tastes like antiseptic...and my tongue hurts. :(  They could have warned a girl, you know.

We go down to the ECG and have a long wait...all the old people are having their hearts checked today.

Then I need to change clothes for the x-ray.  Now, something I really like about this hospital is they give you "real" clothes to change into for these tests.  I mean, not the paper "hospital" gowns, but actual cloth pants and tunics....and nice lockers to store your stuff while you are testing.  I had a nice lilac tunic and kept my jeans on since it was jut a chest x-ray.  By the time I changed the radiologist was ready for me...thanks to my tour guide registering me while I was having my ECG done.  My tour guide was worried about me going in by myself since I have limited Korea, but the radiologist assured him that he had enough English to get me through.  He did, by the way.

I change back into my "civies" and say goodbye to my tour guide.  He already waited almost an hour past his duty time to help me get through the morning testing.  That was really kind and above and beyond what I had expected from a volunteer.  Now, I have almost 2 hours to kill before I have to go for my CT and can't even have coffee to pass the time.

I run down to the crafting market and got a few things I needed to keep myself occupied during my convalescence.  Then head back to the hospital to wait.

I go ahead and check in for my CT a little early and find out I have to change clothes again.  This time to a lovely lime green tunic and pants ensemble.  The nurse calls me over and announces she can only speak a little English.  Oooohhhh-kkkkaaayyyy...let's do this.  Ok, that was a let down, the paperwork actually had English translation.  Lol!  But then she takes my arm and pops and IV in...I was not ready for that...and she tells me to follow the blue line and wait my turn.  Now, I've had a CT san before...once when I was little I fell out of a porch swing (the 2-3 person heavy wooden kind) and it hit me in the head...but I didn't get an IV back then.  So while I'm waiting I google what the IV is and its a iodine-dye solution because they will scan once without and the once with the dye to make my tumors and stuff stick out more on the pictures.  This is also the reason why I couldn't eat all day...the dye makes some people nauseated.

I hav my scan done and it's actually kind of relaxing.  Almost like sensory depravation.  It's dark and your eyes are closed and you can't hear anything by the whirl of the machine and the occasional robot voice.  Then they push my IV and its hot...well, warm, but I feel hot now.  Not quite as comfortable this time.  Then I'm done.

I'm free to change clothes and finally eat!