Link to Guyana Workbook
Since my first medical mission trip to Guyana in 1991, it was apparent that practicing medicine in Guyana has some special challenges that can easily be overlooked during preparation for the trip. One mistake is to think that the Guyanese should speak the same English dialect as we use in our medical practices in the States. Just as physicians and nurses need to learn the common medical terminology used by our patients in the U.S., we will best be able to communicate with our patients in Guyana when we understand the words and phrases the typical Guyanese patient will use to describe their signs and symptoms, body parts and functions.
The following list explains many of the differences between what I've heard Guyanese patients say and how my brain should interpret it. During my annual trips to Guyana to do clinical work among the poor, I've heard some of these words and phrases used by all Guyanese, though a few terms are more typical of the rural dweller. Terminology may vary from village to village. I still have difficulty understanding "th" sounds in Guyana; "three" often sounds like "tree" to us Americans.
This list is offered to assist the medical worker in developing better communication skills with their Guyanese patients. If you know of other words that should be included on this list, would you please let me know? I still have not figured out all the ways "cold" is used.
| Guyanese patient terms | American doctor terms |
| all two | both |
| apparatin [spelling?] | diarrhea |
| becoming a woman | menarche |
| belly | abdomen |
| belly grumbling | hungry, or gas in abdomen |
| blazing | heartburn |
| blowing | dyspnea |
| boils | acne or any papules on the skin; with some patients, easy to confuse with "piles" |
| bore | used as "a doctor bore me"; can mean that the patient had an injection or a doctor drained a wound, abscess, or fluid from the body |
| bound up | constipated |
| breathe in | often best phrase to use for "take a deep breath" |
| builders | vitamins |
| can't dirty | constipated |
| can't feel hands/feet | numbness |
| can't pass water | urinary retention |
| carry this | take this, as in "carry this to the pharmacy" |
| chest | upper chest |
| chest full of cold | productive cough |
| coughing up cold | productive cough |
| dirty | to have a bowel movement |
| the doctor sounded me | the doctor listened to my chest and heart |
| drink tablets | swallow pills |
| eyes dazzling | fuzzy vision |
| eyes run water | watery eyes, usually from bright sunlight |
| fat worms | large worms in the stool; usually Ascaris |
| fine | small and thin |
| fine worms | pinworms |
| finished | all pills have been taken; "ran out" |
| fits | seizures |
| flip-flopping | heart palpitations |
| foot | distal to the knee, though some use "foot" to mean their entire leg |
| gandas | jaundice |
| gather water | ankle edema |
| getting a baby | pregnant |
| go to urine | urinate |
| hand | distal to the elbow, though some use "hand" to mean their entire arm |
| had a drip | received an intravenous [I.V.] infusion |
| had it cut | had an operation; had surgery |
| hard boil | abscess |
| head cold | sinuses, or headaches associated with sinus problems |
| head going around | dizzy |
| head swimming | dizzy |
| head swinging | dizzy |
| heavy cold | bad cold |
| heavy fever | high fever |
| How many years do you have? | How old are you? |
| in and out | off and on; intermittent |
| lotta | tinea versicolor |
| messing | bowel movements |
| muscle bong | muscle cramps in the legs (Charley horse) |
| narah | abdominal pains [East Indian term] |
| no wind | short of breath |
| nose runs water | runny nose |
| nose stuffed up | nose stopped up |
| nursing | breast-feeding |
| paining | hurting |
| passing cold | mucus in the stools |
| piles | hemorrhoids; with some patients, easily confused with "boils" |
| plaything | toy |
| pressure | hypertension |
| scratching | itching or rash |
| skin very hot | fever |
| sticking | sharp pain(s) |
| stomach | lower chest |
| stoppage of water | urinary retention |
| stretch out your tongue | best phrase I've found to get a child to understand to "stick out" his or her tongue |
| sugar | diabetes mellitus |
| sunshades | sunglasses |
| swelling of the body | fluid retention |
| tablets | pills, capsules, and tablets |
| thread worms | pinworms |
| throw away baby | abortion |
| tummy | abdomen |
| vex | angry |
| waist | low back; lumbar |
| when I was getting her | when I was pregnant |
| wind | abdominal gas; belching |
| wind pain | bloating |
| wormed her out | gave the girl medicine for parasites |
Link to Guyana Workbook
Link to Guyana Missions Home Page
