Do you use the correct words or dumb down when you see the doctor?

My sister was in that difficult situation, when first going to live in Germany, of not knowing the names of conditions. She became quite resourceful and used the latin she had learned at school and anatomical names she heard me using in my nursing career.

When German doctors are trying to communicate with each other over the patients' heads, they revert to the Latin names for things. My problem is, I often can't remember the German names for things - how often do you use them? - and the Latin names are quite familiar to me, so that rather defeats their object. When talking to the doctors, though, I do try and remember the German names, so as not to sound too pseudo-knowledgeable.

Example - conjunctivitis is "Bindehautentzündung", appendicitis is "Blinddarmentzündung". Sinuses are "Nebenhöhlen".

I normally use the correct terminology too, only once a couple of years ago I was soooo tired, and soooo stiff. On chatting with the Doc he asked me where exactly was I stiff. I said every little bit of me, even my Bumbones hurt , we both laughed.

It was by the way a B12 and Vit D deficiancy so easily sorted.

Despite being relatively young (wel, 55) I was brought up by a very prudish mother who refused to allow me to take part in any sex education lessons whatsoever (she wrote letters to forbid me from taking part) I find it hard (but not impossible) to say the real words for body parts and functions. I have really tried to break the mold and encourage my children and grandchildren not to feel ashamed of their bodies.

I have found that if you use the correct words you are taken more seriously and get more detailed feedback on your ailments. At one antenatal appointment I was asked if I was a nurse or doctor because someone had written ' Very articulate' on my notes!

I always use correct terminology, seeing a new doctor always brings the question of whether I work in medicine. I am flattered they think I am still working seeing as I am 70.

As a retired medical secretary I know medical terminology fairly well and am sometimes asked if I am a nurse. I find that, in the same circumstances, male family members get asked if they are a doctor!

I always try to use accurate medical terms when speaking to a doctor. If I am talking to our GP about DH's cancer I know that I am more knowledgeable than the doctor anyway and he doesn't get a chance to be patronising.

I visited our GP and explained I was anxious about my husband's sleep apnoea.
He replied that he was amused I was using a medical term and there was nothing he could do unless my husband went to the surgery himself. Which he didn't do, as he was unaware of the problem, being asleep at the time.
I was dumbstruck,and furious at being so patronised.

It brings to mind the motion activated toilet light I saw advertised on Groupon . Might challenge DGD who insists she has done an invisible poo . I asked her how she knew and she replied it had turned the water blue . True the water was blue .

The bowel screening leaflet annoys me because it keeps talking about 'bowel motion (poo)' and I reckon if they translate 'bowel motion' once, that should be enough.

Its the 'Bristol Stool Scale'!, in lay terms....pics of poo.

She asked me if I'd emptied my bladder that morning and I said yes and that I'd also (and I can't remember exactly what I said, but I had had only an hour of sleep that night so any seious conversation was beyond me). It was the 10 photos that stuck in my mind.

Went to see the GP recently about nausea, after an examination and booking me in for a scan he asked if "my girly bits" were OK. I thought this was rather sweet. He is a very good GP.

When my H was 75 we had a letter from the consultant treating him for AF saying his risk for stroke and heart attack had gone from 1 to 2 simply because he had had a birthday and he should go on warfarin. I asked our GP who suggested I should google the risk and we decided against it. We sewa the consultant and I told him our decision and the reason. He was extremely sarcastic and said " well as you have made up your DOCTOR
I will discharge your husband from my clinic.
A couple of years later when we saw another GP he said the same thing and when I started to explain he just shrugged and said " oh well if you want to take the risk for him". He is now on warfarin. I couldn't argue anymore.

*BadenKate" your post made me smile . They're more direct in France.
Just before I want down for my hip replacement I desperately needed the toilet. The nurse was dubious (I'd had the anaesthetic injection) and said, 'have you farted?' and luckily I could say 'yes.'

Badenkate, then whaat actually did she say? No need to be delicate on here - why would you be?...after all this is a thread about using the correct words or dumbing down...

I've just got back from the optician. The girl was telling me about a disc she had discovered in my eye, full of fluid, and that my vision would get worse. It sounded dreadful. I asked her if it was a cataract. "Yes, in its early stages". I can cope with that. Why didn't she just tell me what it was!

No, to be fair that was my attempt to be delicate on here . I actually answered her question before she asked me

I'm surprised at the "done the other thing" question.
I've only been asked this in hospital 25 years ago post c-section.I was asked if I'd "opened my bowels" it did cause major confusion with the lady in the next bed whos first language wasn't English when they asked her.
Maybe they've 'dumbed it down' because of this.

'Done the other thing'? I can't believe a 'medical person' used that silly euphemism - you should have pretended you didn't know what they were on about!

Before I was alowed to go home from hospital yesterday I had the inquiry about whether I'd 'weeed', which I confirmed. I also said that I'd 'done the other thing' although I was quite honest and said that if I hadn't I would have lied any way. I was then asked what it was like and shown a display of about 10 pictures showing various consistencies. I said to be honest I hadn't really looked that closely - so we agreed on 'normal'.

I think its helpful to the doctor to be as precise as you can given your own understanding of the issue. I was a nurse so hopefully I use the correct terminology but even then I am careful not to over state my understanding in case I miss a bit if the doctor assumes I know more than I do. I have forgotten some things like the names of the 12 cranial nerves which I may never need but it reminds me that I never knew everything and I have forgotten some of what I did know.

I think that anyone who is now in their eighties and nineties, had no education on health matters at all, and unless they read up on it later in life, rarely knew what was between their abdomen and their knees.A neighbour in her mid eighties used exactly those words to me.Though it has to be said, she had never married ( or, it goes without saying, had any children.)She had read up on it, but said many friends were clueless.
I always use the right medical terms where I can, but not being a doctor there are plenty of terms that I don't know.

My 81 year old friend had seen an advert mentioning thrush and asked me whether it was the same as the 'water' infection she had. On being told that thrush was different and usually affected the vagina, she revealed that she didn't know that she had a urethra which was a separate channel for urine. If we were all brought up on the correct terminology there wouldn't be so much ignorance about our anatomy.
I worked in a hospital so perhaps am more familiar than some with correct terminology, but get irritated by the euphemisms.