pill popping
perhaps the only thing more annoying than trying to teach uninterested children how to conjugate 'to be' is trying to do so while coughing uncontrolably. for the last two weeks or so i've been vaguely ill with a rather persistant cough and slightly runny nose. despite my best efforts to avoid the doctor, today i was corralled into the his office to get a look-see.
compared to a doctor's visit in the states, getting medical attention in taiwan is incredibly effecient and affordable; i was in and out of the clinic within 30 minutes, and it only cost about $5 USD (state health insurance rocks). no long lines, no waiting and waiting. also, the process of getting examined is a lot less painless. the doctor listened to my lungs, looked at my throat, asked me some questions, and bam, i was done.
prescriptions are easy, too. after being diagnosed with something, you just wait another five minutes or so at the clinic for the people at the 'pharmacy' to put together your pills. and let me tell you, you get a LOT of pills. for my particular ailment i am to take five pills at a time, four times a day. with a bit of math, you will notice that this is an unbelieveable 20 pills a day. fortuntely i hear that, most likely, four of the five pills i take with each dose are either vitamins or asprin. the mixing of all these pills, however, still intrigues me. in the states we are usually told not to take a bunch of different medicines at once, but the taiwanese seem to have an opposing theory. in any case, i was told to keep this up for a week. i'm hoping that, in addition to making me feel like a drug addict, this 'chinese cocktail' (my boss's words, not mine) will make me feel better.
finally, i dont know if i've mentioned it before, but almost anything you buy in taiwan comes in its own little plastic or paper bag. evidently medicine is no exception. rather than giving you a labeled bottle of something, the 'pharmacist' gives you single doses of your medicines in little bags. i have, therefore, 28 little paper pouches of unspecified drugs. some clinics actually fold these pouches by hand, wrapping them around a single dosage of pills like origami. the clinic i visited today has a machine that sorts the pills and seals them in wax paper bags automatically. pretty cool, and remarkably efficient. taiwan is pretty amazing sometimes.
compared to a doctor's visit in the states, getting medical attention in taiwan is incredibly effecient and affordable; i was in and out of the clinic within 30 minutes, and it only cost about $5 USD (state health insurance rocks). no long lines, no waiting and waiting. also, the process of getting examined is a lot less painless. the doctor listened to my lungs, looked at my throat, asked me some questions, and bam, i was done.
prescriptions are easy, too. after being diagnosed with something, you just wait another five minutes or so at the clinic for the people at the 'pharmacy' to put together your pills. and let me tell you, you get a LOT of pills. for my particular ailment i am to take five pills at a time, four times a day. with a bit of math, you will notice that this is an unbelieveable 20 pills a day. fortuntely i hear that, most likely, four of the five pills i take with each dose are either vitamins or asprin. the mixing of all these pills, however, still intrigues me. in the states we are usually told not to take a bunch of different medicines at once, but the taiwanese seem to have an opposing theory. in any case, i was told to keep this up for a week. i'm hoping that, in addition to making me feel like a drug addict, this 'chinese cocktail' (my boss's words, not mine) will make me feel better.
finally, i dont know if i've mentioned it before, but almost anything you buy in taiwan comes in its own little plastic or paper bag. evidently medicine is no exception. rather than giving you a labeled bottle of something, the 'pharmacist' gives you single doses of your medicines in little bags. i have, therefore, 28 little paper pouches of unspecified drugs. some clinics actually fold these pouches by hand, wrapping them around a single dosage of pills like origami. the clinic i visited today has a machine that sorts the pills and seals them in wax paper bags automatically. pretty cool, and remarkably efficient. taiwan is pretty amazing sometimes.
posted by bethany at 11:45
<< Home