The “Ey Yey Yey” (pronounced EYE YEI YEI) syndrome is one that ER docs dread. It refers to a usually middle aged Hispanic female who comes in with nonspecific compliants accompanied by a constant “Ey yey yey! Ey yey yey!” (incidentally, people of different cultures have their own versions of this). 9 times out of 10 is a bunch of nothing – some mild problem amplified by anxiety. It is also know as “Ey Tach” for the eyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeyeye that can occur.
However, sometimes they are ey yey yey-ing for real. You can’t just blow them off. Sometimes they have a huge pneumonia, hypoxia, and PCO2 of over 50. However, the first tip off what that her ey yey yey-ing was getting weaker and weaker and weaker…..
Time for a trip to the unit!
Thanks for letting me know that my grandmas was admitted and sent to the unit. I’ll be sure to visit. Just so you know the eye, ye, ye, isn’t hereditary so you won’t be seeing me any time soon:)
Other popular terms for the syndrome are: “Oh god, oh god, oh god” and “oy, oy, oy”. 50+, overweight females are a particular target of this malady in my experience. It seems that facing an empty nest is just too much for them, and they develop a myriad of non-specific complaints (ladled up with a serving of guilt)to get the family rushing back. One sure tip off: The husband rolling his eyes in the waiting room while the adult children fan her and mop her brow.
Oh, oh, oh! Could you do something on Korean-American men (misogynists, all!)? Give ‘em all female doctors. How about those middle-aged black women from Idaho? (They’re the secret reality behind the numbers that make Idaho second in the nation for popping out babies.) Something on Jews, a JAP maybe, that might be interesting — the Oy! Syndrome to go with the Ey Yey Yey Disorder — though you might want to be a little bit touchy-feely. They can come back to bite you in the ass, otherwise, and take all your hard-earned money.
So long as you refrain from writing about singularly unique gimps-in-pain throwing pity parties in the middle of your ED
This is fun!
The magical ethnicity tour is coming to take you away,
Coming to take you away.
The magical ethnicity tour is dying to take you away,
Dying to take you away, take you away.
(Take you today!)
I trained at a large hospital in Miami, and we called it “Status Hispanicus”
We called it I-tach.
That is funny.
Happy
‘Spanic attack.
In Georgia we called it “tachylordia”
“Oh lordy lordy lordy…”
we call it “hispanic panic” or HP when bystanders are present.
HHS – hysterical Hispanic syndrome