I didn't go to the doctor since I knew what made me sick and I doubt any doctor could give you medicine to cure food poisoning. I took some good ol' Pepto-Bismol, tried to keep hydrated, and didn't have any problems.
The best things in life are pink~
This is generally what we do in America when we get sick - self-diagnose and medicate with over-the-counter drugs. If you've got the sniffles and a cough, you take some Dayquil to survive the workday, eat some soup when you get home and go to bed early. If you're still sick after a while or you get worse, then you go to the doctor. If you're prone to getting sick in certain ways and already know what the doctor's going to tell you since you've been there a million times before with the same thing, you skip going altogether and treat yourself unless you need a prescription.
I can think of a few female friends who have been prone to urinary tract infections. Maybe their moms or sisters got them a lot, too, so it's not necessarily something they can always avoid and the infections just sort of happen. They drink a lot of fluids, namely cranberry juice, and maybe buy a bottle of cranberry pills. It's not a big deal and they know at what point they should visit the doctor, if ever.
It's very different, and not necessarily better, in Japan. People go to the doctor for every little thing in this country. The first time I wore glasses to work my manager asked why I was wearing them, and I told her my eyes felt a little dry so I decided to skip wearing contacts. I suppose she immediately assumed my eyes were going to fall out of my head and asked me three times if I needed to go to the doctor.
One of my coworkers went to the doctor last week and I'm still not convinced they needed to. They were fine the night before when I left work, but still somehow needed to take half a day off the next day came in looking perfectly fine at 2pm. Did I mention I went to work half dead after puking and pooing my brains out the night before? Another coworker once went to the doctor for a headache and came to work 2 hours later. If I did that back home I'm pretty sure the doctor would tell me to go get some aspirin and laugh about it with the nurses.
Having a fever is also the ultimate kiss of death in this country. If you have a fever, you NEED TO SEE A DOCTOR NOW. Back home, I'd probably take some ibuprofen and drink more water. You can call in sick with a fever and be left alone, but if you have any other sort of severe symptoms like having lost your voice or body aches you better be at work or school. Kids come to class with all sorts of disgusting sicknesses going on, but if they have a fever moms will keep them at home as if that were the only legitimate reason to do so.
"Suck it up, Timmy! Time to go to English school!"
I realize part of this attitude comes from the fact that the Japanese have this great nationalized healthcare system (paying to see a doctor? PSH we don't do that here) and there are tons of little private practices all over the place. In my neighborhood alone, there are a bunch of chiropractors, pediatricians, and dentists, and there are at least two women's clinics within reasonable walking distance; there's also an English-speaking doctor on the other side of my station. If you don't like a doctor at one clinic, you can try a bunch of other clinics in a relatively small area until you find one you like. Even in a comparable metropolitan area in the US, it's just not as easy to get to a doctor's office and you're kinda stuck with whoever your insurance allows you to see. Why would you go to the doctor in America? You're better off diagnosing yourself and drinking 10 bottles of cranberry juice.
I haven't been to the doctor yet since coming here, although by Japanese standards I'm sure I've had a few episodes that warranted a trip. Maybe I'll call out the next time I have a headache.
Funny, I was thinking of this yesterday when watching anime. A fever (or even a cold) gets so much fuss.
ReplyDeleteIf you've ever had malaria (which I used to get about 2-3 times a year while I was back in Nigeria) every other fever doesn't seem so bad.
Look at you, powering through food poisoning! Usually food poisoning knocks me on my ass.
ReplyDeleteI went to the doctor when I was studying abroad... but, the thing is I wasn't on the health care. I had the doofy little health care through my program that went to my insurance in the US. Meaning I had to pay out of pocket for the doc. It was a good 10,000 yen to see him and get the prescription he decided I needed.
I was having allergy problems, and was coughing a lot. Honestly, I probably had what I have right this moment. He prescribed me with cough syrup AND pills, both of which made me sleep like I was dead.
Here, I am drinking tons of water and fluids and taking Mucinex every once in a while.
Also, I went to a gaijin-centric doctor because that's where my study abroad program told me to go. He spoke English and everything but I had to go all the way to Tokyo Tower (it was like, across the street) and I lived in the opposite direction on the Keio line.
I don't wanna get sick in Japan ever again. >.>
...and don't forget the masks, the creepy creepy surgical masks *shudder*
ReplyDelete@Azuka I always thought malaria was one of those things you automatically died from; good to know I was wrong lol. Maybe that's what Japanese people think about when they get fevers.
ReplyDelete@Ko UGH I was sick for so long during my study abroad trip, but I was terrified of going to the doctor and having to pay for it. That insurance they give you is really only good if you die, I swear.
@Ms. Godzilla I've come to appreciate their usefulness, though. At least if a kid comes in with one on, I know they won't spread quite as many germs when they cough or sneeze since it's all in their disgusting little mask LOL.