In today's episode:

I'll talk about the most common symptoms that we experience when we're sick or ill.

SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/podcast >

Later, you'll practice grammar with a point of view story.

Awesome! Let's get started!

As you've probably noticed, I've been sick for the last two weeks. It started with a sore throat, fever, cough, feeling weak ... it wasn't the flu but pharyngitis or bronchitis. I know what you're thinking: it sounds even worse than it actually feels, right?

When we are ill, we don't rest well, and we start remembering how well we feel when we're healthy:)

I'm better now, even though I still have a cough. I wanted to thank you for all the messages of support. I've also been recommended to try out some home remedies to help improve my health:)

Apart from the syrup and pills that my doctor has prescribed me, I've tried out ginger tea with lemon and honey, cinnamon with honey, and I've been eating foods that contained plenty of garlic and onion.

All these days, I've been eating veggie soup. I just wasn't in the mood to eat solid meals.

Over the last two weeks, I've been focusing on the health topic, and I've decided to share with you some basic symptoms.

What do you think? It's always useful to know some expressions related to this topic.

Like this, if you find yourself in a country where they speak English, and something happens to you, you'll be able to communicate much better with the doctors there.

In this lesson, I'll help you to describe some of the most common symptoms that we experience when we are ill or sick.

When you want to ask someone about their health, it's very common to use the word "feel."

Here are some examples:

"You don't look too well. Are you feeling ill?"

"Yeah, I don't feel well. I'd better go home."

If someone says, "I don't feel well," you could ask him or her:

"What's the matter with you?"

"Are you well?"

Let's see some of the most common symptoms:

A symptom is a manifestation of what's happening to you.

Let's have a look at this conversation:

"I don't feel well."

"Oh, what's the matter with you?"

" Well... I have a headache."

You see? The word "headache" is a symptom.

By the way, there are different ways to specify that your head hurts:

"My head hurts." or "I have a headache."

But I could also say that "I feel a lot of pain in my head."

In that case, you should probably go to the hospital because then it means that you're experiencing severe discomfort, which can't just be ignored.

For example:

"Yesterday, I suddenly felt a lot of stomach pain. They took me to the hospital where they found out I had appendicitis."

The word ache is similar to pain, but it's usually used to refer to a less severe type of discomfort that can continue longer than pain. It's less urgent.

We could say that we have a headache, a stomach ache, a backache, or a heartache; these are very common examples.

Be careful when you're using the word heartache. Bear in mind that heartache is used to refer to a type of emotional pain. For example, if you're in love with someone and this person breaks your heart, or he simply doesn't care about you;

You could say:

"He's causing me a lot of heartaches."

When something is bothering you, your doctor prescribes medicine or drugs. Then you take medicine (drugs).

For example:

"Yesterday, the doctor prescribed these pills. I have to take three pills a day."

Okay, let's take a closer look at the most common symptoms you may have. I don't want any of them!

Let's see an example of "having a cough" or "coughing":

"I don't feel very well."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I have a lot of coughs, especially at night."

"Ah, sorry. Are you taking any syrup?"

Syrup, by the way, is one of the medicines that can help you avoid coughing.

Inflammation:

Almost any part of your body can become swollen. There are many reasons for this. For example, in my case, in the last two weeks, my throat was swollen, and it hurt. You can also get inflammation from a blow. For example:

"My foot became very swollen after a blow."

Fever

Fever is an increase in body temperature. Having a fever is very normal if you have the flu.

For example:

"I have a fever, and my throat is swollen. I think I have the flu.

Fatigue

Fatigue is the same as tiredness. When you are fatigued, it means that you are tired, that you have no energy. Sometimes a disease causes fatigue. We have no energy, and we don't know why.

Example: "Jim suffered from fatigue after not getting any good sleep for a whole week."

Let's look at a couple of examples:

"My stomach hurts. I think I have indigestion. I feel very sick."

"If you eat that mayonnaise, it'll make you sick."

Nausea/vomiting

After enjoying a delicious meal, the last thing you want is to feel nauseous. Nausea is the desire to vomit. You can also have nausea without vomiting, though.

For example:

"I don't feel very well after eating the chocolate cake I kept from last year. I feel nauseous, and I think I'm gonna throw up = vomit."

Dizziness

If you feel dizzy for a long time, it's best to see a doctor.

Dizziness is a word that is often used to describe two different

feelings: lightheadedness or vertigo.

Lightheadedness is a feeling that you're about to faint or "pass out." This feeling often goes away or improves when you lie down. If lightheadedness gets worse, it can lead to a feeling of fainting.

Vertigo, however, is a feeling that you or your surroundings are moving when there's no actual movement. You may have trouble walking or standing, and you may lose your balance and fall.

Low or high blood pressure

And what can cause dizziness? Well, one of the reasons is high blood pressure.

An example:

"I was sitting, I got up, and now I'm dizzy.

"Ah... Do you have high blood pressure?"

Difficulty breathing

It's very important to see a doctor if you notice this difficulty. If you can't breathe, I don't think you're gonna be alive for long!

Sometimes this breathing difficulty is caused by anxiety. It's what doctors call a psychosomatic effect, but we're not going to get into that specific vocabulary. This isn't a podcast focused on English medicine.

Awesome! So far, we've seen vocabulary and expressions related to health.

Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next episode.