With all this hysteria over the coronavirus, lots of folks are worried about catching this nasty bug. Although the majority of those who get the virus recover fairly quickly, it isn’t something to mock fun at. If you think you have the coronavirus, or just the plain old flu, it’s best to get checked out by a doctor. But, here lies the problem. With all these adoptive citizens we now have here in Texas and other southern states, these folks from faraway lands like California and New York might not be familiar with medical terminology down here in Dixie.
As a professional in the animal health community, plus a reader of several medical books written by Dr. Seuss, I believe I should disperse my finite wisdom to all y’all newcomers to God’s Country who might need to go to a doctor one day. Although most doctors here are fluent in English, some might have difficulty deciphering a Bostonian accent or jargon from Napa Valley. So, y’all might need to know how to properly describe maladies and symptoms ‘round these parts.
When you twist your knee chasing the cows in the pens, you might need to have the doc look at your leg ‘cause it’s “all swole up.” This terminology also refers to a gastric condition where something you ate has your belly “swole up like a dead hog.” Having a swole up knee may leave you “laid up” for some time, and even after the swelling subsides, you might have a “hitch in your giddyup” for a few weeks.
