The past months have been colored beige with illness. I got influenza A in late January and since I have been to hospital/clinic more times than I wish to count. I'm rarely ill in normal circumstances; at uni I would usually get the freshers flu either before everyone else or then a month later, but that would be it. Here however? It's illness central.
The flu forced me to stay out of work for four days which in itself was a can of worms I wish I would not have had to open, but when your doctor tells you to not go to work, what can you do? Even when I was officially cleared for work (another doctor's visit, complaining of being exhausted and given meds and vitamins), I definitely was not in any state to be there. Luckily that drowsiness passed in a couple of days and all that was left was just exhaustion.
Give that a week and to the doctor's we go again.
Out of nowhere I was surprised with shoulder pain that would start at work. It lasted for about two weeks until during one class I was holding back tears from pain. I physically could not lift my arms above — or even to — waist level. Thus, I had to leave work early, take a taxi and to go to Japan's equivalent of A&E. After an hour or so I finally saw a doctor (and to be fair, while I was in excruciating pain and was in tears, I was not a baby with a fever or someone with potentially a flu. So while the wait was excruciating, I understand why it took as long as it did.) who basically diagnosed my pain as workplace-stress induced stress neck. I was given three tablets to last me through the evening and next day and instructions to find an osteopath/orthopedist asap.
The silly person I was, I did not seek an orthopedist asap but instead waited until next week when the pain got unbearable. I returned to work from lunch break one Friday and stated that I cannot bear this pain, but I do not know where to go. Cue yet another taxi-ride to hospital — this time to an actual orthopaedic hospital. I went in thinking that I would perhaps be back in time to work (although I was told to not come back) but it took a good three hours of x-rays and examinations.
Funny enough, once again my issues are something that while normal, is not apparently something that comes to mind at first when figuring out this type of pain. It took two sets of x-rays and two mobility tests to figure out that I have shoulder impingement — an issue I have never struggled with, but apparently has been there for quite some time, as it is structural. After going through the mobility tests and asked questions about my exercise, for example, do I play basketball — to which I responded that I have only played horse polo but even that only has an effect to my right arm... I was given two lidocaine injections to help to deal with the pain and medication for two weeks, as well as some exercises I should do daily — many of which I ended up having to do at work, as it was painful to do anything.
After eating the medication for two weeks, I immediately came down with a cold. It might be that it was an aftermath of the flu, or just the fact that when you work with children and are allergic to the soap it is very difficult to keep the standard of hygiene you would like. Even if you wash your hands almost obsessively. Initially I figured the cold will pass since after all, a cold lasts for two weeks if you just treat it at home or for 14 days if you go to the doctor's. Alas! I went to the doctor's (the same sweet doctor at my clinic who diagnosed my flu and told me that I am fit to work even though I felt that I most certainly am not) and got opioids for my cough. The side effects were disgusting — I have never been on medication that dries your mouth and lips no matter how much water you drink or how much lip balm you use BUT they actually helped. On some days my shoulder would remind me of its existence and I would be in pain, but luckily I was taking opioids three times a day, so for the most part the pain was bearable.
Cue last week when I finished my cold medication. The first few days were just "kind" reminders of my issues. I had been doing the physiotherapy exercises prescribed a month earlier, but I presume all the meds in between had helped. After all, almost immediately after I finished that two-week course of painkillers I had a cold and had to start opioids. Come Friday of last week and I was seriously wondering how I will make it until Monday to go and see a doctor.
The funny thing is, the pain is usually bearable in the morning. Sure, I have not been able to sleep on my left shoulder since the pain first started in late January, but during the day it's been bearable. At the end of last week, holding my umbrella with my left hand was a bad idea as it was painful, let alone using a screen at work that is below waist-level and constantly having to look at the screen as well as your students. Somehow I made it through the last few days at work, which left me sat at home on Saturday wondering how to survive until Monday. Hot towels and blankets were an answer, as was the fact that on Sunday I did not have to do much with my arms.
I went to see the doctor again today and "luckily" it was nothing more than the exact same issue I had a month ago. Got an injection and medicine for the next two weeks, but all this makes me wonder...
How healthy is this?
These are issues I have never had in my life before. I have eaten various medications for the past month and while some of them have been helpful, some of them have just given me side effects but no real relief. While it seems silly that in Japan you go to the doctor's for the slightest issue, in a way I suppose it is good. I am paying for Shakai Hoken (health insurance) and it is a lot of money, so at least I am using it, haha. Yet, it feels peculiar that all of a sudden I am so ill and it is not something I have had before — would it be my back reacting to poor work ergonomics, that would be another story. My shoulder? I have never had these issues before. All I can do is to continue with the exercises my doctor gave and hope that the medicine helps again.
While I hate being in pain — like most of us would — I do have to give positive feedback about my clinic and the orthopaedic hospital I go to. I have never booked an appointment as you can rarely do that in Japan, but apart from the first orthopaedic visit, it has never taken longer than an hour to be out with a diagnosis. My Japanese is by no means at the level you would perhaps like it to be for these types of visits, but I have always been able to make my pain known and I have received help.
During my exchange my pain was belittled a lot, but this time doctors have taken me seriously even if it is just my broken Japanese and gestures attempting to explain the issue. Indeed, all of these visits have been fully in Japanese. I am still not entirely sure how I keep on doing this, but somehow I am able to go to the doctor's and explain my issues in Japanese. Some things such as 'snot' (hanamizu — 'nose water') I might not always know, but at the end of it, through gestures we can figure them out.
Japanese clinics/hospitals are not my favorite place to be, but at least I have received help when I have needed it and for that I am more than grateful. Life isn't always easy in another country and these past months have more than shown it, but at least at the end of the day I do live in a country with 24/7 convenience stores and all the good food one can imagine.
