Medical Terminology as Spoken by the Layperson...

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Febrifuge said:
In my tech days, I was fond of saying things like "so, other than the nail protruding from your hand, how are you doing?"

I found that you can spot the cooler patients because they say, "eh. I'm still breathing, anyway."
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Any day on this side of the soil is a good one.....
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This is where my tag comes from (to the left):
I am doing a hospice fellowship and there is a community doctor who refers to us as Ho Spice. He sincerely thinks it is okay to pronounce it like that. Or maybe that we are the long lost ***** spice girl.:rolleyes:

Oh, and if anyone needs humor to survive at work, it is those of us down at the Ho Spice!
 
Walking by a room on my third year OB rotation and all of a sudden I hear a ruckus. About 30 seconds into it - "GET THIS BABY OUT MY A**"

Favorite transcription errors - you wouldn't believe how many patients in our hospital have had fem-perineal bypasses. A few have even had fem-perianal ones. I have got to get in on one of those!
 
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While taking a history, the patient told me about regularly having "A tall one".

I had to ask several times before I realized that he was taking Talwin. :oops:
 
"I have a bleed in my lower contestants."
 
DOrk said:
(On Coumadin)

How about just calling them rat poison?
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I know I'm replying to an old post , but it reminded me of a funny story from when I was a nursing aide. Taking care of this crazy old demented woman, mean as spit. She's ancient, and the way she talks she probably got six grades of school if she was lucky. Anyway, I'm in the room setting up her meal and the nurse brings in her pills. She asks what it is and the nurse says "Your coumadin."

This old bag snaps back "I ain't takin' that rat poison!"

I was very impressed by her knowledge.

As for names, I've personally seen a Yermajusty (Your Majesty). Know of a patient who wanted to name her twins Tykwerius and Tikwerius (yes, only the name Y and I are different) but was talked out of it. And I've heard from numerous attendings that a child was treated a few years back who was named "Urapreciesangle". Pronounced "You're a precious angel" but looks like "You're a precise angle"
 
deuist said:
Maybe you should read a bit more about the history of the word "Ebonics" before raining on our parade.
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Ok-- this was months ago but such is the life of an intern.

Ebonics, a portmanteau of "ebony" and "phonics", was originally intended and sometimes used for the language of all people of African ancestry, or for that of Black North American and West African people, emphasizing the African roots of the former; since 1996 it has been largely used to refer to African American Vernacular English (distinctively nonstandard Black United States English), emphasizing the independence of the latter from (standard) English.


Did I miss something?
 
MeganRose said:
Ok-- this was months ago but such is the life of an intern.

Ebonics, a portmanteau of "ebony" and "phonics", was originally intended and sometimes used for the language of all people of African ancestry, or for that of Black North American and West African people, emphasizing the African roots of the former; since 1996 it has been largely used to refer to African American Vernacular English (distinctively nonstandard Black United States English), emphasizing the independence of the latter from (standard) English.


Did I miss something?
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Some people believe using the word "ebonics" is a racist term. I don't know if it is considered this nowadays or not, but by the definition above it is not. However, who knows, maybe it carries a derogatory feel to it. :confused: Maybe someone else can educate.
 
So let’s take a break from the butchered medical terminology that this thread has brought to light. In the last few weeks I have been subjected to a more than usual amount of examples of the fact that the American educational system has failed and the English language is dead. Since I like making lists so much here are the most recent examples:

“Goed” – as in “I goed to the store.” Verb tenses? What are those? We can just slap an ed on the end of anything presto, what is done was done.

“Hurted” – as in “It hurted bad.” If you’re 5, then ok. If you’re 45 you’ve just proven that you cheated on your GED exam.

“Was like” and “Go” – as in “She was like “Up your’s!” so I go “Drop dead!”” Seriously, what ever happened to the word “said?”

Ending sentences with prepositions – as in “Where you was at?” And that’s not just the patients. The nurses like to do it too. I’ve started to end sentences with prepositions just to join in.;)

Alleged – as in “I was the alleged man that beat that dude up.” Yes, it sounds like a big and intimidating word and you hear your lawyers and arresting officers use it often but don’t try this at home. You’ll just make your self sound stupid, criminal, emasculated or possibly all three. Bonus points for ending with the preposition.:D
 
docB said:
Ending sentences with prepositions – as in “Where you was at?” And that’s not just the patients. The nurses like to do it too. I’ve started to end sentences with prepositions just to join in
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There's no such rule. There is a common misconception---even among middle school English teachers---that a sentence cannot end in a preposition. But for some reason, this myth keeps getting perpetuated---and here's a fine example.
 
at my hospital:

peanut butter balls= phenobarbital

smiling mary jesus= spinal meningitis

there are more...I will think of them.

I got "tha suga" = diabetes
 
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He drink merk. My brain had to restart to figure out she meant, "Milk."

Merk = milk left me dying inside. Thankfully, she was a very interactive/involved mother and the baby was doing great because of that.
 
deuist said:
There's no such rule. There is a common misconception---even among middle school English teachers---that a sentence cannot end in a preposition. But for some reason, this myth keeps getting perpetuated---and here's a fine example.
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Stipulated. Can we agree that saying "Where are they at?" is suboptimal?
 
CC: "He be wheezlein' so I give him his newbielizerer (yeah I meant erer). Den he done just gave out startin seizurin."

Yeah, this apparently meant that he was SOB and required a nebulizer, which didn't break his wheezing. They then called 911 after he passed out.
 
"She can't take no vick-o-dine cause it make her vomick."


Dr: Have you ever been pregnant?
Pt: Yeah. I had an adoption.
Dr: ...Um...but have you been pregnant before?
Pt: *roll eyes* I had to be pregnant in order to have an adoption!


Those adoption nazis! :mad:
 
Patient named "Anamalee" pronounced like anomalie.

Lord, help that child when she hits middle school...
 
Wackie said:
"She can't take no vick-o-dine cause it make her vomick."


Dr: Have you ever been pregnant?
Pt: Yeah. I had an adoption.
Dr: ...Um...but have you been pregnant before?
Pt: *roll eyes* I had to be pregnant in order to have an adoption!


Those adoption nazis! :mad:
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Did she possibly mean abortion?
 
deuist said:
There's no such rule. There is a common misconception---even among middle school English teachers---that a sentence cannot end in a preposition. But for some reason, this myth keeps getting perpetuated---and here's a fine example.
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It is not that it is a common grammarical error, but that it is poor use of the language. Ending with a preposition can mislead the listener as to the true reference, or that it is an entirely useless word. Thus, it ain't right. E.g, "where you are at." vs. "Where you are."
 
this thread simply made my day.

It also made me think of how things go the other way. Think of the people who on sight you know their name, past medical history and potentially why they are coming in. No matter how many times you explain it to them they keep coming back for more. I wonder how we sound to them.
 
deuist said:
There's no such rule. There is a common misconception---even among middle school English teachers---that a sentence cannot end in a preposition. But for some reason, this myth keeps getting perpetuated---and here's a fine example.
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This is correct. Latin is the language that prohibits the ending of a sentence with a preposition. That said, it's still not grammatically correct to end a sentence with a preposition that has no object, i.e. "Where is my wallet at?"
 
zipmedic said:
This is correct. Latin is the language that prohibits the ending of a sentence with a preposition. That said, it's still not grammatically correct to end a sentence with a preposition that has no object, i.e. "Where is my wallet at?"
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So can we say it like, "Where is my wallet at, a**hole?" :laugh:
 
A little joke:
New college roommates were meeting eachother for the first time. Roommate 1 - typical northeastern snob. Roomate 2 - southern belle. Roommate 2 asks roomie 1 "Where y'all from?" Roomie 1 replies, "From where they know better than to end a sentence with a preposition." Roomie 2 counters, "Where y'all from, b----?"
 
SoCuteMD said:
A little joke:
New college roommates were meeting eachother for the first time. Roommate 1 - typical northeastern snob. Roomate 2 - southern belle. Roommate 2 asks roomie 1 "Where y'all from?"
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Also incorrect to use "y'all" for one person. It's a second person plural. That being said I use it in the singular, mainly because I enjoy confusing my southern comrades who invariably look around to see if there is someone else there.
 
SoCuteMD said:
A little joke:
New college roommates were meeting eachother for the first time. Roommate 1 - typical northeastern snob. Roomate 2 - southern belle. Roommate 2 asks roomie 1 "Where y'all from?" Roomie 1 replies, "From where they know better than to end a sentence with a preposition." Roomie 2 counters, "Where y'all from, b----?"
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A Southerner comes to New England for his cousin's wedding. There, he meets a cute college student and they get to talking.

"So, I'm at the University of Arkansas," he says to her. "Where do you go to school at?"

She says, "Yale."

So he replies, "I SAID, WHERE DO YOU GO TO SCHOOL AT?"
 
jbar said:
Also incorrect to use "y'all" for one person. It's a second person plural. That being said I use it in the singular, mainly because I enjoy confusing my southern comrades who invariably look around to see if there is someone else there.
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"Y'all" can be for one person where it also implies about asking where you and your family is from, if we're to use the above example.

"All y'all" is most definitely plural.

You're not confusing southern comrades. You're just looking like a yankie trying to use southern slang and failing at it. :p *playful jab*
 
Wackie said:
"Y'all" can be for one person where it also implies about asking where you and your family is from, if we're to use the above example.

"All y'all" is most definitely plural.

You're not confusing southern comrades. You're just looking like a yankie trying to use southern slang and failing at it. :p *playful jab*
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I concur with my erudite southern brethern: "All y'all" is indeed the proper plural form of "y'all".
 
I kid you not, there is a black female in Philadelphia whose mother named her "Placenta" because "it's just such a beautiful word.":eek:
 
DogFaceMedic said:
I concur with my erudite southern brethern: "All y'all" is indeed the proper plural form of "y'all".
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interesting. I've been corrected for using y'all in the singular.

and I should remember that Yale joke, should be interesting to see the reaction to it up here in New Haven.
 
also accepted some places is the plural form as "all y-alls" or just "y-alls"
 
this thread = ignorant as hell.
 
EM2BE said:
Some people believe using the word "ebonics" is a racist term. I don't know if it is considered this nowadays or not, but by the definition above it is not. However, who knows, maybe it carries a derogatory feel to it. :confused: Maybe someone else can educate.
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It is derogatory for the reason that, only when Black people speak "improper" english, a word is made for it. What do we call it when an Asian or Hispanic or any other race speaks broken english? We don't call it anything, and its looked down upon if we make fun of it. :thumbdown:
 
bellacnella said:
It is derogatory for the reason that, only when Black people speak "improper" english, a word is made for it. What do we call it when an Asian or Hispanic or any other race speaks broken english? We don't call it anything, and its looked down upon if we make fun of it. :thumbdown:
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Could not have said it better myself. :thumbup: This thread=the worst thing about the EM forum.
 
deuist said:
The reason I told you to read about the history of the word is because of the claim that it's racist. How can that be? It was invented by Black people!
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Using it in THIS context is racist. Blacks invented this term to describe the vernacular adopted by our VERY recent ancestors, who were BEATEN if they tried to learn proper English and reading/writing. It was invented to explain why early blacks had difficulty pronouncing certain words (just like the French, Chinese, etc), and to begin a dialogue in which to give permission to the younger generation to speak proper English without being viewed as looking down on our grandparents, etc. It is not meant to be synonymous with "ghetto-talk" or ignorance, as is being portrayed here.

In this context, though the thread itself makes fun of all patients, the thread title essentially says "NIGG*R PATIENTS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS"
 
Japlish?
Chinglish?
These words describe another cultures poor grasp of the power of the english language. Get over yourselves people.
 
Murrathon said:
Japlish?
Chinglish?
These words describe another cultures poor grasp of the power of the english language. Get over yourselves people.
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As a non-established poster, you are only going to get flames thrown at you. As you well know, many of these phrases posted on this forum came from white people. What do you call yourself?
 
Hard24Get said:
Using it in THIS context is racist. Blacks invented this term to describe the vernacular adopted by our VERY recent ancestors, who were BEATEN if they tried to learn proper English and reading/writing. It was invented to explain why early blacks had difficulty pronouncing certain words (just like the French, Chinese, etc), and to begin a dialogue in which to give permission to the younger generation to speak proper English without being viewed as looking down on our grandparents, etc. It is not meant to be synonymous with "ghetto-talk" or ignorance, as is being portrayed here.

In this context, though the thread itself makes fun of all patients, the thread title essentially says "NIGG*R PATIENTS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS"
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Your argument rings more hollow than a bell in that, as was pointed out by my best friend's wife (a Canadian who knows more about black history and the civil war than anyone you've ever met), the United States is the ONLY country in the world where you can identify a person of color by their voice. Go to Canada, the UK, or anywhere in Europe (for examples) and talk to people on the telephone, and you can't tell the difference. How is it that people of color in the US "had difficulty pronouncing certain words", whereas, just up north, there is no such thing?
 
Any baby can pronounce words of any language if they are exposed to it when they are younger. In early stages of development, when babies are just starting to experiment, if they were taken to china, then they would be able to speak chinese and pick up the sutble nuances of mandarin that I can't even hear nonetheless pronounce. Then those neurons start to die. Many French women I know can't pronounce letters in English, but the American men I know think that's hot, not ignorant.

Slavery was abolished earlier in the UK than it was in the US, and they have had a longer time to incorporate themselves in society. Blacks in the UK go to the same schools, are given the same rights of education as the white students, they are not discriminated against as much as the United States, in fact, interracial marriages there are quite ordinary. How can you compare that population to one where African Americans are given basic access to education and isolated in their own poverty.

If you really want to compare African Americans to a population in the UK, then compare them to the Indians because that is the group in the UK that is ostrasized in a similar manner to African Americans in the United States, althought it is still not exactly comparable. And for the record, I know many, many African Americans who if I spoke to them on the phone, I would not have known they were black.

What I don't understand is why people are so adamant about this argument. Do you not have any black friends, any black mentors, any black people you care about at all? If you do, think about how hurt they would be if they heard you talking like this. If you don't, then we all have bigger problems.

I apologize for the rambling and incoherent nature of this post, but I just woke up, and when I saw some of the recent posts, I got so frustrated I had to post.
 
Apollyon said:
Your argument rings more hollow than a bell in that, as was pointed out by my best friend's wife (a Canadian who knows more about black history and the civil war than anyone you've ever met), the United States is the ONLY country in the world where you can identify a person of color by their voice. Go to Canada, the UK, or anywhere in Europe (for examples) and talk to people on the telephone, and you can't tell the difference. How is it that people of color in the US "had difficulty pronouncing certain words", whereas, just up north, there is no such thing?
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Sorry, I thought I made it extremely clear that I was speaking of a cultural problem.
'It was invented to explain why early blacks had difficulty pronouncing certain words (just like the French, Chinese, etc), and to begin a dialogue in which to give permission to the younger generation to speak proper English without being viewed as looking down on our grandparents, etc'
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The above quote refers to a pervasive attitude in the black community that we need to not talk "white", that we should preserve the uneducated vernacular of our grandparents. In Europe and the UK, blacks were allowed to be educated, so there was no massive education gap between freed blacks and the next generation.

Even so, I'm curious as to how any of your post justifies the title of this thread. :confused:
 
Prior to medical school, when I was a chiropractor a patient came in after a car wreck. They had been to the ER. I asked them what the ER doctor said. The patient told me that the ER doctor told him he had a "flucky". Later after he left it dawned on me that the ER doctor must have told him "You got off lucky". They were white, but I thought it was funny.
 
sleepymed said:
Slavery was abolished earlier in the UK than it was in the US, and they have had a longer time to incorporate themselves in society. Blacks in the UK go to the same schools, are given the same rights of education as the white students, .
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The Bush family is from back east. George Bush is not a native Texan - you he sounds like he is 5th generation from the Lone State State. How long does it take someone to pick up an accent, and speak like the others in their culture? Pretty much as quickly as they want - that is why the guy who plays HOUSE MD (Hugh Laurie) on TV sounds pretty much American even though he is native born in the UK. Lucy Lawless of Xena fame sounded American even though she was born and raised in New Zealand. Schools have been integrated in the United States for roughly 40-50 years; long enough for anyone wishing to sound "American" to do so.
 
Doowai said:
The Bush family is from back east. George Bush is not a native Texan - you he sounds like he is 5th generation from the Lone State State. How long does it take someone to pick up an accent, and speak like the others in their culture? Pretty much as quickly as they want - that is why the guy who plays HOUSE MD (Hugh Laurie) on TV sounds pretty much American even though he is native born in the UK. Lucy Lawless of Xena fame sounded American even though she was born and raised in New Zealand. Schools have been integrated in the United States for roughly 40-50 years; long enough for anyone wishing to sound "American" to do so.
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That is NOT the point, dammit. OBVIOUSLY the vernacular of poor blacks is culturally bred and perpetuated via these means, as explained above. The point is that the title of this thread unfairly singles out ONE group of people for ridicule, when all patients say silly things from time to time.
Maybe I can put this in terms you and Apollyon can understand:

What if I made a thread where everyone could post mistakes all different kinds of physicians have made, and titled it, "Foreign-trained Doc Screw-ups". Not too nice, is it? I'm really shocked at your ignorance.
 
CLOSING THIS THREAD. GO TO OTHER THREAD NAMED "PATIENTS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS"

Officially closed now.
 
how is it "officially" closed if it's not closed and locked? If you want it closed go talk to a mod. That is official.
 
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