Favorite "Lay Terms" For Diagnoses

Nurses General Nursing

Updated:   Published

Specializes in Pulmonary/MedicalICU.

favorite-lay-terms-diagnoses.jpg.f06a67fa7e41ab2909633bd8d42b0155.jpg

Some of my favorite mispronunciations or "shortening" of a diagnosis by patients and/or family members:

The Gouch - Gout

The High Blood/Low Blood - Hypertension/Hypotension

The High Sugar - Diabetes (sometimes they actually mean hyperglycemia...but usually mean Diabetes)

The Bad Lung - COPD

Also included are the times that people completely ignore the ventilator in the room and the ETT in the pt's mouth and ask me why Johnny won't talk to them.

Anybody have any others that they found humorous?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

haha

In addition to your diabetes term, we have a lot of people around here calling it just "sugar" as in "My mom had sugar"

I have heard, "Dilauda", or "Dillydaud" instead of Dilaudid.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

My favorite is "Alltimers"

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in pediatrics.
ohcomeon said:
My favorite is "Alltimers"

I grew up thinking that was the correct name.

I also considered Sunday as "warsh" day.

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×

My grandma calls diabetes "sugar." I think that's primarily a Southern US term.

Or if you're Wilford Brimley (from the Liberty Medical commercials) "diabeetus." 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

LOL ... an older lady I know calls her Diabetes "sugar" also. Might just be easier for them to remember it.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds Medical Floor.

I work with an aide who mispronounces everything. It drives me nuts and I have to be careful not to laugh. For example she says "lady parts" as "vangina" and "colonoscopy" as "colonopsoty". I've tried kindly correcting her but after 9 years I've just given up.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in 10 weeks in Pediatrics.

Also heard Alzheimer's coined as "Old Timer's"

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

Histospanola for Histoplasmosis.

And, although this is not a mispronunciation or lay term, just about everybody who has had, or knows someone who has had one, believes that a CABG is "open heart :redbeathe" surgery.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Oncology/Hematology, Infusion, clinical.

In the south, at least the part I live in, just the way the layperson says any medical affliction sounds like a new term, I reckon.

About peoples' diabetes terminology, I had to hold my tongue when I answered a call light the other night:

Me: can I help you?

Redneck: yeah, sugar just took a dump.

Me talking: ...let me get your nurse for you

Me thinking: did this guy just call to tell me his dog crapped on the floor?...do we even allow dogs in here?...no, maybe he's talking about his girlfriend? Whaaa?

Nope, that's just southern for "I feel like my blood glucose is too low"

Well now I know better.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've worked with a couple of nurses that say, "X patient's o2 stat is..."... umm.. their stat? what? when did oxygen become a statistic?

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Medical.

"My daughter caught the autism."

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment