In Mirabel-les-Baronnies, lovely tumbling roses.
luxer (loox-ay) verb
: to dislocate
luxer l'épaule = to dislocate one's shoulder
avoir l'épaule luxée = to have a dislocated shoulder
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Samedi matin, j'ai fait un faux mouvement et je me suis luxé l'épaule. Saturday morning, after an awkward movement, I dislocated my shoulder.
.
A Day in a French Life…
by Kristin Espinasse
In the emergency room parking lot there were people picking cherries! This, I decided, was a good sign–and not at all the atmosphere of panic that I had imagined. If all went well, we, too, would be picking cherries before long….
I drove up to the ER entrance, turned off the engine, and hurried around the car to open the passenger door, unbuckle my husband's seat belt, and help him out of the vehicle.
"Amène mon sac et mon portable,"* Jean-Marc instructed, before making his way, painstakingly, to the building.
By the time I had parked the car and entered the ER Jean-Marc was nowhere in sight, but had already been whisked away, into the entrails of l'hôpital.* The prompt secours,* I realized, was due to his injury: une luxation de l'épaule*; this, due to a faux mouvement* (an elbow-turned-all-arm jerk in response hitting his funny bone.* Talk about a freak accident!
The last time he ended up in the ER (after he slipped at the beach in a similar freak accident) he was, surprisingly, admitted before the other accidentés*: those arm-clutching, anguished-faced, crying, and hiccuping patients that waited their turn for treatment. That's when I learned that a dislocated shoulder takes priority over, say, a feverish and howling baby or drunkenness (and the bobos* that ensue…).
On this, our most recent visit to the ER, I was as prepared as usual, c'est-à-dire,* still scrambling for paperwork after the receptionist requested "La Carte d'Identité et Carte Vitale,* s'il vous plaît". Rummaging through my husband's briefcase, I found his Carte Electorale.*
"Will this do… for now?" I asked, waving the card. The receptionist looked doubtful, but collected the voting card in order to copy down the holder's name.
"How about this?" I asked, handing over Jean-Marc's Carte Nationale de Donneur de Sang Bénévole".* When the receptionist shook her head, I flipped over the blood-donor card and offered:
"0+. He is 0 plus… in case that helps!" The receptionist once again offered a doubtful look, which got me wondering what my own blood type was. Never mind, back to rooting through the briefcase.
This time I found a Carte Fidélité* from our local pizzeria, Léo Pizza, and noticed that we were due for a free pie sometime soon. Perhaps tonight, come to think of it! We might need one; after all, who knows how long this ER wait will be? I shoved the card into my pocket and continued my search.
"Et voilà! ça y est. Trouvées!"* I announced, triumphantly handing over both the pink driver's license and the green insurance card.
"Merci," the receptionist replied, before asking me to patienter* in the salle d'attente.*
I greeted the others in the waiting room, "Bonjour Messieurs-Dames"*. There was a family of five, including a young couple, their toddler, and the grandparents. A man in sweats sat alone, crutches at his side. Another large family, the silent women wearing headscarves and long satin jackets, over long pants, sat facing me. I wasn't sure whether to exchange eye contact or not, out of respect for customs. That's when my husband's iPhone rang and, pushing every "button" imaginable, I couldn't manage to answer it. I looked over at the women wearing headscarves, who had trouble hiding their amusement at my predicament. A little comic relief seemed to be a welcome change.
One very sad looking woman was called into the ER room and I wondered whether she was on her way to see her own husband, or perhaps a child… I hoped she would return with a relieved look on her face.
An hour passed and the sad women did not return but two other women, dressed in blue uniforms, came out only to disappear into another room. One of them had hair the same color as her uniform and, for some reason, this lightened my mood. To me, any connection between Smurf blue hair and bad news was impossible or, rather, a wearer of Smurf blue hair would not be a deliverer of bad news. Now if only those women would return before my mind continued with its off-the-wall, or simply anxious, associations.
Another hour passed. I looked out the great windows to the ER parking lot, and those cherry trees, and wondered whether I might do as the others: pick berries! What's the use of waiting and worrying?
Just then, someone called my name. "Madame Espinasse? Vous pouvez venir." I followed the voice into the back room where my husband was en route, via stretcher, to a resting room. He was torso nu* save for an elastic upper-body brace.
"Il a le sourire maintenant,"* the doctor said and I flashed the same–along with a few twinkling eyes of encouragement–back to my husband.
"Il paraît que ça fait très mal," I said to the doctor, not knowing what else to say, besides merci beaucoup.
"Oh, oui!" she confirmed, showing me the X-rays, which made me shudder. So that's what a dislocated shoulder looks like?
"Just how did you get it back in place?" I questioned.
"It took five of us to do so!" the doctor answered, admitting that she was not the only one to take credit.
Back in the ER parking lot, I pointed out to Jean-Marc that the cherry trees were ripe for picking. "These are not cherry trees," my husband corrected, his speech a bit slow (was it the morphine?). "Ce sont des mûriers."*
What a pleasure, after all, to discover les mûriers!–or to identify them, at least. I may not have known the difference between a cherry and a mulberry tree, but quiz me on blood types… group A, group B, AB and O… and I can now tell you which one belongs to my on-the-mend fellow.
***
Corrections, comments–and stories of your own–always welcome and appreciated. Merci!
~~~~~~~~~~~~French Vocabulary~~~~~~~~~~
Note: no glossary today… I ran out of time due to this edition's deadline! Please look up the terms (below) and note them down, here. Many thanks for your help!
Terms to look up & share:
Amène mon sac et mon portable
l'hôpital
secours
une luxation de l'épaule
funny bone (in French)
accidenté(e)
faux mouvement
bobo
c'est-à-dire
Carte d'Identité
Carte Vitale
Carte Electorale
Et voilà! ça y est. Trouvées
Carte Nationale de Donneur de Sang Bénévole
Carte Fidélité
patienter
salle d'attente
Bonjour Messieurs-Dames
torso nu
il a le sourire maintenant
mûrier
Please report any misspelled or missing words. Thanks so much!
***
Chambre de luxe for a luxated shoulder!
Would you like to send Jean-Marc a get well message? Thanks for doing so, here!
Three Random Words:
la verrerie = glass factory, glass-making shop; glassware
une secousse = jolt, bump (train, car), jerk; shock
poupard / pouparde = chubby-cheeked => poupard (noun) = chubby baby
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
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Jean-Marc…you were very brave! and a very indulgent husband to let your wife photograph you…maybe it was the drugs?? Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Sending healing thoughts your way.
Jean-Marc, May God bless you and heal you quickly.
Amène mon sac et mon portable – bring my bag and my cell phone.
l’hôpital – the hospital.
secours – “safety”; attention to a medical emergency.
une luxation de l’épaule – shoulder dislocation.
funny bone (in French) – je ne sais pas.
accidenté(e) – emergency room patients.
faux mouvement – bad or wrong movement.
bobo – ??
c’est-à-dire – it is said; as is normal.
Carte d’Identité – French ID card.
Carte Vitale – French medical system card.
Carte Electorale – voter registration card.
Et voilà! ça y est. Trouvées – Ah, here it is! (Here they are!) They are found.
Carte Nationale de Donneur de Sang Bénévole – Blood donor card.
Carte Fidélité – Frequent shopper / buyer card.
patienter – wait.
salle d’attente – waiting room.
Bonjour Messieurs-Dames – Good Day sirs and madams.
torso nu – nude torso; nude upper body.
il a le sourire maintenant – He has a smile now.
http://www.wordreference.com/fren/luxer%20
luxer: se luxer /lykse/ (conjugate⇒)
reflexive verb
(+ v être) se ~ l’épaule to dislocate one’s shoulder.
The definition, above, gives the verb case as reflexive — is there an ‘argot’ use as you’ve used?
Best, Dick dglickd@pipeline.com
Jean-Marc – The lesson in French was good but terrible for the pain you endured so we could read it. Please do get well soon! 🙂
Wishing you a speedy recovery and bowls of delicious mulberries!
Marika from Windsor, Colorado
So happy that Jean Marc is on the mend (how does one say that en francais?) But, I can’t stop thinking about the sad woman in the hospital. I am sending positive thoughts her way…
Awwwww…….seems you were forced to take a break Jean-Marc. I’m sure you’ll be reaching and stretching in no time….
J’espère que vous sentez complètement et rapidement, Jean Marc.
Ce qui concerne les meilleures.
Jean Marc: Hope you recover well. Here is something to look forward to: Next time you come to Houston, you should try to make your visit coincide with the Houston Art Car Parade. I am certain that France has no festival quite like this parade!
Get well quickly, Jean-Marc! How frustrating for a freak thing like that to land you in the hospital! 🙁
bobo – baby word for an injury (we say boo boo)
funny bone – petit juif http://www.expressio.fr/expressions/frapper-se-cogner-le-petit-juif.php
Jena-Marc: Wishing you a fast recovery and at least one of the silver linings to this accident is knowing that you have a wonderful wife to be there for you. God bless!
What a timely post. My husband and 2 sons went fishing at the lake early this morning. I got a phone call from one of my sons about an hour ago. They were at the emergency room. My husband was hauling in a fish, and somehow the hook ended up in my husband’s mouth. Thank God it wasn’t his eye. The visit was quick and they’re back on the lake now. Now he has a new fish story to tell.
Debra, Lilburn GA USA
JM,
What is a nice guy like you doing in a place/position like this! Much love and hugs for a speedy recovery! RB/S
I hope you will heal quickly, Jean-Marc. It must be very hard to wash the dishes when your are in pain =)
Keeping you in prayers,
Alex
I hope you have a speedy recovery, Jean-Marc,and I hope that you don’t do this again too often. Hospital waiting rooms are not the nicest places to spend Sunday afternoon.
How kind of you to provide your wife with yet another slice of French life…which you allowed her to share with us…my wishes for a quick recovery.
Jean-Marc, you are in our hearts and in our prayers.
Bonjour Jean-Marc,
Os drôle(funny bone) pas très drôle ! Espoir que vous vous sentez meilleur maintenant!
Get well quick(-:
Nancy L.
Bon courage, Jean-Marc! Je te souhaite un prompt rétablissement! Meilleurs voeux de Houston, Texas.
Gina L.
Jean-Marc,
Your poor shoulder! I hope you are all better now or soon will be.
Love the picture : )
Warm regards–devoraj
As one who has recently recovered from shoulder surgery (slap tear repair)I send loads of good wishes and sympathy to Jean Marc (and also Kristen!) Take it SLOW!
Jean-Marc, ouch that must have hurt! I dislocated a knee once and remember the intense pain before and then the feeling of relief/no pain when the Doctor relocated it. Hope your wing gets well soon and you are up and about soon.
Oh, my…this was no bobo, certainment! Ouch, the thought of 5 people yanking and pulling your shoulder back in place, ouch un autre fois! It hurts to hear about it!
Best wishes for a speedy recovery…vous avez une bonne home nurse, oui! Kristin, mercis pour un autre behind-the-scenes gander at Life Espinasse–in’s and out’s of French emergency rooms, and an interesting vocab list. Le mot favori de jour is “bobo.” Like our boo-boo.
So, Pat in Roanoke does not expect any phone calls aujourd’hui, J-M–no rush with the info about Rouge-Bleu, mais Vite! Vite! on your recovery. My candle of healing will be lit for you today!
Jean-Marc–
Ouch. That sounds so painful. Hope you’re feeling better. Let Kristin pamper you a little! Hello to the family, and the wonderful grapes.
Warm wishes,
Cheryl and Bill Jamison
John: thank you for the vocab translations!
Dick: merci for pointing out the reflexive verb. Not sure about today’s word being argot (I overlooked the reflexive part and should have noted it…)
Thanks, everyone, for the get well messages! Jean-Marc will be home soon and I know he will enjoy reading his “mail”! By the way, this is his third dislocated shoulder accident (the first one occured in the Alps, while monoskiing… and trying to avoid a collision with another skier). He may have to have an operation. Now to find the time to do so (before the wine harvest… after???)
may i suggest plenty of, vin da pas for a speedy recovery…. sleeping is going to be difficult, patis will help….. best fishes & kindest regards
dan
in Charlotte, NC
Repeat shoulder subluxation requires post trauma attention to prevent recurrence.
http://www.shouldersolutions.com/instab.php
It would be a good idea to consult an orthopedic specialist and a physical therapist (PT first, surgery as a last resort).
Best wishes for a successful recovery, Jean_marc.
Get well soon Jean Marc! Is the same shoulder being dislocated each time?
So sorry to hear about your dislocated shoulder, JM… I hope you have a speedy recovery!
LA
feel better and take your time, i did the same playing ice hockey. interestingly, in english, the medical term for a near-dislocation is, “subluxation!” also, is funny bone really, “petit juif,” as in wordreference.com ? dean, un juif en californie
Oh wow! Stressful day, and I am so happy it is behind you! Get well Jean-Marc and get rested Kristin.
And finally something I know- a mulberry tree. I think a blight took out most mulberry trees in all of US or south of US. I found some in Knoxville, TN.
XO
I showed the picture of Jean Marc to my husband who has, over the years, dislocated each shoulder at least 3 times, maybe 4. He is still groaning over JM’s picture, remembering the pain, and then he started laughing so hard when he saw the “Blackberry Prayer Position”, head bowed, hands together, thumbs moving. Pump him full of morphine and he is happy to be sending messages. Best of luck in the recovery
So just what job was it that you were trying to get Kristin to do for you, now that you are injured? Ha Hope you get well soon – that’s not much fun.
Jean Marc,
Hope you feel better très rapidement.
Cher Jean-Marc,
J’espère que votre épaule va mieux bientôt!
I am sure you love the pic of you, in your hospital bed, posted for everyone!? A quick recovery so that you can get back to drinking your wine~that should heal you the most!
Wishing JM bon courage and the best of everything during your uneventful recovery. Treat yourself very gently during the next few days. Lots of ice cream, jelly babies, music, day time television and tender loving care.
Catherine, Pontivy (56)
Take care and soon be well,
This will make Kristin smile,
Take good care of yourself for 100 days
That’s the most important way for your shoulder to be safe!
Jean-Marc here is hoping for your speedy recovery. May you be back to normal and pain free real soon!
I have to say the photo Kristin took was classic. I love it! It looks like you are texting someone. (no matter how much pain you are in there is still time to text)
Thanks Krisitn for sharing the story and Jean-Marc for allowing us to share your pain. You two are a cute couple.
Thank you ALL for your king messages.
It did hurt a lot but since it is back to its seat, I have hardly no pain.
Well, I have just one hand but still I can raise my right shoulder and cheer a glass of wine with you.
Hi Jean-Marc: Wishing you a speedy recovery! The wine will help.
(And thanks, Kristin, for the picture and story. And also for the word of the day – luxer, which reminded me of Luxor – and the perfect trip I had there.)
Chèr Jean-Marc – bonne et vite guérison. Les raisins t’attendent !
Augusta E.
à la Nouvelle Orléans
Bien a vous Jean-Marc. Je sais comme difficile on trouve etre au lit a l’hopital.Vita-Iris
All our warm wishes for a speedy recovery Jean-Marc.
What a ‘patient’ man to allow the photo! Sorry couldn’t resist that.
Take care
all the best
Chris
Another interesting but painful “tranche de vie”…., I will point out a small error, though: “blood donner”, though linked to “donor”, isn’t what you intended, I bet.
Jean Marc – bless your heart. Wishing you a very speedy recovery and hope , for Kristen’s sake, that you are a better patient than my husband.
Get well and feel better, Jean Marc!