Free Signing For Dummies by Adan R. Penilla, Angela Lee Taylor Page B

you need a nurse?
Sign: NURSE — NEED YOU Q

English: The surgeon is a specialist.
Sign: SURGEON SPECIALIST

Figuring out how you feel
Knowing the Signs for symptoms of illness can really help you figure out the best way to handle a medical problem. As with talking, signing is sometimes difficult when you don’t feel well, but it’s a necessary part of receiving help. The Signs in Table 11-2 can take the sting out of communicating your problem.

Conscious is signed the same way as “know” and “familiar.”
Knocked out is signed K-O. With the dominant hand, start the K handshape at eye level with the O handshape ending at your mouth. Complete the Sign with closed eyes while bending your head to the side or in front.
Feeling healthy, wealthy, and wise is great, but allow us to talk about the word feel. Sing feel by running your middle finger up your stomach and chest and outward. If you put your thumb up after signing feel, it means feel good.

Expressing medical terms
Medical words are simple in Sign — they usually look like what they mean. For example, blood pressure is signed by making a C handshape with your dominant hand and then placing it on your arm muscle. You then mimic working a pump bulb. Sutures and stitches are signed by mimicking that you are putting a needle in and out of the stitched area. Check out Table 11-3 to see for yourself.

Some Signs are similar in appearance. After you adjust to visually reading ASL, you’ll be comfortable in determining the context of the sentence.
Try the following sentences for practice.
English: I need to check your blood pressure.
Sign: YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE — CHECK — ME MUST

In ASL, “I” and “me” are signed the same. Just point to yourself with your index finger.
English: He needs an injection.
Sign: INJECTION — NEED HIM

English: How do I get blood drawn?
Sign: ME — BLOOD DRAWN — HOW Q

You fingerspell some medical terms, especially those that are abbreviations anyway. For example, you use the manual alphabet to sign CPR, ER, OR, MRI, ICU, IV, and x-ray, as well as the names of medications.
    Describing Ailments and Treatments
These ailments in Table 11-4 are Signs that many ASL users run into — that explains the bruises! Try these Signs anyway.

If you sign blue or purple and circle the area with your index finger, it means the area is bruised.
The Signs in Table 11-5 are the perfect relief. Practice them and you’ll feel a whole lot better!

Cast is signed by making the manual C handshape and placing it on your passive arm in a double sliding motion. If the cast is on a leg, point to the area. If it’s a body cast, fingerspell C-A-S-T or else you’ll be pointing all day.
You sign prescription with the manual letters R-X, and then sign a square with both index fingers starting at the top and meeting at the bottom — it means “slip.”
If you’re feeling up to it, try the following sentences.
English: She has an infection.
Sign: INFECTION — HAS HER

English: Sit in the wheelchair.
Sign: WHEELCHAIR — SIT

English: You have a sprain.
Sign: SPRAIN — HAVE YOU

    Pointing to Body Parts
If you’re using ASL to describe ailments, it helps to be able to do more than point to the part that hurts, although in many cases, that’s exactly how you Sign different body parts. Tables 11-6, 11-7, and 11-8 run down the Signs for body parts in three different groups. Most of the Signs in these tables are signed with a double motion; for example, for ear, tug twice on your earlobe.

When you’re not feeling that well, these sentences will help you get all the sympathy your hands can hold.
English: My throat is red.
Sign: MY THROAT — RED

English: My neck is stiff.
Sign: MY NECK — STIFF

You sign stiff by using the same Sign as freeze (see Chapter 6 ).
English: Can you cough?
Sign: COUGH — CAN YOU Q

English: Her mouth is bleeding.
Sign: MOUTH BLEEDING — HER

    Handling Emergencies
Going to the hospital during an emergency is a scary thing. However,