In the Midst of Life

the name of the surgical incision to the abdomen.
    Laying out: often called ‘Last Offices’. This is the process of preparing the body of someone who has just died for burial.
    Leukaemia: Cancer of the bone marrow.
    Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) - Health and Welfare: the only legally recognised way a person can make a medical decision on behalf of another. This power only comes into effect when the person loses capacity i.e. the ability to make a decision. It must be registered (proven by a hologram sticker on the document, and an official rubber stamp) and must be seen by the medics and people treating that person at the time. The person acting as the attorney can only make decisions within the remit of what they think the person they are representing would have wanted in that situation.
    Lumbar puncture: an investigative procedure in which cerebrospinal fluid is removed for analysis.
    Mastectomy: removal of all or part of the breast.
    Mersalyl: an early diuretic which contained mercury.
    Metastasis: a single site where the cancer has spread, a single secondary. Metastases is the plural and means multiple secondaries.
    MRSA: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus: a highly contagious and resistant bacterial infection requiring strong skin cleansers, and antibiotics.
    Multiple sclerosis: when the myelin sheath (insulation) around certain nerves is affected which slows down the passage of nerve messages. There are several types of MS, some more progressive and damaging than others.
    Nasojejunostomy tube: tube that is inserted through the nasal passage, into the gullet, through the stomach and into the small bowel, the jejunum.
    Necrotic: dead and decaying: e.g. necrotic skin is blackened skin caused by lack ofcirculation.
    Neurodegenerative disease: disease which causes deterioration of the nervous systems.
    Neurologist: a specialist of the nerves, the nervous system and related disorders.
    Oedema: swelling of the tissues of the body caused by poor circulation.
    Oestrogen / Progesterone: these are female steroids, better known as female sex hormones.
    Oncologist: a doctor specialising in treating cancer.
    Oncotic pressures: when blood is more concentrated and attracts water into the circulatory system.
    Open heart resuscitation (direct manual compression): heart compressions applied directly to the heart through an incision made through the skin, sternum and membranes.
    Palliative care: care of patients with incurable disease and their families. In chronic disease it will begin when the disease can no longer be assisted by drug therapy.
    Paraldehyde: a substance originally used to control convulsions, and as a sedative and hypnotic.
    Paralytic ileus: when the small bowel paralyses itself.
    Paramedics: specially trained professionals who attend emergencies in the community.
    Parenteral: given via external route instead of via the gastrointestinal route.
    Path lab analysis (short for pathology laboratory analysis): analysis of certain body tissues or fluids.
    Pathologist: a specialist of pathology.
    Pelvic colon: the colon is the large bowel.
    Peripheral: on the edges of the body.
    Peritoneal cavity: the abdominal cavity, which is surrounded by the peritoneal membrane.
    Peritonitis: inflammation of the peritoneum, the membranelining the abdominal cavity. It can be caused by infection, disease or injury. It needs to be treated with strong antibiotics or an operation, and can be fatal.
    Placebo: a substance with no active element or drug, often used in trials against a real drug to see whether the latter is more effective.
    Plaques: in Alzheimer’s dementia, small clumps of proteins that grow around brain cells and prevent normal functioning.
    Pleural aspiration: drainage of fluid, which has built up between the pleural membranes surrounding the lungs.
    Pneumococcal organisms: the bacterial cause of pneumonia.
    There is now a vaccination to protect people from this.
    Polyuria: excessive production and excretion of urine.
    Positive pressure: when the pressure within a system is higher than that of the environment it is in.
    Potassium citrate: a substance used to dilute acidic urine.
    Primary progressive aphasia: when words are muddled and mixed up, and speech is then lost altogether.
    Prostatectomy: surgical removal of the prostate gland.
    Psycho-geriatric ward: now called Elderly Mentally Ill (EMI) wards. This is a ward specially designed to care for elderly people who have mental health