Medical Matters

By Erica Vinogradov, FNP-C Family Nurse Practitioner

5 Tips for Keeping a Symptom Diary

Recurring headaches, frequent bouts of digestive discomfort, pain that won’t go away, sleep problems, asthma attacks, period pain — when uncomfortable or disruptive health issues linger, it can really impact your day-to-day life.

Pinpointing the source of the issue and how best to resolve it can be challenging. It’s why these things can persist for months…or come and go, flaring up seemingly without warning.

One tool your doctor may suggest is keeping a symptom diary.

“A symptom diary is a log of a person’s symptoms and other particular details surrounding those symptoms,” explains Erica Vinogradov, a family nurse practitioner at Houston Methodist. “It’s a focused, informationgathering exercise that helps organize these details in a way that can be useful when talking to your care provider.”

One benefit of a symptom diary is it can help you learn the potential patterns and triggers associated with your specific issue.

Here are five tips for keeping a symptom diary:

1. Put pen to paper or try an app

Writing your symptoms in a diary can be somewhat therapeutic, like journaling for mental clarity.

Or you might prefer the convenience of using an app. There are many symptom diary and symptom tracking apps available.

2. Know what information to include

The key details of a general symptom diary include:

• The date

• Symptoms experienced

• Timing of symptoms

• Duration of symptoms

• Symptom severity

• Potential triggers

• Medications or remedies used

• How you responded to treatment

3. Be consistent

“We’re looking for patterns, and the higher quality the information, the better,” says Vinogradov. “Try to record every single day and include the same information every time — being as clear, concise and organized as possible.”

Don’t leave any fields blank, as this can leave room for misinterpretation.

4. Be honest

Don’t omit, downplay, or exaggerate symptoms.

“There are studies suggesting that daily documentation of symptoms might increase a person’s perception of the severity of the symptom,” adds Vinogradov. “This gets back to consistency. Try to document your symptoms without bias each day.”

5. Share your symptom diary with your primary care provider

At your next appointment, let your provider know you’ve been tracking your symptoms via a diary and provide the information.

Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys mark their 90th Anniversary tour with a local stop.

Credited for creating and popularizing Western Swing in the 1930s, Bob Wills was a Texas fiddler with a big personality and incomparable stage presence – a man who led a group of lively musicians known as the Texas Playboys to the national spotlight. Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys first wowed audiences across Texas and Oklahoma, and by the big-band era of the 1940s, reigned as the top live attraction in the nation. Wills, known as the “King of Western Swing,” captivated audiences with his fast fiddling and trademark “AH-ha” calls in fanfavorite tunes like “Take Me Back to Tulsa” and “Stay a Little Longer.”

Wills’ legacy is still alive and well, now nearly 50 years after his passing, thanks to Brett Bingham, a producer and booking agent, and Jason Roberts, a fiddler and band frontman, formerly with Grammywinning Texas band Asleep at The Wheel.

Visit postcardslive.com for the full interview with Bingham and Roberts about the history of this legendary band, the reasons they are carrying the torch for Western Swing – and what fans can expect when Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys perform at Old Town Theatre in Huntsville on Friday, September 22.