Oh my gosh, tears are falling.
I said in the chat room that I have cancer...haha
My family came running right away.
My sister said that the name 'cancer' should be changed.
That's how much fear comes from the name.
Actually, I have a family history, so I had an ultrasound and mammogram about 2 years ago.
I guess I let my guard down because they said it was clean.
But I have to live the life that's been given to me,
so I came to my senses and looked for a hospital first.
(They give you a diagnosis from a primary hospital.
You can make a reservation at a university hospital with this.)
First, I searched for breast cancer experts,
I called Ilsan A Center, Seoul SS Hospital, Bundang S University Hospital
and made a reservation at Bundang Hospital, which was the fastest.
(If you make a reservation through a diagnostic hospital,
it might be a little faster,
but I just did it myself.)
Even the fastest one was a month later.
(As of the end of 2022)
And that's just the first appointment!
Once you get diagnosed, make a reservation quickly.
A very anxious time... I filed for cancer diagnosis insurance,
ate delicious food, went out,
installed Pokemon Go and leveled up a lot, and a month later.
There were a lot of patients... I felt a little relieved.
I thought I wasn't the only one...
When you first go, you register the documents or CD you received from the diagnostic hospital
at the kiosk,
and meet the professor, and then make another appointment.
The results from the primary hospital are just for reference,
and you have to do all the tests again.
It seems to be for the unique data of the hospital and
more accurate and precise examination before starting treatment.
Like a fast track? They take you to a room and
take measures to make reservations for various related departments quickly and efficiently.
They also apply for the special calculation of severe illnesses on your behalf.
It is a system that reduces the financial burden on sick people in the country,
and cancer patients have a 5% self-payment rate for 5 years.
(That doesn't mean you don't need insurance. Please
get insurance. Please!)
However, it seems that really basic cancer-related treatment
is the standard, and hospital fees
will vary depending on the surgical method and individual treatment.
Ultrasound, nuclear needle biopsy, mammography, blood test, MRI, etc.
(I also had a BRCA test because of my family history.)
It seems complicated, but they make reservations so that you can do two visits at once
by matching the date and time as much as possible.
Who likes to be sick?
But I was scared and hated injections,
Wow... I was amazed by the medical technology in Korea throughout the treatment.
There wasn't much pain during the treatment process,
but I had a mammogram at a university hospital...
I really screamed. I even shed tears..?
They said I had to endure it even if I screamed...
They really squeezed my ribs.
They made an appointment for the examination and the follow-up examination at the same time during the first visit,
so I discussed the treatment method with the professor after the results came out.
First, I was diagnosed with malignant tumors on both sides,
and a BRCA mutation gene type 1.
The stage will probably be determined after the surgery, but it's stage 1 or 2.
These days, pre-chemotherapy has a good prognosis, so they do it a lot,
but they said I should have the surgery first.
I don't know what the criteria are.
Because of my family history and the BRCA mutation,
I decided to have a bilateral mastectomy and simultaneous reconstruction surgery,
and I also had a high risk of recurrence, so I thought it would be better to just have a partial mastectomy
and have implants inserted
rather than worrying about it.
(That doesn't mean there is no recurrence rate...it's about 20%)
Now I have to make a surgery appointment
but I have to coordinate the date with the plastic surgeon
and that's also at least a month behind. Ha....
I feel this every time I go to the hospital
there are so many people who are sick.
A word of advice - If you're not a conglomerate, get some insurance. They won't take it after you're sick...
