A Medical Experience in Japan

As many of you know, Daisy had an attack of trigeminal neuralgia in early March. She said the pain was excruciating. Much worse than having a baby (or two at once in our case). A friend told us that it is sometimes called the suicide disease because of the pain. She has been on medicine and doing much better, but it was suggested by her doctor that she have an MRI to be sure that the trigeminal neuralgia wasn't being caused by a tumor. So I thought I'd relate that experience.

First of all our doctor told us that the local hospital took walk-ins before noon so one of the Japanese speaking missionaries went with us. We thought we were going for Daisy to have an MRI. The first thing we encountered was about a 20-minute wait just to get into the hospital parking lot. Daisy and Lillian finally got out and walked the last 100 yards while I waited to park. She soon discovered that there would be no MRI that day, but that to schedule it, one must go to the hospital.

So after some line standing and form filling in the large waiting area where nearly all patients are processed, we made our way to the waiting "hall."

Note from the picture that it is actually a very large waiting area that services a total of 10 different doctors, five on each side of the hall which are as follows: obstetrics, general practitioner, dermatologist, orthopedics, oncologist, urologist, pediatrics, ear/nose/throat, eye, brain/nerve. Daisy and our accompanying translator soon got to go in and actually talk to an English-understanding but Japanese-speaking brain surgeon who discussed her problem and an appointment for the MRI was set up.

We then made our way back to the first waiting area and paid our bill... of 810 yen, about $9!

The appointment was about a week later and I'll let Daisy relate that experience to you...

Two of my English students were kind enough to accompany us since our Japanese-speaking missionary friend wasn't available the day of the MRI. They asked me the questions on the form (such as if I was pregnant!), and translated the instructions of the technicians. After I had changed into the hospital gown (which I thought was of a little better quality than is standard in the USA!), the technicians handed me some very flimsy earplugs. My friends relayed the information that this was because, "It will be noisy." I was surprised but didn't think much about it. In retrospect, I can't believe anyone would think such flimsy earplugs--or really any earplugs--would be a match for what was to come!

My friends could not come into the room where the MRI would actually be performed, of course, but the techs kindly said, "Nihongo ga skoshi warkarimuska?" ("You can understand only a little Japanese?"), and we were able to communicate with my little bit of Japanese and their little bit of English. In the USA when I have tests done in the hospital , I always FREEZE, but these rooms were so hot, I thought I was going to be sick, so I refused the blanket they wanted to put over me. Since I am slightly claustrophobic, I was a little concerned about being in the MRI machine, especially when they put a helmet-type thing over my head and part of my face. But I was given a emergency button to hold that I could press if I needed to be removed, so that was comforting.

However, it took me only a few minutes to know that I would not press that button because that would mean I'd have to go through this experience again! And as the machine was turned on, being claustrophobic suddenly because a secondary problem. Being told that it would be "noisy," didn't begin to prepare me for the volume and intensity of the noise--but then again, I don't know any words that would have prepared me, except perhaps "jackhammer!" Any of you who've had MRI's of the head probably know that it's like having a jackhammer pounding in your brain. I truly thought I was going to lose my mind from the incessant, relentless noise, and I felt strange for a day or two afterward. I assume there is a good reason for all that noise (I certainly hope so!), but no one has been able to tell me.

Back to Donn...

So the bill for the MRI came to 6,160 yen... about $70.

We weren't able to go back for the results for two weeks as we had other commitments on the day they first suggested. As you can see from the pictures, Daisy did not have the same results that Hall of Fame pitcher Dizzy Dean had when he was knocked unconscious by a baseball and the next day headlines said, "X-ray of Dean's head shows nothing." But we are very thankful that the surgeon said that there was no tumor or any growth that shouldn't be.

He said that as we age our veins lengthen and that she had one that was touching a nerve and that medicine should take care of the problem, but there were other options (surgery) if it didn't. So that 20- minute visit to have the surgeon read the results cost us another 960 yen... about $11.

So if you are keeping track, two visits with a specialist and an MRI cost us a total of $90. Japan has national health insurance and we pay 30% of the bill. So for you nonmath majors $90 is 30% of $300--total cost! We know that many people have a lot of concerns about President Obama's health plan (we've been too removed from it to know the issues), but Japan national insurance has been good for us.

Just out of curiosity, if any of you medical people happen to know what a USA hospital charges for an MRI and what it costs to actually talk face to face to a brain surgeon we'd like to know.