A. What are your symptoms?

All these noun phrases can be used with the verb have (got). I’ve got …

• … a sore throat / a temperature [a higher temperature than normal] / high/low blood pressure / chest pains / backache / earache / a pain in my side / a rash on my chest / a bruise on my leg (e.g. after playing football) / a black eye (e.g. after being hit in the eye) / a lump on my arm / indigestion (after eating too fast) / sickness and diarrhoea /ˌdaɪəˈrɪə/ [an upset stomach which makes you vomit and need to go to the toilet frequently] / sunburn / a virus.

Verbs: My back is aching. I shouldn’t have lifted all those heavy boxes.
My leg is itching – I think I’ve been bitten by an insect. [you want to scratch it all the time]
My hands are trembling after the shock of falling down. [shaking slightly]
I had a headache and started shivering. I knew it was the flu. [shake because you are cold]
My foot hurts from where I knocked it against the table.
I had a cold and it took me two weeks to get over it. [to get better; more formal = to recover from it]

Adjectives: feel sick / breathless / dizzy. [my head is spinning]
I am depressed / exhausted / stressed.

Other expressions: I’ve lost my appetite / voice.
I think I’ve picked up a bug somewhere. [infml = caught a virus or infection]
I’ve broken my wrist / sprained my ankle / dislocated my shoulder.
She died of a heart attack.
He contracted AIDS. [infml = ‘got’]
My uncle suffered a stroke. [sudden change in the blood supply to a part of the brain, which can cause a loss of the ability to move particular parts of the body; infml = ‘had’]

B. What does the doctor prescribe?

• Take a teaspoonful of medicine last thing at night.
• We’ll get the nurse to put a bandage on your wrist.
• You’ll need to have some injections before you go to the Amazon.
• I’m afraid you’re going to need an operation.
• You’ll have to have your leg put in plaster until the break mends.
• I’m going to give you some tablets – take one in the morning and one at night.