How’d you spend your Saturday night?

I woke up at 3am with a little back pain

So I got up to walk around the house and stretch.

Within minutes I was vomiting and curled up on the kitchen floor.

“What is this pain?! What’s Happening?!” I moaned into the darkness the kitchen.

As an American…

I tend to “suck it up” for as long as possible before seeking medical attention.

It’s just too expensive.

I’ve heard too many stories about getting that dreaded hospital bill with all those hidden fees.

And an ambulance?

Never!

I’ll drag my own broken body to the hospital, thank you very much.

I’m not getting stuck with that bill!

BUT…

I don’t live in America now. I live in South Korea.

So, after writhing on the kitchen floor for a while, I realised this pain wasn’t passing.

Time for an ambulance?

Of course not.

Time for a taxi.

My taxi dropped me off outside the emergency room and I immediately crumpled onto the pavement.

I literally crawled into the ER.

The guy behind the counter didn’t seem very interested in my situation.

He just asked for my ID card and where it hurt and I was then taken in and given a bed.

Printed onto the ceiling above my bed was a short line of text in Korean.

It read, “힘내세요.”

This translates roughly to “cheer up” or “hang in there.”

I tried to.

I failed.

I was by far the loudest person moaning and crying in the ER.

I was thrashing around on the bed and all like Linda Blaire.

Vomiting and everything.

The ER was packed with what looked like a lot of people who’d drunk too much.

I kept wanting to say, “I’m not drunk, I’m just dying.”

Being the only non-Korean in the place already makes me stand out.

But this was definitely getting attention.

I’ve never experienced this kind of pain before.

Much worse than appendicitis, which I had many years ago.

After blood work, x-rays, and an MRI scan, it was eventually confirmed that I have kidney stones.

They loaded me up with drugs and after about an hour the pain was gone.

I was given more medicine and sent home after booking an appointment to see a doctor a few days later

In South Korea, we have national insurance.

• ER visit
• IV drugs
• urine test
• 3 days of pills
• an x-ray
• an MRI

All this for about a hundred bucks!

Yes, my total bill came to roughly $100 US.

Therefore…

before leaving Korea next year, my wife and I need to take care of as much dental and medical stuff as possible.

I know once we’re state-side, the party’s over.

No more just popping into a doctor’s office whenever I get the sniffles.

No more putting off dentist visits.

Oh, and glasses too!

Eyeglasses are super cheap here, so we’d better buy a few pairs.

So, while the kidney stone jabbing me in the gut was by far the worst pain I’ve ever experienced, I left the hospital happy.

Or perhaps at least thankful and relieved that I could afford the ER visit.

Thankful for national insurance.

Without getting too much into politics…

I’m crossing my fingers that more compassionate minds are in charge of the US when we arrive.

Minds that believe healthcare is a human right.

please, please, please, please, please…