Dear Newsletter readers,
Konnichiwa, this is Mari from boiling hot Osaka.
We are still in the middle of rainy season though.
July is the month of health check up at Ichiroya.
Ichiroya is a very generous company which offers annual medical check up to
all the employee. Every July, we go to the largest hospital of our city to get
comprehensive medical examination. It includes blood test, abdominal ultrasound,
stomach X-ray, eye exam, urin and stool test, etc. and doctor's review at the end.
Female employees get brest ultrasound and uterine cancer exam, too.
It is Ichiro and Yuka's policy that we need to be healthy to provide the best
service to our customers. Ichiroya pays for the exams and the day we take them. We
are very thankful for them.
I went to the check up. I had to finish my dinner by 7 pm on the night before the check up.
Then, it was prohibited to take any food and liquid until the end of all the test.
I was hungry and thirsty in the morning of course. I can't remember how many times
I stopped myself to drink my son's OJ, and have a bite of his bagel in the morning.
Thank god! I was able to resist all the temptation and made it to the hospital on
time with empty stomach.
At 9am, right after I checked in the hospital, I was asked to change to the sexy
outfit for check up. OK! I'm ready!
The serises of exams went smoothly.
Then, the highlight of the exams came up, STOMACH X-RAY!
This is the last exam I had to take, and the most difficult one.
I hate it...
There are a couple of good reasons why I hate it.
1) I have to put up with burping after I take a blowing agent while I'm taking
stomach X-ray. It's hard! They make my stomach filled with air by the blowing
agent to see its inside better. If I burped, my stomach would shrink and they
couldn't take clear image of my stomach. I have to focus on not burping while I'm
on the table. Sigh...
2) I have to drink a bottle of barium(white sloppy liquid) which doesn't taste
good at all. Yack! It's not taste good because if it were taste good, my stomach
start moving. It bother them to take good images of my stomach. It is a very good
reason. However, I still don't like the taste and sloppy texture. Sigh...
3) I have to roll over on the slippy table hundreds times to make the barium
flow well in my body! You would laugh out loud if you see me doing it! I'm like a
rat in a lab! Sigh...
OK, I know I have to go through this anyways. Bring it on!
I did drink up the blowing agent and barium.
The X-ray engineer ordered what to do, like "Hold the side bars tightly!", "Roll
over to your right! Faster! Faster! Even faster!", "STOP! Right there!" etc. I
know that he was trying to take the best images of my stomach. I really appreciate
his hard work. However, I thought that he is trying to make me laugh by ordering
those difficult moves and posing. He even tilted the table until my head went
lower than my feet. Then, he asked me to stay still for a while by holding bars on
the side of my body. If my grips were a little bit weaker, I could slide down from
the table and landed by my head! Thank god, I was able to hanging there, and
didn't burp! No burp so far!
Then, I tried to roll over as fast as I could. But, he asked me to do even faster!
I was like "No way! I'm doing my best! Also, I'm holding a big burp!"
There were only me and the engineer in the room. I wish you could be there and
watching us doing whole thing. It must be funny!
Anyways, I took all the exams. The result came out very well. I had no health
problem at all. That is good to know.
Finally, my annual medical check up is over! I was handed a meal coupon which I
can use at a cafeteria of the hospital. I choose a mackerel bento box for my
lunch. It was, of course, tasty after 17 hours fasting.
I hope I will be able to hang on the X-Ray table next year, too.
Thank you for reading. See you next time!
