Tell Your Medical History: Conditions, Surgeries, Hospital Stays, and Family History

Tell Your Medical History: Conditions, Surgeries, Hospital Stays, and Family History

"Any past medical history?" is one of the most common questions in an English-language intake. In a single moment you have to remember: what chronic conditions do I have, what surgeries have I had, when was I hospitalized, and who in my family has what? Putting all of that into English is its own challenge. The trick is to split your history into four buckets — chronic conditions / surgeries / hospitalizations / family history — and learn a couple of fixed phrases for each. That covers almost any clinician's questions.

This article teaches English communication for healthcare situations. It is not medical diagnosis or treatment advice. For urgent symptoms, contact your local emergency or medical services.

Core Vocabulary

Term Meaning Example
medical history record of past conditions I'd like to go over my medical history.
chronic condition long-term illness I have one chronic condition — high blood pressure.
diagnosed with given a diagnosis of I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2019.
surgery / operation surgical procedure I had surgery on my knee in 2021.
hospitalized admitted to hospital I was hospitalized for pneumonia last winter.
ER / emergency room emergency department I went to the ER for chest pain once.
outpatient no overnight stay It was outpatient surgery.
inpatient stayed overnight in hospital It was an inpatient stay of three days.
family history conditions in your relatives There's heart disease in my family.
condition illness or medical issue I don't have any other conditions.
under control well managed My blood pressure is under control with medication.
flare-up sudden return of symptoms My asthma had a flare-up last year.

Must-Know Phrases

Read these out loud three times and they'll come naturally — these are the core sentences for the four buckets of past medical history.

  1. "I have a history of [BLANK]."
  2. "I was diagnosed with [BLANK] in [year]."
  3. "It's well controlled with medication."
  4. "I had surgery on my [body part] in [year]."
  5. "It was outpatient — I went home the same day."
  6. "I was hospitalized for [BLANK] in [year]."
  7. "I stayed in the hospital for [number of days]."
  8. "There's [BLANK] in my family."
  9. "My father has [BLANK]; my mother has [BLANK]."
  10. "No one in my immediate family has [BLANK]."
  11. "I don't have any other major conditions."
  12. "I'm not sure of the exact date — it was around [year]."

Awkward vs Natural Phrasing

Awkward Natural Why
I sick high blood pressure long time. I have a history of high blood pressure. "History of + condition" is the fixed phrase.
I cut belly 2018. I had abdominal surgery in 2018. "Cut belly" sounds too literal; use "surgery on / abdominal surgery."
I sleep hospital 5 days. I was hospitalized for five days. "Sleep hospital" isn't English; use "hospitalized for + days."
My family disease many. There's a lot of [diabetes / heart disease] in my family. Avoid "many disease" — name the specific condition.
I got cancer before. I had cancer in [year]. / I'm a cancer survivor. "Got cancer before" is too vague; add a year or use "survivor."
My mom dead heart. My mother passed away from heart disease. "Passed away from + condition" is natural and respectful.
I no problem health. I don't have any major health conditions. "I no problem" isn't English.

Situational Dialogue: First Intake With a Family Doctor

Doctor: Let's go over your past medical history. Any chronic conditions?

You: Yes, two. I was diagnosed with high blood pressure in 2018, and high cholesterol in 2020. Both are well controlled with medication.

Doctor: Any surgeries?

You: I had knee surgery in 2015 — it was outpatient. And I had my appendix out in 2010.

Doctor: Have you ever been hospitalized?

You: Yes, I was hospitalized for pneumonia in 2022. I stayed for four days.

Doctor: What about family history? Any heart disease, cancer, diabetes, or stroke in close relatives?

You: My father has type 2 diabetes. My mother had breast cancer at 52, but she's been in remission. There's high blood pressure on both sides of the family.

Doctor: Any other conditions I should know about?

You: I have mild asthma — only flares up with bad allergies. No other major conditions.

Replaceable Sentence Templates

Swap [BLANK] for your situation.

  1. "I have a history of [BLANK]."
    • high blood pressure
    • asthma
    • kidney stones
  2. "I was diagnosed with [BLANK] in [BLANK]."
    • type 2 diabetes in 2019
    • thyroid disease in my early 30s
  3. "I had [BLANK] surgery in [BLANK]."
    • knee surgery in 2021
    • gallbladder surgery five years ago
  4. "I was hospitalized for [BLANK] in [BLANK]."
    • pneumonia last winter
    • a kidney infection in 2017
  5. "My [BLANK] has [BLANK]."
    • father has heart disease
    • mother has type 2 diabetes
  6. "I don't have any other major conditions."

Quick Practice

Say each of these in natural English.

  1. Mention a type 2 diabetes diagnosis in 2019.
  2. Describe outpatient knee surgery in 2021.
  3. Say you were hospitalized for pneumonia for five days last year.
  4. Note that your father has heart disease and your mother has high blood pressure.
  5. State that you have no other major conditions.

Sample Answers

  1. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2019.
  2. I had knee surgery in 2021 — it was outpatient.
  3. I was hospitalized for pneumonia for five days last year.
  4. My father has heart disease, and my mother has high blood pressure.
  5. I don't have any other major conditions.

Copy-Ready Summary Sheet

Whenever you see a new doctor, do pre-surgery assessment, or get admitted, you'll be asked all of this. Fill in this sheet once and it covers them all.

Past medical history summary
- Chronic conditions: __________ (year diagnosed: ___, controlled with: ___)
- Other ongoing conditions: __________
- Surgeries / operations:
   • __________ in __________ (inpatient / outpatient)
   • __________ in __________
- Hospitalizations:
   • __________ in __________ (length of stay: ___ days)
- ER visits in the past 2 years: __________
- Family history:
   • Father: __________
   • Mother: __________
   • Siblings: __________
   • Grandparents (if known): __________
- Vaccinations up to date: yes / no
- Pregnancies / births (if applicable): __________
- Anything else worth mentioning: __________

Related Reading

Reminder: This article teaches English communication for healthcare situations. It is not medical diagnosis or treatment advice. Follow your local clinicians' judgment for your actual care.