Keeping a daily record of your symptoms may lead to better fibromyalgia treatment.

Those of us suffering from fibromylagia think we experience our aches and pains frequently enough that we can remember them when it’s time to see the doc, despite the occasional cloud of fibro-fog.

A study by the Journal of Pain, keeping track of these pains can lead to a better understanding of your specific fibromyalgia symptoms than relying on memory alone.

As the daughter of a doctor, I was always told to keep track of the symptoms and pain I experienced.

Silly me, I never did. Keeping track of each ache and pain seemed like too much work for me. So, I always relied on my own memory when seeing doctor after doctor.

Finally, after many years of suffering, I decided to give this “symptom diary” a try. I will admit it was annoying at first.

But in the end I am glad I did it because it made for a much smoother visit with the doctor.  Rather than telling my doctor of vague instances when my wrists hurt for hours, I could tell her my wrists hurt for hours after going to a yoga class.

It also allowed me to answer questions more definitively, such as how many times you experienced pain in the past week? Without keeping a symptom diary, I would just estimate….which usually meant a shot in the dark.  But with my diary, I could actually count the number of times.

Not only did the diary help with my doctor appointment, it helped me recognize certain patterns that can inflict pain, such as spending too much time in downward dog.

So my suggestion to everyone is to keep a symptom diary for a few weeks before your next appointment.

Photo courtesy of: Barnaby