Aa
Tracking your Symptoms?
I've been using the pain management tracker on here but have found that even tho it's handy to use (online and is able to be emailed), it isn't always convenient to be at the computer and doesn't allow the accuracy (no side view of the body) and lacks some of the information I'd like to convey to my doctor when pinpointing specific information. I'm aware of the journal but, again - paper trails are much easier to keep in a 3-ring binder sometimes and I'm trying to keep a log that is easy to bring to my doctor and if needed later, to an SS office/court.
With that said, I'm making up an additional pain tracker by using Publisher that is catered to my specific complaints. I'm nearly done with it but wanted to ask for some advice. What do you feel are the most important statistics to keep track of? Would it be useful to have a record to track how you feel from hour to hour, or is day by day sufficient? (I find that I feel worse in the mornings and evenings with my pain and the fatigue is worse in the morning and afternoons most of the time.) What information is most valuable for doctors?
Please, if you have the time to offer feedback - even if it isn't in sentence form, it would be most helpful to me!
With that said, I'm making up an additional pain tracker by using Publisher that is catered to my specific complaints. I'm nearly done with it but wanted to ask for some advice. What do you feel are the most important statistics to keep track of? Would it be useful to have a record to track how you feel from hour to hour, or is day by day sufficient? (I find that I feel worse in the mornings and evenings with my pain and the fatigue is worse in the morning and afternoons most of the time.) What information is most valuable for doctors?
Please, if you have the time to offer feedback - even if it isn't in sentence form, it would be most helpful to me!
Lol...I hear that. I have a "fibro file" in my cabinet that has all sorts of goodies in it. Also just gave my daughter in law a folder filled with ADHD info. that I had collected when my son was young (just in case she has a child and has to deal with it). Of course, she claims she will send them to 'grandmas'...lol.
Oh no, *I* don't have Endo - my friend did (or rather, does still). She had given me her forms to photo copy years ago because my Drs (about 20 yrs ago) were suspecting that I had Fibro/Endo. She thought her forms might be useful in tracking my symptoms. Funny how they came back to me full circle and even more so how I managed to find them while digging through my file cabinet for old medical records! LOL
Lol...almost looks like what is reflected when someone says a no-no! I'm glad you found a form that will work for you. That's helpful. I'm like you...I hate writing stuff out and would much rather type it in. I didn't know you had the endo. That's awful (I recall the pain that would come each month.) Take care and best wishes.
Ok, I suppose I wasn't clear enough when I said "hour by hour" - I meant morning, afternoon and night, just as you'd stated. :) HAHA! I wouldn't want to think of my symptoms that often!
With that said, I think I have a form that will work. I borrowed some of the information from another form that an old friend had made years ago for her Fibro/Endo symptoms. The only problem I found in filling it out last night is that it takes far less energy and strain on my hands to actually type things out, rather than handwriting. So now I'm going to have to alter the form so that part of it is typed, then I can print it, then I can color in the model to show specific pain location/type.
If anyone is interested in a copy of my form, I'll gladly share it! Just email me at ***@****
With that said, I think I have a form that will work. I borrowed some of the information from another form that an old friend had made years ago for her Fibro/Endo symptoms. The only problem I found in filling it out last night is that it takes far less energy and strain on my hands to actually type things out, rather than handwriting. So now I'm going to have to alter the form so that part of it is typed, then I can print it, then I can color in the model to show specific pain location/type.
If anyone is interested in a copy of my form, I'll gladly share it! Just email me at ***@****
I'm sorry...I forgot to add that you would want to reflect where the pain is and the severity of it on a scale of 1-10 (1 being the least pain and 10 being the worst).
I feel if you keep a day-to-day log that would be sufficient. Doing one that is hour-by-hour is going to be very time consuming and probably will be more than what would be useful for anyone. Perhaps doing one daily that covers how you feel in the a.m., noon, and at bedtime would be more simple for you to compose. Notes like what you were doing before the pain began, how you felt afterwords, how long it lasted and what made it better. Also, notate whatever type of medications you are taking and if they helped with the pain, along with the medications you may take on a daily basis. Soc. Sec. will review your medical office visits, so it's important to cntinue seeing your treating physicians. They will also consider your medications and the side-effects that they create for you. Keeping a journal is a wonderful idea and i'm sure it will be of help to you and your physicians.
Best wishes to you.
Best wishes to you.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Fibromyalgia Community
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
