CYA/VOICE Dictionary

The CYA/VOICE! Dictionary was created by YPWC Heather Freese to help YPWCs define some of their unique CFIDS experiences. Following is a compilation of all the definitions published in Youth Allied By CFIDS.

Bad Stick n. Anyone who takes daily shots has experienced this phenomenon. You can go for weeks sticking the needle in your leg/arm/behind with little or no pain and then suddenly, WHAMMO, one day it hurts like the devil for no known reason. Example: "Ouch, bad stick, BAD STICK!!!!!"

Decision Crisis n. The way you feel when your mother asks if you want chicken or fish for dinner and it's like the fate of the free world hangs on your answer. Your brain frantically hops back and forth, chicken-fish, chicken-fish, chicken-fish, until finally you break and scream, "I DON'T KNOW!!!" Example: In response to your mom's question about dinner, you calmly and rationally say, "I am having a decision crisis now, please proceed without me."

Dining a’la Floor, phrase. (From Jim and Holly Moore) One "Dines a’la Floor" when one is simply too tired and dizzy to sit upright at the table, but still wishes to enjoy a meal in the company of others. One simply takes one’s plate, fills it up and slithers ever so elegantly to the floor to consume the feast. Example: While stepping over two or three flatbacking feeders, one might remark, "Oh, I see you have decided to Dine a’la Floor this evening. How lovely, carry on..."

Defensive Eating, n. Defensive Eating occurs when you load up on extra healthy food before a planned activity. Example: Before class my family observes me gorging on turkey, V8, peanuts and salad. Through a full mouth I can then say "What are you looking at? I’m practicing Defensive Eating!"

The Duh List, noun. (From me.) The Duh List originated when a fellow YPWC friend was visiting this summer. We surmised that there are certain stupid things that happen that make us feel ill, which we don’t even realize because they are so stupid. Elements of the Duh List include: Do I need food? Water? Should I be asleep now? If you run through the Duh List sooner or later you hit something that makes you go, "Duh! That’s why I feel so crummy!" Example: I was tapered off a medication and told that if headaches and dizziness occurred I should probably go back on. A month later, while having constant and seemingly inexplicable headaches and dizziness, the Duh Factor kicked in and I realized that medication reaction was on my Duh List. (Note: In case I haven’t said "Duh" enough in this column, thus filling up my Duh Quota, it should be duly noted that the words "Doi" and "Doh" can be used as Duh replacements in a pinch.)

EQ abbr., n. Energy Quotients: the units persons with CFIDS (PWCs) use to measure the amount of energy in their bodies at any given time. EQs can be eaten up quickly by activity, stored for future use by flatbacking (see "CYA/Voice" dictionary in the Winter newsletter), or bottom out suddenly, leaving you in a state I call "Unplugged" (totally disconnected from any energy source). Example: "I stored up a week's worth of EQs just to walk through this store, and now I can feel them dripping out of my body one by one."

Familial Interpretation, n, phrase. The ability of the family to understand its PWC’s vigorous gestures and inventive speaking as he/she struggles to communicate during moments of brainfog or skipping.

Flatback v. After the expenditure of energy, this is the state of total flat-on-your-back rest you must have. Example: "Oh, I'll be just fine if I flatback for a couple of hours."

Frompy, adj, (from me, Heather) The state of feeling so grouchy, frumpy and irritable that you simply must stomp about the house muttering to yourself in order to remain sane. Example: After a long day of being poked and prodded at the doctor’s office, you return home to the sound of your neighbor’s remodeling and also discover that someone has eaten your cookies and moved around the organized piles of junk in your room. Upon being asked what is wrong you throw yourself on the floor, kick your hands and feet into a frenzy and wail, "I feel frommm-peeeee!!!!!!!"

How Aren’t You? phrase. This is the question we wish people would ask us instead of "How are you?" since responding to that means saying "Not great" or "Still sick." If instead we were asked "How aren’t you?" then we could say, "Great!" "Cool!" and "Most Fabulous!"

The Imallergic Excuse, n. Sometimes no matter what you say people don’t understand that you should not eat even a bite of their birthday cake/rolls/cookies. Saying, "I’m on a diet," garners gasps of dismay and explaining your entire CFIDS care plan can get tedious. This is when you should employ the Imallergic Excuse, by smiling and chirping, "No thank you, I’m allergic."

Incognito n. A cognitive day that is not so neato. When your brain is incognito you may find yourself saying things like, "Gee, that bright is really light," or get stumped spelling your own name. Example: While throwing your socks in the toilet and trying to flush the clothes hamper, you smack yourself on the head and say, "Man, am I incognito today!"

Inventive Speaking, n, phrase. When two or more words are meshed together forming a word incomprehensible except to the PWC’s family members. Example: "Could I please have my blippers?" Translation: "Could I please have my blue slippers?"

Myalgebra, n, (from Rebecca Moore) Myalgia (aches and pains) induced by math overload. Example: While staring at the numbers, plus and minus signs and various other intricacies of algebra, your brain slowly begins to send sizzling signals of pain and suffering throughout your body until you cannot add two and two together without getting five. At this point you are technically allowed to quit by stating "myalgebra is really acting up on me."

Pill Sin, n. Flagrantly disobeying your medications. For example, by staying up until 5 a.m. after taking melatonin and several other sleep-inducing drugs, you commit pill sin.

PWOC abbr., n. (Pee'-wok, like those fluffy little Star Wars guys) Person WithOut CFIDS: Those disgustingly healthy people who have never experienced even a stuffy nose yet feel qualified to comment on our state of health. Example: "That teacher who told me 'just push yourself and you'll feel better' is such a classic PWOC." Note: this term can also be used in a derogatory way when muttered under the breath or yelled loudly. Nobody outside the CFIDS community will get it. Example: You are going through the mall in your wheelchair and notice some uggo people staring rudely. Either mutter or yell, "What are you looking at, you freakin' PWOCs???"

Shootin' Up v. An alternative way of saying that you are doing your shots right now. If it's a particularly Bad Stick you can take your mind off it by singing to the tune of "Breaking Up is Hard to Do." (It's an oldie; ask your parents.) Just replace "Breaking Up" with "Shootin' Up." Example: "Get away from me, I'm shootin' up!" Note: you might want to be careful to whom you say this. It can have negative connotations if you don't specify that you're shootin' up with B12 and not something illegal.

Skipping, n. When a person with CFIDS gets stuck on one word or phrase, much like a skipping record repeats a word or a measure of music over and over. Skipping allows the person with CFIDS (PWC) to pause without an embarrassing silence, simply repeating the last word or phrase over and over, while the brain rests and develops the rest of the thought he/she is trying to express. Example: Rebecca preparing for a trip: "But when, when, when we, when we, when we get to, when…" (Obviously the word "airport" was eluding her.) Usage: "Rebecca, you’re skipping again!"

Sniggly, adj. Once you’ve violated your diet and cheated with, oh, say, pizza and ice cream, sniggly is the funny, happy, twirly way you feel just before you crash. Your personality shifts into high gear and you find yourself singing Broadway showtunes to anyone who will listen. The world is one big giggle, and you giggle enough to snort, which makes you giggle even more. Hence sniggly, a word you may repeat many times just for the fun of it.

Thing, noun. (From me, Heather, again) "Thing" is the universal word I use when I suddenly cannot find the word for the, well, thing I am wanting. Example: At the lake I cry, "Oh, look! Look at the, the...THING!!!" "The groundhog?" "Yes! Groundhog! Exactly what I said."

Typoese, n, (from Sandy Becker) The language spoken by uncoordinated hands and brains in E-mail messages. Example: "I signed my E-mail as ‘Snady B.’ rather than ‘Sandy B.’ I must have been speaking typoese again!"

Vuja de n. The feeling that you have never done any of this before (opposite of deja vu) - used when trying to remember how to do the simplest things during brain fog.

Yoda Speak n. This is the phenomenon that occurs when you are tired and speak strangely, kind of like Yoda from Star Wars. Example 1: "Chelsea, I'm sure what you are saying is very wise, if only I knew what you were talking about!" Example 2 (from Heather): I wanted to say, "Mom, could you please put up the barrier so the dog can't get into my pink room?" What came out was, "pink dog room stopper." Dad has further elaborated to tell me at times, "Heather, you're speaking Yodish."