Defining "Activities"

This was a conversation I had today:

Me: Hi, are you Mr. So-and-so?

Patient: Yes.

Me: My name is Caitlin and I'll be doing your x-rays today. The nurse's notes say that you're having some shoulder pain. Is that correct?

Patient: Yes.

Me: What happened?

Patient: I hurt it last night and I heard it make a really loud popping sound and now I can't really move it.

Me: Okay, well I'm sorry to hear that. How did you injure it?

Patient: (Slight pause) I hurt it.

Me: (Another slight pause as I try to reform the question, thinking maybe he didn't understand.) Yes, I'm sorry--but how did it get hurt?

Patient: (Averting his eyes) Well, it was last night.

Me: Um, okay. How did it happen?

(Awkward silence as the patient won't look at me and I can't tell if there is something wrong with him or if it's just a communication barrier...)

Patient: Well...it was last night...y'know...and I was doing "activities."

Me: What kind of activity was it? (Thinking that he was referring to some type of sport, since that's how most people get shoulder injuries.)

Patient: (Becomes non-responsive again)

Me: The reason why I ask is because oftentimes the mechanism of injury will give the doctor a better idea of what to look for in your shoulder...They'll focus on different areas if you fell, versus if you were lifting something heavy, for instance...

Patient: (Now starting to sweat after my reference to heavy lifting, he barely manages to mumble out the following:) Well, it was...um...a....nocturnal activity?...'Cause y'know...it was yesterday...Valentines...

At this point it finally dawned on me what kind of activity he was referring to and--aside from feeling monumentally stupid and slow on the up-take--I decided to spare us both further embarrassment by not asking for any more details and quickly carrying on with the exam. He was visibly relieved. At least, he was...right up until the moment when I ushered him back out to the hallway where his wife was waiting.

She looked up and giggled when she saw him. Then she very sweetly inquired (with a twinkle in her eye), "So, did you tell her what happened? Because you still have to talk to the doctor--the nurse just came by to say they'd need some more information about what kind of injury you sustained." That poor guy just turned beet red and walked away while his wife lagged behind to thank me. I tried to keep a good poker face, but I don't think I succeeded--she totally winked before walking away.

I know my straight face slipped when I saw her catch up to him.(Not a couple I would have pictured...) And then I had an even harder time explaining to the receptionists who sit next to me, why it was I was giggling and taking so long to type up the notes on this patient...It took me a while to find a suitably medical phrase for "activities" and "wink, wink."