How to maintain a record of your pain efficiently
Doctors typically only ask you about the pain your experiencing at the time of your visit. Sharing the answer to that question is not enough to get proper care, or for you to see an improvement in your well-being. I recommend maintaining a daily log of pain levels, types of sensations and their locations throughout the day. Doing this can also help you determine if more information would be helpful - is it weather related? Food induced? Only on days when you skip your vitamins and supplements? It will have you asking questions about sleep patterns and exercise and serve as a tool to convey any improvements or inconsistencies in your recovery. There are apps for this which I'll be reviewing throughout the year, as well as paper and pen. Have you tried any of these apps? Is there one you either hate or love? Share in the comments below.
PS I had been using and liking WebMD's app, but they stopped updating it so I can no longer access it on my iOS. That's beyond frustrating! Keep similar realities in mind when working with any app - your information may not be secure, it may not be well-maintained, so you may want to use something that has a hard copy as well. (Which leaves me thinking of creating a journal meant for recording these details! Is that something you'd be interested in? Would you prefer a PDF or a pretty, bound notebook?)