Years ago, when texting was just taking off, I had to teach myself all the lingo—the endless shortcuts, acronyms, and cryptic abbreviations. These days, I find myself learning a brand‑new vocabulary: medical lingo.
I’m not planning to enter the healthcare field anytime soon—this is purely by necessity. My husband had a seizure—at a Costco, of all places—and was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room. A week and a half later, we saw a neurologist, scheduled all the necessary tests, and began collecting the “after‑notes.” After‑notes from the paramedics, from the ER, from the first doctor’s appointment… and I’m bracing myself for more after‑notes from the MRI and EEG.
These after‑notes feel like military orders—packed with shortcuts and initials. Thankfully, I did serve in the military, and I love puzzles. So here I am: deciphering, decoding, trying to understand what happened and what everything means.
Here are a few of the gems I’ve already cracked:
- BS — not “bullshit,” not “bachelor of science”—it’s blood sugar.
- BIBA — not a Honda model—brought in by ambulance.
- NSR — not some sinister government agency—it’s normal sinus rhythm.
- ED — not the embarrassing kind—it’s emergency department.
- Hx — not a TV channel—it’s history.
- RBBB — not about bananas—it’s right bundle branch block.
We’re taking this all very seriously, don’t get me wrong. We’re still waiting for more test results, and until we have clear answers, the dark humor is just part of how we cope. I’m looking forward to meeting the next batch of acronyms with the same dry wit.
Maybe I should launch a TikTok channel just for this: “Medical Lingo Decoded: Episode 1.”
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