TLA's

TLA's (three letter acronyms) are the best. Both in clinical medicine and in the world of medical aids.

They sound intelligent. And mysterious. And that's what Doctors are, aren't they?

My favourite is FOS (full of shit - can be used in psych or gastroenterology).

I once had a patient who was well versed in TLA's and also liked to read files. After examining her and writing notes, I went off to collect some meds (this was in a polyclinic)...


She became all worried after reading her file. The acronym F.L.U stood out. What could it be? A fancy medical term? Fungating Lipo Ulcerations?

When I looked confused, she said that I had used an abbreviation and she was trying to think what it meant - it sounded serious...

I couldn't help but chuckle and tell her she had the FLU and I wasn't abbreviating.