@Whitey: I’ve “done” all this before. I’ve been to the hospitals for colds, flus, and stomach bugs before. This was simply an atypical situation where I wasn’t happy with the examination and medication. The little baggies of pills are usually a source of relief, since I don’t have to remember what to take when.

Yeah, he told me he was worried about the cross infection from my throat going to my ears. I’ve actually been in the hospital for the reverse as well, where I had an ear infection they wanted to stop from spreading to my sinuses.

While Tylenol and hot water were part of the prescription, 2 Tylenol Emergency Room dosages 3 times a day seemed really over doing it. I told him my headache was because I couldn’t sleep. Then he prescribes too much medicine and tells me sleeplessness might result? Does that make any sense?

I don’t drink coffee, and wasn’t drinking milk at the time. The doctor, as part of his “Mandatory Taxi Cab Questionnaire” did the whole, “Does he eat Korean foods?” shtick when he interviewed me. He was shocked when my wife told him I wasn’t eating Western food everyday.

1. It’s a good thing he checked your ears. Last year I had a throat infection about this time of year. I got it treated. Then, a month or so later, out of the blue I started getting dizzy one day. I didn’t feel like myself at all. Long story short…I had an inner ear infection that had spread from the earlier throat infection. You do not want to get this. It took me a few months to feel like myself again.

2. Putting the pills in small packets is SOP here. (Standard Operating Procedure)

3. I’ve occasionally had doctors here who didn’t tell me what I had. That doesn’t seem to be uncommon. Why? I suppose that the doctor here is the source of authority and asking him questions is not as common as back home.

4. Shine a flashlight into your mouth and see if your tonsils our swollen. You may just have tonsillitis, in which case the doctor may be hesitant to prescribe antibiotics — at least mine was when I had tonsillitis last month. My doctor advised rest and hot liquids and Tylenol, and said it should go away in four or five days on its own.

On second thought, I don’t think a bad cough comes with tonsillitis. I’m an English teacher, not a doctor. What do I know?

5. Your oranges and vegetables are killing you! I’ve been told to lay off milk and coffee — and I think I’d rather kill myself than forgo those two. “Perhaps it’s kimchi that’s causing my problems, doctor?”

I and the family is also sick. As not in flu but everyone has got a bad cough and its lasting over 4 days now. Seems cough is getting worse in the evening hours and keep waking up 4 or 6 times due to bad cough. None of the usual cough medicines are working. Tomorrow, kids needs to go back to school from holidays, and only one of my kids will be in school. The elder one will have to stay home , still with bad cough. If he don’t get better by tomorrow, I’ll have to bring him in to see a doctor (you know we have to spend at least $100 bucks just to see a doctor here even with insurance!!).

For me, I think its getting better but still can’t sleep. its bout 1 AM in the states and I’m up reading this. Took some TuscinDM (longs drugs brand cough suppressants ), but hell if that’s going to help me!

May be I should go and pickup some Q?

Regards.
V

Eventually I just collapsed and fell asleep for a good part of the night. I woke up drenched in sweat and dehydrated like I had run a marathon this morning.

Feeling a little better now that I did get some sleep, finally.

However, if you have the flu, the only thing you can do is managed the symptoms and wait for your immune system to kill the virus eating you away from the inside. They don’t have NyQuil in Korea? That’s awful. Good stuff, though the last time I used it I woke up with a hangover. The stuff’s like 40-proof.