Thursday, September 23, 2010

What do YOUR initials stand for?

I mentioned in a previous post (final pre-op post) that one of my surgeons had initialed the kidney targeted for surgery "A.A." and that I was happy that my friend Bob Stanhope (B.S.) wasn't doing the surgery.  I shared that story with Bob, and he said that his fellow surgeons give him a hard time when he has to initial a patient because he uses his full initials, "C.R.S." which they all claim means (pardon the indiscretion!), "Can't Remember S...[anything]."

When I was wheeled into the pre-op room, I met a very friendly and competent team of anesthesiologists who fully explained the combination of protocols that would be used for my surgery.  Since I was going to be out for so long, there was a combination of general and local anesthesia being used.  The goal, of course, is for the patient to not remember the procedure.  The lead doctor gave me the full name of the protocol, using five or six completely unintelligible words.

I looked at her and said, "With a name that long, there's GOT to be some acronym to shorten it."

"Oh, yes," she replied, "It's called "C. R. S."

Thinking I was being let in on an inside joke, I said, "Right! I know...'Can't Remember S...[anything]'!"

Well, everyone around my bed burst out laughing.  Turns out the acronym really is C. R. S., and that none of them had ever heard my interpretation before.  I'm sure the foul-mouthed preacher in the stylish robe was the talk of the doctor's lounge that day!