My wife, a piano teacher, and I were talking about music and she was using some pretty "technical" terms that I, not a music professional, didn't understand.
She said, "Now you know what it's like for me. You come home and start talking about your pasta and broccoli."
I didn't understand.
"Your pasta and broccoli. You know -- you talking about them all the time!"
I still had no clue.
She sighed. "When you're talking about your heart patients and how they had pasta or broccoli."
Then it dawned on me. I laughed. :chuckle
She meant when I talked about PTCA ("pizza") and CABG ("cabbage"). :roll
I had a "Spanish only" antepartum patient the other night and although my Spanish and her English are both limited to short words and a few phrases we were doing pretty well communicating until she informed me "I need sex". I asked her to repeat what she had said, thinking to myself "Honey that's what started this problem in the first place" and she repeated herself with the same phrase. On the third repetition she pointed to her bare feet, which is when I realized she was requesting a pair of socks!
Specializes in PACU,ICU, HOME HEALTH, TRAVEL NURSE,EDUC.
My sons often ask me when I come home from work "Did you get to do anything cool today, like put a tube is some guys , or stick him with needles?" I once answered "no, but I got to put a suppository in a patients rectum" and he replied "Mom you have the coolest job!" If he only thinks I am this cool when he is 16......
My sons often ask me when I come home from work "Did you get to do anything cool today, like put a tube is some guys , or stick him with needles?" I once answered "no, but I got to put a suppository in a patients rectum" and he replied "Mom you have the coolest job!" If he only thinks I am this cool when he is 16......
That is so funny. My 10y/o daughter does the same thing.
I had a Home Health patient that had me confused for a while. She complained about her "henrids"...figured out she meant hemorrhoids. She also talked about getting a new "brow" in the store...she meant bra. I never will figure out how they come up with this stuff...like "limp noids"..and the ever popular "prostrate".
Just about all my male patients call a urinal "the jug;" and I call it making water.
Urinate sounds crude and lay people don't know what void is.
How do you ask your patients if they are having any difficulties voiding?
Depending on the education level:
PhD - Are you having an impediment with elimination, fecal or urinary?
Master's - Do you have any hindrance to your urination?
Bachelor's - Do you have any problems with going to the bathroom?
High school - Do ya have any problems p****ing?
Grade school - Do ya have any problems peeing?
Pre-school on down - Wee-wee?
Now please take this in the best way possible. I am in no way making fun of a steriotype or anybody's education level or lack thereof, just in the light hearted spirit of the humor forum.
allthemadmen
97 Posts
At least she wondered!