Day 58 · Probably an Eight

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 sentences① 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/🎧 New episode every weekdaySubscribe so you don't miss the next sentence.