Understanding Medical Jargon

"You should exercise and lose some weight but since you probably won't I am prescribing something for your BP. You don't have any signs of anything serious and your symptoms are too vague. Let's just watch how you do for the next couple of weeks."

My neighbor was furious when she came out of the doctor's office. All through lunch she complained about waiting for 2 hours to get in, being seen by a doctor who did not know her, and spending 4 minutes total with him. Most of the time involved cursory questions to determine if she was the right patient.

Since she had always been very healthy and had very little experience with the medical system, I volunteered to gather some jargon that would help her communicate more effectively the next time.

Here is what some commonly used terms mean:

A symptom is any subjective evidence of disease. Anxiety, lower back pain, and fatigue are all symptoms.

A sign is any objective evidence of disease.
Gross blood in the stool is a sign of disease.

BP Blood pressure

HR Heart rate

QID Take medication 4 times a day

TID Take medication 3 times a day

BID Take medication 2 times a day

OD or QD Take medication once a day

QOD Take medication every other day

A call from the nurse came quickly after my neighbor left a message that said: "Please tell the doctor I am experiencing a lot of DBT and CMB would like a referral for a second opinion."

When the nurse said she was not familiar with the medical terms DBT and CMB, my feisty little neighbor said, "Well honey, it means Deserves Better Treatment and Calling Medical Board." She got right in with a new physician who took time to explain options and listen.

For a Free eBook on communicating for positive results, please go to:

www.UseEncouragingWords.com Judy H. Wright also known as Auntie Artichoke, the storytelling trainer and family relationship coach invites you to free teleclasses every Thursday. You can find a listing as well as articles, books and workshops available to enhance your life at; www.ArtichokePress.com

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