MEDICAL JARGON CAN SOUND LIKE A FOREIGN LANGUAGE. WITH SO MANY TONGUE-TWISTING WORDS AND TERMS, IT’S NO WONDER DOCTORS USE SHORTENED VERSIONS-ACRONYMS-TO GET THROUGH THE DAY. HERE ARE SOME COMMON AND NOT-SO-COMMON ONES YOU MIGHT HEAR AT YOUR DOCTORS’S OFFICE OR A HOSPITAL
FAST
THIS IS AN EASY WAY TO REMEMBER SIGNS OF STROKE, WHICH CAN COME ON QUICKLY.
F ? FOR FACE DROOPING: DOES ONE SIDE DROOP, OR IS IT NUMB? IS YOUR SMILE UNEVEN?
A IS FOR ARM WEAKNESS. WHEN RAISED, DOES ONE ARM DRIFT DOWN?
S IS FOR SPEECH DIFFICULTY: IS IT SLURRED OR DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND? IS IT HARD TO SPEAK?
T IS TIME TO CALL 911 IF YOU OR SOMEONE ELSE HAS ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS, MAKE THE CALL RIGHT AWAY
RICE
REMEMBER THIS ONE WHEN YOU STRAIN A MUSCLE OR SPRAIN YOUR ANKLE. R FOR REST. I FOR ICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER INJURY. C FOR COMPRESS–PRESSURE WITH AN ELASTIC BANDAGE. E FOR ELEVATE THE BODY PART THAT IS INJURED. TRY TO HOLD IT ABOVE YOUR HEART TO KEEP SWELLING DOWN.
MIND
THIS STANDS FOR MEDITERRANEAN-DASH DIET. INTERVENTION FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DELAY-QUITE A MOUTHFUL. IT MAY HELP PROTECT YOU AGAINST BRAIN DISEASES LIKE ALZHEIMER’S THE DIET INCLUDES VEGETABLES, ESPECIALLY GREEN LEAFY ONES, NUTS, BERRIES, BEANS, FISH, CHICKEN, OLIVE OIL, WHOLE GRAINS AND ONLY ONE GLASS OF RED WINE DAILY. YOU WILL NEED TO CUT BACK ON RED MEAT, BUTTER, CHEESE, PASTRIES, SWEETS, FRIED AND FAST FOOD.
BMI
THIS STANDS FOR BODY MASS INDEX. IT’S AN ESTIMATE OF YOUR BODY FAT BASED ON YOUR WEIGHT AND HEIGHT. ONLINE TOOLS CAN HELP YOU MAKE YOUR OWN BMI CALCULATION. BUT, IT’S A ROUGH WAY TO TELL IF YOU ARE AT HEALTHY WEIGHT. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU’RE BMI NUMBER SUGGESTS YOU COULD BE OVER OR UNDER A NORMAL WEIGHT.
EKG OR ECG
THE EKG MACHINE RECORDS THE ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF YOUR HEART AND GRAPHS IT. IT HELPS YOUR DOCTOR SEE IT THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH YOUR BLOOD FLOW OR HEART RHYTHM
ECG STANDS FOR ELECTROCARDIOGRAM- THE E IS FROM ELECTRO, C FROM CARDIO, AND G FROM GRAM. IT’S OFTEN CALLED AN EKG, BECAUSE IT WAS FIRST MADE IN GERMANY, WHERE IT WAS CALLED THE ELEKTRO-KARDIOGRAHIE.
CT SCAN
A COMPUTERIZED TOMOGRAPHY SCAN TAKES X-RAYS FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES OF YOUR BODY AND PUTS THEM TOGETHER TO TAKE A MORE DETAILED PICTURE THAN A SINGLE X-RAY. IT’S OFTEN USED FOR QUICK, DETAILED EXAMS WHEN SOMEONE HAS BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT OR HAD OTHER SERIOUS TRAUMA. IT CAN ALSO HELP TO DIAGNOSE CERTAIN DISEASES AND PLAN FOR TYPES OF CANCER TREATMENTS.
MRI
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING USES RADIO WAVES AND POWERFUL MAGNETS TO MAKE DETAILED 3-D IMAGES OF THE INSIDE OF YOUR BODY. THEY CAN BE LOOKED AT FROM MANY ANGLES SO YOUR DOCTOR CAN GET MORE INFORMATION. IT’S OFTEN USED TO TAKE PICTURES OF JOINTS, SPINE, AND INSIDE THE SKULL TO SEARCH FOR INJURIES, BLEEDING, TUMORS AND CERTAIN DISEASES, SUCH AS ALZHEIMER’S.
UTI
A URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS OCCURS IN THE PART OF THE BODY THAT GETS RID OF LIQUID WASTE (URINE). THIS INCLUDES THE KIDNEYS (WHICH FILTER THE WASTE FROM YOUR BLOOD), THE BLADDER (WHICH HOLDS THE URINE BEFORE IT IS RELEASED) AND THE URETER AND URETHRA (THE TUBES THAT HELP MOVE IT OUT OF THE BODY). SYMPTOMS OF UTI INCLUDE PAIN, A BURNING FEELING WHEN YOU URINATE, AND/OR BLOOD IN THE URINE. WOMEN GET IT MORE OFTEN THAN MEN. THE TREATMENT OF CHOICE IS USUALLY ANTIBIOTICS.
LIVING WILL
A WRITTEN STATEMENT DETAILING A PERSON’S DESIRES REGARDING THEIR MEDICAL TREATMENT IN CIRCUMSTANCES IN WHICH THEY ARE NO LONGER ABLE TO EXPRESS INFORMED CONSENT, ESPECIALLY AN ADVANCE DIRECTIVE.
ADVANCE DIRECTIVE
A WRITTEN STATEMENT OF A PERSON’S WISHES REGARDING MEDICAL TREATMENT, OFTEN INCLUDING A LIVING WILL, THAT IS MADE TO ENSURE THOSE WISHES ARE CARRIED OUT WHEN THE PERSON BE UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE THEM TO A DOCTOR.
BE IN THE KNOW —- STAY HEALTHY
Sheila Birnbaum’s professional career has been devoted to enhancing patient care. As the Director of the Patient Advocacy Program at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH), Hamilton, NJ, she instituted numerous programs, many which received statewide recognition, including several prestigious rewards.
