A slow English story about An annual checkup, a pain level of eight, and a big mix-up over the American pain scale. 16 simple sentences. Word by word. About 17 minutes.

📝 Today's sentences

① This trip back, I also saw my family doctor for my annual checkup.

② My stomach has been bothering me lately. I wake up with a stomachache every morning.

③ The doctor asked, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?

④ I thought about it and said, probably an eight.

⑤ She was shocked and said, you should have come in way sooner.

⑥ She ordered a CT scan and blood work, all marked stat.

⑦ That freaked me out a little.

⑧ I said, I've been like this for years. Maybe Texas just made it worse.

⑨ She said, either way, go get the tests done first.

⑩ I had no idea what those medical terms meant. So I took a photo and asked ChatGPT.

⑪ ChatGPT said, an eight means severe pain, like you'd be rolling on the floor.

⑫ That's when it hit me.

⑬ She meant the standard pain scale doctors use. I was rating how miserable I felt.

⑭ What was I even thinking?

⑮ Fine, I'll still get the tests done.

⑯ But I'll tell them, it's not stat. Don't charge me for that.

🔑 Vocabulary

• annual checkup /ˈænjuəl ˈtʃekʌp/

• bothering me /ˈbɑːðərɪŋ miː/

• on a scale of one to ten /ɑːn ə skeɪl əv wʌn tə ten/

• blood work /blʌd wɜːrk/

• stat /stæt/

• freaked me out /friːkt miː aʊt/

• either way /ˈiːðər weɪ/

• severe /sɪˈvɪr/

• it hit me /ɪt hɪt miː/

• miserable /ˈmɪzərəbl/

• charge me /tʃɑːrdʒ miː/

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