Medical treatment in Japan- aka The Elephant Woman speaks!

I'd like to take this opportunity to comment on how cheap medical treatment is in Japan compared to the US- or it has been for me so far. I had to go to the dentist for this tooth that's, frankly, been giving me a shitload of trouble for almost three years. I went Monday and Wednesday and although it was painful and has turned me into a bloated monster on the left side of my face this treatment will only, IN TOTAL, cost me about $250. This includes, painkillers and antibiotics that I've gotten for free from the dentist's office, as well as an X-ray and a complete root canal.

The funniest part is how serious everyone has been about the cost- about how expensive it will be for me and am I okay with that? I couldn't help it- I burst out laughing. When one of my wisdom teeth was bothering me right after I moved to DC, I had it pulled with almost no real care, a basic X-ray of just that tooth, and some antibiotics. It cost me $500 for about an hour's worth of work by a DC dentist. Highway fucking robbery. And if I wanted government medical care, just how many redwoods would I need to initial to make that deal with the Devil as well as how many pay stubs, references, background checks, etc? Utter bullshit!

The only real setback is the language barrier- of course! Monday is always my day off and I was expecting a quick jaunt to the dentist followed by dinner with my coworker Luke. Nope! They were pretty confused as was I as to what treatment I would receive and, thankfully, called Nozomi who DID have to work on Mondays. She translated that the same tooth was bothering me as had been for what seems like an eternity and so they got down to business. The problem was that my dentist back home fixed my tooth temporarily and was expecting me to come back for the rest of the treatment...BUT I quit my job with the good health insurance and then travelled, moved, travelled, Obama won, then moved again- blah, blah, blah...then Japan.

So, although I have swollen up to Renee Zellweger a la Cold Mountain proportions, it is only on the left side of my face and makes me look like a fucking freak. This has led to me taking a few days off to let the swelling go down and so as not to frighten the children. I am hoping I will look somewhat normal for my birthday this Sunday when I make soba with my coworkers.

Next stop: gynecologist- I wonder how Nozomi will feel about that one!