First Trip to the Hospital

At the beginning of this week Elisa and I decided that I should probably go see a doctor sometime soon because of this small lump that had been on my face/neck for a few weeks. The lump wasn't terribly big, about the size of a dime. At first I didn't think it was a big issue so I didn't tell Elisa about it. Then after a couple of weeks and it not going away or even getting smaller I decided to see what she thought. We waited another couple of weeks and then made the decision to get it checked out. We decided to ask people from our school for help to find a doctor that would be able to help us out (almost all doctors in Taiwan are specialists in a certain area so you don't just go to a general doctor). We talked to our principal and he said he would call a specialist he knew so that we wouldn't have to go through all of the hoops necessary for a normal visit. However, then on Tuesday I was in talking to the principal and he had some spare time so we decided to walk across the street to the hospital that is right next to the school.

Since we did not set up an appointment with the specialist my principal knew we had to go through all of the crazy hoops necessary just to see a doctor. First, we entered the hospital and we took a number. We had to wait for our number to be called and then we went to see the secretary ladies (there is not just one or two like in the states but about 10 different ladies). We tell one of the secretaries my problem, which means I am telling my principal and he is translating to the secretary. When she hears what my problem is she seems very confused so she starts discussing with some of the other secretary women that are there. Finally, it seems she had decided where I need to go. The second step is for me to get another number that includes a room number and floor to where I am supposed to go to next. I was on the 2nd floor and number 18. When we arrived to my room they were on number 11 so I had a little bit of a wait ahead of me. The way this part works is that there is a little waiting area just outside each room. Each room contains a specialist doctor. There were probably something like 20 rooms with people sitting in their designated waiting area. Anyway back to my visit, as my principal and I are waiting for my number to be called we are just talking and hanging out when I started to get confused about what was happening. I start looking around the hospital rooms and wondering if we were in the right place. My principal must have noticed my confusion and answered my question without me even asking it. He says "yes you are waiting to see the breast doctor." I had noticed on the outside of the door that we were waiting to go into that it said in English breast surgery and general surgery. I found out that this specialist doctor is the one that works with any type of flesh/skin problem and that includes breast problems I guess. We finally get called into the office to meet the doctor and the room was definitely a room for a breast doctor. I saw some pretty weird posters and manikin type people in that room. It was all a little strange. Back to the lump again I am telling my principal the problem and he translates to the doctor for me. The doctor examines my face for a full one second or so it seems and tells me that there is nothing to be concerned with and that the lump is not anything cancerous. He pretty much told me that I have a large whitehead/pimple that is trapped underneath my skin and will probably always be there, though maybe not always as big. So, I was happy with the fact that it was nothing serious, a little disappointed to spend about 15 dollars to find out I have a giant pimple trapped under my skin, and completely weirded out by my first visit to the breast doctor.--Cameron