Rerax, rerax...

The service in Japan is amazing. I went in for my stomach camera procedure. Because they didn't speak English very well, they were completely prepared for me. I was ushered from one room to the next, drinking liquids to prepare, taking different forms of numbing agents. In each room, taped to the tables, there were notes for each nurse with the English translation beneath the Japanese. They just showed me the note in each room to explain what I needed to do! They had prepared this hours in advance. Amazing. And all through the gagging of the procedure itself, the nurse kept rubbing my shoulders, saying "Rerax, rerax..." (relax) There was none of the "professional distance" Western doctors and nurses keep. The doctor talked to me like a human being and was extremely sympathetic.

It turns out that I have a completely healthy stomach, and the doctor doesn't know what is wrong. It's possibly just stress, but I have a feeling it's a little more than that. The next step would be an MRI or colonoscopy. However, I found out that my (non-Japanese) insurance company won't cover any of this, including the stomach scope. Since I just signed up with them in December, they assume that whatever is wrong is a pre-existing condition. They don't cover diagnostics until they get a solid diagnosis, so it's all out-of-pocket. Granted, it's still a hell of a lot cheaper here. The camera procedure only cost me about $180. The full blood panel they did (also showing me perfectly healthy) cost me $30 and was done in a few hours.

Any time an American doctor needs days to get blood work back, it's all a scam. They could easily do it faster for cheaper. I have proof. I've experienced it.

For now, I'm not going to take any further steps. I'm just going to wait a little longer and do my best to "rerax" about it.