Because of the recent uproar about using the caja (The Costa Rican Department of Social Security – CCSS) I have included some terms that may assist non- Spanish speakers with Costa Rica’s medical maze.
Ambulancia – ambulance
Cirugía ambulatoria – outpatient surgery
Clínica – clinic
Corazón – heart
Desvío arterial – a bypass
¿Dónde queda la clínica/el hospital más cercana? – where is the nearest clinic//hospital
Ebais – These are small clinics operated by the caja for non-emergencies and everyday medical care.
El expediente – the file or folder with your medical history
Es de vida o muerte – it’s a life or death situation
Es una emergencia – It’s an emergency
Estoy hirviendo – literally means I am boiling. Said when you have a high fever
Estar pálido/a – to be pale
Estoy mareado/a – I am dizzy
El dolor me está matando – the pain is killing me (figuratively) speaking
El hospital – hospital
Fiebre – fever
Infección- infection
La gripe – flu
La presión arterial – blood pressure
Marcapasos – a pacemaker
Me cuesta respirar or tengo la respiración difícil – I am having a hard time breathing
Me duele… – My…hurts
Me duele aquí – it hurts me here…
Me duele el pecho – my chest hurts
Me siento mal – I feel bad
Medicamentos, medicina, remedios – medicine
Moretón – a bruise
¿Qué tiene? – What’s wrong with you or what ails you?
Tengo….. – I have + symptoms
Pastillas or píldoras- pills
Radiografía – an X-ray
Receta or prescripción – prescription
Resfriado – a cold
Soy diabético/a – I am a diabetic
Tengo escalofríos – I have the chills
Tengo diarrea – I have diarrhea
Tengo la vista borrosa – my vision is blurry
Tengo vómitos or tengo náuseas– I am sick to my stomach
Torcedura – a sprain
Signos vitales – vital signs
Sudar frío – cold sweats
Urgencias or emergencias– emergencies or the equivalent of ER room
Yo quisiera sacar una cita para – I would like to make an appointment for
Yeso – a cast
To be continued next week
Humorous Tiquismos related to health:
Bisagras – lieterally means hinges but used to refer to a person’s “joints”
El hospi – abbreviation of hospital
Estar con una pata en la tumba – to have one foot in the grave
Estar hecho leña – to fell like crap. Two very vulgar versions of the same expression are : estar hecho picha or estar hecho mierda (I feel like crap)
Estar más allá que acá – to be living on borrowed time
Ranchar or llamar a Hugo– two ways to say to vomit in Costa Rican slang
Robar oxígeno – to be very old
¿Se siente tan mal como se ve? – Do you feel as bad as you look?
Ser un dolor de culo – when someone is a pain in the butt (vulgar)
Tener cagadera – to have diarrhea (vulgar)
Verla cerca – to have a close call or scrape with death. The complete expression is “Ver la muerte de cerca.”En el accidente José la vio cerca. José had a close call in the accident.
Verse más jalado que un mecate campanario – to look haggared. Literally to look more frayed than the rope that is used to ring a church bell. Verse demacrado/a means the same thing
Vivir con permiso del panteonero – to be living on borrowed time
Vivir horas extras – also to be living on borrowed time
