• A symptom journal can help you track your UC flares.
  • It can include your symptoms, diet, activities, and medication.
  • The journal can be used by a healthcare professional.

Trying to manage a health condition that can be unpredictable can be hard. One day you feel great, the next you have a bad bout of stomach pain, fatigue, and other symptoms.

Your doctor might have told you that there were certain things that caused your flares. It can take detective Work. to narrow down thosetriggers. Did you eat too much ice cream? Was it the stress from the poorly presented Work. that made you run for the bathroom?

A symptom journal can be a key part of managing UC. Writing down your symptoms on paper or using a phone app can help you see patterns in your symptoms. Sharing information with healthcare professionals is easier with a symptom diary.

A symptom journal is a good way to start a journal.

A symptom journal is a tool that helps you keep track of your inflammatory bowel disease symptoms. You and your doctor can link UC flares to what you were doing at the time.

Your journal might have information about you.

  • When they started are some of the symptoms.
  • diet
  • activities
  • There are medications for managing UC.

You can use the journal to track how UC affects your daily life. This may include you.

  • appetite
  • The weight.
  • Emotions.

You can give your doctor a record of your symptoms at appointments.

The traditional way to keep a symptom journal is to write it in a diary. My IBD Care is one of the newer apps that makes it easier to track your symptoms and share them with your doctor.

A symptom journal will help you identify patterns and relationships between your UC symptoms and your diet, activities, and stress levels. You might notice that your symptoms get worse when you eat dairy products or upset.

A symptom journal can help you and your doctor predict when a flare will occur. If you are starting to have more loose stools, your doctor may change your medication or dose to avoid a full-blown flare.

Your doctor can know whether your treatment is Work.ing by seeing a complete picture of your symptoms. The right treatment can help slow disease progression and prevent problems. A symptom flare is a sign that your medication is no longer Work.ing and you need a different medication or treatment.

“Even if you don’t experience a flare, it’s helpful to use a symptom journal every day. You can start to look for patterns by that. You could use a journal only when you have symptoms. Ask your doctor what they think would be useful.”

Between appointments, keep a record of your symptoms. It is easier to answer questions from your doctor if you have a written list of your symptoms, activities, and diet.

The more details you give, the better. You can ask your doctor which information is most useful.

Here is a list to get started.

  1. Did you have any symptoms today?
  2. What were your symptoms? Common UC symptoms include:
    • bowel movements that are loose
    • There is belly pain.
    • There is bleeding in the rectal.
    • fatigue
    • nausea
    • The weight. loss
  3. How many bowel movements did you have? What was their consistency like?
  4. How severe were your symptoms?
  5. What did you eat? Common UC triggers include:
    • Fruits and vegetables are high in fiber.
    • There are sugars in fruit juices.
    • There are foods that are very sweet.
    • dairy products
    • high fat foods
    • Alcohol.
    • Coffee drinks.
    • spicy food
  6. How did UC symptoms affect other aspects of your life? Consider your:
    • Eating habits.
    • appetite
    • The activity level is high.
    • sleep
    • Sex life.
    • Work.
  7. How did UC affect your Emotions.? For example, symptoms may make you feel:
    • sad
    • lonely
    • It was frustrating.
    • overwhelmed
    • embarrassed.
  8. What other symptoms or health concerns have you had? These may include:
    • Joint pain.
    • There are skin conditions.
    • There are concerns about the liver.
    • There are eye problems.
    • Other issues are named.
  9. What medications did you take? Include all prescription and over-the-counter medications. After you took the medication, note whether your symptoms:
    • got better.
    • stayed the same.
    • It got worse.

A symptom journal is a great way to keep track of your UC flares. You can use it to figure out how your diet affects your symptoms.

Share your journal with the doctor who is treating your UC. Your doctor can use your notes to ask for more tests or adjust your treatment when necessary.