Done it for a couple decades now, because of tracking potential side effects of my epilepsy medications (dx'd at 19).

I find it invaluable, and not particularly time-consuming. I just use one of those desk calendar things---y'know, like an appointment calendar, where there's a page per day? And at bedtime I jot down a quick pain summary (using a 0-10 scale), hormone cycle stuff (ah, pre-menopause!), a yes-no on exercise. When I'm in a flare, I'll go through the year's calendar ahead of time and fill in Pain: _______; Cycle: _________; Exercise: ____________; Meds: _________ on each page. Then it's just, well, a number, a note, a checkmark or two, and done for me. And if something else occurs (a fall or a weather front or something that I think might be a trigger), I note that as I note it.

It sounds laborious, but honestly, handing that thing over to a doc? And they can see pages upon pages of records kept, patterns emerging, etc.

A quicker way, incidentally, is to print out your own daily calendar pages with all that stuff printed *on* it, and just keep the thing by your bed or on your dresser or something, and for me, it also helps because I can use ti for y PTSD nightmare journal, sleep issues, you name it. I might only write "woke up too hot a lot" and then a week later see I was in PMS, and having hormone heat, or I can ask my hubby and he'lls ay, "Oh yeah, me too," and it's like, "Oh, OK, check the thermostat!"....

Sounds tedious but never wastes time in the long run. It means that I have answers when asked questions, and have questions to ask that might help refine my quality of life and treatment, and, of course, I can often end up figuring things out myself. (E.g., I noted a new exercise, and after a month saw that doing it coincided with a spike in pain levels. Changed out the exercise, pain levels dropped.)

It is a hard habit at first, but now it's so routine for me it's like brushing my teeth at bedtime. Just is.

Hope that helps. Sorry to ramble. Tired today.

Medhelp.com has an easy journal for CFS/FM. It is a quick graphing journal with areas to write more information if needed. I kept on for about 4 years on this site. Check it out.

I really should do this in some form or another.

Keeping a journal is a good idea and can also be used as documentation if you ever decide to file for Social Security Disability. Take care.

I like writing in general and keep a journal to tease out what's bothering me, how the illness is going. I use a spiral notebook and write usually a page a day. It's useful to go back and read because you see the same themes and maybe, you can do something about these things---it helps identify ongoing problems and solutions.

I also keep a separate steno notebook just for fibro (and osteo arthritis) to record really bad/really good flares/days and which meds I took. Some of this is for justification of using a low-dose opioid (in my case, methadone) should my doc retire and I need to justify my use of this type of med.

It's really good to help you tease out how you're coping, what's working, where the stress is, how to manage your activity, what solutions you might invoke.

But, if you don't like to write, it may not be worth it. Also, for a long while, due to pain in my wrist (among godillions of other places) I couldn't write more than 2 minutes.

Good luck. Sounds like you are really tackling fibro head-on!

Very neat! I am actually excited to start journaling after reading about it on Pinterest some as well as your responses, I am going to try and make it in to a medical as well as emotional journal possibly. I think that would be good for me to have.
I thought finding things to say on this board would be hard to find to talk about, but I am finding it easier and easier. So i am excited to see what I come up with to talk to myself about.... X) Ha Ha!

I have done this off and on over the years. But truly feel like an idiot at the doctors when I break out pages of stuff. I have a running list of diagnosis' and things like that I take to appointments, but I hate using it as the doctors look at me like I am psycho.

However, I am going to give it another attempt.

Sometimes I don't know what I'm feeling until I write a journal entry. It's very good to find out what you're really thinking about. And then, re--reading it, you do see the patterns and understand yourself better. It's great for complaining, too. Husband can't listen to too much of it.

I started journaling regularly when I was battling depression. Keeping a journal really helped me then, and it also helps now with fibro. Journaling is never a bad idea! If you do not want to keep a physical journal to write in, there are some really great apps that you can get that help you keep a very detailed log of your health (My Pain Diary is especially helpful and only $4.99 in the app store)