Pain is defined as a sensation, which appears as a result of medical problems (illness, injury, etc.). It is the number one reason for which people visit the doctor. It influences the quality of life and your ability to engage in daily activities. A daily pain diary for chronic pain is useful in keeping track of one’s manifestations for understanding your health.
Chronic conditions, such as cancer, arthritis or gout, can cause the pain to extend over a long period of time or even indefinitely. Physicians can provide a better diagnosis for such conditions when more data is shared.
Pain Diary Track Your Pain From Day to Day
The online pain diary of CareClinic can help those who suffer from pain, whether acute or chronic. It is completely customizable and you will no doubt come to call it my pain diary. You can rely on it to keep track of your pain history and other associated manifestations, adding all the information that might suit your needs.
Pain is a common complaint in those diagnosed with fibromyalgia, disc hernias, gastrointestinal disorders, and rheumatologic conditions. It can also appear as a somatic manifestation in those who suffer from anxiety or depression. It can be difficult to manage chronic pain, especially since you have to try different treatments and see which works best. Moreover, you have to remember and go to a multitude of appointments.
With the help of the CareClinic pain management diary, you will be able to handle everything related to your condition. You can create new posts as often as you like, specifying the symptoms you are suffering from at that moment. Your entries are reported in the Charts and Logs section. This section compiles the information you recorded for all aspects of your health.
Based on the posts you have created, a regular report will be created. This will offer a quantitative and qualitative analysis of your pain history, with graphs showing both trends and correlations. The interesting thing is that you will be able to see factors that can influence your pain intensity/frequency, such as weather changes.
Is the pain app something I cannot do without?
CareClinic is available as a smartphone application or, if you want, you can use the web interface and access your profile just as easily. Whether you prefer to go on your computer or rely on the pain app, you will find that this is quite a valuable tool.
It allows you to keep track of your pain history and get a better insight into the effective management of your condition. In addition, you will the reports generated every other month can be shared with your doctor; the physician will certainly find this information useful, especially if finding a suitable treatment is particularly challenging.
The doctor will appreciate you for keeping a detailed record of how you are feeling. Moreover, in some situations, the pain log might be useful in figuring out the underlying condition behind chronic pain. The pain history can guide the treatment plan in the right direction.
The pain diary can help you uncover triggering factors, which might make the pain episodes worse or more frequent. Reviewing your records, you will be able to identify important changes regarding your chronic condition and also see if the medication you are taking has caused side-effects. Furthermore, thanks to the journal entries, you will be able to pinpoint emotional and/or psychological symptoms.
A Pain Journal Lets You Feel in Control
With the help of the CareClinic personal journal feature, you will regain a sense of control over your condition and your life in general. A daily pain diary is excellent for figuring out patterns and identifying pain flare-ups. You can use it to create a self-care plan and enter information about weather changes, current diet, and level of physical activity.
As you will notice a regular pattern, you will find it easier to avoid triggers and various activities that might lead to pain. Not surprisingly, the application will also show you the things that are beneficial, so that you can include them more often in your daily routine.
You will get a better understanding of what works, opting for therapies that are more effective when it comes to pain relief.
Your pain diary should improve communication with the treating physician. It will help both of you find answers to questions about your manifestations. What is more, you will finally be able to take an active role in the actual pain management.
What kind of information should you add in the pain diary?
It is recommended that you create as many entries as needed daily. Frequent entries will provide a clearer perspective of your medical history over time. Many people prefer to stick to a regular schedule and enter their symptoms three times a day. As an example, an entry is made in the morning, at noon and at night.
You can mention the location of the pain. How intense it was (rating scale is available)? How often it appeared and how long it lasted? For each pain episode, you can mention whether it influenced daily activities. You can specify if you had difficulties sleeping or were unable to eat, work, etc. The diary can include information about current treatments and therapies. As well as any other kind of details you believe to be useful.
In making notes about pain episodes, you should not hesitate to be as descriptive as you can. You can describe the pain as “throbbing”, “burning”, “shooting”, “stabbing” or “pounding”. Also, try to notice if the pain has the tendency to move around and if there are other manifestations present. Enter all of these details into your daily pain diary and save them for future use.
CareClinic Simplifies #Self-Care
Living with a chronic condition is more difficult than anyone can imagine. You have to change your lifestyle completely, to become used to medical appointments and invasive procedures. Taking medication is a part of daily life and you might be forced to follow a specific diet, be less active or stop working. Self-care is the only thing that can improve the overall quality of life.
CareClinic allows you to create a complex self-care plan. The documentation of pain episodes is just a small component of your plan. You can rely on this tool to be reminded of doctor appointments, to take your medication and to establish goals regarding both nutrition and physical exercise. All of these features come together to help you cope with your condition and feel better overall.
The daily pain diary offers valuable insight into your pain history, including when it comes to potential triggers and associated symptoms. You can use it to enter details about your mood, as well as depression and/or anxiety manifestations. The entries regarding your current state can be saved within the application.
They will later appear in the Logs & Reports section so that you can access them whenever you need to. Moreover, all of the other health metrics you have entered are automatically saved (blood pressure, weight, etc.). You can even add details on your caregivers and save the information for future reference. Caregiver alerts can be established for missed doses or to share your progress reports.
Journal notes about how you are feeling
Apart from the objective recording of your symptoms in CareClinic. You can journal a detailed description of your feelings emotionally. For example, you can mention that, aside from your pain, you are feeling depressed, anxious or fatigued, providing information on what led to those feelings.
Using these journal notes, you can see if the emotional symptoms are triggered by the pain or if it is the other way around. Further, based on these journal entries, the doctor can recommend a mental health specialist; he/she will help you discover the best coping strategies for dealing with the emotional manifestations associated with the chronic pain.
Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide
Each year, millions of people are diagnosed with chronic conditions, with pain being the most common manifestation. It has been estimated that there are over 1.5 billion people worldwide who suffer from chronic pain. The types of chronic pain diagnosed most often include low back pain, headaches/migraines, neck pain, and facial pain.
Chronic pain remains the number one cause of disability in the world (long-term basis). Women present a higher risk of developing such manifestations, especially when it comes to headaches and/or migraines. As a result of chronic pain, people report feeling depressed, anxious and fatigued. Many more feel like they have little or no control over their pain, with insomnia becoming a common manifestation.
In dealing with chronic pain, people seek out the help of specialist physicians, chiropractors, and physical therapists. They might also become dependent on pain-relieving medication, taking a break from work and requiring help for daily living activities. Proper management and keeping a daily pain diary can be useful in feeling more in control. This is especially true when living with a chronic condition, one that can lead to persistent pain episodes.
