Sorry, still diarrhea in posting
...
Just want to share with you all what actually happened to me on the day of surgery and after... guess some of you may want to know.
Day 1
8.30am - For anyone going to BK direct from airport, you shld take airport limo to Apgujeong, BK is RIGHT next to the Subway station called Sinsa. So just 1 station away, cab fare will be cheap. BUT Seoul taxi driver got a bit of attitude like ours, too close, they sometimes refuse to take you! Or like HateMyNose, he took the limo 609 and alighted at Gangnam station, than took cab from there.
10am - finally reached BK, appointment was made at 9.30am though... still not prepared yet. Guess that day Dr. Kim was quite free. I waited inside the consultation rm... was a bit worry cos the clinic looks older than the pix in web-site...but it's fine, don't worry.
Consultation was ard 15 mins. For those that followed my post, I once talked about the nose bridge that I don't like. It's just 1 straight block from top to bottom, then Dr. Kim told me implants for all cases I showed were "I" shape and roughly the same, it depends on whether the patients got fat around the corner of the eyebrows etc to form the curve, so I finally got the answer.
I did asked him whether I can go diving and wakeboarding (wonder if he knows what is that)... anyway, he told me swimming is 1 mth later.
10.15am - After Dr. Kim talked to me and answer all the questions I have (that's your only chance, pls. pls. ask whatever you have and be organized, to the point), a nurse took me to another rm to see b4 and after pix. Negotiated the price. Then pay at the counter. Then take b4 photos (strange, they never take my after photos though).
10.30am - move my luggage to the admission rm, fr 3rd floor (consultation) to 5th floor. Ladies, REMEMBER, BK don't have lift!!! Though the nurse will help you to move your luggage, but a bit paisei too. So don't bring so many things like me!
Check into a room, there's no private room, all with 2 beds, so be prepared to share with others if that day is busy, normally they will separate the patients if have enough rms. Inside the rm there's locker with keys, do lock it to avoid cases like me... $ flyes...
11.30am - I asked for sometime to settle my mind... but my mind was actually blank most of the time. Just haven't prepared still. Changed to the clothing I'll sleep with for that night. The ops rm is just right at the end of that floor, so that movement after surgery is minimal. Lay down then nurse start to tie my hands, then I recall Ocean 11's post, ya... they need to tie our hands down to avoid our sudden movement and that is, no turning back! Once again, I look at the ops rm, it's older than the web-site pix wor! Some cloths got blood stains wor! But it's alright, don't worry...
Then is IV sedation in the left hand... off I go liao. When I wake up, it was towards the end of the surgery, (so I can be sure it's Dr. Kim did my surgery)... I was half concious, at that critical moment, Dr. Kim insert the implant into my nose... wah!!! Gosh, not pain, but super unbearrable feeling... I was eee aaarrr for 30 sec, nobody response to me though... guess that's quite normal. Then I started to feel my back was very stiff... probably after the long flight and didn't exercise for a few mths... just want to move a bit. Once I move, the nurse said don't move... but it's aching la... then without I knowing how, Dr. Kim put in my ear cartilage (harvested while I was in deep asleep) and sew back all wounds already. Then a nurse plaster after plaster covered my whole nose. Then it's done. The Chinese nurse was there thru' out and then she call me to sit up and walk back to my rm, right opp to the ops rm.
Then is sleeping with 2 - 3 pillows up. The Chinese nurse also brought me a frozen pack, then I slept for a few hrs. Woke up at 3pm, pressed the bell (yes, there's a bell for you to call your nurse), then Chinese nurse appear within 3 sec. She offer to buy me some instant congee. Everything she need to use your $ she will get an receipt, so nice! Likewise when she helped me to get the medicine (for 7 days). Ah... forgot to say medicine is ard S$20 for a week... and changing dressing is FOC.
BK's operations hrs daily fr 9am to 7pm, with Friday up to 9pm... The Chinese nurse usually will come in to alert you that she is off now, any last help needed etc.
So that's all for day 1.
Day 2 rest and TV (with cable, but mainly Korean channels... remember to search a channel, I think is 19 called OCN, it's a movie channel, so finally no Korean!), then food and medicine.
If you are staying over at the clinic like me (better get Dr. Kim's permission first via email). Remember to order food for the off office hours ie 3pm Sat to 9am Mon. At least 4 meals cos main door will be locked, so no more delivered man... quite dangerous hor, in case of fire... but you won't think about that at that time la... In other times, whenever you want food, just ask the nurse to order for you, there's set delivery menu, each meal ard 5,000 won to 10,000 or even 20,000 won, depends on what you order.
Was intended to check out on Mon noon, but wanted to see Dr. Kim to ask about the feeling of my ear, so I stayed till 6pm... that's why I have been seeing those ladies in and out the ops rm... For moving fr clinic to
Service Apartment or hotel, remember to avoid peak hour. From BK (Sinsa, in line 3, orange colour) to Nakseongdae (in line 2, green colour) is a long cab ride, plus jam, it cost me 13,000 (won) over S$20 (exchange rate is ard 576 to 560)...
Day 3 to 8 - basically hide inside the service apartment and clear a bit of work, clear emails too + depress since day 2, look at the mirror and sigh.... Watch OCN and eat food that I bought over from SG.
Day 6 (Wed), went back to change dressing (by subway, very easy to navigate and cheap!). I changed dressing on Sat and Sun while I was staying in the clinic (ya... the nurse came back on Sun to do change dressing for all patients. What a company to work for!). Then Wed went back and Fri removed stitches. Go back on Mon (the 2nd one) again wanted to remove stitches at the back of my ear before flying off, but decided not to remove it prematurely.
Arh... the svc apartment in Nakseongdae is quite close to Nakseongdae subway station, 5 mins walk downhill (which means 5 mins walk up hill when you come back at night after shopping). At the hill foot, there's a convenience store call "Buy The Way", you can stock up instant noodle and my favourite, rice wrap with seaweed (that's the way they call it, not sushi or Fan Tuan..., but it's Fan Tuan actually).
Remember subway close at around 11.30pm, remember not to miss it orh!
Hiya... that's probably sums up my entire trip. Hope you don't find it very lor soh.
OK... refreshed list of things to bring... I know it's the third one... but should be the last one, feel free to add too:
- make up remover cloth
- alcochol / iodine
- cotton tips (ard 100 pcs shld be enough)
- surgeon mask (if you are not doing ear cartilage)
- a cap
- adaptor for 3 square pins (ie ours) to 2 round pins
- some list of basic korean, so that at least you can point and ask
- rent a hp in the airport, otherwise, you will really lost touch with the world, your family members if don't know where you are going, may get very worried... like mine....
- don't go during "period" for ladies...
So this would be my last post for today. Then these 3 wks I will need to run ard to prepare things for my posting to HK... so may not reply very often... oh... still don't hv a kind heart to tell me how to post pic online errrh.... I want to learn also, pls. share if you don't mind that bit of typing.
Rdgs,
Rabbit *yawning*
Xie xie ni!