Name that part. Words patients use for their own anatomy.

Nurses General Nursing

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Ever searched in a patients' room for what you thought she said she needed to "watch her pocketbook" , she staring at you and you staring at her. Then finally saying, mam what color is your pocketbook because I don't see a pocket book here. Only to have her say, no get my washtub out of the drawer, my washcloth and soap. I always like to wash my pocketbook before I go anywhere. Especially down for tests. And close that curtain, too. Then you say, Oh. ;)

Oh my, I could write a novel. Coming from England, my vocabulary is slightly different. The biggest one for me so far is the 'fanny' word. To you guys it's just a slang word for one's derriere. To me it's an extremely vulgar term used to describe the ladies parts. Akin to using the 'C' word. When people used to tell me they had fallen straight on their fanny I thought....how does one do that exactly??? Yes I admit to going into Staples and asking for rubbers. I have also gone into Farmfresh and enquired where to find faggots. You can just imagine...... btw, faggots are meatballs to me and nothing else! Having just re-started my career as an RN in this country I am in my initial phase of being introduced to the slang used for ones 'wedding tackle'.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Home Health.

My Dad was stationed in England during Korea and he told someone to go sit on their fanny...He meant their butt but learned really quickly that it wasn't the same thing in England!!

I taught my boys [3] to call their balls =apples and their member =apple stem. Of course they know the real words for them and I have heard gonads, balls, nuts, member, dong, etc. coming from all three of them!!

When our first son was born, my husband called him his little stud!! i ended that nickname real quick!!

____________________________________

In His grace,

Karen

Failure is NOT an option!!

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I taught my boys [3] to call their balls =apples and their member =apple stem. Of course they know the real words for them and I have heard gonads, balls, nuts, member, dong, etc. coming from all three of them!!

When our first son was born, my husband called him his little stud!! i ended that nickname real quick!!

I know I want to say something about parents (particularly health care professionals) knowing and using real words, especially with their children, in order to instill respect for themselves and their bodies, but I don't know quite how to put it.

Maybe this is enough.

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Pediatrics, Home Health.

Wanted to add to my comments, that I taught them those words a LONG time before I became a nurse. My oldest boy is 15 now and I just graduated May 2005. I find it quite funny to hear them say, "You kicked me in the testicles." or "Oh man, my member hurts." I really DON'T like hearing 'nuts' or 'balls' and have insisted that they say 'gonads', 'testicles' 'member' or 'testes' around me.

All 4 of them helped me study to become a nurse [ages 15, 13, and 11 and my daughter is 19]. As they like to say, "they are the most educated kids in their schools as far as anatomy and sex ed is concerned." :D

They very rarely say apples, and apple stem anymore.

____________________________________

In His grace,

Karen

Failure is NOT an option!!

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Thanks for the addl info..... I feel much better now~ :chuckle

And welcome to nursing. I am also a recent arrival.

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Oh my, I could write a novel. Coming from England, my vocabulary is slightly different. The biggest one for me so far is the 'fanny' word. To you guys it's just a slang word for one's derriere. To me it's an extremely vulgar term used to describe the ladies parts. Akin to using the 'C' word. When people used to tell me they had fallen straight on their fanny I thought....how does one do that exactly??? Yes I admit to going into Staples and asking for rubbers. I have also gone into Farmfresh and enquired where to find faggots. You can just imagine...... btw, faggots are meatballs to me and nothing else! Having just re-started my career as an RN in this country I am in my initial phase of being introduced to the slang used for ones 'wedding tackle'.

LOL!! I'm married to a Brit and there are times I hold my breath because I know what he normally says (around me, because I know better) and I pray he doesn't slip...

"Fanny"...my mother used to call my backside that and I didn't know it meant otherwise in the UK, until I was told so - fortunately I hadn't said it!

Very funny stuff!

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I had a wife of a pt who had coded call her son and tell him that "dad had an Big Internal fart and he died":angryfire . I about busted out laughing the doc had told her he had a Massive Myocarido Infarction. Well in the emotion of the moment you might say she didn't understand what an MI was.

Now that's funny:chuckle :lol2: :roll

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My younger sister who is now 17 used to call her lady parts "Bop". So when she was little there was a singing group called EnVogue and in one of their songs they would say "UM Bop". Well my sister would start crying because she thought that my mother and I had called the radio station and told them that was the name of her lady parts. She was also upset with Baby Bop on the Barney and Friends show.

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i call it the old fella and boys but balls and nuts are ok with me. out here fanny means your bum. with female patients i dont really have a name for "down there" if a female patient im caring for is able, ill ask her to wash down there or if she cant ill say im washing down below

one patient i was looking after used to say he needed to shed a tear when he need to pee and instead of asking a patient have they "had there bowels opened today" i ask them have they dropped the kids off at the pool.....they know what i mean..

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Specializes in Psych.
i call it the old fella and boys but balls and nuts are ok with me. out here fanny means your bum. with female patients i dont really have a name for "down there" if a female patient im caring for is able, ill ask her to wash down there or if she cant ill say im washing down below

one patient i was looking after used to say he needed to shed a tear when he need to pee and instead of asking a patient have they "had there bowels opened today" i ask them have they dropped the kids off at the pool.....they know what i mean..

So. . .Is your "bum" your butt cheeks or your "lady parts". It's so confusing when we speak the same language, isn't it?

:rotfl: :rotfl: "Drop the kids off at the pool" :rotfl: :rotfl: I love it!

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So. . .Is your "bum" your butt cheeks or your "lady parts". It's so confusing when we speak the same language, isn't it?

:rotfl: :rotfl: "Drop the kids off at the pool" :rotfl: :rotfl: I love it!

your bum would be your "back nine" and my sister calls her lady parts "her front bum"

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Specializes in Psych.
your bum would be your "back nine" and my sister calls her lady parts "her front bum"

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Stop!..Your'e killin' me!:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

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