Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 971.
Getting in to see a busy doctor.
This is English as a Second Language podcast episode 971.
I am your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Visit our website at eslpod.com.
Go there.
Download a learning guide.
Become a member of ESL Podcast.
And like us on Facebook.
Why not?
Facebook.com slash ESL POD.
This episode is a dialogue between Monique and Juergen about trying to see a doctor who is very busy.
Let's get started.
Ah, what's the matter?
My GP referred me to a specialist for my back problems, but she doesn't have any openings for eight weeks.
I'm waitlisted in case there's a cancellation, but if there isn't one, I'll have to endure this pain for at least another eight weeks.
Can't you just go see another specialist?
I could, but my GP says that she's the best in the business.
In the meantime, I'll try to see a physical therapist about my neck.
It's flaring up again.
At least you'll get some relief.
Maybe.
I have to call back tomorrow morning to see if she can fit me in.
She's really booked up, too.
While I'm waiting, I guess I could try to see the podiatrist about my feet.
You're having feet problems, too?
Yeah, my whole body is falling apart.
I think I'm nearly past my expiration date.
Monique begins our little dialogue by saying, She's expressing disappointment about something.
We're not sure what.
Juergen asks her, what's the matter?
Meaning, what is the problem?
Monique says my GP referred me to a specialist for my back problems, but she doesn't have any openings for eight weeks.
Your GP says, is your general practitioner.
A general practitioner is a medical doctor who provides what we might describe as general care.
If you're sick or have a problem, the first person, the first doctor you would probably go to see would be your general practitioner or your GP.
That's the doctor who handles all sorts of cases, all sorts of problems.
If your problem is one the doctor, the GP, cannot solve or cannot help you with, he may send you to a specialist.
A specialist.
S-P-E-C-I-A-L-I-S-T is a medical doctor who knows a lot about one particular kind of problem or topic.
You could have a specialist in cancer.
You could have someone who's a specialist in bones.
You could have someone who's a specialist in feet.
Doctors have all sorts of specialties that they can focus on or concentrate on, and that's the problem Monique is having.
Her GP referred her to a specialist for her back problems.
However, the specialist doesn't have any openings for eight weeks.
An opening is an appointment that is available, a time when you can go in and see a certain person, in this case a doctor.
However, this doctor doesn't have any available appointments for eight weeks.
Monique says, I'm wait-listed in case there's a cancellation.
But if there isn't one...
I'll have to endure this pain for at least another eight weeks.
To be waitlisted W-A-I-T-L-I-S-T-E-D means to have your name put on a list of So that if someone decides not to go to their appointment, if someone cancels their appointment, you can take their place.
What will often happen is the doctor will call you, or the doctor's receptionist or nurse will call you and tell you hey, We have an available appointment at 10 o'clock tomorrow morning because someone canceled.
Someone said they could not make it even though they had an appointment scheduled.
That's what a cancellation is.
When someone says, no, I can't make it to that appointment.
I won't be able to go to that appointment.
Monique has been waitlisted.
She's on a waiting list, waiting for someone to cancel.
Monique says if there is not a cancellation she'll have to endure the pain for at least another eight weeks.
To endure means to suffer from something for a long period of time. but you don't complain about it.
So someone who endures suffering or endures pain, has the pain, suffers from the pain, feels the pain but doesn't complain about it is brave about it, we might say.
Juergen says, can't you just go see another specialist?
Meaning, isn't it possible for you to see a different doctor, a different specialist?
Monique says, I could, but my GP says that she's the best in the business.
Her doctor is telling her that this particular specialist is the best in the business.
The word business here just means area or field here. or type of work.
To say someone is the best in the business means that they are the best at what they do.
They may be the best baseball player.
They may be the best manager.
They may be the best podcaster.
Whatever the occupation or whatever the area of work is, this person is the best at doing that.
Monique says in the meantime, while she's waiting, I'll try to see a physical therapist about my neck.
A physical therapist.
T-H-E-R-A-P-I-S-T is a person who helps you recover after you have had an injury.
For example, if you hurt your leg, let's say you break your leg in an accident.
After your leg gets better, you may have to go to physical therapy to help you strengthen the muscles again in your leg.
The physical therapist will do things to help you recover or get better from this injury.
Usually it's an injury to a muscle or something related to your arms and legs.
Monique says it's flaring up again.
To flare f-l-a-r-e up is a two-word phrasal verb meaning to get worse, especially when we're talking about pain or some sort of illness or sickness that gets better and then it gets worse, and then it gets better again.
It's a temporary increase in the pain or in whatever health problem you have.
You could talk about your allergies flaring up.
That would mean your allergies would suddenly be getting worse.
You have an allergy when your body reacts negatively to some substance or something that it comes in contact with, either by breathing, or by eating, or by touching.
Monique doesn't have an allergy.
She has a back problem, and it's flaring up once more.
Juergen says at least you'll get some relief.
Relief R-E-L-I-E-F is a reduction in pain or a release from pain, when you get better and you no longer feel the pain.
There used to be a commercial on television about an antacid, something that would help your stomach feel better if it wasn't feeling well.
The name of the antacid was Rolaids.
And the commercial said, how do you spell relief?
But then the person on the commercial spelled Rolaids, R-O-L-A-I-D-S.
Well, that's actually not how you spell relief.
We spelled it for you already.
But that's just something I think of when I am spelling the word relief.
That old commercial.
Back to our story.
Monique says maybe she'll get some relief.
Maybe she'll feel better from the pain that she is feeling by going to see a physical therapist.
She says, I have to call back tomorrow morning to see if she, the physical therapist, can fit me in.
The expression to fit someone in or to fit in someone means to arrange your appointment so that you can see someone who didn't have an appointment before.
When a doctor, for example, has a very busy schedule, he has someone that he's going to see every hour.
But then one of his patients calls and asks him if he can fit her in, if he can find time to see her, even though she doesn't have an appointment.
That's what Monique wants to do.
Unfortunately, the physical therapist is really booked up.
To be booked B-O-O-K-E-D up means to have a lot of commitments, to be very busy, to not have any appointments available.
Monique says, while I'm waiting, I guess I could try to see the podiatrist about my feet.
A podiatrist, P-O-D-I-A-T-R-I-S-T, is a doctor whose specialty is feet.
A doctor who takes care of your feet if you have some sort of problem with them.
Monique has a back problem, but now, we learn, she also has a foot problem.
Juergen says, you have feet problems too?
Monique says, yeah, my whole body is falling apart.
The phrasal verb to fall apart means to no longer work properly, usually because it's very old.
We talk about a machine falling apart after many years.
You might have a machine you use to wash your clothing, for example.
But after many years, it starts to have problems.
It begins to fall apart, to not work properly.
Monique says her body is falling apart.
We normally don't use this phrasal verb when talking about your body, but Monique is making a little joke here, comparing her body to a machine.
She says, I think I'm nearly past my expiration date.
An expiration E-X-P-I-R-A-T-I-O-N date is a time or a date that is put on, usually a package with food in it that tells you the date by which you need to eat the food.
For example, if you buy milk and it says the expiration date is June 20th, That means that you should drink the milk by June 20th.
Actually you usually can drink it for a few days after that.
The idea of an expiration date then, is a date after which you probably shouldn't eat a certain kind of food or drink a certain kind of drink.
Monique again is making a joke here, comparing her body to food, I guess, saying that she's nearly past her expiration date, meaning she's getting old and that's why her body is falling apart.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
What's the matter?
My GP referred me to a specialist for my back problems, but she doesn't have any openings for eight weeks.
I'm waitlisted in case there's a cancellation, but if there isn't one, I'll have to endure this pain for at least another eight weeks.
Can't you just go see another specialist?
I could, but my GP says she's the best in the business.
In the meantime, I'll try to see a physical therapist about my neck.
It's flaring up again.
At least you'll get some relief.
Maybe.
I have to call back tomorrow morning to see if she can fit me in.
She's really booked up too.
While I'm waiting, I guess I could try to see the podiatrist about my feet.
You're having feet problems too?
Yeah, my whole body is falling apart.
I think I'm nearly past my expiration date.
Our script writer is a specialist in writing wonderful scripts to help you improve your English.
I speak, of course, of our own Dr. Lucy Say.
Thank you, Lucy.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again right here on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language podcast is written and produced by Dr Lucy Say, hosted by Dr Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2014 by the Center for Educational Development.
