The title says it all—last week I got hit by a nasty case of strep throat that had me writhing in tonsil-pinched agony for three nights and coughing in a runny-nosed mess for four days, plus some lingering coughing and sneezing I just couldn’t shake. (That’s the most graphic I’m going to get in this post—promise!)
We’ve all been sick before and know what it’s like (no fun, except for the staying home and watching movies part), but this week I want to share three illness-related observations you might not have thought about: Japanese health care, taking days off, and falling behind on creative work.
1. Health Care in Japan is SUPER Efficient!
In my post about Japanese living expenses I talked about my experiences with American health insurance, where by virtue of my moving around and changing jobs I had to change health insurance carriers four times in three years (!!!). I regularly dealt with mountains of paperwork (including those MASSIVE contracts health insurance companies still send you for some reason), plus regular emails with advice about how I could prepare for my next pregnancy. Then I had to hunt around for a doctor in my area who was accepting new patients, make an appointment, fill out a bunch more paperwork, and if I needed something done I had to sign up for an online payment system and track more bills.
Plus, it was REALLY expensive—my last plan was running me over $250 a month, which was well over 10% of my income most months. Dang.
For a young, single, and healthy guy like me who basically just needs coverage in case I get cancer, break my leg, or fall badly ill, it was a LOT to deal with. Plus, in America when I got sinus infections or bad colds, I never went to the doctor because in America, well, that’s just not what we do.
Here’s how the process worked in Japan:
- My employer filled out my application for the Japanese Employees’ Health Insurance plan. A few weeks later I got my card in the mail.
- When I got sick, a coworker brought me to a small clinic without an appointment. I showed the clerk my health insurance card and ID.
- I took my own temperature in the waiting room and waited about ten minutes.
- My coworker and I told the doctor how I was feeling. The doctor looked at my throat, listened to my heartbeat, then asked if I had any allergies.
- The clinic gave me some antibiotics with instructions on how to take it, along with a bunch of lozenges. The bill was ¥1,490 ($15), and I paid cash at the counter.
- I said thank you and went home.
And that was literally everything! The entire process took 50 minutes from the time I left until the time I got back, and that includes stopping to pick up bread and OJ. After that it was back into pajamas and under the covers.
It was without doubt one of the most efficient experiences of my entire life—not only was there zero paperwork (the clinic got everything they needed from my health insurance card and ID), there was no small talk with the doctor, no waiting for prescriptions, no driving somewhere else to get the prescription, and once again, no paperwork. It’s also not like the process was fast because I was the only sick person there—there were at least four other people in the waiting room.
It’s astounding how you can get used to things being a certain way, then see how another place does them and realize what you’re missing. Again, for a single guy like me who doesn’t get sick often, doesn’t need any fancy bells or whistles, and has enough paperwork to deal with as it is, I’d choose the Japanese system any day.
Plus, it’s cheaper—I pay less than $140 a month from my paycheck here, and my prescription came with lozenges ;-)
2. I Made Difficult Decisions About When to Rest and When to Go to My Day Job
When I was younger I used to force myself to go to work when I was sick because I was afraid of being seen as a slacker. It took YEARS for me to get it through my thick skull that going to work sick was not only awkward and terrible, it stopped me from resting so that the sickness stuck around longer and the rest of my life fell further into disarray. Now that I’ve learned the hard way I’ve gotten a lot more careful when it comes to working versus stepping away.
The morning after the throat pain hit I woke up in a sweaty, post-feverish mess and could barely speak—there was no way I was going into work that day, and I called my supervisor to explain what happened (the clear hoarseness in my voice increased the believability level).
The next day, though, was trickier—that day at work I had the chance to pursue a Big Opportunity that I really wanted to check out for Reasons I Have to Keep Secret Right Now. I worried about missing the Big Opportunity since it was potentially a one-shot deal, but I also didn’t want to go into work a coughing, runny-nosed mess and make the sickness worse. What was I to do?
The next morning I woke up feeling better but still not great. It took a mighty effort to get out of bed, but once I’d showered I knew I could hold my act together…barely. I weighed the advantages of staying and resting versus missing the Big Opportunity, and decided it was worth it to go in and power through before taking the weekend to rest.
While I definitely got what I wanted out of the Big Opportunity (!), I was a mess most of the day and constantly had to keep the snot from dripping all over my face and shirt (OK, that’s the last graphic description, for serious this time). It was bad that I had to make that trade-off since I ended the day feeling a lot worse than I started it, but the lasting effects weren’t too severe and I’m glad I made my own decision based on the available options.
3. I Fell Behind on Creative Work and Now I’m Playing Catch-Up
I was EXTREMELY lucky in that the week I got sick was one where I’d been sailing through my To-Do list like a rockstar so I could focus more on bigger projects. That’s why it wasn’t a big deal for me to take a few days off when the sickness hit.
If, however, I’d had editing jobs to finish, webstore orders to mail, or blog posts to edit, I’d have had to work on all of it while sick—which wouldn’t have been much fun and likely would have made things worse. This is a prime example of how it not only pays to stay caught up on your shit, it pays to stay ahead, so that if something big and awful happens like your wheel rim getting destroyed or you succumbing to a sudden case of strep you’ll have an easier time climbing out of the new hole and getting back on track.
…which is exactly what happened. During my four days of resting, Youtubing, and listening to podcasts a bunch of emails piled up and I lost all the ground I’d gained—plus I had to wash a heaping sinkful of dirty dishes and clean up the snotty tissues I’d strewn over the apartment (again, I promise—no more!). While it kinda sucked losing the headway I’d made the previous week, it wasn’t a dealbreaker, and the experience made me feel more responsible for getting caught up in the first place.
And that’s what really gets me about being sick—we make plans to get things done and then big stuff we can’t control wrenches in and takes priority. It’s times like these that show us how important it is to be prepared and control your time and energy.
That, and how it pays to have convenient health insurance ;-)
Here’s something else that pays—keeping in touch!
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