Fibromyalgia Resources

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Keeping a Pain Diary

A pain diary can help you monitor your symptoms in several ways:

  • It enables you to better understand your condition by providing long-range perspective.
  • It helps you communicate clearly and accurately with health care professionals.
  • It keeps you disciplined and accountable.

Using a software application for your pain diary lets you chart the results.  For example:

  • Pattern of sleep (disrupted or steady sleep)
  • Pattern of pain (all-day pain or almost none)
  • Amount of exercise (minutes)

The data you enter each day should be kept simple.  Each morning, record how you slept.  At the end of a day, record your pain level and amount of any exercise.

Periodically, study the charted results:

  • Are pain and sleep problems improving?
  • Is your exercise adequate and consistent?
  • If pain levels increased sharply one month, were you overdoing any physical activities?

Questions

Contact:  Joy E. Daniels

 

 

For a FREE model pain diary that lets you monitor your symptoms and produce charts (you must have Microsoft Access® or Microsoft Excel® installed on your computer), select one of the following options.