Journey

And so it begins...

I've been having a lot of physical issues over the last few years. I go to doctors for something and they throw medicine at it that may (or may not) alleviate a symptom or two for awhile.

But, I've felt for a long time that everything was tied together and I wanted to find someone who would really talk to me and work through everything to figure out what was wrong. I know there are doctors like that in the US, but my insurance wouldn't cover anything but the chain clinics where they have to see so many patients to break even that they get you in and out before you have the chance to ask any questions of substance.

I gave up when I came to Korea, knowing that doctors here have little experience with issues like gluten sensitivity, etc. Even if there was a doctor who could help me, how could I find him or her? And if I did find one, how would we communicate?

The Lord works in mysterious ways. I was speaking with a recent acquaintance I knew to be a doctor, so I asked him what could be causing my recent bout of dizziness. As it happens, he is an American trained physician who practices integrated medicine: that is, medicine that looks at problems in a holistic way. He gave me his card. I called and made an appointment.

This morning, I headed across town to his office at the Honnam University hospital. The hospital itself wasn't much to look at and I started to worry. After about a half hour wait, I was escorted into his office. The initial "interview" took quite some time. He asked about symptoms, and probed until we had covered the range of maladies I've been coping with over the last few years. Then, he talked to me about the various systems of the body and how they were integrated, essentially mapping out how each issue tied back to these core systems, and demonstrating how imbalances in each area affected each other. He wrapped up talking about the plan for the next year... and how we would, together, bring me back from this malaise I've found myself in.

I hope he is right. I hope this is it... the turning point. I miss being a person who enjoyed doing things. I am tired of being tired. At the same time, my inner cynic worries that I could be getting my hopes up for nothing.

Here's hoping...



ps... in addition to losing 6 viles of blood to tests, I got my first ever IV... of some sort of concoction that is supposed to help jump start my system. It took 4 hours... I was at the hospital for over 6 hours!