Talking about health problems in English

Hi there! I'm Simon, and I'm here to show you useful and totally native phrases in English, so you can face everyday situations with full confidence in your English. So, today we're going to talk about going to the doctor's. Let's dive in!

It might be difficult for non-natives to tell doctors what's wrong. A very common mistake is saying where it hurts or what bothers us the wrong way round. For example: "I feel itchy on my head". No! That's wrong. The right way to say is: "My head feels itchy". Another common mistake people make is: "I see blurred". No! What we say is: "My eyesight is blurry". Other typical errors include, for example: "I feel my feet swollen". No! What we say is: "My feet feel or my feet are swollen". So, it's the part of the body that feels sore swollen or itchy.

So, the head is an interesting point, because some people often get headaches. So, we say: "I'm prone to headaches". We can say things like: "My head aches". "My head is in pain", "I've got a headache, a blinding headache, a thumping headache, a splitting headache or even my head is pounding". You can even say, if it's really bad, "I've got a migraine".

Here are some useful phrases for recurring ailments: "I've got a sore throat". "My skin or I have broken out into a rash". "I've got a tummy upset or an upset tummy". "My back aches" or "I've got backache"- "I've got pain all over" or "My whole body aches". "I've got a temperature". We don't often use the term fever. "I'm constipated" or "I've got constipation". So, that means when you've got problems going to the toilet. And then, of course, there's the old classic "I've come down with a cold" or "I've got a bad cold".

And now, let's talk about the admin side of things. So, after your checkup or examination, your doctor will give you a prescription and we might need a doctor's note if you need to justify your absence from work or from school. Or, if the problem is even more serious, a certificate of sick leave. Colloquially, this is known as a sick note. When we feel better, we ask for a discharge or we ask for the doctor to give us a discharge. I hope you never have to be admitted to hospital, but if you do, hopefully it will be nothing serious.

That's all for now. If you found this video useful, and you've enjoyed it, then, please give me a thumbs up and subscribe to my channel to keep up to date with your English. It's really handy. That's all for now. Bye!

PAINTINGS
Laennec USing a stethoscope, by unknown artist
The doctor, by Fildes
Self Portrait with Dr. Arrias, by Francisco de Goya
Children Playing At Doctors, Frederick Daniel Hardy
Visiting Day at the Hospital, by Henry Jules Jean Geoffroy
Portrait of a Nurse from the Red Cross, by Gabriel Émile Édouard Nicole
Otoman doctor, by unknow artist.
Portrait of Dr. Gachet, by Vincent Van Gogh
Pasteur with Apparatus, by Robert Thom
Pin of Louis pasteur
Illustration of Princess Mary as a nurse