Kimchi, not for me

I went to a respiratory specialist yesterday, as I've had icky lung problems on and off for the past 6-8 months. First, the doctor was (of course) in an actual hospital, and I have severe hospital issues (as in, near panic attacks). Then there was lots of waiting, and I was afraid I was going to be late for my afternoon classes. Then, for whatever reason, I got kind of nervous when I was seeing the doctor and started talking way too fast. He closed in on the asthma deal pretty fast (astute guy, this doc was). Then when the lady from the company tattled on me for having a dog and a cat, the doc just kind of clucked his tongue and said, "Ohhh...that's bad." Of course in my head I'm all "yeah, whatever." Then he said something about how their fur is so bad for you. (At this point, a line from Monty Python and the Holy Grail popped into my head, "Go away, or I shall taunt you a second time.") DUH...it's the dander, not the fur. It could be the fur, but the dander is a much bigger issue. We'll just go with the idea that he didn't know the English word though...besides, being a doctor, he is necessarily at least a million times smarter than I'll ever be, you know? So, with this irritatingly smug smirk on his face, he told me that he was going to run this full blood test to check for allergies and (this next part said in a warning tone of voice) that it would show up if I had a dog or cat allergy. (Did he expect a confession?) Then he told me that I would also need to do a bronchial provocation test and have chest x-rays done. Then I was finished with him.

The bronchial provocation test was humorous, if for no other reason than the guy doing the test spoke little English. And by "little" I mean he said "ok" and something that sounded very much like "left field." I'm sure it wasn't left field, but it REALLY sounded like that. I had to blow into a tube (like for a lung capacity test) then inhale some medication, and blow into the tube again two or three times. Repeat 8 times (as there were 8 different types of medicine to inhale). I was dizzy and a little grumpy towards the end. But it did end. Then off to the x-rays (which took less than 5 minutes from turning in the paper to changing back into my clothes and leaving the room). And the lab...this was like the "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" version of labs. You took a number (as you must do for nearly everything in Korea) and then when it was your turn, you sat down in the chair (which was technically in the waiting room), extended your arm, got stuck, and then left. Extremely efficient and impressive, I must say.

I go back next Tuesday, and we'll see what they say. The lady that went with me from the company asked what I would do if I found out I was allergic to dogs. My response? "Take medicine." I have said it once (ahem...once a DAY) but I will say it again: I AM NOT ALLERGIC TO DOGS. I worked at a vet for a year, during which time I owned FOUR dogs. I lived, worked, ate, and slept in dog and cat hair. No bronchitis or breathing problems then. It is NOT the dog. Anyway...just had to get that out. :) I'll keep you updated.