I've been sufferring from an annoying cough for 3 weeks now! I had had enough this afternoon, so after work, I went to the hospital! (Seems dramatic, I know! But it's what we do in Korea.) After checking in at the front desk and pointing to my throat, saying "Apuda" (I'm sick), the receptionist sent me up to the 5th floor to meet with an Otolarynologist. Try saying that 5 times fast!
Luckily he spoke PERFECT English! Praise God! He sat me down in a chair, with all kinds of crazy utensils and scopes laid on a steel countertop next to me and began to ask me question after question about my condition. These Korean doctors are thurough, that's for sure!
After the gazillion questions, he wheeled his chair over to me, grabbed my tongue with some gauze and began to stick a long metal stick down my throat... lower, and lower, and lower! OUCH! Then he told me to say "EEEEE," take deep breaths... do it again... and again... It took everything within me not to gag! (I later read that a local anesthetic is suppossed to be given to prevent pain and gagging during a stroboscopy... but apparently I must have looked tough, because there was definitely NO ANESTHETIC given!) Uuugghhh.
But the beauty of the procedure was that I got a fun picture of my vocal chords to show off!
The not so fun part is that I will have to take these pills 3 times a day for the next 7 days, and drink all of this entire bottle of cough syrup before next Tuesday!
Oh, and in case you're wondering, I have some sort of inflamation on and around my vocal chords from, and I quote, "Working too hard and talking too much!" hahaha! Think my principal will give me a day off of work?! Here's hoping!
