Long story short, ended up in Emergency.
It was super early in the morning and I barely had any sleep including my sister as I was vomiting throughout the night. In the morning, I vomited bile and I knew it was severe. I could not even lift my head as I was so dizzy as well. This was around 6-7 AM in the morning. My sister was messaging her friend for Chinese translations of my symptoms in case they don't speak English.
I had to message my brother through WeChat and ask him to gather my insurance information. My sister went out and bought breakfast for later and once she was back we headed to the lobby to make a toll-free call and for some reason it did not go through. I felt like the front desk dialed it wrong as it is toll-free. No choice. Still had to proceeded. My travel insurance on my credit card stated that if I needed to go to ER, I need to let them know that I will be initiating a claim. I ended up claiming the cost with my work insurance instead.
I was very hesitant going to the Emergency since I would not be able to enjoy my trip. My sister was right though, if I didn't my symptoms would continue and it could've have been worse and would prolong my incapability to get better and move around.
I had to message my brother through WeChat and ask him to gather my insurance information. My sister went out and bought breakfast for later and once she was back we headed to the lobby to make a toll-free call and for some reason it did not go through. I felt like the front desk dialed it wrong as it is toll-free. No choice. Still had to proceeded. My travel insurance on my credit card stated that if I needed to go to ER, I need to let them know that I will be initiating a claim. I ended up claiming the cost with my work insurance instead.
I was very hesitant going to the Emergency since I would not be able to enjoy my trip. My sister was right though, if I didn't my symptoms would continue and it could've have been worse and would prolong my incapability to get better and move around.
Experienced my first panic attack as well. It was very scary. The rapid breathing and inability to calm down leading to tingling of my arms and legs as well as tears streaming down my face. (T⌓T) It was a nightmare.
The hotel helped us call a taxi and once in the taxi we showed the driver where we wanted to go. The ride was pretty cheap as it was very close by, perhaps around a ~5 minutes ride away. I went to Taipei City Hospital - Zhongxing Branch. Taiwan hospital have some good reputation so nothing to be afraid of versus the ones in China.
TIP: Make sure you purchase a medical certificate from the hospital if you plan to submit your claim for reimbursement. I had to send in all my original documents (receipt and medical certificate) to my insurance company by mail for them to start a claim.
Taipei City Hospital - Zhongxing Branch
No. 145, Zhengzhou Road
Total Cost of the ER visit
The taxi dropped us off in front of the main entrance to the ER. Once inside, the nurse will triage you. But first you will have to register at the front with your passport as well as surrender your passport to them till you paid your hospital fees.
The consultation with the Emergency doctor was pretty quick, less than 10 minutes. There is a little language barrier but he did speak good English. I was not able to convey to him the fact that 2 days ago I started feeling sick with a fever after exercising in the heat. He only checked my throat and told me that it is swollen and red and I probably have tonsillitis. It should've been "heat exhaustion" and the tonsillitis should be a manifestation of that. But whatever. I asked him for a IV fluid as I was so dehydrated as well. But they also gave me medication for my fever and another shot to help with my nausea.
I was escorted to a bed in the ER department but me and my sister was worried about the cost as the staff did not give us an estimate. A nice elderly gentleman saw that we were worried and showed us the cost if we were a citizen but we were not so it made no difference. It was a nice gesture though.
I had to give them a urine sample as well. The only negative is the washroom. It was nasty inside. I had to do it in one of those squatting toilets with a hole in the ground. Mind you, I can barely stand as I felt like vomiting and was beyond weak. Once that was done, I was strolled in for a CXR. Once inside the room, the nurse and the radiologist was there. The nurse said I had to take off my bra and it was taking a while and the radiologist walked in and the nurse said not yet and he walked away embarrassed. LOL. (*≧艸≦) It was not like I was naked, I had a gown over top... Once the xray was done I was rolled back to my bed area to rest and wait for the results. My sister had to eat her breakfast next to me in the hospital, so sad. Once the results came out, everything was normal I assume since they didn't say anything and just told me to pick up my medications at the pharmacy which is next to the ER. The doctor prescribed me amoxicillin (which I am not sure why as I did not even get a throat swab and I don't think I have pneumonia), Tylenol-3 and another medication for vomiting.
The dispense fee includes the medications as well. I was shocked because it was so cheap. Less than $5 CND. Shocking. So after we picked up the medication, we had to go back to the front to pay our hospital fee and retrieve my passport once that was processed.
If you do need to go see a doctor urgently and you don't have coverage, it is still fairly cheap compared to the States or Canada. A doctor visit in Canada without coverage will set you back ~$80 CND and a chest xray will cost ~$55 CND. Once I returned from my vacation, I submitted my paperwork and did get the entire amount reimbursed by The Great West Life.
I was in the hospital for maybe less than 5 hours as we went in the early morning so there were not a lot of people but by the time we left in the early afternoon, it has tripled. I felt well enough to walk back to the hotel which was around 15-20 minutes away. Once back at the hotel, my sister went out to explore while I rested for the rest of the day.
