Describing Symptoms to the Doctor
Meeting with the doctor and clearly explaining health symptoms, their duration, severity, and any other relevant medical history.
Dialogue
Listen and follow along with the conversation
Vocabulary
Essential words and phrases from the dialogue
persistent
Means something that continues for a long time without stopping, like a headache that doesn't go away easily. Use it to describe ongoing health issues.
headache
A pain in your head. It's a common word for when your head hurts. You can say 'I have a headache' to describe this symptom.
dull ache
A mild, continuous pain that feels heavy or boring, not sharp. Use this to describe pain that's not too intense but lasts a while.
throbbing
A pain that pulses or beats like a heartbeat. It's useful for describing headaches or injuries that feel rhythmic.
sharp
A sudden, strong, cutting pain. Say this for pains that feel like a stab or knife.
relieve
To make pain or discomfort less or go away. For example, 'medicine to relieve pain' means it helps reduce the hurt.
dizzy
Feeling like the room is spinning or you're about to fall. Common with headaches or low blood pressure.
nauseous
Feeling like you might vomit or sick in your stomach. Use it with other symptoms like headaches.
Key Sentences
Important phrases to remember and practice
What brings you in today?
This is a polite way doctors ask why you're visiting. It's useful for starting a medical conversation. 'Brings you in' means 'the reason for your visit'.
I've been having this persistent headache for the past three days.
This describes an ongoing symptom with duration. Use 'I've been having' for actions or states that started in the past and continue. It's practical for explaining health problems.
Can you describe the pain for me? Is it a dull ache, throbbing, or sharp?
Doctors use this to get details about pain type. It's a question pattern: 'Can you describe...?' followed by examples. Useful for patients to learn how to answer clearly.
It's mostly a dull ache, but sometimes it throbs, especially behind my eyes.
This explains pain with location and variations. 'Mostly... but sometimes' shows contrast. Great for describing symptoms in detail to a doctor.
Have you tried anything to relieve it? Over-the-counter pain relievers, perhaps?
Asks about home treatments. 'Over-the-counter' means medicine you buy without a prescription. 'Perhaps' softens the suggestion. Use this to discuss self-help for symptoms.
Yes, I've taken ibuprofen, but it only helps for a couple of hours, then the pain comes right back.
Describes trying medicine and its limited effect. 'Comes right back' means returns quickly. This pattern shows cause and result, helpful for explaining why you need more help.
Any recent changes in your diet, sleep patterns, or stress levels?
Inquires about lifestyle factors. 'Recent changes' means things that happened lately. Useful for doctors or patients to explore possible causes of symptoms.
Not really. My routine has been pretty consistent.
Means no big changes; 'consistent' means regular and unchanged. 'Not really' is a casual way to say 'not exactly'. Good for responding to questions about habits.