Hi everyone,
I just had my surgery on the 7th and I'm probably having peak swelling now - I look like I've been run over by a bus. I'm really really hoping it goes down ASAP and my neck has been hurting from sleeping from an elevated angle.
Dr. Kao is really very nice and was very very detailed during his consult. His attention to aesthetics is very detailed and you can immediately tell he is very passionate and he even printed out various pictures of celebrities (other angles) to show me before surgery.
I ended up having rib and ear for my revision work and I had problems running my card through at first and I was freaking out (UOB forgot to up my limit and I had to call back after surgery to get it done), but Dr. Kao was really nice and went ahead with surgery anyways. One thing those of you paying by card should remember is to up your limit since its usually about 5k by default, the surgery costs about 5.5k.
He simply wanted to focus on the surgery and told me not to worry about the money first.
The plus points so far is mainly Dr. Kao. I'm also glad so far to have met a Singapore lady so I don't feel so lonely. She came alone too and we got to talk and all, I had to pass her one of my cardi's since she wasn't prepared for the cold as well like me and we were both complaining non stop about the cold.
Food is pretty convenient if you don't mind 7-11 which is at KangNing, which is quite well stocked (and cheap) with various types of fresher foods e.g. they have fruits / salads etc If you're a bread type of person they have a huge selection of those in the cafe and 7-11, and they have alot of bento type stuff with noodles or rice as well. Make sure to get the 7-11 clerk to heat it up.
The negatives are the weather where I'm now freezing my ass off as I type in this room. I didn't expect to have to use my pea coat but I ended up using it anyways and I've been even wearing my coat to sleep since its so cold and there's no heating in the room.
The nurses here are like what the others have said, they are pretty unfriendly but I realised you kinda have to talk to them and joke or make small talk, its kinda opposite from Singapore where nurses warm up to you, not the other way round. It's a very weird dynamic for sure. After they were cool with me and all and realised I wasn't some irritating patient, they became helpful and all, and even helped me sneak out before I was supposed to be discharged, since I simply couldn't stand lying in the bed stoning, they just said "don't be out too long, make sure to come back". There's no TV or anything in the hospital room, just lots of old people milling about in the corridors so I didn't find that uplifting at all, I simply got the nurses to remove my drip and I went for a walk.
Last of all, the pain is bearable, the most pain is a dull ache from the rib area which is quite manageable. I'm probably more grossed out by the fact I haven't showered yet since the surgery - I'm still holding back since the ear wound disgusts me and I look pretty gruesome at the nose area - I'd only want to shower if Dr. Kao cleans up the wound or something (alot of crusty blood which I don't want to look at).
I'll keep you guys posted as I go along

One thing I thought I should highlight is that Dr. Kao told me due to the demand he has, surgery price will be increased to NTD$140k pretty soon.