My Spanish vocabulary is VERY limited. It is always a challenge when I have a spanish speaking patient. Often I resort to gestures or noises to get my message across.
Friday night:
Me to my spanish speaking patient: Are you nauseated?
Patient: (blank stare)
Me to my spanish speaking pt's daughter: Is she nauseated?
Pt's daughter: (blank stare)
Me: making dry heave/vomitting noises and actions to daughter and patient.
Patient: complete recognition of what I was asking.
The answer was No
Later Friday night-same patient.
Pt's daughter walks up to the nursing desk. She speaks enligsh but it is very limited.
Pt's daughter: do you have soap?
Me: Soap?
Pt's daughter: Yes, soap. (She then proceeds to hold her hand in a cupping position and hold a pretend spoon with her other hand while pretending to feed herself.) Soap, she repeats.
Me: Soup? Do you mean Soup? (Me acting out soup) or Soap? (Me acting out washing my body with a bar of soap.)
The daughter and I had a very good laugh about soap vs soup. I doubt she will be making the same mistake again soon :)
Love it! :)
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