Darrick Robles Ideally, doctor and patient work in partnership on health issues. One way you can get actively involved is by keeping a symptom diary.
What is a symptom diary?
The word diary is a bit misleading – a symptom diary does not record symptoms and other related issues in the form of long, detailed entries, rather it is a kind of table. The aim is to obtain a quantified overview of a specific symptom picture in order to be able to derive the appropriate therapy.
Benefits of the symptom diary
A well-kept symptom diary can benefit doctor and patient alike. The more information the doctor has at his disposal, the faster and more precisely he can rule out certain diseases and finally make a diagnosis. Written symptom diaries are usually more comprehensive and accurate than purely verbal descriptions of symptoms.
Many patients feel empowered to actively contribute to the identification and treatment of their health problems by keeping a symptom diary. It is not uncommon for them to recognize conspicuous patterns in their records without medical help, for example that it is a certain food that regularly causes discomfort.
Helpful for many ailments
A symptom diary is useful, among other things, but by no means exclusively, for the following diseases or complaints:
- allergies
- Cardiac Rhythm Disorders
- Diabetes mellitus
- irritable bowel syndrome
- Chronic pain
- Fibromyalgia
- menstrual cramps
- high blood pressure
- heartburn
- back pain
- sleep disorders
- depressions
Plan a symptom diary
There is no such thing as a symptom diary that fits all purposes. Which aspects have to be covered depends on the (suspected) disease. A symptom diary for hives looks different than one for migraines or for food intolerance . It is important that you write down everything that seems important to you. Therefore, a comment field should not be missing.
Example: Symptom diary for headaches
Frequent headaches can have a variety of causes, such as hormonal fluctuations, stress or excessive alcohol consumption. A symptom diary is particularly useful here to make the doctor’s detective work easier. If you don’t yet know what’s causing your headache, it could be e.g. look like this:
Day: Time: Duration: Pain intensity (on a scale from 1 to 10): Pain location (e.g. forehead): Pain sensation (e.g. dull or throbbing): Accompanying symptoms: Medication: Comments:
Depending on your needs or which triggers you suspect, you can also note other factors, such as whether the pain is on one or both sides, whether you are stressed or whether you have your period. It can also be interesting for the doctor to know whether the medication you have taken has helped or not.
Tip: keep it simple! Don’t make it too complicated. If you have to enter too many points, you may end up not entering anything at all.
Analogue or digital?
Whether you want to keep your symptom diary analog, i.e. with paper and pen, or digitally is entirely up to you. You can use a simple notebook (preferably squared) or an Excel spreadsheet on your computer. For some diseases you can also download forms from the Internet.
Alternatively, you can see if there is an app for your symptoms that you can use to keep a diary on your phone. But beware: The evaluations offered for this purpose usually come from algorithms and not from real doctors! They are therefore not individually tailored to you and your complaints.
Use symptom diary in Med-Healths
A symptom diary can also serve you well when discussing Med-Healths with your doctor. Let the doctor know if you have any records of your symptoms and also if you have any suspicions about them. Of course, you can also show him your symptom diary directly – after all, that’s what video consultations are for.
