The Visit

It's not just that I have a lot of time on my hands, being sick. OR that I'm just writing a million entries so that you'll be as bored as I am staying home. It's also that I haven't truly been able to talk properly since last Thursday (due to an almost complete loss of my voice) and I guess I must usually talk a lot because I seem to have a lot to say. Besides which I've read 8 books, all with different styles of writing, all of which want then for me to write in that style. Because that's what happens to me when I read books.

ANYWAY, as promised, here is how the visit to Dr. Hyun went. I walked in, and the girl working at the desk immediately knew who I was (because I had called a few minutes before and it must have been apparent that I wasn't Korean when I continued to speak in English no matter what language she tried on me.) She handed me the paper work which had English translations hand-written in under the Korean words (last, first, social security, etc). Then she asked me if I had any insurance. But she said INsurance instead of inSURance. And somehow, in my phlegm-filled head, I thought she was asking if I had any INjuries. So, I said, "yes, as a matter of fact, that's why I'm here" (because I pulled a stomach muscle coughing and wanted medicine to help me not cough so much). Well, we finally got it figured out and she spent the rest of my visit practicing saying inSURance to my utter humiliation.

I know Koreans tend to be germ-conscious because they walk around the neighborhood wearing stylish paint-masks over their mouths. So lately, I've avoided going in to most shops because my voice makes me sound, well, full of germs. But there wasn't much I could do to avoid contaminating the doctor's office (after all, that is sort of why I was there). Since most people were on one side of the waiting room, I sat as far on the other as possible. There was, however, one gentleman seated a few feet away. It wasn't long before I had my first hacking attack. The man promptly vacated his seat and stood on the other side of the room. A few minutes later, a woman came in and sat in the now vacant seat near me. She, too, moved when I next coughed. I wish I could scare people out of parking spaces that way.

After the insurance bit, I remembered to listen to the talk around me with a more open mind so that I might not embarrass myself again. And when they called Gorgee Ilar from the waiting room, I knew right away it was me.

I babbled on to the doctor, but got no indication from him as to whether or not he was understanding me. When he pushed me down onto the little table and started poking at my stomach though, I figured he did. I figured there was no mistaking the almost screamed "ow!" when he got to the problem spot. But then he motioned for me to sit up and started pulling at my shoulder when he didn't think I was responding fast enough. And then I wasn't so sure he'd got it. I mean, it's hard to sit up quickly when you've pulled a stomach muscle.

He spoke to his assistant in Korean (so he DID talk!) and handed me a prescription. On my way out the door he looked at me, puzzled, and said, "how you find me?"

Of course, after getting in and out of the doctors office in about 10 minutes (none of that 30 minutes waiting in an over-air conditioned office with a paper gown on after they've called you in and checked your vitals for the doc to show up), I spent nearly an hour at the Ralph's pharmacy. The pharmacist couldn't read the prescription (I always wonder how they ever can) and so he called the doctor. But the pharmacist, with a thick Spanish accent and the doctor, with his KorEnglish took a while to get things figured out.

Eventually, I went home with codeine-laced cough syrup, some heavy duty ibuprofen, and anti-biotics. The pharmacist explained to me that the doctor said I have an infection in my lungs. Otherwise known as pneumonia. No wonder they ushered me out so quick.

Well, pneumonia or no pneumonia, I had a craving for steak when I finally parked my car at 11 am not too terribly far from the Korea Galleria (where there is a grocery store that has the most AMAZING and cheap and fresh, fresh, fresh wild caught sea food, but I digress). I braved the evil looks people gave me for coughing in the grocery store and bought a piece of rib eye for $1.85. Yes, I, Hillary will-not-eat-anything-that's-not-from-the-farmers-market-or-gourmet-butcher George bought a piece of steak for $1.85. And, in spite of the half-hour I spent chewing each bite (I figured well-done was the only way $1.85 meant should be cooked), it wasn't too bad.

In fact, with my cannellini and rainbow chard, it was a nice little lunch.



And yes, I do have other dishes even if I eat pretty much everything out of the same pasta bowl.