Coming to Samseong Hospital means being swallowed up by its huge bureaucracy. Everywhere, it's wall-mounted monitor screens and slips of paper in your pocket. Take a number. I was early for my 10:10 appointment, but I was told I was supposed to give a blood sample before I could see the doctor. The delay this caused made me late for both my 10:10 and my 11:10 appointments. I got tired of waiting for my first appointment, asked a nurse if I had time to rush to my second appointment, and went there. I took a number, didn't wait long to get served, and told the lady I was sorry to arrive late, but I'd been delayed by my first appointment (which I still haven't gone to). The receptionist told me she'd reschedule my second appointment, and that I should go back to my first appointment (diabetes center). So I'm back here, waiting.
If all that's confusing, the order was supposed to be this:
1. 10:10 diabetes center
2. 11:10 stroke center
3. 1:40 rehab center
So I arrived early but ended up late for the diabetes center because of the unexpected need for a blood sample; getting the blood sample delayed me long enough to make me late for my appointment at the stroke center, and I'm now back at the diabetes center, waiting my turn.
More later.
The complete lack of coordination between outpatient clinics is a pervasive weakness of modern hospitals. Everything is compartmentalized. That's where functional medicine and traditional holistic care (한방치료) can play a part, if you're into that kind of stuff. Be lucky if you get out of there before dinner! Did they give you a prescription for metformin or canagliflozin?
ReplyDeleteMakes my head hurt just reading about it. Hospitals suck.
ReplyDeleteSurprised they didn't give you a heads up on the blood test. I believe you are supposed to fast for 8 hours prior to the test.
ReplyDeleteJohn Mac,
ReplyDeleteI think I missed the text about the blood sample. They were sure to warn me to come early in September.
Daniel,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the belated response. I've been on metformin for years. The book I read by Dr. Jason Fung notes that metformin reduces your blood-sugar levels by chasing the sugar out of your blood, but the sugar doesn't just disappear—it still has to go somewhere, and where it goes tends to be the organs, which is what happens in regular diabetes, anyway. So the irony of metformin is that it makes your numbers look better, but it's actually worsening the effects of diabetes. This is why it's important to fast and to get off drugs like metformin. I don't know anything about canagliflozin.
My goal is ultimately to get off the drugs so I can live a normal life and not have that extra expense to deal with.