Under the Knife!

Had my hernia op on Tuesday afternoon.

This is not a “blood and guts” review but my experience of Japanese hospitals in case anyone should find themselves in the same boat. First off, I hate hospitals! Nothing personal against anyone who works in one because they do a great job, but I simply hate going to a doctor, let alone a hospital. I therefore have to have something pretty serious to go to either! My only previous experience of the Japanese medical system was the treatment I received in Furano 2 winters ago for a fracture of the right radius bone.

I’m part of the Japanese health insurance system which, for those who don't know, means that I pay a monthly amount (calculated by reference to my wages, I think) for which I receive a 70% discount for treatment received, the same as a Japanese patient. So that’s the theory. The trouble is, of course, the language barrier that presents itself to someone, like me, who isn’t a proficient Japanese-speaker. I can get by in basic, everyday situations but a medical scenario is a different kettle of sushi! So the first piece of advice I can give anyone is find an English-speaking doctor! Even if you have a Japanese partner, invariably things get lost in translation plus I always like to hear things straight from the horse’s mouth, particularly if that horse is going to cut me open!

So, after the initial diagnosis by a local doctor, I therefore searched online for an English-speaking surgeon. I actually found an English-speaking hernia specialist up in Sapporo, who I was tempted to see (having already had a flight booked to Hokkaido) but was then recommended to see a surgeon in nearby Jiyugaoka, who immediately gave me confidence by explaining everything to me in a far higher standard of English than any of my students. So I decided to forego my flight and stay in Kanagawa.

The 3 hospital visits I’ve had so far have, on the whole, been fine. The nursing staff have been great and have tried to speak English (or at least get someone else to translate) if my Japanese has been inadequate. & the sight of 3 of them trying to manhandle me onto a trolley after I felt dizzy giving blood must have been comical!! The one problem I’ve had has been with the paperwork and payment, in that everything is written in Japanese, so I’ve generally no idea what I’m signing for or paying for. I’d read about the escalating cost of hospital admissions so asked for a quote, but the figure I was given has already been surpassed without any explanation, or explanation that I've understood. Part of me wants to query this but I don’t want to create any bad feeling with the hospital staff, so I’m going to let it go as long as I don’t have to pay too much more on my return visit next week. That was also part of the reason why I chose an early discharge myself yesterday, when I could probably have done with staying in hospital for another day.

So, paperwork and financial concerns aside (which reflect my inadequacies rather than anything else), my experience of Japanese hospitals has been a positive one. If anyone needs an English-speaking surgeon in Kanagawa (or Sapporo, for that matter), please feel free to ask for details. In the meantime, I'm now counting down the days 'til I can get back on a board!