Hospital Hiatus: Part Four

Precaution: this post contains graphic images of my injury.

Morgan and EJ!

Greetings! Welcome to Part Four of my long and unexpected journey battling MRSA in Korea. If you missed the first three installments, check those out before continuing onward. In the last post, I was getting ready to leave the hospital. Although I should have been excited about leaving, I was distraught, stressed out, and more emotional than ever before. I was on the receiving end of everyone telling me what I needed to do, and I felt like I had no say in the matter. Fulbright was telling me one thing, my school was telling me another, my parents were worried about what was happening, and the doctor had his own opinion, so it was difficult for me to even consider what I thought was best for myself.

My public speaking club welcomed me home ♥

Unfortunately in Korea, the pressure of working in even the most extreme conditions goes above the wellbeing of oneself, and I was held to those same standards by my colleagues. It was finally my chance to leave the hospital, and I almost felt worse than I did before I even got there two weeks ago. Nevertheless, I was put on a train ride back to Gwangyang, unsure of what was to come next. I decided that since it was practically impossible for me to do anything on my own since I couldn't walk, put any pressure on my foot, and had zero energy, I should stay with a friend during my week back home.

Kat and I en route to the hospital

영진 (Kat is her English name) saved my life that week. Without her, I have no idea how I would have made it through that week. She let me stay in her apartment, she cooked, drove me to the hospital each day, and kept me company whenever I was feeling stressed and worn out (which was basically the ENTIRE week...). Kat works as a private English tutor, so her schedule was flexible enough to help me with my day-to-day tasks. I thank her from the bottom of my heart, and I hope I can repay this debt in the future. THANK YOU, KAT! ♥

A hospital visit in Gwangyang

Although I was sent home from the hospital, my foot still required immediate treatment each day. As such, I had to schedule appointments each day at the very same place that threatened to give me surgery, but I didn't have another choice. Luckily the daily cleanings lasted only about 15-20 minutes, and I was able to get in and out of there smoothly with Kat's help. I honestly didn't know how my school and Fulbright could have expected me to go back to teaching right away when I was still receiving treatment everyday and was bound to crutches and a huge leg cast. OH and the fact that I couldn't even walk, so how could I possibly manage to go up and down numerous flights of stairs throughout the day...

The entire week in Gwangyang was spent being the middle-woman between four parties - my school, Fulbright, the Jeollanam-do Education Office, and the hospital. I was exhausted of seemingly endless discussions about what to do regarding school/teaching, whether or not I would have a job next semester, how long the treatment would last, and more. While this week wasn't particularly physically painful on my foot, it took an emotional toll on my body and mind. I was tired of each party telling me different things, and every time I would double check with A about what B said, the story always changed.

Happy Thanksgiving!

FINALLY by Thursday, the conversations reached an ultimatum: either I go home immediately and receive treatment, or go back to Seoul for an extended period of time to continue treatment. With both options, I would not go back to teaching until the next semester starts in March. My initial reaction was, "This is too good to be true... Fulbright, my school, AND the Jeolla office are letting me off the hook with this? This doesn't seem very Korean..." And, of course, my reaction was right. Although I would be guaranteed my job back in March (with a bit of a scare in between there - but we got it hashed out), I had no other choice but to agree to give up my paycheck for the months of December, January, and February, while also paying my own rent during those months. For those of you who don't know -- January and February are typically paid vacation months anyway, and Fulbright/my school is usually responsible for paying my monthly rent. As you can imagine, I was a bit upset by this, especially after already paying insane amounts on my medical bills, but I also want to keep my job for next semester and remain a grantee of Fulbright Korea. So, I agreed to the conditions.

My friend Mokhwa came to visit! 

With the situation finally starting to improve, I felt a large weight lifted from my shoulders and could finally relax. I decided that I would go to Seoul for 3-4 weeks to continue treatment until daily attention wasn't needed, and then I would be heading home to the United States to continue my recovery and rest up before next semester. The logistics of getting back to Seoul was settled smoothly (thank goodness), and I have been staying at the Fulbright Building for the past three and a half weeks while still receiving daily treatment from Severance Hospital. I am thankful for all my Seoul Fulbright friends who have helped me settle in and keep me entertained while I've been stuck inside this apartment the majority of my time here.

Upgraded to the Walking Boot

Now that I am staying in Seoul, Severance has been sending a home care nurse who visits me every day (except for weekends), cleans my wound, and re-wraps it. Each Tuesday I go to Severance Hospital for weekly checkups with my Orthopedic doctor. After my first checkup with the doctor, I was relinquished of my crutches and now use a walking boot. I have been walking just a little bit, but still use my crutches at times for support. I try to walk a little bit more each day, but I am cautious of opening the wound any wider. So, although I am mobile, I use my mobility at only the necessary moments. The next two weeks were much of the same - checking on the progress of the wound, and adjusting my medication as necessary. I'm now on this 500,000 Won ($450) epidermal cream that is supposed to create a whole bunch of skin cells and muscle tissue that will help it heal super fast. Thank goodness for the insurance I have...

I just completed my last visit this morning, and I am happy to say that I will be going home to the United States TOMORROW MORNING (Wednesday) until January 21st. While home, I will still be getting my foot checked up and be receiving treatment, but I will be much more mobile! By the time I come back to Korea, my doctor at Severance thinks that the hole should be just about fully recovered. I am so excited to be able to spend the holiday season with my family and friends this year, after a miserable and lonely holiday spent alone last year.

With Krystale at the Stanley Kubrick exhibit!

During my week in Gwangyang, I was able to hang out with a lot of people. My buddies EJ, Morgan, and Krystale all took some time to hang out with me, which I was quite grateful for. I was especially happy to see them because they weren't able to visit me while I was in the hospital (the commute is far)! I also hung out with my group of Korean friends that I meet up with regularly, and it felt like home being with them again. Although I couldn't drink alcohol, we enjoyed a nice barbecue dinner and some coffee. I did end up visiting my school for a day because I missed my co-workers and students so much (and I needed to suck up hardcore to the principal and vice principal... LOL). I was greeted with open arms and a million comments from my boys, "I miss you teacher" "Teacher are you ok?" "God Bless You" "I love you" "No playing soccer or basketball?" "Get better fast", which made me feel like a celebrity. I am sad to be missing this year's winter camp and our school festival which I was anticipating a rap performance with some students. But I will come back strong this Spring, I promise.

My home for the past month

While in Seoul, I celebrated Thanksgiving Day with other Fulbrighters and have been hosting some potlucks and hangouts for all of us to get together. I am thankful to have all of them around - they've almost set up a rotation system on whose turn it is to visit me, haha. With a bit more free time than what I am typically used to filling with exercise and teaching, I have been staying busy with the Fulbright Korea Alumni Relations committee, blogging, and taking Korean classes. I hired a private tutor to come in three days a week while I am here in Seoul - one of my goals is to become as best of a Korean speaker that I can during my time here, and what better way to use my free time than to hire a language teacher!? We went through an entire textbook during my month here in Seoul - my brain is fried. Many people assume I get bored, but I honestly haven't felt too bored since I've found ways to occupy my time. I am especially grateful to my friend Krystale, who came all the way up from Gwangyang to hang out with me during my last weekend here until next month! We visited the Seoul Art Museum and walked around the exhibits and attended a Fulbright friend's orchestra/choir concert later. It was great to hang out with a Gwangyang buddy before heading back to the States for the next five weeks. I also want to thank all my other friends who came to see me during my time here, as well as all you blog readers sending your love from afar! All of your support means so much to me and has been my fuel to keep me going throughout all of this. Your words of encouragement have kept me optimistic and high-spirited, and now it is all paying off. In just another month or longer, my foot should be fully healed and I'll be as good as new, ready to conquer the spring semester!

Photo from today's (12/15) hospital visit!

Thank you for tuning in to my four-part series, "Hillary's Hospital Hiatus"! I'm still debating whether or not I'll write another post related to the injury (full of more random instances, stories, etc.) - so be on the lookout! Otherwise, I hope to see many of you back in Illinois during the next month~

If I don't update before Christmas/other Holiday celebrations, Season's Greetings and Best Wishes to you all! Stay safe, stay warm, STAY HEALTHY! ♥