Sunday, September 4, 2011

Sunday reruns

People use different phrases to mean the same thing. Case in point: migraines.

Some patients say "I have migraines". Others say "I get migraines". Occasionally one will use the odd phrase (at least to me) "I take migraines" to mean the same thing (I always want to ask who they're taking them from).

But today I had a lady who used a more, uh interesting, phrase.

When she gets a migraine she has to go lie down in a dark room (which is common). So, for whatever reason, she uses this act to refer to the migraine.

In other words: when she gets a migraine, she calls it "going down".

It is remarkably hard to keep a straight face when the young lady across from me says things like:

"I went down 3 times last week."

"July was awful. I spent the entire month going down".

"I went down on Saturday. I had to do it in front of my kids, too."

And, as she was leaving, she said, "I feel another one coming on. I just know I'll be going down tonight, but have to wait until my husband gets home."
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15 comments:

  1. bobbieSeptember 4, 2011 at 11:05 AM

    Oh, no!!! Not in front of the kids!!!

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2011 at 11:05 AM

    I know migraines are no laughing matter to those who suffer through them, but I'm laughing my arse off at this one!

    ReplyDelete
  3. B. PerkySeptember 4, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    Now THAT'S a sick headache.

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  4. Lynda Halliger Otvos (Lynda M O)September 4, 2011 at 11:36 AM

    Suffering with them myself and examining the language I use... interesting.

    "Battle" most often

    “Wrestle”

    fighting, flirting. if it is just beginning ...

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousSeptember 4, 2011 at 12:28 PM

    Sounds like a phrase a friend of mine that lives in the south would use to describe the beginning of a migraines.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AmySeptember 4, 2011 at 2:15 PM

    Hilarious! How does a woman reach adulthood without figuring out that phrase has another meaning?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amy D.September 4, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    Anonymous, you're right that they're no laughing matter. However, as a suffer, I found this to be one of the funniest things I've ever heard! I think I might actually start saying that (in a Southern Belle accent while fanning myself, of course).

    ReplyDelete
  8. Li'l AzathothSeptember 4, 2011 at 10:10 PM

    "The pounding. The throbbing. It just makes me moan..."

    ReplyDelete
  9. Loren PechtelSeptember 4, 2011 at 11:36 PM

    Is she some sort of repair person? Migraines are her going down like a machine goes down?

    ReplyDelete
  10. cliffintokyoSeptember 5, 2011 at 5:02 AM

    I think "going down with" is a common expression (e.g. the flu).
    This is an.....interesting variation.
    The final sentence is the killer!
    LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:56 PM

    swallowed semen is the best cure for migraines. trust me.

    ReplyDelete
  12. oceankissesSeptember 5, 2011 at 5:13 PM

    Hmmmm....I often say, "I have one coming on." To me it sounds like the perfect expression but I wonder now if there are people out there snickering at me.

    ReplyDelete
  13. PGYxSeptember 5, 2011 at 11:55 PM

    I went hiking with a big group this weekend. I mentioned that I prefer hiking uphill to going downhill. One [straight] guy responded, "Oh, I hate going down. Going down is the absolute worst!"

    I refrained from pointing out that he should never ever say that to a woman.

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2011 at 4:39 PM

    Only tangentially related, but I think it strange when parents continually say "I am going to put Sally down" and they mean putting their child to bed for the night.

    I always relate it to degrading someone verbally. ie. putting them down.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Grumpy, M.D.September 7, 2011 at 4:40 PM

    As opposed to "It's time to put the cat down."

    ReplyDelete

So wadda you think?