Tracking chronic pain and health in a bullet journal can help you be aware of your own body, predict patterns, and communicate with your doctor more effectively.
I’ve suffered from chronic migraines and only recently found a medicine that changed my daily headaches and number of migraines per month. I’ve also had trouble with pain and irregular cycles ever since I had an ovarian cyst rupture.
Tracking these symptoms is incredibly telling, especially in conjuncture with sleep, medication/vitamins, and other factors. Keep reading to see how I track chronic pain in my bullet journal.
The Habit Tracker
I found that the best way to see the overall picture of my life including chronic pain was to include a section on this complex tracker. This isn’t the kind of spread I do every single month but is educational when I line up these aspects together. Here are the following segments:
Habits:
- Reading
- Complete homework
- Writing
- Wash face
- Exercise
- Take medication
- Journal
- Drink Water
Other actions:
- Wash hair
- Do laundry
- Post on Instagram
- Post on blog
Symptoms:
- Missed class/work
- Saw a doctor
- Headache
- Migraine
- Naseous
- Cramps
- Cold/other
Mental:
- Mood
- Productivity
- Energy
- Stress
- Social
- Anxiousness
- Iritability
When I include my chronic pain symptoms alongside every other aspect of my chronic pain, I can easily see how it affects everything else. May it be how often I wash my hair or do laundry, or my energy and stress, correlation is easy to find.
I also find it important to note how often I see a doctor or miss class/work. This was a good month. But when my pain was at my worst in high school, I often left early or spent a few hours in the nurse’s office. Sometimes it takes over my life more – or less – than I actually think it does.
How to Create Your Own Tracker
- List all actions you would like to be aware of
- Denote if these actions should be completed daily, or if you just want to be aware of how often a month you complete them
- Separate the initial list of habits in two sections accordingly
- Make a list of the results (doctor’s visits or absences) and symptoms of your chronic pain (vomiting, pain in a certain part of the body, etc)
- Make a list of mental and physical feelings (energy, mood, irritability, etc)
Long-Form Tracking
This long-form journaling allowed me to expand upon symptoms from my habit tracker.
I would simply write down the date, and any pertinent information. This included everything from how much medication I took, other ways of managing the pain such as ice or heat, how much I slept, and specifics of the pain such as only being on the left side or it being hard to use the restroom. These specifics may not be pretty, but they can be more helpful when speaking to your doctor or finding solutions that help.
Sleep Log
My sleep log is another essential aspect of seeing how my pain affects me. This is another tracker I don’t include every month, as it can be quite involved, but I like to see the overall picture periodically.
The
Cycle Tracker
My health issues involve keeping track of my period. Your cyce can be telling for a multitiude of feminine health concerns.
I marked out my planned periods in black, and planned ovulation in gray. When my period actually comes for the month, I mark it in red.
Note that I started in September – you definitely don’t need to wait until January to start this!
When I created a new period tracker in my latest bullet journal, I didn’t write in all the projected periods at the begginning. I now do it month by month, adjusting it based on when my cycle actually came the previous month.
This is a clear way to see if you’re late, irregular, or missing cycles altogether.
Supplies Used
Leuchtturm Hardcover Medium A5 Dotted Notebook [Anthracite]
Muji Gel Ink Ball Point Pen, 0.38-mm, Black, 10 Pcs
Zebra Mildliner highlighter pen set, 20 Pastel Color set
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Linda says
Hi!
Thank you for this extensive blog post! I’m just starting my dive into bullet journalling to track my migraines/chronic pain, and you have been so helpful and inspiring.
I’m curious, you mention that you found a medication that reduced your headaches and migraine frequency. Which one? I’m always interested in hearing what works for other people!
Kind regards from Sweden! //Linda
greyzonepages says
I’m so glad that I could help you even in a little bit, Linda! Thank you for your sweet comment.
My neurologist prescribed me amitriptyline. I had tried other methods like the daith piercing, essential oils, and countless other medications, but this is the one that made all the difference for me. It might be worth discussing with your doctor!
I wish you the best of luck on your journey with chronic pain.
Katie says
I hope you don’t mind me commenting, thank you for sharing your trackers, its very much helpful. I also wanted to mention that I take amitriptyline for hypermobility but I’m also prescribed propranolol as a migraine/headache preventative. They really work, for me anyway. GL
Melissa Wozniak says
I’m starting a bullet journal, with the intent of tracking my health. I have multiple chronic illnesses. Do you continue to track month to month? If so, how have you changed anything or having any new recommendations for me?
greyzonepages says
Hi Melissa!
Luckily, I found a neurologist who prescribed me a medication that radically helped my headaches. I also started seeing an OBGYN for my PCOS, and by going on birth control my cysts haven’t bothered me even close to as much.
I usually track my pain/symptoms on a monthly basis when they’re flaring badly. If it’s an odd day that’s substantially worse than the others, I’ll make a note on my daily log or just have a running list of bad days/symptoms that aren’t confined to one month.
I would recommend just trying new methods until something works well for you. Chronic pain can differ in seasons and your bullet journal will likely have to adjust. Maybe start with a monthly tracker, but if you find it is too much for your needs, go to a basic list that allows for more than 30 days. Thanks for your comment and I hope I could help!