The importance of symptom tracking

Today I thought we would talk about the importance of symptom tracking and how it can help you manage your chronic illnesses.

I never used to track my symptoms, and I mean for decades, I would just notice something new and try to remember when that appeared. But I started to notice that it was difficult to see and understand what made my illnesses worse or better.

Monitoring your symptoms, along with what you are eating and doing, is a really effective way to see what your body is doing and when. It allows you to see if bread, or too much sugar, or if you go out for too long, or anything really affects your symptoms.

I honestly have found so much good from tracking my symptoms, it goes along with mindfulness and really paying attention to the body you live in. Bearable have made some ‘little victories’ checklists available as well which is a lovely way to celebrate the small stuff.

Symptom tracking is also a lovely way to take the pressure off those of us with memory issues, and there are so many ways of monitoring now that we are spoilt!

There are so many apps out there right now, I personally use Visible and Bearable, both really good apps in different ways. Also, both of these apps connect to apple watches and things like that so if you have that it is really useful. Both apps also have charts and comparable data that are easy to access and show to healthcare professionals.

I love worksheets, these can be found on places like Etsy, but Bearable actually have some free available on their website to download. Worksheets are great because you can take them with you to doctors who are not too savvy with technology and they can be easier to look back on.

Bullet journaling could be great if you have a rare illness that has very specific symptoms, or if you are creative and want a hobby. I love watching people on YouTube doing bullet journals and I would love to try it one day, let me know if you do this.

I have also used books in the past, they can often be found on places like Amazon and are good for keeping things together easily. Though I do sometimes find them too general and not as focused as I need, but everyone is different so they might be perfect for you.

The importance of symptom tracking

There are two main reasons I have found that show the importance of symptom tracking, the first is so that you can make changes. Lifestyle has a big affect on our symptoms, from how much we try to push through and do too much, to the things we eat.

By tracking these things, you will start to see what is making the most affect and then you can change it. For example, I find I get a lot of stomach bloating and pain if I eat a lot of bread, and my pain is worse if I eat too much sugar.

I would not have noticed that correlation if I hadn’t been tracking my diet and my symptoms. I will say though that I do not track calories, just note what I am eating, so if calories trigger you, that is not the idea.

The other reason to track symptoms is to show healthcare providers, doctors etc are generally scientists. They like charts and data to back up what people are saying, so if you have that thanks to tracking your symptoms, then they are more likely to believe you.

Medical gaslighting, can cause a lot of trauma to people just wanting answers and support from their doctors. So, consider symptom tracking as a way to fight back against that, and Bearable even provide a chronic illness resume to give to new doctors.

I really hope this post has given you some ideas as to the importance of symptom tracking and how to do it. I definitely recommend the free resources provided by Bearable and I hope you will check out their app which is free.

Thank you xx

*This post was sponsored by Bearable with resources provided, but all thoughts and feelings were my own.

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