Pre-op at 7 a.m., a provider asked for a stool sample and the Deaf patient looked at the rolling stool; I clarified fecal specimen with a precise mouth pattern and a CL:C for the specimen cup, and we all did the silent laugh-shake behind our N95s. What other medical homonyms have you tamed without compromising accuracy or privacy?
Had a near-miss with ‘culture’ — I set the scene with a quick LAB context, CL:C for the dish, plus a tight ‘swab’ mime, then mouthed ‘bacterial test’ to kill the anthropology vibe. For ‘contrast,’ I fingerspell the agent (I-O-D-I-N-E) and sign INJECT so ‘dye’ doesn’t become ‘die’, and I pre-brief nurses to dodge the punny landmines.
Cervical trips folks up — neck vs cervix; I front‑load a clear neck or GYN context, drop a quick location CL, and if it’s imaging vs OB I mouth “MRI” or “Pap” to nail it, which saves me from the “two different zip codes” mix‑up. Curious if you also preempt radiology’s “dye” by signing “contrast dye” with a syringe CL to dodge the “die” read, @jmason36.
Pre‑op mornings, “discharge” is my booby trap — going home vs body fluid; I set it fast with a torso shift to a door side for HOME‑LEAVE or to the body area with a tiny CL:C drip and a “fluid” mouth, since N95s kill lip cues. If they mean paperwork, I flash a quick clipboard CL:B instead — @OP, do you find “orders” or “paperwork” mouths land better at 7 a.m?
Pre-op too, I pair “stool sample” mouth with a quick CL:C tap; if low-vision, I outline cup on palm.
Radiology’s ‘dye’ can read as ‘die’ on the mouth; I pivot to CONTRAST-INJECT, set a CL:IV at the forearm, mouth ‘contrast’ or fingerspell D‑Y‑E once, and if masks muddy it I point to the consent line. Keeps it science, not a bad autocorrect. Anyone have a crisp way to present ‘negative’ so it’s clearly ‘no infection’ without implying ‘bad’?