OET Listening Partie A : Endometriosis Case Consultation

Hello, Miss Wells.

Please come in and sit down.

I'm Miss Moore, the consultant.

I've read your GP's referral letter, which details your history of endometriosis.

I wonder if I could start off by asking you a few questions.

How old are you?

Uh... I'm 22.

Are you married?

No, but I live with my partner.

Have you ever been pregnant?

No.

And when was your last cervical smear?

Uh... that would have been done when I went to see my GP, probably three months ago now.

It was all normal.

Okay, great.

Now I gather you've had some pelvic pain recently.

Yes, that's right.

It started in February of this year, a sharp pain in the left side of my stomach.

It usually came on a few days before my period

and then seemed to settle down at the end of my period.

After February, the pain got really bad and it wouldn't go away.

I was admitted to hospital.

Yeah, the consultant there performed a laparoscopy

and it revealed that on my left ovary and behind my womb I had endometriosis.

After that, he suggested that I should take the pill without a break,

but the pain didn't get any better.

So he started me on progesterone tablets, which made me feel horrible.

I put on weight and felt bloated all the time.

I also developed acne.

I hadn't had that since I was a teenager,

but the pain still didn't get any better.

So the consultant readmitted me in May of this year.

And performed another laparoscopy

and treated the endometriosis with a diathemy.

After that, I was much better and the pain almost completely went away.

That was until August when it returned.

Uh... it's been slowly getting worse since then,

and again, as in the beginning, it's in my stomach and it hurts just before my periods.

Only now the pain is there at all different times and it really hurts when I'm having intercourse,

especially in certain positions.

Right, I see.

And are your periods regular?

Yes, regular because I'm taking the pill again with a week's break.

The last one was about three weeks ago.

What about any other health concerns?

No, everything else is fine.

I've never been a smoker, but I do like a drink at weekends.

Just one or two though, nothing crazy.

My family are all well too.

No serious illness in either my mum or dad or in my older sister.

Nothing else I can think of really.

And do you have any problems passing urine or with your bowel motions?

No, that's all good too.

Alright Miss Wells, I think it would be sensible to have a look at you and run some tests.

Then we can chat about how to take things forward.

But from what you've told me, my initial suspicions are that the endometriosis might have come back.

That's what I was afraid of.

Since I was first diagnosed, I've been doing a lot of reading,

so I was really worried when the pain returned.

I'd like to be able to have children in the future,

and I'm worried it might be difficult with the endometriosis.

I really don't want to be one of those women who ends up having problems getting pregnant.

I'm also really sick and tired of the pain.

It's beginning to feel like I'll be stuck with it forever.

I can tell it's starting to affect my mood.

Just ask my boyfriend...