Migraine journal


I have to admit I get lazy about doing a journal about my migraine attacks. For several months, I've tracked the following info:
  1. What days I have experienced a regular migraine attack which I define as:
    • The migraine occurs shortly after I wake up
    • My standard meds (DHE shot  + Zofran) are effective.
    • My pain only rarely goes over 8 on a 1-10 scale with 10 being unbearable constant *!&? pain.
  2. Days I have a migraine attack that do not occur in the morning.
    • These are exactly like #1 except they occur after I have exercised, been stressed, left the house, etc.
  3. Days I have had a "monster migraine." 
    • These are the attacks that have no responded to my standard abortive meds (DHE shot and Zofran) so I took Stadol and Phenergan in addition to my standard meds. 
    • Pain is 9-10 most if not all of the day.
    • These days I take lots of baths since that is one of the only things that will relax me. 
    • I also spend a large amount of time: laying very still in the dark with ear plugs, focusing on my breath, and reciting either Equanimity or Metta phrases. 

I'm trying to get back in the habit of keeping a more detailed journal to include all of the following for each attack:
  • What time the attack began
  • Specific symptoms 
  • How many doses of meds I took
  • Triggers
  • Level of pain
  • How effective the meds were.
Luckily this morning I was browsing around Migraine.com, and they have an online Journal that keeps track of all of the above! Woot! It's so much easier to just choose info from their lists of symptoms, triggers, etc online than track it on paper. On paper, I run out of room, forget to track some things, and have a hard time keeping up with the sheets. I'm hoping this online journal is something I can stick with. It'd be a lot more helpful when I get ready to go to the doc and compile a synopsis of how I've been for the last 3 months.



If you have a chronic illness, how do you keep track of symptoms and attacks? Or is there something else you use to track your illness over time?

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