ESL Podcast 227 – Describing Symptoms to a Doctor

#ESL Podcast 227 – Describing Symptoms to a Doctor##GLOSSARY**stomachache –** a pain in the stomach*Jenny has a stomachache because she ate too much junk food this afternoon.**to come and go –** to appear and disappear; to arrive and leave*Ella is tired because she was coming and going all day yesterday, between herhouse, her work, the school, and store.**heartburn –** a burning pain in the chest, usually caused by something you ate*Whenever Dad eats pizza, he gets a bad case of heartburn.**bloated –** uncomfortably full of food, gas, or water*I drank too much soda with lunch and now I feel bloated.**nauseous –** sick to one’s stomach; a feeling that one wants to vomit or throw up*Standing on the roof of a tall building and looking down makes me feelnauseous.**to press –** to gently push; to push down*The little boy pressed all of the buttons in the elevator so we had to stop onevery floor.**headache –** a pain in the head*Jeremiah says that his neighbors play their music too loudly and that’s why healways has a headache.**fatigued –** very tired*After working 12 hours at the hospital, the doctor was very fatigued and sheneeded some rest.**stuffy nose –** the feeling that something is in one’s nose which makes it difficultto breathe*Grandpa always has a stuffy nose when he visits their house. Maybe he’sallergic to their cats.**cough –** the noise caused when air is forced through one’s throat, especiallywhen one is sick*I would have enjoyed the opera, but it was difficult to hear the singers becausethe man sitting behind me had a bad cough.** sore throat –** a burning pain in one’s throat*My mother taught me that whenever I have a sore throat, I should drink a lot oforange juice and hot tea with lemon.**earache –** a pain in the ear*If a bad earache isn’t treated, the infection can cause a loss of hearing.**stiff –** difficult to move*My body is so stiff today because I went running yesterday for the first time insix months.**to lose feeling –** not to be able to feel anything; to have no feeling in a part ofone’s body*Karen slept on her right arm, and when she woke up, she realized that she hadlost feeling in her hand.**symptom –** a problem with one’s body that shows that someone isn’t healthy*The symptoms of the flu include fever, body aches, and tiredness.**in-laws –** the parents of one’s husband or wife*Ever since my parents died, my in-laws have treated me like their own son.**to admit (someone) –** to send someone to a clinic or hospital for special care,usually overnight*When the doctor couldn’t identify the cause of Carly’s symptoms, he admittedher to the hospital for more tests.##COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1. Why is Nick visiting the doctor?a) He feels very sick and has an unusual combination of symptoms.b) He thinks he broke his leg because it is stiff and he has trouble walking.c) He wants the doctor to send him to the hospital so he won’t need to go home.2. Dr. van Eyck believes that:a) Nick isn’t really sick, but he is having trouble at home.b) Nick should take medicine and rest in bed for three days.c) Nick’s symptoms are very dangerous and he should go to the hospitalimmediately.##WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?to pressThe verb *“to press,”* in this podcast, means to gently push: “She pressed a bag ofice against her forehead, hoping that it would make her headache go away.” Theverb *“to press”* can also mean to try to persuade or convince someone else. Forexample, “The salesperson is pressing the young family to buy the mostexpensive car, even though they don’t need it.” Another meaning of *“to press”* isto make something flat: “She pressed the flowers between the pages of a heavybook.” As a noun, *“the press”* refers to newspapers and magazines or the peoplewho work for newspapers and magazines. For example, “Americans believe infreedom of the press, which means that the government should not control whatis written in newspapers and